Field Techniques for Surveying Mammals & Reptiles

Field techniques for surveying mammals and reptiles is a 5-week stand-alone training course which is taught entirely online. It can be taken from anywhere in the world and is international in its use of case studies. It will appeal to a variety of students and practitioners in conservation and management who want to improve their ability to conduct surveys.

This course can be taken with academic credit (assignment of up to 2,000 words) or without academic credit.

Each topic is covered via guided reading, online activities, and discussion forums. All the reading material is embedded into the course, but students additionally have access to the University's electronic resources and online journals, which they are expected to use for some of the activities. Participants are expected to study on, and contribute to, the course for around 10-15 hours per week. If the course is being taken for credit, participants will need to complete an assessment. There is a suggested calendar of activity which students can use to assist them in completing the course within the allocated five week duration.

Topics covered by the course:

• Introduction to mammals and reptiles
• Rationale for surveying mammals and reptiles - why survey?
• Conducting a survey - basic considerations
• Choosing a survey technique: direct and indirect techniques
• Direct techniques: observations, total counts, trapping and restraint
• Indirect techniques: field sign surveys, camera traps and surveillance
• Designing a sampling strategy or protocol
• Recording and storing data
• Data application - making sure you have the right data to accomplish your survey goals
• Case-study: location of Eurasian badger setts and the distribution of their territories, Wytham Woods, UK

Certification

Non-accredited Study

To successfully complete the course and receive a Certificate of Attendance, active participation of at least one forum post per week, to the satisfaction of the course tutor, in the online course forums is required.

Accredited Study

The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points for the course. Participants contributing to all the forums and successfully completing the assessment will obtain 10 CATS-equivalent points (FHEQ level 7) which may count towards a Master’s level qualification.

For information on CATS points and credit transfer, including conversion to US academic credits and European academic credits (ECTS), please visit the CATS Points FAQ page.

Fees

Accredited study: £750.00
Non-accredited study: £430.00
Student rate (non-accredited): £320.00