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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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Masters
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Postgraduate Diploma Postgraduate Diploma in the Geology of Northern EnglandBoth
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Postgraduate Certificate Postgraduate Certificate in the Geology of Northern EnglandPlease indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2019
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department Lifelong LearningLifelong Learning
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Other contributing Departments:
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PDCLLSGYN1
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Admissions criteria
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Normally students will be expected to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in a related subject area. CLL will also favourably consider any student previously awarded a BA/BSc in any subject, and with evidence of recent HE level study.

As a Centre based upon the cornerstone of open access, CLL will also seek to ensure that those without the qualifications highlighted above, but with the obvious ability to succeed, have the opportunity to engage.

In such instances, the presentation of a critical essay in the field of geology may be requested and considered by the admissions panel; CLL reserves the right to ask any student for academic work to support their application.

Any student may be called to interview.

Students must have an IELTS score of 7.0 where appropriate.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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PG Diploma in the Geology of Northern England2Part-timeSeptemberPlease select Y/NPlease select Y/NYes
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: Noif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Dr Annette McGrath – Associate Lecturer and Programme Leader for the 2 year, six module PG Diploma.
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Diploma programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective diploma student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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On the Postgraduate Diploma in the Geology of Northern England, you will obtain a regional geological understanding of this fascinating area which will then enable you to understand the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology and interpret larger-scale Earth processes and structures. Students will also assess northern England's importance to current controversies in Earth sciences, from fracking to climate change; examine human interactions with the region’s rocks and landscapes, from the Palaeolithic to the present day, and acquire an understanding of the region's vital role in the history of geology.
But why northern England, and what is so special about it? This exceptional region has an extraordinary diversity of landscapes and geological features, and Yorkshire, as the largest county, preserves a large proportion of them. From the internationally renowned Jurassic coastline, the rugged North York Moors and the limestone pavements of the Yorkshire Dales, to the coalfields of South Yorkshire, the towering chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head and the shifting coastlines of Holderness, it is in many respects a microcosm of the region. However, northern England is not just Yorkshire, and this programme also extensively examines the world-famous and spectacular geology of the Lake District, the igneous legacy of Northumberland, the fascinating Carboniferous geology of the North East, Peak District and Lancashire, the Permo-Triassic desert environments of the North West and County Durham and the Cenozoic evolution of the whole region.
The Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) in the Geology of Northern England is a two year part-time programme that is conducted entirely online via distance learning, but it also includes a residential week in York at the beginning of each year, for field, lab and class-based study. The PG Dip programme has a strong emphasis on the development of research, analytical, writing and science communication skills, and thus offers graduates a strong foundation for additional geological study, further study in related subject areas or progression on to Masters or PhD level. However, the programme also offers students the opportunity to delve into, research and learn more about areas of their own holistic, personal geological interest. On completion of the programme, graduates are also well-placed to pursue geological careers within academia or industry, such as the oil, gas and petroleum sector, the groundwater industry, environmental consultancies or mining, quarrying, civil engineering and construction companies. Other potential employers would include the British Geological Survey, local authorities, museums and government organisations.
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5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma
Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Analyse, interpret and understand fundamental aspects of geoscience, through an examination of the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology, achieved through a systematic study and understanding of the geological evolution of northern England;
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2Effectively communicate in oral and written form with a diverse range of audiences using digital literacy skills, and make personal distinctions as to the value of their own work and that of colleagues;
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3Interpret geological features accurately, using appropriate fieldwork methodologies, techniques and skills, through both class- and online-based geological analysis;
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4Critically assess, evaluate, synthesise and interpret advanced palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental information and data, at a local, regional and international level;
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5Demonstrate a critical awareness of the scientific importance, and where appropriate, global significance of northern England’s rocks, the pioneering geoscientists that worked upon them and the role they have played in our understanding of the evolution of the Earth;
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6Critically analyse the history of human interactions with, and exploitation of, the geological resources and landscapes of northern England, as well as their changing value and importance through time, from the Stone Age to the present day.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
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The six PLOs ambitiously engage students within a programme that promotes both individual and group participation within key areas that are on the cutting edge of geological knowledge and research, couched within the regional geological context of northern England. Students are encouraged to investigate, critically analyse, appraise, evaluate, systematically interpret and understand both contemporary and historical geological examples and case studies, incorporating the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geoscience, whilst also integrating key transformative concepts. Students are expected to apply their knowledge and understanding of key concepts to a series of challenging weekly discussions, debates and activities that will often stretch students beyond their comfort zone, within a supportive, collaborative and friendly environment. The programme utilises a wide range of learning platforms, broadening the students’ online and digital research skills, by examining conceptually difficult materials, as applicable to the topic of each module, within a time-challenged environment. Students thus handle, digest, interpret and present new and innovative data across a wide spectrum of mediums, from textual to graphical, visual, numerical and oral. Students are then encouraged to communicate that information in a way that is suitable for a diverse range of potential audiences e.g. articles that are at a standard approaching a publishable quality suitable for the scientific community in peer-reviewed academic papers; as formal scientific reports that are suitable for use within industry, and as informal, lively outreach-related blogs and wikis and articles aimed at amateur geologists and local societies.
