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.
The aim of this course is to provide you with knowledge of core methods for ecological and environmental measurement and analysis, an ability to use these methods in the field to collect data, and to analyse these data to solve scientific questions and suggest management solutions. By the end of the course you will be a more proficient field scientist, you will have become more confident in collecting and dealing with data and you will understand the importance of collecting good quality data.
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| Course description |
This course is a field course and takes place at the Universitys Outdoor Centre at Firbush Point on the shores of Loch Tay before the start of semester 1.
The aim of this course is to provide you with knowledge of core methods for ecological and environmental measurement and analysis. This course will teach you how to use these methods in the field to collect data and analyse these data to solve scientific questions.
By the end of the course, you will:
- be a more proficient field scientist
- will have become more confident in collecting and dealing with data
- will understand the importance of collecting good-quality data
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed: (
Principles of Ecology (ECSC08006) AND
Field Ecology (ECSC08007))
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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
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment info: Assessment weighting is 25% field notebook, 25% class test and 50% coursework (project report).
Students must pass (40% or above) all 3 coursework assessment components in order to pass this course. |
| Feedback |
Feedback is very important during this course and beyond. All staff teaching the course will be available for personal feedback throughout the duration of the fieldwork. Beyond that, we provide more formal formative feedback for the field notebook and the project development.
We will collect your field notebook at the end of day 2 to provide you with formative feedback on your note-taking skills. We hope that the feedback we provide will help you immediately to improve your skills. For the final marking of the field notebook, we will check if you have incorporated the mid-course formative feedback.
At the end of day 6, we will ask each group to present their ideas for a group project. This will be a rather informal session and is meant to open up a group-wide discussion about how to address your research question in the field. We will provide formative feedback on your project design during this session. You will conduct your project during the following day and the day will end with another presentation. This second presentation is meant for you to reflect on your field activities. We will use this as a second opportunity to provide formative feedback for your project.
We would also like to hear your feedback. At the end of the course we will provide a form hear your views about the course. Also, we will be hosting a feedback session upon return to Edinburgh to discuss what went well and what did not while we were working in the field. We appreciate your constructive criticisms.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Knowledge of core methods of enquiry.
- Ability to collect, interpret, use and evaluate data.
- Understanding of principles of calibration.
- Ability to draw on a range of sources in making judgements.
- Ability to work effectively on a group project.
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Reading List
Spellerberg IF. Monitoring Ecological Change / Ian Spellerberg. Second edition. Cambridge University Press; 2005.
Southwood R. Ecological Methods / T.R.E. Southwood. 3rd ed. / revised by P.A. Henderson and T.R.E. Southwood. (Henderson PA, ed.). Blackwell Science; 2000.
Henderson PA. Practical Methods in Ecology / P.A. Henderson. Blackwell; 2003.
Brimacombe M. Likelihood Methods in Ecology and Biology¿: A Modern Approach to Statistics / Michael Brimacombe. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group; 2019.
Farina Almo. Principles and Methods in Landscape Ecology¿: An Agenda for the Second Millennium. 3rd ed. Springer International Publishing AG; 2022.
William K. Michener, James W. Brunt (eds). Ecological Data Design, Management, and Processing / Edited by William K. Michener and James W. Brunt. (Michener WK, Brunt JW, eds.). Blackwell Science; 2000.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | ECSC09004 EM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Claudia Colesie
Tel: (0131 6)50 5434
Email: claudia.colesie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Francesca Nadal Finnegan
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Francesca.Finnegan@ed.ac.uk |
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