Undergraduate Course: Ecological Measurement (ECSC09004)

Course Outline
School	School of Geosciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	Ecologists and environmental scientists measure and evaluate many things, ranging from species richness to ecosystem exchanges of carbon dioxide, to give insights into ecological processes, the role of biodiversity and environmental status. In addition to training in particular measurement techniques you will learn general principles that can be applied to any form of measurement.
Course description	The first week of the course takes place at outdoors at and around Kings Buildings before the start of semester 1 (week -1, i.e the week before week 0). The analytical training takes place in Semester 1 on Mondays from 1100-1200 in room 2.02 Geography Old Infirmary (computer lab), Central Area.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: ( Principles of Ecology (ECSC08006) AND Field Ecology (ECSC08007))	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	Students must be enrolled on Ecological and Environmental Sciences or Ecological and Environmental Sciences with Management

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 6, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6, Fieldwork Hours 60, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 122 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	There are four coursework assessments in this course and one exam. The first two assessments are designed to provide you with feedback on your learning, and build towards a third assignment which provides 50% of the marks for your final grade for the course (the remaining 50% being an exam). List of Assessments: 1. Field notebooks will be assessed for meeting minimum standards: the overall coursework mark will be restricted to a maximum of 50% if it is not considered adequate. Feedback will be provided. 2. A group project summary document. This exercise will not receive a formal mark, but the overall coursework mark will be restricted to a maximum of 50% if it is not considered adequate. Feedback will be provided. 3. Individual project write-up. This assessment determines 50% of the final course grade. 4. Final Exam. This assessment determines 50% of the final course grade. Assessment 3 submission should be electronic via Learn. Assessment deadlines For assessment 1: At the end of the field course (Friday Week -1, 5 pm) For assessment 2: Monday week 3 For assessment 3: Friday Week 8 (noon) Exam: Students will be informed of the exam timings in due course.
Feedback	Students will receive formative feedback from practical demonstrators and teaching staff during the field course and working sessions. Specifically students will receive written feedback on their field notebooks in week 1; formative feedback on project outlines in week 4; and feedback on the project assessment in week 10. The assessments will be returned with feedback within 2 weeks of the submission deadline unless informed otherwise.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)			2:00

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Have knowledge of core methods for ecological and environmental measurement and analysis. Have an ability to use these methods in the field to collect data. Analyse these data to solve scientific questions and suggest management solutions. Be more confident in collecting and dealing with data. Understand the importance of collecting good quality data.