During the Module 1 residential week course at the University of York, students are expected to extrapolate and integrate their own observations of geological features obtained during fieldwork sessions with the laboratory-based specimens and evidence provided by Dr Annette McGrath, their lecturer and Programme Leader, as well as core materials loaned from the British Geological Survey. Students will assess, evaluate and categorise the resources, and present the results in a well-reasoned and logical manner, in the form of assessed lab- and field note books; this is a challenging exercise that necessitates high levels of critical evaluation and scholarship. During the Module 4 residential week course at the University of York, students will partake in a series of class-based investigations and rock core workshops that will oblige them to utilise and apply a high level of understanding of the knowledge gained during the previous three modules as well as an enhanced degree of independent learning and critical thinking. Overall, the PLOs will result in an ambitious programme that will develop well-rounded and confident individuals, as well as accomplished geologists.
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ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
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The programme is distinctive as it enables a wide range of learners to acquire multidisciplinary postgraduate-level geological knowledge and skills through the examination of the geology of northern England, an extraordinarily diverse and fascinating region of the UK, comprising many key and classic geological sites. It is also a new, novel and ambitious programme, as no other postgraduate qualification exists in the UK or abroad, that concentrates solely upon the geology of a region to exemplify, evaluate, understand and integrate the key concepts of each geological discipline.
The two residential week courses at the beginning of Modules 1 and 4 are also distinctive, as they offer students the opportunity to study several classic sites in northern England, of national and international importance, whilst also introducing and consolidating key concepts and skills. Through this, students learn how to interpret geological features accurately, whilst ascertaining which are the appropriate methodologies, techniques and skills to use, and then go on to subsequently utilise and expand upon that knowledge and information in all subsequent modules. A unique facet of the programme is that Module 4 draws together the students’ knowledge, as derived during Year 1, to lead them step-by-step through the concepts and procedures of an advanced palaeoenvironmental analysis, integrating multidisciplinary sources and datasets in order to understand, interpret and reconstruct ancient depositional environments and ecosystems. Module 4 also includes a compulsory 5-day residential week that introduces students to the manifold techniques used in analysing sediments and sedimentary rocks, in order to extract palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological information for research purposes, and provides hands-on experience of lab skills and techniques, as well as diverse examples in the field.
Another distinctive aspect of the programme is the vast wealth and variety of subjects and topics covered, which offers potential for subsequent interdisciplinary research in cognate disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, maths, archaeology and environment.
The programme is advantageous to the student as it develops and enhances their research, critical thinking, analytical, problem solving, communication, interpersonal and time management skills, through engagement in the weekly sessions and the formative and summative assessment tasks. The programme will also increase their personal confidence levels, and produce effective communicators and debaters, both in the online virtual environment and in person. Students will also have the opportunity to handle and describe type geological specimens and borehole cores that are of regional, national and international importance, both in the lab at York and at the British Geological Survey National Geological Repository.
Another distinct advantage is that students are provided with the opportunity, through engagement with the Programme Leader Annette and the PG Diploma programme, to publish their weekly session articles in leading geological magazines, such as Earth Heritage and Deposits Magazines. Students of the programme will also ultimately graduate with a broad range of transferable skills that will appeal to a variety of employers, and a strong foundation for additional geological study, further study in related subject areas or progression on to Masters or PhD level.
