Undergraduate Course: Physical Geography Field Course (B) (GEGR10151)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Underpinned by a week-long residential field component, this course provides 3rd Year BSc students with the opportunity to develop advanced skills in field-project research design, implementation and analysis. It therefore builds naturally from geographical skills and theory taught in PreHonours classroom- and field-based courses, and complements 3rd Year classes in physical geography methods and research design taught alongside it as students prepare to undertake independent dissertation work in 4th Year. The field course is also designed to provide experiential learning in physical-geography settings that do not exist in the UK, thereby vitally immersing students in a more holistic learning of the different physical geographical settings that make up our world.
This field course offers opportunities to experience and design research in a site of active glaciation and volcanism, further offering possibilities to research questions around, for example, biogeography, geomorphology and hydrology. |
| Course description |
Our overall mission for this course is to provide you with advanced practical experience in conducting original field-based research in physical geography. Our emphasis throughout the course is on experiential learning, dedicated to building on theory and skills from earlier courses, developing your skills in both team working and independent analyses, and providing a grounding in research design and implementation as part of your preparation for undertaking independent research for your 4th Year dissertation.
The course primarily runs as the field class in spring, at the end of 3rd Year Semester 2. During Semester 2, we will run introductory meetings to discuss logistical arrangements, introduce project ideas and organise project groups. During the field course itself, you will undertake team-based project work to acquire data for your chosen research project. After the field course, you will write up an individual report, supported by formative feedback provided during the field course.
By undertaking extended research projects in the field you will have the opportunity to tackle practical research that includes a degree of unpredictability. You will critically identify and analyse complex problems, motivated and contextualised by speaking with course staff and reading relevant literature, and gain further experience with different ways in which research questions can be posed, tackled and addressed through the application of appropriate project design. You will practise the valuable transferable skills of team working, project design and implementation, and autonomy and initiative.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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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: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Fieldwork Hours 72,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
114 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework.«br /»
«br /»
30% 1000-word Individual Project Proposal. Meets Learning Outcomes 1-5. «br /»
70% 2500-word Individual Project Report. Meets Learning Outcomes 1-5. |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback:
Before the field course, through Semester 2:
Staff will guide the formation of project groups and project design via seminar/tutorial discussions
During the field course:
Staff will guide students on acquiring and analysing data
Students will present two group oral ¿progress reports¿ and receive peer and staff feedback on further ideas to develop
After the field course, as students write up:
Staff will meet once with project groups to discuss final analysis of the data
Staff will meet with each student individually to answer final report-writing questions
Summative feedback
Feedback on Individual Project Proposals and Project Reports will be provided in written format using Turnitin. In both cases, the assignments will be provided to students with clear guidance regarding how performance maps to Grade-Related Criteria. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- To develop an advanced understanding of how to design and undertake a research project in environmental or physical geography.
- To gain advanced practical experience in applying a range of specialised techniques (field techniques, remote sensing, data manipulation) to addressing a research issue in environmental or physical geography.
- To develop advanced critical awareness in developing data sampling strategies and managing data.
- To synthesise and evaluate critically the ideas and issues identified during the process of researching and undertaking a geographical research project.
- To experience learning and engage with local stakeholders in an environment without analogues in the UK, thereby enhancing student understanding and experiences of, and relationships with, the global environment and community.
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Reading List
| Students will be guided to appropriate academic papers guided by their choice of research project. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Working effectively in a team on group project work
Development of personal and intellectual autonomy in critically evaluating ideas and evidence
Oral, written and graphical presentation skills
Development of technical skills in data analysis and presentation
Experience of living and working in a new landscape and culture, and engaging with local stakeholders |
| Keywords | Glaciation,Volcanism,Extreme Events,Geomorphology,Hydrology,Biogeography,Research Design |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Robert Bingham
Tel: (0131 6)51 4635
Email: r.bingham@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Leigh Corstorphine
Tel: (0131 6)50 9847
Email: lcorstor@ed.ac.uk |
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