| Unit name | Near-surface Geophysics Fieldwork |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30055 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Wookey |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
All mandatory first and second year units for BSc or MSci Geophysics |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
Other Level H/6 (Year 3) Geophysics units |
| 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?
One of the key activities undertaken by professional geoscientists is site surveys for a variety of purposes, including environmental assessment, civil engineering, resource evaluation and hazard monitoring. This unit provides an opportunity to develop the skills necessary for this, including the use of multiple geophysical techniques, to characterise the subsurface in a field environment.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit draws on teaching from previous years in applied geophysics, and computational data analysis, and provides an opportunity to apply these skills to a field situation with a realistic set of objectives. It complements learning on other level H modules including those focussed on hydrogeology and geophysics.
An overview of content
A one-week residential field class to the Brecon Beacons, Wales. The unit involves the application of geophysical methods to investigate the subsurface geology and structures, to meet objectives designed around the (fictional) development of the site.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will gain experience in field geophysical surveying, including using instruments for multiple techniques and interpreting data on-site. You will also gain practical team-working and time-management skills coordinating your efforts for the final presentation.
Learning Outcomes
You will:
Learning on this unit is primarily through group-based field tasks (collecting data with various geophysical / analytical instruments), and subsequently processing the data. The interpretations of the processed data will be used to meet objectives set in the briefing for the fieldwork. These will be presented by the group to the cohort at the end of the field course.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
All the in- and out-of-field tasks contribute to the final assessment, providing data, results and interpretation for the final presentation. Field notebooks will need to be updated during the fieldwork. All the unit activities require active participation, guiding the professionalism mark.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Coursework for this field class consists of three parts:
When assessment does not go to plan
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. EASC30055).
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.