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iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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The design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme in many ways, but primarily through their engagement with Module 1. This grounding module will provide students with the necessary academic tools and disciplinary knowledge required to analyse and interpret regional geology at postgraduate level, and will offer contextualised academic skills and a solid foundation from which to embark upon the programme. Beginning with a compulsory 5-day residential week course that develops and enhances the students’ field- and class based-skills, the module integrates theory, concepts, research and physical practice through its hands-on approach to geological study. The module’s overall main aims are to introduce the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology by focussing particularly on the geological evolution of northern England, and to introduce students to postgraduate-level field and class-based geological analysis, and the skills and techniques required to interpret geological features accurately.
A series of optional background/refresher references and introductory PowerPoint presentations are provided in the weeks before the beginning of the programme, for students entering the programme from diverse entry routes, if they are required. This includes materials providing an introduction to sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, mineral identification and invertebrate palaeontology and evolution. Students are also encouraged to read the introductory chapters of core texts before the programme begins. During the residential week, students are provided with documents in the class room, describing scientific 'lab' and field notebook set up, fieldwork conventions, appropriate observational skills, descriptions and nomenclature, and health and safety guidance.
Throughout the programme, the students are tasked to complete at least one activity and one discussion point per weekly session. In the early weeks of Module 1, the activities and discussions concentrate mainly upon building the students’ confidence and developing and enhancing their research, linguistic, writing and academic integrity skills. Exercises are provided that encourage the students to fully explore and get to grips with the University of York Harvard Style of referencing, and the Programme Leader Dr Annette McGrath has provided the students with a specially prepared information sheet, providing extra guidance and help with referencing procedures and methodologies. For example, in Week 4 of Module 1, students are tasked to submit a grounding exercise, that ensures that the students have the appropriate skills required to write an article of a standard and style that is suitable for the end of module assessment tasks. This ensures that the students enter fully into the mind-set of writing academically, whilst it also enables the Programme Leader to provide guidance on how they could improve their research skills, writing techniques and referencing. Modules 1-3 also provide the students with many opportunities to examine and digest mathematical and statistical data, and builds up to Module 4, when students are encouraged to plot to analyse datasets using specialised statistical software. Students are also actively encouraged to research and collate data throughout the programme, e.g. field, geochemical, petrophysical and isotope data, statistical data relating to economic resources, and to analyse and plot the data using suitable graphical, stereonet and statistical programmes.
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iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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The six modules build knowledge and experience sequentially, such that expertise and skills gained in the first year is utilised to consolidate knowledge further and to investigate more advanced concepts, higher level research skills and techniques in the second year. In Module 1: ‘Origins: The Development of Geology in Northern England’, solid foundations are laid for the students to acquire the skills and knowledge required to analyse and interpret regional geology at postgraduate level, as well as the core concepts, key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology. This is achieved via the provision of specific discussions, examples and case studies, guided research and set weekly exercises, in the form of interpretative activities, quizzes, blogs, wikis, essays, debates and discussions that promote both individual and group working. Supportive feedback and guidance is provided by the tutor, and students also benefit from peer review.
In Modules 2 and 3, students move chronologically forward in time, introducing first the Palaeozoic and then Mesozoic geology of northern England in turn. These modules are designed to equip the students with the necessary problem-solving and analytical skills required in order to comprehend the region’s origins and development, as well as aiding them to make sound judgments on the global importance of the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks of northern England, and the role they have played in our understanding of the evolution of the Earth. Modules 1-3 thus explicitly aim to develop and enhance the students’ research skills, as well as their written, verbal, analytical, critical evaluation, time-management and problem-solving skills, such that they have the necessary tools and understanding to move on to Year 2.
The second year enables students to further consolidate their knowledge and understanding of the core topics, but it also allows them to explore more advanced and specialist disciplines, to develop higher level research skills and powers of critical evaluation and to engage directly with primary research. Throughout Year 2, students take part in weekly activities and discussions, contributing both as individuals and as part of a group, but now students are encouraged to research and source their own primary and secondary research materials, carry out their own independent research and investigate and present their own choice of relevant geological case studies.
In Module 4, students work upon specific palaeoenvironmental techniques in each subsequent weekly session, improving their analytical and evaluative skills and building confidence, to bring the module to a conclusion with a thorough comprehension of what constitutes an integrated palaeoenvironmental analysis. With increasing confidence, by Module 5 students are able to contribute more effectively to scientific debate in the field of Cenozoic geology, both locally, regionally and globally. Module 6 brings together content from all previous modules in a holistic overview of the programme, whilst also assisting students to develop their research skills further and to engage in their own personal research. This is achieved by critically analysing the successes and failures of geological resource exploitation in Yorkshire and northern England, and their regional and global impacts.
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v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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The postgraduate diploma in The Geology of northern England is delivered entirely by distance learning and wholly online in ‘Blackboard’ the University of York’s fully supported Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) website. The VLE provides online access to study resources, discussion forums, the University of York Online Library and the students’ University email accounts. The diploma adopts a technology-based approach, utilising a broad array of digital knowledge, skills and applications, to ensure that the programme is highly flexible and user-friendly to students. The diploma programme consists of six distinct modules that are carefully structured such that students engage regularly in each weekly session, participating in interactive technology-enhanced learning tasks, discussions and activities, as already described in sections above. Students’ digital literacy skills are thus developed and enhanced as they become conversant with the appropriate digital technologies, tools, media and techniques within the VLE, and as they learn how to create digital information, complete tasks, and organise and share their digital information in the weekly sessions. The weekly sessions promote peer/tutor interaction and thus students recognise and appreciate how to act appropriately online and in open fora. This also promotes the sharing of knowledge and active discussions, through group interaction and collaboration, to complete tasks and solve problems.
The typical online student experience thus consists of (but not exclusively) the following: weekly module discussions, blogs, wikis, article-writing, and practice report-writing. Activities include assessment of online geological materials and resources, critical reviews of academic papers, interpretation and assessment of graphs, data spreadsheets, figures, geological logs, maps, photographs, figures and cross-sections. Virtual debates and group discussions take place regularly, and at the end of each module, online surgeries are offered. Regular interactive quizzes and PowerPoint presentations also provide ample scope for student self-assessment. Resources that are actively utilised include The University of York Box of Broadcasts (BoB), BBC IPlayer, podcasts, YouTube, TED Talks, EDINA’s Digimap, the British Geological Survey interactive website and BBC Prehistoric History. Students are also offered the option of telephone, Personal Journal, Skype and FaceTime chats, if appropriate. All formative and summative assessments take place within the virtual environment and are submitted online.
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vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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The key skills required of a geologist employed within a real world setting are that they should be able to: i) work independently but also as part of a team, ii) have excellent communication, interpersonal, observational, investigative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills; iii) assess, analyse, integrate and apply high levels of geological knowledge to any problem, iv) prepare, process and present data, v) handle information in a range of different mediums, e.g. textual, numerical, oral, graphical and iv) that they should have appropriate fieldwork skills. The PG Diploma in the Geology of Northern England provides graduates of the programme with all of the necessary skills as mentioned above, which are integral to the pursuit of a geological career, or for those wishing to utilise the qualification to support their current employment, or to serve as evidence of continuous professional development. A broad spectrum and high level of transferable skills also means that graduates are well-equipped for many other kinds of vocational or non-geological careers.
Being able to analyse and evaluate geological features accurately, using the appropriate observational skills, methodologies and techniques in the field, lab and by investigating the literature, is thus a fundamental and imperative skill for any geologist employed in academia, education, government organisations or industry. On completion of the programme, graduates will be equipped with excellent research, analytical, critical evaluation, observational, investigative, problem-solving skills and fieldwork skills, and will have a thorough understanding of the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology, which will stand them in good stead for any type of geological career. (PLO 1, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Students work through each module both independently and also as part of a group, in order to complete and comment upon the weekly discussions and activities as well as the residential week practical and fieldwork sessions. Taking part in the weekly blogs, wikis, essays, debates and discussions enables them to handle, prepare, process and present information in textual, numerical, oral and graphical formats. It also enables them to utilise and improve their research, analytical, problem-solving, critical evaluation and time-management skills in order to complete the exercises accurately, succinctly and within the permitted time frame. Writing articles for magazines, weekly blogs, wikis, reports and summative assessment pieces develops their verbal communication and writing skills, whilst virtual debates, discussions and peer-review improves their interpersonal skills. Preparation and delivery of presentations during the residential week develops their oral communication skills, whilst engagement with the VLE overall improves their digital literacy skills. (PLO 1-6).
