NES3502 : Advanced Marine Research Topics 2
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr William Reid
- Lecturer: Dr Theresa Rueger, Professor Pip Moore
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
An advanced, current research-based module for students with interests in postgraduate studies in Marine Biology and Ecology and developing critical appraisal skills for outside academia. Provides insights into various topics at the forefront of contemporary marine research based on the expertise of the contributors. Overall goal is to illustrate modern, multidisciplinary research across a wide range of contemporary marine science issues.
Outline Of Syllabus
3 x 2 week intensive blocks of teaching focused on current themes in Marine Biology and Ecology linked to academic staff research interests. Content will be drawn from active research themes such as:
Marine Biotoxins
Microbiome Biology
Trophic Biology
Organism Responses to Global Climate Change
Reproductive Biology
Algal Ecology
Kelp Ecology
Deep-sea Ecology
Monitoring Marine Mammals
Interaction of Marine Mammals and Fisheries
Whaling and Sustainable Management of Cetacean Stocks
Marine organism physiology
Ecogeochemistry
Tropical ecology
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 19 | 1:00 | 19:00 | Scheduled lectures covering taught content. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Completion of written exercise - end of module take-home assessment, to be completed in 24 hours |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 16 | 2:00 | 32:00 | Preparation and revision for summative assessments |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Class presentations |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 18 | 2:00 | 36:00 | Lecture follow-up which includes recap and reading supporting scientific papers from lectures |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 16 | 1:00 | 16:00 | Reading information and preparation time to support group activities |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | Small group learning activities and discussions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 85:00 | 85:00 | Wider background reading |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will present relevant, research-focused course material, allowing students to gain a greater appreciation of the research activities undertaken by academic staff. This will be built on by group activities and class presentations done in groups, which will give students focused time to develop critical analysis and interpretation skills through discussing contemporary research and marine issues related to the taught component. These group activities will develop communication skills, self-management, critical thinking and the ability to convey scientific information to peers. The students will get the opportunity to practice presenting as groups to small audience in a formative exercies before undertaking the summative presentation exercise whcih will be presented to the class.
Independent study of the primary literature will complement the lecture content and group work. The independent study will allow the students to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the research themes discussed.
Students will build upon the independent learning skills developed at Levels 4 and 5.
Assessment preparation and completion will allow students to fully prepare for the written examination and class presentations. They will have the opportunity to consolidate and build upon knowledge gained in the taught sessions.
The end of module assessment will assess the level of knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the module, including student reading.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 1440 | 1 | A | 70 | 24 Hour take home exam. Students are expected to spend 3 hours completing the exercise. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 1 | M | 30 | Class presentation in groups |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | Group presentations to small audience |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The students will undertake a formative group presentation before the summative class presentation. This will give the students the opportunity to practice working as a group and developing a presentation before the summative group presentation.
The written exercise in the assessment period will be an open book assessment. It will assess the level of knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the module, including student reading. The assessment will contain two parts and the student will need to answer one question from each part. The word limit for each answer is 1000 words.
The written assessment will be completed over 24 hours which will be released within the assessment period.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES3502's Timetable