GGES6022 1 Assignments Overview
Geography and Environmental Science

GGES6022 Research Skills and Project Work

Assignments Overview

Throughout this module, you will be working in groups to devise, construct and
present a project proposal for which you are bidding for (hypothetical) funding. This
scenario is common practice in academia and industry – pitching your ideas to parties
to try and capture their interest as well as their financial backing.

The subject of your project is entirely up to your group, but should be firmly rooted
in geospatial technologies and research (i.e. GIS and remote sensing).

You will be put into groups by the module coordinator towards the start of the
semester.

You need to complete three coursework components for this module, two summative
(counting towards your module mark) and one formative:

1. Literature Review (individual, summative)
2. Presentation (group, formative)
3. Project Grant Application (group, summative)

Each component is detailed on the following pages.

Deadlines are listed below, the general sequence for the module, in terms of the
assignments, is to formulate an idea for your project as a group; undertake reading
and research for your individual Literature Review; alongside this, prepare and deliver
your formative pitch Presentation. You will receive feedback from these elements
which can be used as you continue to work, as a group, on the final assignment, your
Project Grant Application.

GGES6022 2 Assignments Overview

The literature review component of the work is an individual assessment and the
submitted work must be your own. How you tackle this within your group’s chosen
subject area is up to you and your group to discuss, although as this is an individual
assessment you need to be content with what you are submitting. Do you divide the
subject into sub-areas or do you all independently research the group subject and
The first coursework component will be a review of the literature in your chosen area
of research. The word limit for this review is 2000 words, excluding the reference list.
You should refer to all available journals in your field and referencing should be
1. Literature Review (Individual)
2000 words maximum
Deadline: 12pm (Noon) Thursday 16th March 2023
formatted using the Harvard referencing system.
offer your individual perspectives?

GGES6022 3 Assignments Overview
2. Presentation (Group)
Formative (feedback only, no marks)
Taking place: Wed 15th March 2023

The second coursework component will consist of short presentations delivered in
the seminar session in week 6, produced and presented by each group. The
presentations will be delivered ‘live’ as opposed to the recorded iteration from the
first semester.

The presentation is a formative assessment (predominantly feedback only. any
indicative marks awarded will not count towards your module mark) which will be
interactively peer-assessed.. Each group will deliver a short Pecha Kucha format
presentation on your proposed research project. The Pecha Kucha presentations will
consist of 20 slides which each automatically advance after 20 seconds (a total
duration of 6 minutes 40 seconds). Further guidance on the Pecha Kucha format with
examples and a template to use will be provided during the module teaching
sessions.

This presentation should be used to give your initial pitch for your project proposal
highlighting the key points and aiming to engage and attract the interest of potential
funders – consider it an early phase of the funding process where you are aiming to
progress to the next round. You will be peer-assessed, and you will receive feedback
at the end of the seminar, pointing out the areas you can look to improve on in your
proposal and presentation style.

Areas that your presentation can look to cover are:

1. Context to the project
2. State the problem clearly – aims
3. Justification of the choice of project (why is it important)
4. Preliminary outline of methodology (field work, lab work etc?)
5. Preliminary outline of any analysis techniques
6. Initial thoughts on project requirements (e.g. main costs)

As with the presentation you gave as part of GGES6011 semester 1, it is up to the
group to decide who will deliver the presentations. There is no requirement for all
members to speak, although it is certainly encouraged. It is expected that all group
members should make equal contributions – see General Information for further
guidance.
GGES6022 4 Assignments Overview

The third coursework component will be a written grant application/tender document
to a fictional government funding council. The application will be made using a
standard form (similar to the ones used by the Natural Environment Research Council
(NERC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)). The
form and guidance will be made available on Blackboard, you should ensure that you
follow the provided guidelines precisely – real funding applications are likely to be
rejected should these not be met (here it result in a los
3. Grant Application (Group)
Deadline: 12pm (Noon) Thursday 13th April 2023
s of marks).

The total cost of the grant proposal should not exceed £500,000 over three years.



GGES6022 5 Assignments Overview
General Information

Individual Contribution in Group Work
There is no peer review for the group assessments, but it is expected that all group
members should be doing a fair share of the work and making equal contributions.
If you feel someone in the group is not making a sufficient contribution you should
first try and resolve this within your group and approach the person directly. Equally
if you feel your input is not being fairly considered by the group you should try to
raise the issue with them. If problems remain or you feel you need a mediator to
intervene, contact the module convenor. How the work is allocated should be decided
collectively by the group, try to play to each of your strengths (e.g. background
research, presentation, data analysis, results presentation) and assign work
accordingly.

Attendance and Absence
Please make every effort to attend the seminar sessions. These offer a valuable
opportunity to develop and work on your funding projects with staff available to offer
advice. This becomes much harder if your group is short on numbers.

Feedback
Formative assessment and feedback (from both teaching staff and peers) is provided
during the sessions. We will interactively peer-assess the Pecha Kucha presentations
with marks and feedback given electronically for the presentations of groups other
than your own. Summative feedback is provided through comments on coursework
at the end of the unit.

Unit resources
Resources to accompany the unit will be provided on the Blackboard during the
course of the semester (http://www.blackboard.soton.ac.uk).

Academic Integrity
Scholarly standards are important in all your academic work. You should ensure that
all written work contains a list of references set out in appropriate form and be aware
of the University expectations on you with regards Academic Integrity. Please refer to
the guidance on Academic Integrity and appropriate referencing made available on
Blackboard. Any further questions can be directed to me.