Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 11:08
This course will give you the opportunity to learn about contemporary topics in fundamental behavioural ecology and how this knowledge can be applied to improve the conservation and management of animals.
Academics working at the cutting edge of behavioural research will report on the state-of-art in their field, while you will gain direct experience of data-based approaches regularly used by researchers. Independent learning activities will encourage further exploration of the latest advances in the field through recorded lectures and conference presentations and the critical examination of journal articles and pre-prints.
You will develop your understanding of the state of the art in the field and be introduced to the process of research planning by reviewing grant proposals before writing your own grant proposal.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The first third of the course comprises lectures and computer practicals across a range of subjects within behavioural ecology and conservation. You will learn about social behaviour, animal personality, cognition, dispersal, and urban behaviour, and how these topics relate to individual fitness and reproduction, population viability and resilience, the management of individuals and populations, and human-animal conflict. These lectures serve to teach students about important concepts, approaches, and case studies and to start providing ideas for their grant proposals.
The second third of the course will combine directed learning to further student’s knowledge of behavioural ecology and conservation, allowing you to pursue your unique interests. We also give lectures on how to structure research proposals and how to master the style of persuasive writing necessary to write a successful grant. There will also be a grant review panel, a group activity where students assess good and bad points of a set of pre-existing grants. Reviewing these grants will aid students in preparing their own grant.
The final third of the course is given over to preparing individual research proposals, with drop-in sessions with the course co-ordinator for students to discuss their ideas and how to communicate them effectively. The research proposal each student will write will include a background to the subject area, a summary of the knowledge gaps, and a plan for research that fills those gaps.
By the end of the course the students should have:
Taught topics covered include (note these may vary from year to year):
Animal “personality” and population resilience
Cognition and human-animal interactions
Dispersal and migration
Sexual selection and sexual conflict
Behavioural responses to environmental change
Parental care and individual survival
Social behaviour and disease transmission
The difference between writing to report, evaluate, and persuade
Structuring a grant proposal
The ethics of persuasive writing
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Each student will receive individual feedback and a mark for each task. Feedback will be provided as written comments. Groups will also be given generic feedback. Students who are identified as having difficulty in successfully completing the coursework assessment tasks will be invited to meet members of the course team to identify difficulties and discuss solutions. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2 x MCQ test (10% each) |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Enhanced skills in written communication through the writing of a grant proposal. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Enhanced skills in data manipulation, analysis, and modelling through computer based practical sessions |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understanding of the role of behavioural ecology in other biological disciplines and systems such as population and evolutionary ecology |
| Procedural | Apply | Understanding of the importance of behavioural ecology in applied situations, such as population management and conservation |
| Procedural | Understand | Understanding of research methodology within the field of behavioural ecology, with respect to both theoretical and practical aspects |
| Procedural | Apply | Enhanced skills in oral communication through the discussion of papers and oral presentation of a grant proposal |
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