Paper 1314/BMSBoS/19
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
School of Biomedical Sciences Board of Studies
12 February 2014
Changes to DPT for MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Brief description of the paper
The online MSc programme in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health is now in its fourth year and has
recently undergone an internal review with respect its content and structure. The review has highlighted a
number of areas in which improvements can be made to enhance the student experience and further the provision
of high quality courses relevant to the core goals of the programme. With an established teaching team with a
broad range of expertise now in place, this is a good time to make some key changes, as outlined below:
1.
REMOVAL of a number of shared elective courses that, although they may be of interest to students, do not
clearly support the key themes of learning within the programme, i.e. those of biodiversity, wildlife and
ecosystem health. The proposed courses for removal are:
An introduction to Project Cycle Management [BIME11035]
Global citizenship [BIME11031]
Globalisation and health [EMND11009]
Surveillance and control of transboundary diseases affecting international trade [INAH11005]
2.
REMOVAL of the Project Cycle Management and Funding Application Preparation option from the third
year. There are no current plans to use this specific option for the MSc year – all student proposals for the
third year can be taken under the terms of the Written Reflective Element. This may be re-visited in future
years but for now it should not seem to be available to prospective students.
Project cycle management and funding application preparation [BIME11034]
3.
ADDITION of new courses (details in the Course Proposal forms below):
Ecosystems and Governance – a 10 credit compulsory course to be taken in the first year
Conservation Ethics – a 10 credit compulsory course to be taken in the first year
Wildlife Tourism – a 10 credit elective course to be offered in the second year
PLUS (subject to approval for International Animal Health MSc):
An introduction to transboundary diseases and their effects on trade and wildlife populations – a 10
credit elective course to be offered in the second year (shared with IAH programme)
4.
CHANGES to the first year, removing the elective course options and replacing with new compulsory
courses. The result would be a fully compulsory first year experience leading to the PG Certificate.
There are a number of reasons supporting this proposed change: to ensure a consistent experience between
students through the first year; to give a better opportunity to develop key knowledge, skills and
competencies in the first year; to allow further cohesion between students before their entry into the second
year; to provide a comprehensive overview of key issues and principles in nature conservation before the
study of specialist topics; to maximise the opportunities to link together first and second year courses; as an
opportunity for us to develop a ‘team-teaching’ approach in the final semester.
Although some students wishing only to complete the PG Certificate year may like to have included some
degree of choice, this is not expected to impact on recruitment or student satisfaction. There is already
scope for choice during compulsory courses in terms of discussion topics and assessment questions and the
1
vast majority of students go on to the second year anyway. All four of the currently elective courses will
still be available to students in the second year.
Supporting documentation
Course approval forms x3
Proposed new DPT content and structure
Action requested
For approval
Resource implications
There is sufficient staff time and expertise within the Biodiversity teaching team to prepare and deliver the
proposed new courses in Environmental Governance and Environmental Ethics during 2014-15. The new course
in Wildlife Tourism may require some expertise not currently available within the teaching team but any
resourcing required will be kept to a minimum. Delivery of this course may be delayed until 2015-16 if
resourcing becomes a problem in 2014-15. Changes to the DPT have no additional resource implications.
Equality and Diversity
There are no equality and diversity implications.
Originator of the paper
Dr Sharron Ogle (on behalf of the online MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health), 4th February 2014
Freedom of information
This paper to be included in open business.
