ADMEAH: Experimental Agriculture

Module code: ADMEAH

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Alexey Mikaberidze, email: a.mikaberidze@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): This module is only available to students on MSc Agriculture and Development (Open)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Become familiar with experimentation in agriculture, gain experience in experimental design, carry out an experiment and analyse the results. Visit a range of sites to see experiments, agronomic, livestock and horticultural research in the field as practised in the UK and consider applications to agricultural / horticultural research and extension in developing countries. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Collect meaningful data in an agricultural experiment, which includes designing and conducting an experiment and statistically analysing the results  
2. Communicate the outcomes of the experiment in a structured manner by writing a scientific paper 
3. Use modern open-source tools for reproducible data analysis 
4. Learn about experimentation and dissemination of results in different contexts through outside visits 

Module content

The module will focus on the design and statistical analysis of experiments with crop plants. Data will be captured from laboratory/glasshouse experiments, and analysed statistically using modern open-source software tools. The students will learn how to communicate the outcomes of the experiment in a structured manner by writing a scientific paper. Additional assignments will explore livestock and horticulture experimentation. 

Several external visits will introduce the students to the agricultural research landscape in the UK, which may include animal, crop and pesticide research. We will discuss links between research and extension. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures; practicals; outside visits; online learning materials; external reading. 

Study hours

At least 44 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Online quizzes 

Formative draft of the scientific paper 

Reassessment

Additional costs