Teaching and learning methods
The teaching methods employed will consist of a series of lectures, a number of computer help sessions for the individual project, workshops and laboratory experiments in the Geography and Environment Avalanche Facility.
More specifically the module will be divided into two distinct sections. During the first weeks of the semester desert landscapes and the aeolian processes which shape and change landforms and landscapes will be covered in detail, including larger scale sand dunes and sand seas. During this section students will identify a sand sea of their choice, which will form the basis of a self-directed project. They will then make use of a user friendly dune modelling interface to explore research questions related to the sand sea project. Additional materials will explore landscape interpretation, including techniques to address management issues and examine how desert landscapes change through time, their response to climate fluctuations, ways in which we can use ancient landscape records to further our understanding of modern processes, and how earth-based knowledge allows us to interpret aeolian landforms on other planetary bodies.
The second section focuses on practical applications, how do these particles move, what impact does dust have on a changing environment, when will a dune be a hazard and what makes it avalanche. This is assessed via an individual pre-recorded presentation.
From a skills perspective, if you enjoyed GIS or Remote Sensing in second year, or any of the landscape modules in first or second year, you may find this module of interest. While the subject content focuses on desert landscapes, the transferable skills that you will develop include numerical modelling, basic coding, dealing with large datasets, and both qualitative and quantitative comparisons.
Student comments from 2017 relating specifically to some of the learning activities you will experience on this module:
'Having an independent report is a really good way to develop your understanding. It also means you can explore the aspects of the module that interest you most, or draw in new ideas.'
'I particularly enjoyed being able to explore and model in Matlab. I believe I have gained deeper insight into environmental modelling and have gained a useful skill from taking this module. Overall, I found the lectures to be of good quality and I was able to explore an area of modelling of my choosing as I was supported by the wealth of materials that were available on Blackboard.'
'The variety of teaching methods not just lectures but computer workshops and classroom workshops. The small class size also allowed for much greater interaction with the lecturer.'