In summary, the PG Dip programme offers graduates a strong foundation for any kind of vocational or geological/non-geological career path. On completion of the programme, graduates are well-prepared for geological careers within research, academia, teaching, museums, archives, government organisations or research councils. Graduates are also well-equipped to pursue employment within industry, such as the oil, gas and petroleum sector, natural hazards, the groundwater and hydrogeology industry, environmental geology and contaminated land, mining, quarrying, engineering geology and construction companies.
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viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
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The Centre for Lifelong Learning has no research remit. However, although the Programme Leader and academic lecturer for the PG Diploma, Dr Annette McGrath, is not contracted to be research active, she is nevertheless an active researcher in her own time and has published recent papers in peer reviewed publications. Dr McGrath thus includes her research within the programme wherever possible, as well as those of the wider scientific community, ensuring that students are exposed to materials that are on the cutting edge of research. The programme will also incorporate the latest research and insights into the geological evolution of northern England, and how these have informed regional, national and global understanding of Earth processes. It will also highlight how northern England has many 'classic' areas of geology, crucial to the subject's development as a science, which have not featured significant research interest in recent years. These provide opportunities for students both to build their knowledge of the subject and to challenge existing, potentially outdated models and hypotheses.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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• Introduce the key tenets and sub-disciplines of geology, focussing particularly on the geological evolution of northern England
• Examine the main Palaeozoic and Mesozoic geological units present in northern England, their composition, distribution and formation
• Provide students with a holistic understanding of the geological origins and history of northern England
• Introduce students to postgraduate-level field, class-based and laboratory geological analysis, particularly focussing on the skills and techniques required to interpret sedimentary rocks accurately
• Explain the scientific importance of northern England's rocks, and the role they have played in our understanding of the evolution of the Earth.
To exit at Certificate level, students would need to complete the three first year modules: Origins – The Development of Geology in Northern England; Dales, Vales and Lakes � The Palaeozoic of Northern England; and Moors and Coast � The Mesozoic of Northern England.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Additionally for the Diploma:
• Further develop students' palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental interpretation skills, using local, regional and international case studies where appropriate. • Understand how to conduct an advanced integrated palaeoenvironmental analysis: the appropriate skills, methodologies, techniques, tools and proxies to use
• Use northern English localities to investigate the Cenozoic and Recent geological history of Britain and Europe
• Provide students with an understanding of human interactions with, and exploitation of, the geological resources and landscapes of northern England;
• Further develop students’ knowledge of the role that northern England has played in the evolution of global geological hypotheses.
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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The course will follow and adhere to the QAA benchmark statements for Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Environmental Studies (ES3) issued in October 2014: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/SBS-earth-sciences.pdf. There is currently only a UG version of this document, so benchmarking statements employed are raised to the appropriate PG level.
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each invidual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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Part time structures
Please indicate the modules undertaken in each year of the part-time version of the programme. Please use the text box below should any further explanation be required regarding structure of part-time study routes.
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Year 1 (if you offer the programme part-time over either 2 or 3 years, use the toggles to the left to show the hidden rows)
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20CED00019MOrigins – The Development of Geology in Northern EnglandSEA
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20CED00020MDales, Vales and Lakes � The Palaeozoic of Northern EnglandSEA
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20CED00021MMoors and Coast � The Mesozoic of Northern EnglandSEA
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Progression BoardLate August 2019
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ReassessmentImmediately following module failure
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Exam BoardLate August 2019
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20CED00022MAdvanced Palaeoenvironmental AnalysisSEA
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20CED00023MFire and Ice – The Cenozoic of Northern EnglandSEA
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20CED00024MPeople and Landscape - The Human Geology of Northern EnglandSEA
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Progression BoardLate August 2020
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ReassessmentImmediately following module failure
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Exam BoardLate August 2020
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7.c. Explanation of the programme and assessment design
The statements should be in a form that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). It should make clear to students why they are doing the key activities of the programme, in terms of reaching the PLOs.
