Certificate / Diploma in Field Ecology

Course Outline 2015 – 2017.

Certificate (Year 1)

Course Layout

  • 3 weekend meetings involving lectures, field visits, tutorials (draft dates for these are 14th-15th November 2015; 20th and 21stFebruary 2016 and 23rd-24thApril 2016.
  • Summer School of two weeks duration (dates July 11th – 22nd) – morning lectures, field visits, practical laboratory sessions.
  • Distance learning – directed reading, written assignments, data handling, and completion of summer school field reports.

Main Topics of Study

  • The physical environment
  • Ecosystem processes (energy, nutrients, succession)
  • Introduction to ecological methods (population sampling, fieldwork techniques, practical data handling)
  • Animal and plant communities (freshwater ecology, coastal ecology, other terrestrial habitats)
  • Ecological Concepts.

Year’s Work

Students are assessed by the following five methods:

  1. Three written assignments based on directed reading material. These should be 5-6 A4 pages (approximately 1,500 words). Students are given five – six weeks to submit a written assignment.
  2. Data handling exercises – students are normally given 4 weeks to submit these assignments
  3. Reports on practical work conducted during the summer school.
  4. Compilation of a herbarium which will involve collecting and identifying plants and displaying them in the students’ own herbarium.
  5. In-Class Tests

In-Class Tests

There are three in-class tests run over a weekend at the end of the Certificate Year (November 2016). These exams have the following format:

  1. A short question paper covering aspects of the course dealt with in lectures (1.5 hours).
  2. An essay paper (1.5 hours).
  3. A test of practical ecological methods including field methods and interpretation and handling of ecological data (2.25hrs).
    Diploma (Year 2)

Course Layout

  • 3 weekend meetings. The first two weekends involve lectures, field visits and tutorials. Students will present an oral seminar on their research project during the final weekend and also sit their in-class tests.
  • Summer School of two weeks duration (July 2017) – morning lectures, field visits, practical laboratory sessions.
  • Distance learning, data handling, completion of summer school field reports, individual research project.

Main Topics of Study

  • Population ecology
  • Species interactions and community ecology
  • Environmental change and disturbance; Organic Pollution
  • Environmental Impact Assessment
  • Animal and plant communities (soils, terrestrialmammals, marine ecology)
  • Advanced ecological methods and practical data handling.

Years Work

Students are assessed by the following four methods:

  1. Data handling exercises
  2. Reports on practical work conducted during the summer school
  3. Independent research project
  4. In-Class Tests

Independent Research Project

  • An independent research project is carried out by each student on, where possible, a topic of their choice
  • The topic of this project is best decided upon at the end of the summer school of Year 1.
  • Students are given advice and help from staff within the School of BEES.
  • Fieldwork is carried out by students during the Diploma Year (Year 2)
  • The project is written up as a report of approx. 8,000 words (30-40 A4 pages including figures and tables)
  • Students will be asked to present a short oral seminar on their project in November 2017.

In-Class Tests

Students will complete one in-class test.