Directed Studies in Oceans and Fisheries
Credit Value
1-3 credits
Course Information
Course description
This directed studies course is offered by Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) Faculty Members and Associates mainly to Graduate Students in the Oceans and Fisheries Masters and PhD programs. If a graduate student would like to have specialized instruction in a particular topic that is not offered in the UBC calendars, then the graduate student could make a request to their supervisor or some other IOF Faculty member for a FISH 548 directed studies course to be proposed and designed on the desired topic. The course could be library-based, lab-based or fieldwork-based. The instructor would need to provide a proposed course syllabus to one of the IOF graduate advisors for their approval at least one month prior to the term’s start date. Upon approval by the graduate advisor, the course could then be offered and the student or students wishing to take the course could then register in the course. Variable credit is proposed to allow for flexibility in the design of the directed studies in terms of, for example, the breadth of the chosen topic and the extent of the learning objectives to address. The minimum credit is 1 to allow for a topic that could be covered in about two hours of directed study time per week. The maximum is set at 3 to place a reasonable maximum limit on the expected directed study time per week and credit hours attainable from a directed studies.
Course Objectives
The topic covered in each directed studies course will be up to the instructor and graduate student who wish to propose the course. Some examples of potential direct course topics are provided below.
Instructors
Any Faculty Member in the IOF could propose and offer FISH 548.
Course Format
The instructor and students will meet weekly with the course instructor. Course format will depend on the topic chosen for the directed studies. Depending on the topic of the directed studies, the instructor may review with the students the material that had been covered in the previous week and discuss with the student assigned readings, take home exercises, lab results obtained, and also the learning activities, e.g., readings, in-class and take-home exercises, fieldwork and laboratory work if applicable, planned for the coming week.
Course Schedule
The proposed course syllabus for each directed studies implementation of FISH 548 will provide a weekly schedule on the specific topics, readings, exercises and activities to be covered for each of the 12 to 13 weeks of the course.
Learning Outcomes
Each new proposed course syllabus for FISH 548 will provide a specific list of intended learning outcomes for students who will take the course.
Assessment Criteria and Grading
Each new proposed course syllabus for FISH 548 will provide a description of the percentage contribution of each of the graded components of the course. A grading rubric will also be provided that will outline how grades will be assigned to each of the graded course components.
Required and recommended readings
Each new proposed course syllabus for FISH 548 will provide a list of required and recommended readings.
Statement of Academic Integrity:
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.