2
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Course Name*:
Ecosystems and Governance
Course Proposer*:
Dr Sharron Ogle
Have you confirmed that the appropriate resources are in
place (finance, teaching staff, IT)*:
y
Have you confirmed that the appropriate support
services are in place (library, computing services)*:
y
Normal Year Taken*:
First
Course Level*:
PG Certificate, as part of MSc programme
Available to Visiting
Students?*
n
SCQF Credits*:
10
Credit Level*1:
11
Home Subject
Area*2:
MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Other Subject Area:
School of Biomedical Sciences
Course Organiser:
Mr Robert Thomas
Course Secretary:
Miss Lauren Sandford
% not taught by this
institution:
0
Collaboration
Information:
Total Contact
Teaching Hours*:
50 hours (10hrs/week online)
Any costs to be met
by students:
Pre-requisites
(course name &
code)*:
None
3
Co-requisites (course
name & code)*:
Evolution and biodiversity (20 credits) [BIME11033]
Ecosystem health and sustainability (20 credits) [BIME11032]
Conservation Ethics (10 credits, new)
Prohibited
None
Combinations (course
name & code)*:
Visiting Students
Pre-requisites:
Course Description*:
Despite the large number of international conventions that individually and
collectively provide a substantial framework for sustainable and joined-up
environmental protection, there is currently deep concern that this
framework is not fulfilling its environmental governance purpose. While
many international conventions have had a clear and measureable impact
on aspects of the environment such as migratory species, wetlands etc,
there have been calls recently for a complete rethink on global
environmental governance policy. The United Nations Environment
Programme attempted to conceptualise a simpler approach when it
released its four pillar framework (2010- 2013):
•
•
•
•
International cooperation
Strengthened national laws and institutions
Sustainable regional and national development
Access to sound science
This course will look at the history of environmental governance since the
1970’s, the implementation and impact of key conventions and why these
are deemed to have fallen short of ‘global’ targets. We will explore the
options for the future direction of environmental governance and how
politics, law, science and practice can realign to achieve the environmental
targets of the 21st Century.
Keywords3:
Environmental governance; Environmental justice; Multilateralism;
Commons; Evidence based decision making; Precautionary principle
Default Course Mode
of Study*4:
Class and Assessment excluding centrally arranged
examinations
Default Delivery
Period*5:
Semester 3.
Course Type*6:
Standard.
Class sessions 7
All teaching and learning activities are conducted online.
Total Hours: 100 (Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Online
Activities 25, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed
Learning and Independent Learning Hours 53 )
By the end of the course the student is expected to:
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes*: Understand the history of environmental governance
Identify key synergies and potential conflicts between environmental
4
conventions
Appreciate the current challenges to global governance
Understand the role of science in environmental decision making
Appreciate the need for unrestricted access to such information
Special
Arrangements:
Components of
Assessment (inc. %
weightings)*:
40% online assessment
Exam Information*8
All assessment is in-course.
60% written assessment
Syllabus/Lecture List:
Convenor of Board of
Examiners:
Details of any
supporting
documentation 9
Comments (including
Honours Elective
Course Leader
details)
5
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Course Name*:
Conservation Ethics
Course Proposer*:
Dr Sharron Ogle
Have you confirmed that the appropriate resources are in
place (finance, teaching staff, IT)*:
Y
Have you confirmed that the appropriate support
services are in place (library, computing services)*:
Y
Normal Year Taken*:
First
Course Level*:
PG Certificate, as part of MSc programme
Available to Visiting
Students?*
n
SCQF Credits*:
10
Credit Level*1:
11
Home Subject
Area*2:
MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Other Subject Area:
School of Biomedical Sciences
Course Organiser:
Dr Sharron Ogle
Course Secretary:
Miss Lauren Sandford
% not taught by this
institution:
Collaboration
Information:
Total Contact
Teaching Hours*:
50 hours (10hrs/week online)
Any costs to be met
by students:
none
Pre-requisites
(course name &
code)*:
none
6
Co-requisites (course
name & code)*:
Evolution and biodiversity (20 credits) [BIME11033]
Ecosystem health and sustainability (20 credits) [BIME11032]
Ecosystems and Governance (10 credits, new)
Prohibited
none
Combinations (course
name & code)*:
Visiting Students
Pre-requisites:
Course Description*:
It is essential that we give our students the opportunity to develop their
thinking on the many ethical aspects of conservation activities. This
course will provide a platform for discussion and reflection on a variety of
case examples. Students will be encouraged to analyse in depth the many
conflicts that can exist in the development and implementation of new
technologies or strategies and to come to their own conclusions as to what
is acceptable. This course is less focused on what we ‘can’ do to consider
rather what we ‘should’ or ‘should not’ do.
Keywords3:
Conservation; ethics
Default Course Mode
of Study*4:
Class and Assessment excluding centrally arranged
examinations
Default Delivery
Period*5:
Semester 3.
Course Type*6:
Standard.
Class sessions 7
All teaching and learning activities are conducted online.
Total Hours: 100 (Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Online
Activities 25, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed
Learning and Independent Learning Hours 53 )
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes*:
By the end of the course the student is expected to:


Understand the importance of an ethical approach to conservation
Be confident in applying an ethical framework to common
conservation activities
Special
Arrangements:
Components of
Assessment (inc. %
weightings)*:
40% online assessment
Exam Information*8
All assessment is in-course.
