Photo credit: Sandra Angers-Blondin
Course outline
Our fourth year undergraduate module in Conservation Science runs in the Autumn semester each year and attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds, with three hour sessions each week combining lectures, small group discussions and hands-on activities. It aims to provide a broad introduction to the field, covering changes in biodiversity, threats to biodiversity, protected area management, and people-focused conservation.
the course has a strong focus on the development of practical skills with real world application
In addition to furthering our students’ understanding of the big issues facing biodiversity and the range of approaches conservation organisations use to address them, the course has a strong focus on the development of practical skills with real world application (e.g. oral presentations, science communication via social media, developing evidence-based arguments). Examples of this can be seen in students’ posts on the official course blog which form part of the course assessment.
If you’re interested in finding out more, a great place to start is Edinburgh University’s Teaching Matters blog about the course, “Conservation Science – Learning outside of our comfort zone”, or feel free to contact the course lecturers, Isla Myers-Smith and Aidan Keane.
Cairngorms field trip
One of the most popular parts of the course is our weekend field trip to the Cairngorms National Park which gives students the chance to interact directly with land managers making day-to-day decisions about conservation in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland.
Student Award for Innovative Assessment
Student feedback on the course have been very positive and we were incredibly proud to receive a Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) Teaching Award for Innovative Assessment in 2016, as well as nominations for Best Course.
For more information about the style of teaching and assessment check out the the Teaching Matters blog post “Good teaching – student and teacher perspectives from the Conservation Science course” by Isla Myers-Smith and one of the course alumni, Gergana Daskalova.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE 