Download Proposed course changes to Forest Ecology (U01820) (Paper 9

GeoSciences Board of Studies Meeting (Wed 26th January 2005)
Proposed course changes to Forest Ecology (U01820) (Paper 9)
Current credit level: 10 points - SCQF Level 10
Proposed credit level: no change
New course name: Research Practice in Forest Ecology
Rationale:
The current structure of the Forest Ecology course is not satisfactory. The course deals with the most
common biological interactions occurring in (British) forests between trees and various other organisms
(soil microbes, mycorrhyzas, insects, fungi, large herbivores, etc.). As such, it has been largely taught
using external speakers. Finding appropriate speakers is not always easy, and some of them sometimes
ask for a remuneration, which we struggle to provide with the course budget.
The basic idea is to provide the students with a greater choice in terms of opportunities to do field work
and to practice for a research project. The field course will take place in the Dolomites (Italian Alps), for
which contacts, opportunities and a cheap accommodation are available.
The field course will last 10 days. To avoid conflicts, it will be carried out towards the end of the
summer vacation, right before the Fourth year field course (i.e., mid August). Subsequent work by the
students will take place in the current slots allocated to Forest Ecology (i.e., either Tue am or Fri am of
S2, weeks 1-6).
Learning objectives:
The students will spend the first three days speaking to local managers and familiarise themselves with
various forms of land management typical of the Alpine economy. The remaining five days will be spent
carrying out a small research project in groups. Ample opportunities exist for this purpose. The learning
objectives consist of: a) providing the students with an opportunity to increase their research skills; b)
increasing their ability to write effectively and concisely on a research topic; c) increasing their field
knowledge in the general area of forest ecology; d) expanding their experiences to a different setting
from the one experienced during the other field courses.
Resources:
The current level of requested resources will stay unaltered and will be used to pay towards some of the
costs. However, most of the costs will have to be born by the students. Use of RyanAir/EasyJet services
to Venice, cheap accommodation (£4/night), plus cooking facilities on site will keep the costs down. As
space is limited to only 15-20 students, there is an issue as to the best mechanism to select for the
students, in case it proves to be a popular course.
Long-term strategy:
If successful, we might want to consider bringing all the 4th year students to the Alps in the future.
Assessment:
In the time allocated to the course in S2, the students will conduct a literature search on the topic of their
project and will write an essay in the form of a scientific paper, which will be assessed.
Implications for other courses:
Forest Ecology is in the list of the possible compulsory courses for Ecological Science (Ecology) and
Biological Science (Ecology), together with five other courses. The students need to choose three
courses from this pool of six. For Ecological Science (Forestry), students not wishing to come to this
course may take alternative courses available in S2, including Plant Ecophysiology and Ecological and
Environmental Modelling, plus additional courses in S1.