Environmental Science: Research and Applications

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Applying knowledge and understanding to complex and multidimensional problems in familiar and unfamiliar contexts
• Analysing, synthesising and summarising information critically, including prior research
• Recognising and using subject-specific theories, paradigms, concepts and principles
• Recognising the moral and ethical issues of investigations and appreciating the need for professional codes of conduct
• Collecting and integrating several lines of evidence to formulate and test hypotheses

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The processes which shape the natural world at different temporal and spatial scales and their influence on and by human activities
• The need for both a multi-disciplinary and an interdisciplinary approach in advancing knowledge and understanding of Earth systems, drawing, as appropriate, from the natural and the social sciences
• The terminology, nomenclature and classification systems used in environmental science
• The contribution of environmental science to the development of knowledge of the world we live in
• Methods of acquiring, interpreting and analysing environmental science information with a critical understanding of the appropriate contexts for their use
• Issues concerning the availability and sustainability of resources, for example, the different value sets relating to the Earth's resources as commodities and/or heritage
• The contribution of environmental science to debate on environmental issues and how knowledge of these forms the basis for informed concern about the Earth and its people

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Developing the skills necessary for self-managed and lifelong learning (e.g. working independently, time management and organisation skills)
• Using the internet critically as a means of communication and a source of information
• Preparing, processing, interpreting and presenting data, using appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques and packages including geographic information systems
• Communicating appropriately to a variety of audiences in written, verbal and graphical forms
• Receiving and responding to a variety of information sources (e.g. textual, numerical, verbal, graphical)
• Solving numerical problems using computer and non-computer-based techniques
• Appreciating issues of sample selection, accuracy, precision and uncertainty during collection, recording and analysis of data in the field and laboratory

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Referencing work in an appropriate manner
• Undertaking field and laboratory investigations in a responsible and safe manner, paying due attention to risk assessment, rights of access, relevant health and safety regulations, and sensitivity to the impact of investigations on the environment and stakeholders
• Planning, conducting, and reporting on environmental investigations, including the use of secondary data
• Collecting, recording and analysing data using appropriate techniques in the field and laboratory

The module begins with an introduction to ways in which you can use Excel to visualise and explore datasets. The subsequent units may cover, but are not limited to, topics such as:

• Intertidal ecosystems
• Freshwater ecosystems
• Biological indicators
• Forestry methods

This module uses a wide range of teaching and learning methods, which vary from unit to unit. Each unit will include a session to provide the scientific context to the problem being studied and then either a field or laboratory session to collect and analyse data. Some units also include computer practical sessions in order to process and analyse data, whilst other units include workshop sessions to discuss findings and evaluate the field methods.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.