NES2509 : Field Skills for Marine Science
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Dr Jane Delany
- Lecturer: Dr William Reid, Dr Marco Fusi, Dr Benjamin Wigham, Dr Gary Caldwell
- 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
This module aims to equip students with the necessary practical skills and confidence to prepare for their Level 6 Research Project. The field course will allow students to be introduced to and develop the practical field and analytical skills necessary to become practicing professional marine scientists. The philosophy of this module is to train students to develop observations and questions into understand and competency in the design and analysis of experiments and environmental survey/monitoring to address specific hypotheses with an appropriate level of supervision. Emphasis will be placed on teamwork, decision making, data collection and management and analytical skills.
Outline Of Syllabus
All students will attend a residential field course which will involve a range of shore based and in/on-water tasks. Residential field courses require a student contribution to the cost of the trip.
This module will build upon the field skills developed in Stage 1 and introduce students to more advanced techniques to prepare them for their final year Research Project. Students will undertake field work sessions complemented by lectures, discussion seminars, workshops.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Introductory lecture / research vessel practical briefing session |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 25:00 | 25:00 | Preparation for formative and summative assessment along with undertaking assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 1 | 8:00 | 8:00 | Research Vessel practical day |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 6 | 3:00 | 18:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Fieldwork | 1 | 64:00 | 64:00 | Residential field course |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 83:00 | 83:00 | Wider background reading to support taught component |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The residential field course will extend students’ experience and knowledge of field-based survey methodology and provide the opportunity for fundamental scientific skills to be developed.
Wider background reading will support the information received through formal practicals by guided independent study using primary literature and key texts. Students will be encouraged to become more independent in their learning at this stage in their programmes to develop key skills such as Active Learning, Goal Setting and Action Planning, Decision Making, and Initiative, which they will require at Level 6.
Assessment preparation and completion will allow students to fully prepare for their formative and summative coursework. Students will have the opportunity to consolidate and build upon knowledge gained in the field.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | 20 | Biodiversity test |
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | 80 | Four residential field course exercises (each 500 words or equivalent) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | Formative practical exercise based on data collected on research vessel (500 words equivalent) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The residential field course will be assessed through a short biodiversity test and four daily field course exercises designed to examine students’ ability to synthesise practical knowledge and apply it to new marine environments. Students will be expected to work in teams to collect scientific data, which they will present clearly with justification for their findings.
The formative assessment is an opportunity to receive direct feedback on the research vessel fieldwork task which will help students to develop their integrated skills surrounding planning, data collection, data management, and data analysis/presentation.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES2509's Timetable