SLE355 - Zoological and Wildlife Field Studies
| Year: | 2023 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong) |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Cohort rule: | Must be enrolled in either S393, S369 or S398 |
| Prerequisite: | SLE251 or SLE226 |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | SLE302 |
| Study commitment | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus | 11 x 2 hour live streamed class per trimester, 5 x 3 hour on campus practicals per trimester. Multi-day/night off campus field trip in regional Victoria. Students will need to cover accommodation and food costs while on the field trip. The field trip will require students to engage in an immersive learning experience. |
| Note: | Students may be required to meet their own expenses on fieldwork.
|
Content
Well-designed field studies that test important ecological theories or the effectiveness of environmental management remain a key approach for how zoologists and wildlife ecologists understand or manage wild animals. This unit aims to train students to design and undertake field studies that address how Australian wildlife populations respond to their natural environment, and changes to that environment. The unit’s classes and practicals will advance understanding in key zoology aand wildlife ecology concepts and develop skills for the synthesis of literature, research design, experimental methods, data analysis and visualisation, critical evaluation, and scientific communication. Field based practical learning is the key focus of the unit’s learning and experience outcomes. Here students will participate in a field trip located at an off-campus location in Victoria. The field trip will allow students to develop technical proficiency in the use multiple ecological field methods that collect data used to study wildlife populations. Students will learn, through hands-on experience, how to survey wildlife using techniques such as trapping, pitfall trapping, observational surveys and camera-based surveys. These techniques will allow students to assess the interrelationships between flora and fauna and how this understanding can be used in management. Completion of this unit will see students having advanced their conceptual and practical skills desirable for employment in government, industry or the private sector.
Unit Fee Information
Click on the fee link below which describes you: