Undergraduate Course: Practical Environmental Impact Assessment (ECSC10045)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Ecologists and Environmental scientists must collect and interpret reliable field data to understand ecological processes and evaluate how environmental systems respond to land-use change. This course advances your practical experience in ecological and environmental measurement through an intensive field course where you will apply specialised field methodologies and work collaboratively to collect baseline datasets. These data are then used in seminar-based workshops introducing the principles and practice of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), including scoping, impact prediction, mitigation design, and professional reporting. By the end of the course, you will have developed confidence in field-based ecological measurement and in applying environmental data within an EIA framework. |
| Course description |
i) Residential field course
Dates: End of August/Beginning of September (subject to change)
The field course builds on skills developed by Ecological and Environmental Sciences students in earlier field courses (Field Ecology and Ecological Measurement) and lecture classes. Student groups (ca. 15 students per group) rotate each day through themed sessions on biodiversity, freshwater systems, below-ground carbon, and habitat structure and fragmentation, gaining practical experience in specialist field methods and environmental baseline data collection. During the final day of the field course there will be a world café style workshop with practitioners from organisations involved with land management at multiple scales: The Cairngorms National Park Authority; Forest and Landscape Scotland; Speyside Fisheries Trust; Cairngorms Connect. This will allow students to have small group discussions with experts about topics revolving around land management, stakeholder engagement and resolving conflicts. All the data collected each day of the field course will be collated as a whole course resource for use during the semester.
ii) Seminar Series: Semester 1- Weeks 1-5 (3 hrs)
The seminars build on the data and experiences gained during the field course. Through a series of workshops, students are introduced to the main stages of EIA outlined in the table above.
Week 1 - EIA Screening + Scoping - Purpose, legal context, stages of EIA; defining what to assess
Week 2 - Baseline & Impact Assessment - Translating field data into meaningful environmental baselines
Week 3 - Impact Prediction & Significance - Assessing the scale and severity of potential development impacts
Week 4 - Proposing mitigation options - Introducing QGIS to visualise habitats, fragmentation, and mitigation options
Week 5 - Writing & Reviewing EIA Statements - Structuring an Environmental Statement and evaluating examples
The course adopts an integrated, data-driven approach in which the group field dataset underpins the entire seminar series. Students iteratively develop their understanding of EIA by applying their own data to each stage of the process, from baseline characterisation through to impact assessment and mitigation. For example, in the baseline week, students use vegetation surveys, soil carbon measurements, and water chemistry data collected in the field to define habitat condition, carbon stock and water framework directive criteria for the site. This approach mirrors professional practice, enabling students to work with complex, real-world datasets and produce a coherent, evidence-based Environmental Statement
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 50 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 15,
Fieldwork Hours 56,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
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
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework: Environmental Impact Assessment Report (50%) «br /»
Examination: 2-hour written exam (50%) |
| Feedback |
During the residential field course, students receive one structured formative feedback session on field journals (typically on the evening of Day 3). This provides guidance on field recording practice, clarity of observation, and methodological understanding to support professional-standard field documentation.
Within the Semester 1 seminar series, feedback is embedded through guided discussion of EIA stages, including screening and scoping, baseline development, impact assessment, and mitigation design. This supports ongoing development of students' ability to interpret field data and apply it within an EIA framework.
Coursework will have written individual feedback provided focused on the quality of baseline interpretation, appropriateness of data selection for the chosen scenario, strength of impact evaluation and justification, and clarity and structure of the EIA report. Feedback will be available in time for students to use it as a study tool for the exam as well.
The examination will have individual feedback provided, highlighting strengths and areas for development in methodological understanding, data interpretation, and application of EIA principles. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Enhance skills and understanding in using advanced ecological and environmental field methodologies to collect data in support of evidence-based Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
- Critically evaluate specialised field methodologies, including their limitations and suitability for professional impact assessment contexts.
- Analyse and interpret ecological and environmental field data using appropriate quantitative approaches to establish environmental baselines.
- Synthesise field evidence within the framework of an EIA to assess impact significance and propose mitigation options.
- Generate an EIA that addresses impacts, while ensuring a balanced consideration of ecological, social, and economic priorities.
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Reading List
Sutherland, W.J. (ed.) - Ecological Census Techniques: A Handbook, Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition
Glasson, J., Therivel, R. & Chadwick, A. - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, Routledge, 5th edition
Routledge Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment (1st Edition, 2022) edited by Kevin Hanna.
Rowell, D.L. - Soil Science: Methods and Applications, Routledge, 3rd edition
Wetzel, R.G. - Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems, Academic Press, 3rd edition
Krebs, C.J. - Ecological Methodology, Benjamin/Cummings, 2nd edition |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking is embedded through evaluation of ecological field methodologies, interpretation of environmental datasets, and assessment of impact significance within EIA frameworks. Students are required to question methodological assumptions, identify limitations and bias in field data, and justify evidence-based environmental judgements in both coursework and exam contexts.
Curiosity is developed through rotational field activities that expose students to multiple ecosystem types and environmental pressures, encouraging them to ask exploratory questions about ecological processes and human impacts. Scenario-based EIA coursework further promotes curiosity by requiring students to engage with unfamiliar development contexts and consider alternative interpretations of environmental evidence.
Problem solving is embedded through the requirement to synthesise multiple ecological datasets and determine their relevance to different development scenarios. Students must integrate complex and sometimes incomplete field data to construct baselines, assess impacts, and propose mitigation measures within EIA frameworks, reflecting real-world environmental decision-making under uncertainty.
Collaboration is developed through group-based field rotations where students work together to collect and interpret ecological data. Fieldwork requires coordination of sampling activities, sharing of observational insights, and engagement in collective problem-solving, while maintaining individual responsibility for subsequent analysis and assessment outputs.
Reflection is supported through structured field journals in which students record observations, methods, and preliminary interpretations during fieldwork. Formative feedback encourages iterative improvement, while students are expected to reflect on methodological choices, data quality, and their own learning progression across field, seminar, and assessment stages.
Communication skills are developed through professional-style EIA report writing and structured examination responses. Students must clearly and concisely communicate complex environmental evidence, justify impact assessments, and present mitigation strategies using appropriate disciplinary conventions.
Inclusivity is embedded through diverse field scenarios and collaborative rotational activities that ensure all students engage with multiple environments and methodologies. The course structure supports different learning styles through a combination of fieldwork, journals, seminars, and written assessments.
Adaptivity is developed through field-based learning in dynamic environments, requiring students to respond to changing conditions and interpret variable datasets. Students must also adapt their analytical approach when selecting relevant evidence for different development scenarios and manage multiple assessment components within defined timeframes.
Data and digital literacy are embedded through interpretation of ecological datasets, use of GIS in EIA seminars, and translation of raw field data into structured environmental assessments.
Individuality is supported through scenario-based coursework that allows students to select different development contexts and construct independent EIA reports based on shared datasets. Students are encouraged to develop their own analytical approaches, reflect on personal strengths in field and analytical work, and build discipline-relevant professional skills aligned with environmental science careers. |
| Keywords | Freshwater ecology,Biodiversity monitoring,Peatlands,fieldwork |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Watt
Tel:
Email: James.Watt@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Francesca Nadal Finnegan
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Francesca.Finnegan@ed.ac.uk |
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