Back to Find Units Page

Unit of Study BIO93015 - Advanced Marine Ecology (2017)

Show me unit information for year

Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    Offered only at the National Marine Science Centre in a three-week intensive mode, which includes a compulsory 6-day residential held outside normal residential weeks. Please refer to http://scu.edu.au/timetables for further information on timetables.

Unit description

This unit will expose students to cutting-edge marine ecology through experimentation.  Students will design, execute and critically analyse field and laboratory experiments testing hypotheses important for effective management of the marine estate.  They will also critically analyse the experimental evidence that supports paradigms underpinning modern ecological research.

Unit content

  1. Ethics in marine ecological research: past, present and future.
  2. Effective mensurative experimentation for marine ecology.
  3. Establishing causal relationships using manipulative experiments.
  4. Marine ecological theory: from zombie ideas to new paradigms.
  5. Advanced practice in marine ecological research.

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
National Marine Science Centre Coffs Harbour Session 1 Session 1

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 Critically analyse ethical considerations for guiding practice in marine ecological research.
2 Develop and apply rigorous experimental design to advanced mensurative experiments.
3 Demonstrate critical understanding of how logistical constraints compete against design considerations in manipulative experiments.
4 Display scientific communication skills at a professional level.
5 Critically synthesize cutting edge ecological research.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Critically analyse ethical considerations for guiding practice in marine ecological research.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  2. Develop and apply rigorous experimental design to advanced mensurative experiments.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  3. Demonstrate critical understanding of how logistical constraints compete against design considerations in manipulative experiments.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  4. Display scientific communication skills at a professional level.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  5. Critically synthesize cutting edge ecological research.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.