Download Unit title: Surveying the Abiotic Environment Credit points: 20 Unit

Unit title:
Surveying the Abiotic Environment
Credit points:
20
Unit code:
ENV502
FHEQ level:
5
School/ Service:
Unit designation:
Traditional
Programme group:
Maritime Science and
Engineering
Environment and
Geography
Unit delivery model:
CD
Max & Min Student
no.:
N/A
TOTAL STUDENT WORKLOAD
Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal scheduled sessions for the
unit. Students are also expected to manage their directed learning and independent study
in support of the unit.
PRE-REQUISITES AND CO-REQUISITES:
None.
UNIT DESCRIPTION
This unit integrates the more advanced functionality of GIS with its use in surveying and
monitoring practices. It addresses a number of areas fundamental to an environmental
impact assessment. In addition to developing and reinforcing GIS techniques for data
presentation and analysis, it exposes students to a range of environmental science concepts
and allows them develop skills in environmental measurement by participating in practical
fieldwork.
The unit will focus on the non-biological components of an environmental monitoring
scheme, starting from planning and design to the reporting of data. In assessment, its major
focus will be on using a range of land surveying techniques to develop a more complete
database of environmental parameters, which can be used both in the dissemination of ideas
through means of mapping, and the testing of research questions through statistics. This
analysis will also introduce students to more specialist statistical software.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the unit, students should be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
K1
Explain the relationships between suites of abiotic environmental parameters.
Cognitive Skills
C1
Apply relevant theories and concepts to the interpretation of field data.
Practical and Professional Skills
P1
Apply statistics to establish relationships within environmental data.
P2
Create an appropriate GIS map to highlight spatial relationships between data sets.
Transferable and Key Skills
T1
Communicate research findings in an appropriate manner.
AREAS OF STUDY
Planning and designing monitoring and surveying schemes, the measurement of a range of
environmental parameters related to air, noise, water and land characterisation, using GIS
to contour environmental data, parametric and multivariate statistics.
LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY
The unit will require students to attend workshops which will allow for a more varied
approach to teaching. The extended teaching sessions will enable tutors to integrate
theoretical aspects, perhaps developed by short lectures, with more hands on tutorial
problems, as well as give significant scope for the teaching of field, lab and GIS skills. The
key to this approach is to demonstrate to students that theories and skills do not sit in
opposition within the teaching, but inform each other in a much more integrated way.
Further integration between skills is developed by establishing a link between techniques in
measurement, and the usefulness of GIS in disseminating and analysing geographical data.
Furthermore, the move into using social data is included to demonstrate that these skills
are useful across the breadth of geographical enquiry.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGY
Regular posting of artefacts created through study will be used for formative feedback
purposes as well as to encourage engagement with the activities. The feedback upon these
artefacts helps students to both enhance and judge progress against the learning outcomes
assessed summatively in two equally weighted reports. The skills developed within the unit
will be formally and summatively assessed through in two reports that will unite many of
the skills and principles introduced in the unit. With the student identifying the notable
positive and negative aspects of the methodologies applied for investigating acoustic, air
and water pollution (assessment one) and developing maps of soil characteristics from two
site visits. These data will be mapped with GIS and, along with appropriate statistics, the
student will investigate the differences in soil characteristics at the two sites (assessment
two).
ASSESSMENT
AE1
weighting:
assessment type:
length/duration:
online submission:
grade marking:
anonymous marking:
50%
Report
1500 words
Yes
Yes
Yes
AE2
weighting:
assessment type:
length/duration:
online submission:
grade marking:
anonymous marking:
50%
Report
1500 words
Yes
Yes
Yes
AGGREGATION OF MARKS
The marks for each element of assessment will be aggregated to give an overall mark for
the unit.
RE-ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS
Reassessment will involve revising and resubmitting the reports in the light of tutor
feedback.
Unit Author: Paul Wright/Mitzy Valentine
Unit history:
Unit Approved/Year Implemented/Code
Unit modified/Year Implemented/Code
May 2013
June 2016
2013/14
2016/17
EGP502
ENV502