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i) Students’ independent study and formative work Please outline how independent study and student work has been designed to support the progressive achievement of the programme learning outcomes (for example, the use of online resources which incorporate formative feedback; opportunities for further learning from work-based placements).
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The programme operates through weekly session ‘seminars’ that are released every Monday morning and each contains a list of materials for that session, all accessible online, that are categorised into ‘essential’, ‘recommended’ and ‘background’ materials. Students are directed to read all materials provided in the 'essential' section, in order to cover the key session content. The ‘recommended’ resources are provided for students that require extra independent study materials in order to understand the weekly topic, or if it aligns to their own personal research interests. The ‘background’ materials are provided purely for students that are especially interested in the topic, for additional independent study. In each weekly session the students are tasked with at least one activity and discussion exercise, providing guided independent research and specific exercises, in the form of interpretative activities, quizzes, blogs, wikis, essays, debates and discussions that promote both individual and group working. Supportive feedback and guidance is provided by the Programme Leader Dr Annette McGrath, and students also benefit from peer review. Formative assessment takes place in a number of ways. In Module 1, the residential week at The University of York includes lab work and field trips to areas of classic Mesozoic and Palaeozoic geology in Yorkshire. In the lab, students engage in a series of practical sessions that provide them with the opportunity to examine, describe and identify key rock types from northern England, including examples from the field trips, through a combination of contextualised examples of hand specimens, fossils and thin sections. Answer sheets for the practical sessions are then provided online in the VLE at the end of each practical session. As part of the formative assessment for Module 1, the Programme Leader examines the lab and field notebooks to assess the standard of the students’ observations, descriptions and interpretations over the residential week and provides concise feedback on Day 5. During Modules 2, 3, 5 and 6 the formative assessment occurs in Week 5 of each module and takes the form of an informal online test of the students’ knowledge gained during that module. At the end of each test, the students are provided with model answers as feedback, with which to self-assess, and the Programme Leader examines the results and also briefly comments. The Module 4 residential week affords students with the opportunity to study a variety of palaeoenvironments in the field and lab, and, through the students own deductions and research, to interpret past sedimentary depositional environments. The formative assessment for Module 4 takes place on the last afternoon of the residential week when each student is required to give a 20 minute presentation to the group. The presentations relate to the students’ observations, interpretations and preliminary findings from one (or several) of the residential week topics, the students are encouraged to choose their topic and discuss it with the Programme Leader by Day 3. The students are given very brief feedback immediately after their presentation and then the Programme Leader emails each student with detailed feedback the following week.
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ii) Contact with staff
Please explain how the programme’s design maximises the value of students’ contact time with staff (which may be face-to-face, virtual, synchronous or asynchronous), including through the use of technology-enhanced learning. For example, giving students resources for their independent study which then enables a class to be more interactive with a greater impact on learning.
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Students on the PG Diploma in the Geology of Northern England form part of an active distance-learning online community, with regular virtual contact throughout the week with their lecturer, the Programme Leader Dr Annette McGrath (from hereon known as the 'Programme Leader'). The programme is delivered by small-group teaching, with a maximum of 18 students per cohort. The programme is delivered entirely through the University of York’s (UoY) Virtual Learning Environment ‘Blackboard’. This is a user-friendly integrated website that provides access to ‘weekly session’ resources, discussion forums, UoY Online Library and University email accounts. The PG Dip programme was designed to be highly flexible, so although students are encouraged to participate in online tasks and activities every week, they can study at a time that is entirely convenient to them, and it is not mandatory to be online at the same time as their colleagues.
Students make contact with their Programme Leader Annette and their colleagues through the ‘Virtual Café’, a virtual forum on which to share and openly discuss ideas, the ‘comments’ function within individual weekly discussion point blogs and activities, or by email. Students can also confidentially contact the Annette directly through the ‘Personal Journal’, where they can discuss any matters of concern, privately request support, additional clarification or converse on an informal basis. Dr Annette McGrath always responds to students as quickly as possible, often immediately, but always within 48 hours. Annette also contacts the students at least bi-weekly, via the Virtual Café and the ‘announcements’ function, whereby messages are delivered to the entire cohort simultaneously. In this way, she can regularly keep in touch informally with the group, sending out additional information relating to the weekly sessions, upcoming events, field trips, interesting geological news items, innovative new resources and book releases; this is done to inspire and promote engagement, interaction and community spirit, and to prevent individual student ‘isolation’.
