Undergraduate Course: Origin and Diversity of Life 1 (BILG08001)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | A theoretical and practical examination of the origins and diversity of living organisms. The course involves discussion of the form and function of organisms in terms of their structural and metabolic adaptations to habitat, with a consideration of genetics and of the evolutionary origins of species diversity. Students with unsatisfactory attendance or marks in laboratory practicals will be required to sit a degree practical examiniation. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 30,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 24,
Fieldwork Hours 6,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
128 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
25 %,
Practical Exam
15 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Continuous assessment 40%: (a) satisfactory laboratory work, including a practical assignment (15%) (b) 1500 word course essay (25%).
Dec degree examination = 60%. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Origin and Diversity of Life 1 | 2:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
Increased understanding of biological processes.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The University has identified six groups of abilities, listed below, that should be developed as part of the University of Edinburgh training experience, and to enhance your employability as a graduate. These abilities take your skill-base beyond simply academic knowledge and are enhanced at each stage of your degree.
Knowledge and Understanding: This course is designed to provide a high degree of knowledge of the diversity of living organisms and how they function. It aims to provide an understanding of how evolution has generated the diversity that we see today, by covering the subjects listed above.
Research and Enquiry: This course provides an introduction to the process of scientific research and enquiry through the course essay. Support for this is provided in tutorials, which will teach you how to locate and identify primary sources of information (research papers), to cite in your work. This is a vital skill for any scientist. In addition, practical sessions will introduce students to the art of hands-on research and enquiry, and the vital skill of keeping a detailed record of ideas, observations, results and conclusions obtained in the lab.
Communication: This is a critical attribute for all scientists ¿ there is no point conducting excellent research if no-one else ever hears about it. In this course we will instruct you in the crucial art of scientific writing: how to communicate your thoughts, ideas and discoveries clearly and concisely, and how to incorporate sources into your writing. Your essay will receive detailed feedback, which will give you further instruction on how to improve your work.
Technical and Practical Skills. Any successful scientist combines an intellectual understanding of his or her topic with the technical skills required to carry out research. These skills can be broken down into the physical skills to generate data, and the ability to analyse that data. Physical skills such as observation, microscopy and dissection are taught, together with good and safe practice, in the series of practicals throughout the course. Data analysis is touched on in most of the practicals and tutorials, with a particular focus during the genetics section of the course. All of these skills will be vital in subsequent courses, and will serve you well in any future career.
Personal Effectivenes. At University, every student is responsible for their own learning. The job of staff is to provide teaching materials in the form of lectures, practicals, tutorials and online resources; however it is the responsibility of the student to convert these into an understanding of the topics covered. Hence you will need to develop skills in recording information in a way that captures the key points, and will be useful for you at a later date. Tutorials and practicals will help you with this.
For all University courses you will need to manage your time effectively, which means first getting to your classes, and second being awake enough to get something from them when you are there. Time management will also be crucial as your essay deadline approaches ¿ to do yourself justice with an assignment like this, it is vital to give yourself sufficient time to complete and proofread the essay, as those written at the last minute never do the writer justice. You are at this University because you have shown tremendous potential, and good time-management is one way to ensure that your potential is realised, both at University and in whatever you choose to do afterwards.
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy: The single most important skill for a scientist, or anyone working in a field connected to science, is critical thinking. Hence while learning established facts and theories is an essential part of your training, you must also begin to learn how to test and challenge accepted ideas. Theories such as evolution stand strong precisely because they have survived such challenges. Hence we will encourage you to investigate for yourself whatever you are being taught. If something does not appear to make sense, try to find out why ¿ this will deepen your understanding of the topic. Lecturers will not always present hard facts ¿ sometimes, instead, they will present to you an unproven hypothesis, or questions that are not yet answered. These are opportunities for you to form your own opinions, but remember that opinions only become facts when backed by hard evidence! Further questions may be thrown up by unexpected results in your practicals, and by sources you find for your essay. Your ODL1 essay will provide one of your first chances to shine as an individual. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Tutorial M, Tu or F afternoons at 1500 or 1600. |
| Keywords | ODL1 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Jonathan Silvertown
Tel: (0131 6)50 7923
Email: Jonathan.Silvertown@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Claire Black
Tel: (0131 6)50 8637
Email: Claire.Black@ed.ac.uk |
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