Last modified: 23 Jul 2025 15:46
During day trips from Aberdeen to various field environments in Aberdeenshire, you will learn and practice a variety of techniques for sampling and identifying organisms in the field.
We will meet staff from NGOs, research institutes and the private sector, who will provide overviews on the complexities of managing their organisations and the land on which they operate.
Working in groups, you will formulate and carry out a short field-based research project and present your findings to the other groups.
You will develop skills in biological recording by maintaining a detailed record of field activities in a field notebook.
Dates for 2025/2026 are 18th May 2026 to 23rd May 2026
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
We visit a different place each day – all very beautiful and containing various plants and animals. On most visits, we don’t walk very far, but on occasions, we may walk for several Kms over undulating terrain, therefore moderate physical fitness is necessary. If in doubt, please contact the course supervisor before signing up to the course.
The course is non-residential, and we leave from Zoology building, so students are required to be in Aberdeen for 0900 each day. We meet with hosts at each site we visit, so we leave promptly. Please factor this in if you live outside Aberdeen.
The course includes training in the identification, sampling, and recording of organisms and the methods needed to assess their population densities and behaviour. There is an emphasis on understanding the challenges each environment brings to the organisms living there and the humans who manage it.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost of field trip | 30.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 46 | Feedback Weeks | 48 | |
| Feedback |
Individualised written feedback; formative feedback during course |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Analyse and present field data |
| Conceptual | Understand | Describe the adaptations and ecological roles of representative species and understand the main factors influencing their distribution. |
| Procedural | Apply | To describe and safely execute appropriate sampling methods for certain habitats. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 46 | Feedback Weeks | 46 | |
| Feedback |
Generic feedback to class, written feedback to group |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Analyse and present field data |
| Procedural | Apply | Interact with others in the execution of team-based fieldwork. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Interact with others in the execution of team-based fieldwork. |
| Procedural | Understand | Use keys to identify and classify common species in the localities visited during the field course. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Analyse and present field data |
| Conceptual | Understand | Describe the adaptations and ecological roles of representative species and understand the main factors influencing their distribution. |
| Procedural | Apply | To describe and safely execute appropriate sampling methods for certain habitats. |
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