The programme operates through weekly session ‘seminars’ that are released every Monday morning for the ten weeks of the module. The sessions contain a list of materials for that session, all accessible via the internet, uploaded by the Programme Leader or through the UoY online library. The materials are categorised for the students’ benefit into ‘essential’, ‘recommended’ and ‘background’ materials. The sessions are highly interactive and comprise of numerous online blog-driven tasks, discussions, activities and exercises. The students are encouraged to read, appraise and comment upon the work of their peers, and Annette always provides a detailed personal response to each student. The first residential week course at the UoY in Week 1 of Module 1 puts a ‘face to a name’, creating a relationship and promoting confidence in the Programme Leader and fellow colleagues, thus enhancing future interaction and collaboration in the VLE. The second residential week course at the UoY in Week 3 of Module 4 serves to further cement the bond between students and the Programme Leader. The Programme Leader provides most pastoral care on a day to day basis as necessary, but a lecturer from another PG Diploma programme also provides help, support and guidance, when required.
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iii) Summative Assessment
Please outline how summative assessment within and across modules has been designed to support and evidence the progressive achievement of the programme learning outcomes. (For example, the use of different assessment methods at the ‘introduction’ stage compared to those used to evaluate deeper learning through the application of skills and knowledge later in the programme).
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In Modules 1-5 of the programme, students are tasked to complete two summative assessments by 1 pm on Wednesday of Week 11, after the 10 formal weekly sessions are complete. The summative assessments comprise of one 3,000 word formal report (comprising 75% of the overall module mark) and a 1000 word informal blogpost or article (comprising 25% of the overall module mark), on a specific topic as covered during that module. In Module 6, the summative assessment task consists of one longer 4000 word formal report (comprising 100% of the overall module mark), relating to a specific topic as covered during that module. Students are instructed that the 3000/4000 word summative assessment tasks for Modules 1-6 should be written as a formal report, of a standard that is suitable to be published, that is properly referenced, with appropriately numbered sections and sub-sections, figures and tables. This tests the students’ ability to produce a concise, accurately written formal report that is suitable for publishing in a peer-reviewed journal or a technical report suitable for industry. Students are advised that a good template to follow would be that set by the Geological Magazine, one of the oldest and best-known periodicals in the Earth Sciences, that is at the forefront of the field. This important peer-reviewed publication can be found as an online electronic resource in the University of York library. The 1000 word summative assessment for Modules 1-5 takes several forms, as specific to each module, and students are instructed that this should be written as an informal blogpost, field guide or amateur geologist magazine article, that can be written in a lively conversational-style with more personality and verve than is normally allowed in peer-reviewed scientific papers and reports. Students are advised that it should provide a short, readable synopsis of the topic that can be followed by a colleague with an interest in geology or be aimed at amateur geologists from e.g. a local geological society, as relevant to that module specification. This style of assessment tests the students’ ability to write in a more informal and engaging style, suitable for outreach-related markets and a variety of amateur geologist audiences. In both summative assessment tasks the students are expected to effectively utilise and integrate appropriate materials introduced thus far during each module as well as both residential week courses and to also utilise their investigative skills to source other primary and secondary materials through their own research endeavours. The summative assessments are also designed to test the students’ ability to assess, analyse, integrate and apply high levels of geological knowledge to the assessment task, whilst demonstrating their research, analytical, critical evaluation, writing and communication skills. Students are expected to also demonstrate high levels of scholarship, independence of thought and use of academic apparatus. The assessment topics are designed to be varied in each module, becoming ‘more difficult’ in nature as the programme progresses and requiring a greater degree of personal research and critical evaluation and the application of higher level skills and knowledge.
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8. Additional information
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8.a. Continuing Professional Development
Will any of the programme’s modules be available on a free-standing basis?
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Please Select Y/N: No