Coastal Ecology Field Course

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Team working
• Faunal data-analysis skills, numeracy, statistics and computer skills
• Information retrieval skills (library/web)
• Oral and visual presentation skills (poster and seminar)
• Written communication / presentation skills
• Project planning, including experimental design, problem solving, time management
• Report writing

In Millport, Scotland, you will receive:

1. Field course Introduction - including shore safety

2. Overview of invertebrate and macroalgal intertidal ecology in sheltered and exposed shores

3. Practice in identification of common marine macroalgal and invertebrate species using keys

4. Basic biological sampling and statistics

5. Project planning and preparation, from hypothesis generation through to the collection and interpretation of data

Themed excursions will focus on:

1. Identification of intertidal invertebrates

2. Identification of subtidal sediment-dwelling invertebrates

3. Differences in communities across different environments

4. Sampling methodology and statistical analysis

5. Project data acquisition (multiple days)

As weather permits, we will also explore offshore environments .near to Millport field station.

A week-long residential field course (for students on Marine Biology programmes only) to Millport, Scotland in July before Year 3 (i.e. summer at end of Year 2). This will provide a practical introduction to benthic ecology, develop skills in species identification, project planning (including skills experimental design, time management) and working with small groups.

A wide range of support is available for those students who have further or specific learning and teaching needs.

Summative

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