Module Descriptors
INVERTEBRATE TAXONOMY AND SPECIALIST IDENTIFICATION
BIOL70407
Key Facts
School of Health, Science and Wellbeing
Level 7
15 credits
Contact
Leader: David Skingsley
Email: D.R.Skingsley@staffs.ac.uk
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: 48
Independent Study Hours: 102
Total Learning Hours: 150
Assessment
- REPORT weighted at 75%
- TEST weighted at 25%
Module Details
Module Additional Assessment Details
It is to include both a formative and summative component
Summative: 75% 3000-word in-depth report on their chosen taxonomic group.
(Outcomes 1,2,3)
25% 2h species ID test of specialist taxonomic group (Outcome 1)
Additional Assessment Details (including formative feedback / assessment):
The summative report will only be considered for marking if the formative portfolio has also been submitted
Formative: weekly taxonomic portfolio from the 'taught' part of the course, signed off by the demonstrator and submitted with the summative component
Summative: 75% 3000-word in-depth report on their chosen taxonomic group.
(Outcomes 1,2,3)
25% 2h species ID test of specialist taxonomic group (Outcome 1)
Additional Assessment Details (including formative feedback / assessment):
The summative report will only be considered for marking if the formative portfolio has also been submitted
Formative: weekly taxonomic portfolio from the 'taught' part of the course, signed off by the demonstrator and submitted with the summative component
Module Indicative Content
The taught part of the course will give an overview of the main groups of terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates including the Annelida, Mollusca, Arachnida Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, Myriapoda and Crustacea. The module will also cover the use of keys, the value of taxonomy and taxonomic approaches.
Students will select a group to specialise in, in consultation with the module leader. Becoming familiar with a specific group requires intensive personal study, and this part of the module will be largely self-taught. Students are expected to use the collections in the local Potteries Museum, to make links with local specialists and local/national organisations and to make collections from the field. Specialists in the Staffordshire Invertebrate Group, for example, are willing to become mentors to help students improve their field-craft and invertebrate identification. Details of the assignment will be aligned with the taxonomic group being studied.
Students will select a group to specialise in, in consultation with the module leader. Becoming familiar with a specific group requires intensive personal study, and this part of the module will be largely self-taught. Students are expected to use the collections in the local Potteries Museum, to make links with local specialists and local/national organisations and to make collections from the field. Specialists in the Staffordshire Invertebrate Group, for example, are willing to become mentors to help students improve their field-craft and invertebrate identification. Details of the assignment will be aligned with the taxonomic group being studied.
Module Resources
Laboratory with microscopes suitable for invertebrate identification
Specialist Invertebrate keys of the major taxonomic groups studies
Library
IT equipment
Invertebrate specimens
Sampling equipment
Specialist Invertebrate keys of the major taxonomic groups studies
Library
IT equipment
Invertebrate specimens
Sampling equipment
Module Learning Strategies
48 hours of contact time comprising:
1 hour Lecture from an external body linked with the practical theme(s) x12
2 hour laboratory session with known specimens and Keys x12
1 hour laboratory session with unknown specimens using keys x12
102h of Identification skill development on the chosen taxonomic group, assignment preparation and production
1 hour Lecture from an external body linked with the practical theme(s) x12
2 hour laboratory session with known specimens and Keys x12
1 hour laboratory session with unknown specimens using keys x12
102h of Identification skill development on the chosen taxonomic group, assignment preparation and production
Module Texts
Ruppert, E.; Fox, R.S. & Barnes, R.D. (2004) Invertebrate Zoology: A Functional Evolutionary Approach 7th Ed. Brooks Cole, Florence KY
Various taxonomic keys linked to Groups being studied
Various taxonomic keys linked to Groups being studied