This module aims to increase students' knowledge of how to sample and identify a broad range of taxonomic groups common to UK coastal marine ecosystems. In addition, students teach themselves how to use new digital approaches to producing publishable content (e.g. Publisher and Corel Draw) broadening their digital fluency.

(LO1) Students will learn how to sample and identify a broad range of coastal marine taxa.

(LO2) Students will develop a better understanding of how the biodiversity of marine species is adapted to different habitats and environmental conditions.

(LO3) Students will improve their ability to communicate knowledge to others through development of an accessible guide.

(LO4) Students will improve their digital fluency by using appropriate software to produce a publication-quality brochure

(LO5) Students will develop their field and lab book note taking skills

(S1) Adaptability

(S2) Teamwork

(S3) Communication skills

(S4) Organisational skills

(S5) Problem solving skills

The learning will be achieved by:
1. Attending a five day field course (plus travel) in the week preceding the start of semester one, based at the Marine Biological Association Plymouth laboratory and participating in field work at sea and in the local coastal environment. Additionally, students will learn how to identify marine species in the lab.
2. Developing field work and laboratory notes to help completion of the first assessment, an in person open book exam, making use of experiences and materials from (1) and (2).
4. Working in assigned teams to produce a species guide, including attending workshops with staff in Liverpool.

Students will learn about sampling marine plankton, fish, and invertebrates using a range of sampling gears and from a range of environments/habitats. They will learn about the limitations of different types of sampling and about what types of animal are sampled best with different gears. They will also learn about the ma jor groups of animals encountered in such sampling and what their key distinguishing features are. Students will learn about the variety of methods used to sample at sea and about the range of sampling undertaken by marine research vessels at sea. Students will go on to study a smaller subset of common UK coastal animals in more detail and to produce an accessible guide on these, which forms part of the assessment for this module.

For students that are unable to attend the field course in person, there are pre-recorded videos on sampling at sea and the fauna encountered during the field trip to watch, ~ 6 hours with directed tasks to complete, and there would be an online open book examination that would replace the in person exam at the field course.

Students will learn using a combination of active learning through field and laboratory experience, at the Marine Biological Association, Plymouth. During the field work (in the week preceding semester one) there will also be two short workshops, the first will act as a revision of the main groups of marine fauna and the second will be an interactive session reviewing and consolidating the learning achieved over the field course before the open book test.
In Liverpool there will be a series of PC workshops will introduce students to the team project and guide them through the use of the appropriate software for this task, enhancing their digital fluency and teamwork skills. In the last of these workshops students will conduct peer review on their species guides and gain formative feedback from academics. There will be dedicated help sessions for the groups to work with academic staff on how to improve their species guides.