| Unit name | Skills for Earth Scientists |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC10013 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Benton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
All mandatory Year 1 units on the relevant programme |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will give you experience in three kinds of fundamental skills essential for the modern geoscientist:
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The coding, analytical and writing skills you learn in this unit will be used and built upon to support practicals and projects on all programmes in all subsequent years of study.
You will learn fundamental field skills which you will carry onwards and build upon throughout your degree programmes.
An overview of content
You will learn how to:
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will grow in confidence in your ability to:
Learning Outcomes:
You will be able to:
Computing and statistics will be taught through a series of lectures and practical/problems classes in an interactive, inquiry-based environment.
Fieldwork will be taught through interactive, applied and inquiry-based field days in TB1. Prior to departure on the residential field trip, students attend a series of applied techniques workshops and geological history lectures. In the field, days are spent collecting data in interactive and inquiry-based situations, potentially out in all but the worst of weather. Evenings are spent analysing data back at base, with exercises and reports being marked each day to enable immediate feedback which then improves subsequent activity.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Statistics and computing tasks are supported by seven practical classes which build on each week’s lectures. Formative feedback is given through interaction with staff and demonstrators and through studying worked solutions to exercises.
Fieldwork summative tasks are supported by a small-group map and navigation tutorial and through three days in the field prior to departure on the residential. These TB1 field days are supported by a high staff/demonstrator:student ratio and through submission and marking up of field notebooks by personal tutors.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
All material will be assessed through coursework as follows:
When assessment does not go to plan
Resit and supplementary coursework will be set for all students who need it. In the case of the fieldwork component, students unable to participate in the residential field course for an evidenced reason will be set a virtual field assignment. Those who fail it and do not pass the unit as a whole will be set a written assignment that will meet the ILOs of the unit.
The University’s Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.
There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASC10013).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
