NES1208 : Earth and Environment Field Course
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Jon Telling
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Simon Peacock
- Lecturer: Professor Sam Wilson, Professor David Manning
- Deputy Module Leader: Dr Helen Adamson
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Mixed Location
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of this module is to enable students to build skills in field techniques and observations,
teamwork and presentation skills. The module is based around a residential field course during
which the students will conduct a range of field exercises spanning environmental science (including
both terrestrial and aquatic components) and earth science.
The students will benefit from the location in the Southern Lake District of England, allowing easy access to geological formations of international significance, a range of plant and wildlife habitats from salt marshes to woodlands, and a range of lakes to enable hands-on practical exercises in aquatic science. In addition, the students will augment their ability to apply GIS data to real world exercises.
Outline Of Syllabus
The majority of this module will take place in the last week of Semester 1 at a field study centre in
the Southern Lake District of England. The field course is designed to complement the Stage 1 lectures and practicals by placing the theory and practice taught in these modules into the
context of environmental and earth science projects.
Students will choose two out of three field exercises covering terrestrial environmental science, aquatic science, and earth science. Students will develop their observational and recording skills, and learn and apply a variety of field techniques.
The students will incorporate GIS into at least one of their filed exercises.
Prior to the residential element, students will be briefed on the tasks required for the fieldwork element, and carry out some GIS data processing.
Students will be briefed further throughout the field course via a series of lectures providing additional instruction for day to day activities.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 5:00 | 5:00 | Group Report |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 5:00 | 5:00 | Group Presentation |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Non-Synchronous online |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Synchronous online |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 6 | 8:00 | 48:00 | Residential field course |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 5 | 3:00 | 15:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 10:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching elements within this module are necessarily varied in order to support the range of learning outcomes stated.
Practical sessions before the field course (CEG1702) will be used for students to develop their GIS skills.
During the residential element of the module, students will spend the majority of time working in groups in the field, using their knowledge and skills to solve a variety of earth science, aquatic science and environmental science exercises.
Once they have obtained raw data they will process and analyse it. As a group they will then draw all the
data together into a group report, clearly showing their results, allowing for group working and reflection.
A series of evening small group teaching activities (including group formative presentations) will facilitate progress through the duration of the field course, summarizing the day's learning objectives and explaining the tasks which need to be completed the next day.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 2 | M | 100 | Group critique of the fieldwork / results (max. 1500 words) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 2 | M | Group presentation on day's fieldwork (20 minutes) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
For largely a fieldwork based module it is appropriate that the assessment is 100% coursework. The coursework
will consist of a single summative element to be completed and marked by the end of the residential week, comprising:
• Group report and plots detailing the fieldwork performed and results obtained including diagrams and computations. This allows each group to bring together and present their complete portfolio of fieldwork in one document to clearly show their results.
The formative assessment provides groups with the chance during the field course to work as a group to deliver and obtain feedback on a presentation, helping to consolidate learning and develop teamwork, presentation and data synthesis skills.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES1208's Timetable