Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 x 1 hour lecture per week (22 hours) |
| Practical | 2 x 4 hour practicals (8 hours) |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Crab dissection report. Completed in class. | 10% |
| Semester Assessment | Locust dissection report. Completed in class. | 10% |
| Semester Assessment | Magazine article. | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 40% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Display detailed knowledge of the structure and function of invertebrates in the groups covered
2. Discuss recent research in the fields of invertebrate zoology relevant to the groups studied.
3. Dissect representatives of two major invertebrate groups.
4. Prepare a magazine article suitable for the interested lay-person (in the style of New Scientist) on one of the topics covered.
Brief description
This module builds on the basic coverage of invertebrates in year 1. It focuses on a small number of topics in invertebrate zoology and examines each in depth. The topics are chosen to represent a number of important invertebrate taxa and a range of concepts. It includes developments at the forefront of our understanding of invertebrates. A considerable part of this module is student-centred and involves independent research into recent literature.
Content
Cephalopod biology
Invertebrate symbioses
Insect flight
Invertebrate coloniality
Arthropod growth and development
Phylogeny and speciation in arachnids
Invertebrate toxins
Each topic consists of three formal lectures followed by a seminar session in which student groups present orally their contributions to development of the topic beyond the lecture coverage. There are two dissections in practical classes, drawn from the shore crab, locust or squid, each of which links with one of the lecture topics.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Students will prepare material and present this orally. They will also prepare a magazine article in the style of New Scientist. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | |
| Information Technology | Students will use IT in researching the information required to support the preparation of wiki material and the magazine article. They will also develop their IT skills in presentation both of the wiki material and the magazine article |
| Personal Development and Career planning | |
| Problem solving | |
| Research skills | In working on the student-centred aspects of the module, students will be planning and carrying out research, evaluating information from different sources and producing appropriate outputs |
| Subject Specific Skills | Invertebrate dissection |
| Team work | In preparing materials and presenting in the seminars, students will be working in small groups, with the need to plan and to contribute effectively to group performance. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5