This is a Level 4 module for Environment Science students. The module will investigate basic environmental principles, introduce environmental systems and identify and understand how physical and human processes can promote change in environmental systems at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Students will investigate the impacts of environmental change, understand their significance and show how this knowledge can be applied to the management of environmental challenges. The importance of a holistic approach to problem solving in the environmental sciences will be introduced along with material on key underpinning scientific disciplines including environmental chemistry and ecology through the investigation of global habitats. Environmental sustainability will be examined and debated within a broader sustainable development setting and students will define and debate anticipated 21st Century environmental challenges and the application of Environmental Science to these challenges. A range of employability skills will be emphasised throught the module curriculum and students will be challenged to consider and articulate how their environmental knowledge and skills learning development can be applied to real world environmental problems.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Lectures will introduce and facilitate understanding of the basic principles of the subjects covered in the curriculum and will be supported through interactive seminars/workshops and blended directed reading. Practicals and fieldwork will develop these topics and illustrate the principles of monitoring and managing select environmental systems. They will require students to make accurate observations and evaluate the data collected and will also promote teamwork. The formative and summative assessments will practice and develop a portfolio of skills including practical exercises (eg. to determine environmental pollutants) and communicating environmental science through presentation and written reports. Canvas VLE discussion boards will be used to disseminate contemporary 'in the news' environmental-related issues and form a platform for wider debate to tie-in with the systematic elements of the learning pathway. Students will be encouraged to interact with the discussions and key threads will be picked up and developed as appropriate within the in-class sessions. Tutors will highlight the employability skills that will be developed through the summative and formative assessments. Canvas VLE will be used to support all aspects of learning and teaching, providing a platform for articulating the module syllabus, assessment and feedback, archiving module-related resources (e.g. specific reading materials) and a digital discussion platform.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lecture | 26 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Seminar/Workshop | 26 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Practical | 10 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Fieldwork | 16 |
| Guided independent study | 222 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Summative assessments consist of:
(A) Sustainability Report based on reflections of a field-based study (30%, 1500 words plus graphics).
(B) Laboratory-based practical report to identify environmental pollutants (30%, 1500 words plus graphics).
(C) End of module written examination (40%, 2 hours).
Formative assessment includes:
(D) Environmental debate.
(E) Examination preparation supported with quizzes and digi-polls.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| (1) Explain the likely significance of identified 21st Century environmental challenges and the employability skills students will learn to identify and develop in this module | (A) Sustainability report and (C) end of module written examination supported by (D) Environmental debate |
| (2) Explain the principles governing the operation of environmental systems | (A) Sustainability report and (C) end of module written examination |
| (3) Describe the unifying themes and models for understanding Earth environments | (C) End of module written examination supported by (E) Examination preparation supported with quizzes and MCQ tests |
| (4) Show how knowledge of the operation of environmental systems can be used for their sustainable management | (C) End of module written examination supported by (E) Examination preparation supported with quizzes and MCQ tests |
| (5) Accurately observe environmental phenomena in the laboratory and field | (B) Laboratory-based practical report |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainability Report | Coursework | 30 |
| Lab-based practical report | Coursework | 30 |
| End of module examination | Written Examination | 40 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
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Baird C and Cann M (2008) Environmental Chemistry. 4th Edition. Freeman: New York.
Baker,S (2014) Sustainable Development (2nd edition). Routledge, London
Barry RG and Chorley RJ (2009) Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. 9th Edition.
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Boroughs WJ (2007) Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach (2nd edition), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Enger ED and Smith BF (2015) Environmental Science: a Study of Interraltionships (14th edition). McGraw-Hill Education, New York
Holden J (2012) An introduction to Physical Geography and the Environment. 3rd Edition, Pearson: Harlow.
Middleton M (2013) The Global Casino: an Introduction to Environmental Issues (5th Edition). Routledge, London.
O'Hare G, Sweeney J and Wilby R (2005) Weather, Climate and Climate Change. Pearson, Prentice Hall: Harlow.