60% written assessment
Syllabus/Lecture List:
7
Convenor of Board of
Examiners:
Details of any
supporting
documentation 9
Comments (including
Honours Elective
Course Leader
details)
8
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Course Name*:
Wildlife Tourism
Course Proposer*:
Dr Sharron Ogle
Have you confirmed that the appropriate resources are in
place (finance, teaching staff, IT)*:
Y
Have you confirmed that the appropriate support
services are in place (library, computing services)*:
y
Normal Year Taken*:
Second year
Course Level*:
PG Diploma (as part of MSc programme)
Available to Visiting
Students?*
n
SCQF Credits*:
10
Credit Level*1:
11
Home Subject
Area*2:
MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health
Other Subject Area:
School of Biomedical Sciences
Course Organiser:
Dr Sharron Ogle
Course Secretary:
Miss Lauren Sandford
% not taught by this
institution:
Collaboration
Information:
Total Contact
Teaching Hours*:
50 hours (10hrs/week online)
Any costs to be met
by students:
Pre-requisites
(course name &
code)*:
Evolution and biodiversity (20 credits) [BIME11033]
Ecosystem health and sustainability (20 credits) [BIME11032]
Ecosystems and Governance (10 credits, new)
9
Conservation Ethics (10 credits, new)
Co-requisites (course
name & code)*:
none
Prohibited
none
Combinations (course
name & code)*:
Visiting Students
Pre-requisites:
Course Description*:
Increasingly, wildlife is being used as a commodity for promoting what
might be described as ‘wildlife tourism’ in a bid to preserve species whilst
supporting local economies. But what does this involve and what is a
wildlife tourist? We will challenge students to try and define this and to
characterise key features associated with wildlife tourism. We will look at
the related concepts of ecotourism and sustainable livelihoods and make
links between them, while assess the pros and cons of such strategies.
Keywords3:
Ecotourism; sustainable livelihoods; sustainable development; tourism;
wildlife
Default Course Mode
of Study*4:
Class and Assessment excluding centrally arranged
examinations
Default Delivery
Period*5:
Full year
Course Type*6:
Standard.
Class sessions 7
All teaching and learning activities are conducted online.
Total Hours: 100 (Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Online
Activities 25, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed
Learning and Independent Learning Hours 53 )
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes*:
On completion of this course, students are expected to:



Appreciate the wide range of activities and settings that may be
considered ‘wildlife tourism’.
Understand the role wildlife tourism can play in developing
sustainable livelihoods
Be able to give examples of good and bad practice in wildlife
tourism
Special
Arrangements:
Components of
Assessment (inc. %
weightings)*:
40% online assessment
Exam Information*8
All assessment is in-course.
60% written assessment
Syllabus/Lecture List:
10
Convenor of Board of
Examiners:
Details of any
supporting
documentation 9
Comments (including
Honours Elective
Course Leader
details)
11
Proposed NEW DPT structure
REVISED list of courses in first year, 2014-15:
Evolution and biodiversity [BIME11033]
Ecosystem health and sustainability [BIME11032]
Ecosystems and Governance (new)
Conservation ethics (new)
20 credits compulsory
20 credits compulsory
10 credits compulsory
10 credits compulsory
REVISED list of courses available in second year, 2014-15 (all 10 credit electives):
An introduction to transboundary diseases and their effects on trade and wildlife populations* (new)
Climate change policy and practice [BIME11027]
Communication and public engagement of conservation [BIME11026]
Conservation genetics [BIME11025]
Environmental law [BIME11015]
Ex situ wildlife management [BIME11030]
Extreme and fragile ecosystems [BIME11014]
Introduction to GIS and spatial data analysis [INAH11017]
Invasive non-native species [BIME11012]
Land use and food security [BIME11011]
Managing ecosystems for human health and well-being [BIME11023]
The marine environment [BIME11020]
The modern zoo [BIME11019]
The use of artificial reproduction technologies (ARTs) in threatened species [BIME11018]
Water and sanitation [EMND11021]
Wildlife, animal health and environment [INAH11008]
Wildlife crime and forensic investigation [BIME11017]
Wildlife Tourism (new)
Zoonotic diseases [INAH11004]
* subject to approval for MSc International Animal Health
REVISED Third year option (60 credits):
Written Reflective Element for the MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health [BIME11016]
12