Teacher(s)
Language
French
Prerequisites
This course is closely integrated with « LBOE2196 Experimental design ». Both courses must be followed together by students, unless one course has already been credited in the student program
Main themes
This field course is aimed to familiarize the students with the scientific research approach in field ecology, both terrestrial and aquatic. It is based on a residential stay where groups of students define their own ecological questions and design and perform a field experiment to answer them. Students therefore further develop their knowledge of ecological concepts, their expertise in scientific research and their professional attitude.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| Contribution of the teaching unit to the program's AA reference framework In line with the BOE2M program's competency framework, this teaching unit contributes to the development and acquisition of the following skills: 1 (1.3), 3 (3.1-3.6), 4 (4.1-4.4), 5 (5.1-5.3), 6 (6.1-6.4) |
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| Course-specific learning outcomes : The student knows how to approach a scientific question in ecology through field ecology approaches, is able to interpret the results correctly, while adopting a proactive, engaged, and professional attitude. |
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Content
This field course confronts students with the scientific research approach in field ecology, both terrestrial and aquatic. It combines the acquisition of new knowledge in field ecology with the reinforcement and application of certain aspects of the scientific methodology (from defining a question to interpreting the results of an experiment or sampling campaign designed to answer it), as it is practised in ecological field research.
Teaching methods
This field course consists of a residential stay in Belgium where students carry out their own research project in groups. This project is prepared before the stay during group work sessions supervised by the teachers. After the stay, students finalise their project by working independently in groups and during supervision sessions with the teachers. Considerable emphasis is therefore placed on students' autonomy and proactivity in seeking the help they need from the other students and from the teachers.
Evaluation methods
Students will be assessed on three criteria: (1) their overall attitude during the field course (assessed by the teaching team and by the students themselves), (2) a brief report and presentation of the research project and results (in a group), and (3) an individual interview on the content of the report and presentation.
Overall attitude (1) is assessed according to the expectations of the professional world: professionalism (constructive attitude, respect for equipment and rules, punctuality, etc.), commitment (involvement in the work, attentiveness, fair sharing of the workload, etc.), and proactivity (daring to ask questions, seeking solutions/alternatives, sharing one's knowledge, etc.).
The content of the report and presentation (2 and 3) is assessed on the basis of the scientific question and hypotheses formulated, data collection and analysis, and critical discussion of the results in the light of the initial hypotheses and the ecological literature.
The final grade is weighted as follows:
Overall attitude (1) is assessed according to the expectations of the professional world: professionalism (constructive attitude, respect for equipment and rules, punctuality, etc.), commitment (involvement in the work, attentiveness, fair sharing of the workload, etc.), and proactivity (daring to ask questions, seeking solutions/alternatives, sharing one's knowledge, etc.).
The content of the report and presentation (2 and 3) is assessed on the basis of the scientific question and hypotheses formulated, data collection and analysis, and critical discussion of the results in the light of the initial hypotheses and the ecological literature.
The final grade is weighted as follows:
- 30% for the overall attitude assessed by the teaching team,
- 30% for the content of the report and group presentation (grade weighted by the overall attitude assessed by the other group members), and
- 40% for the individual interview.
Other information
A financial contribution is required from each student for meal and accommodation costs. In the event of financial difficulties, students are invited to contact the teachers, in complete confidentiality, to be informed of the possibilities for reducing their contribution and/or spreading its payment.
Online resources
All scientific and practical resources related to this field course can be found on Moodle.
Faculty or entity
