The methodology used in this course to achieve the learning process is based on student work with available information. The function of the professor is to give the information or indicate where student can get it, helping and supervising the student during the learning process. To achieve this goal, the course is based on the following activities:

Lectures:

 In these classes the students acquire the basic scientific-technical knowledge of the course that must be complemented with the personal study of the topics explained.

Seminars:

The mission of the seminars is to promote the capacity for analysis and synthesis, critical reasoning and the capacity to solve problems. Three types of activities are carried out:

1. Conferences with the presence of professionals working on issues related to non-arthropod invertebrates, where the aim is to bring the world of research and business closer to the students of this last grade course.

2. Group work: students have to present a write report from the scientific-technical knowledge exposed in the lectures. It is characterized by the active work of the students. The students are divided into small working groups, and each group chooses a topic previously agreed upon with the faculty, such as the applicability of some zoological groups (Porifera, Cnidarians, Mollusks, Nematodes or Echinoderms), the evolution of some structure of a taxa, etc. Each student works in a group, not admitting any individual work. Each group performs several follow-up tutorials throughout the development of the work. The works are finally exposed to the rest of the class, by all the members of the groups.

3. Training and monitoring for the use of technologies to promote knowledge of non-arthropod invertebrates in society (technologies of Citizen Science programs).

Practices:

In the sea practices,students learn in a practical way how marine fauna is studied, and work on the diversity of the invertebrate fauna of the sampled area.

In the laboratory practical sessions, the zoological material is usedto make a guide of identification of the invertebrates’ non-Arthropoda of an ecosystem, and fresh zoological material is identified and classified. The objective of the practical classes is to complete and reinforce the zoological knowledge acquired in the theoretical classes and seminars. In the practical sessions, empirical skills such as the ability to observe, analyze and recognize the zoological diversity are stimulated and developed in the students.

From this year, the practices are incorporated into the Technology for Nature project: Sustainable Zoology and Citizen Science internships (Faculty of Biosciences 2024-25), which focuses the methodology on collaborative and transversal work, taking into account the ethical aspects and promote conservation through the minimum possible environmental impact and the use of new technologies and the promotion of citizen participation in science. This is why new methodologies and materials are incorporated, such as sampling with less invasive techniques and devices for organisms, the use of field guides together with freely accessible digital applications, Sampling with less invasive techniques and devices invasive by the organisms, the adaptation of digital platforms for the collection of data and observations and the activity of promoting citizen participation through dissemination campaigns and social networks. For this reason, there will be initial and ongoing training in the use of new technologies and the digital platform, to incorporate these activities into the entire set of practices.

Tutorials:

The objective of these sessions is to solve doubts, review basic concepts not explained in class and guide about the sources consultedby the students. Likewise, these tutorials allow the orientation of the works that will be carried out in the seminars. The schedule of the tutorials is specified with the teaching staff through the virtual campus.

To pass the course, a minimum mark of 5 points out of 10 possible is required from the sumatori of theory exam + seminars + practical.

ATTENTION: Attendance to the practices and the seminars is mandatory. Non-attendance to practicals and seminars without justification will imply that the student will NOT be able to pass the subject.

1- CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

The programmed continuous assessment activities are:

1.1- THEORY

Partial theory exams: Each of the two partial exams will represent 30% of the final grade and will assess the acquired knowledge during the course, as well as analytical and synthesis skills, and critical reasoning. The exam may include short-answer questions, conceptual questions, or schemes.

• To obtain the average of the two partial exams, the minimum grade for each exam must be equal to or higher than 5.0. If the student obtains a grade lower than 5.0 in a partial exam, student will be allowed to re-assess that examen on the day of the recovery exam. In the case of the exam was not re-assessed, the average cannot be calculated with the rest of the course activities.

Re-assessment of theory exam: This exam will be used to re-assess the necessary partial exams.

• To re-assess an exam, the student must have been evaluated in a set of activities equaling at least at least two-thirds of the total evaluation activities of the course.

•For the theory, to be averaged with the practical and seminar activities, the average of the two partial exams must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

• Students who wish to improve a grade in one or both parts can do the final exam, but they will lose the previous grade.

1.2- SEMINARS

There is an individual evaluation about the conferences, and a group evaluation of the work developed during the seminars. The work and the oral presentation of all the members of each group are also evaluated. The grade corresponding to the seminars will represent 20% of the final grade of the course.

• Attendance to seminars is mandatory.

• This activity cannot be re-assessed.

• For the seminars, to be averaged with the other course activities, the average seminar mark must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

1.3 - PRACTICES

Practices represent 20% of the final grade of the course.

Laboratory and field practices: Attendance at lab sessions and field practices is mandatory.

There are two evaluation activities in the practices:

- Teaching folder:

It consists of a series of learning materials made during the different activities of practice (outputs and laboratory) and that students accumulate throughout the course. These materials can be the elaboration of an identification guide of an ecosystem, files of follow-up of the work, field notes of the observations, work carried out in dissemination to society, small tests of evaluation on some practice, etc. In this activity, there is no chance for reassessment.

- Observation record:

The aim is to identify if the students reach competences of a more attitudinal nature through the observation by the professors of their attitude in the different types of activities that take place in the practices (field trips and laboratory sessions). This activity has a value between -1 and 1 that is added in the practical grade reached by the previous evaluations. In this activity, there is no chance for reassessment.

• This activity cannot be reassessed.

• For the practices to be averaged with the other course activities, the average practices mark must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

SUMMARY TABLE OF THE WEIGHT OF EACH COMPONENT:

2- SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The students who choose the single-assessment option must request it within the terms and forms indicated by the Faculty.

2.1- THEORY

This part represents 60% of the final grade of the course, and will be evaluated through:

Unique theory exam: The unique theory assessment will consist of an exam that will take place on the day of the 2nd partial exam of the course. The exam may include short-answer questions, conceptual questions, or schemes.

Re-assessment of theory exam: The recovery of the single assessment will be the same day and time that the continuous assessment recovery test.

• For the theory, to be averaged with the practical and seminar activities, the grade of the exam must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

• Students who wish to improve the grade of the exam can do the re-assessment exam, but they will lose the previous grade.

• To re-assess an exam, the student must have been evaluated in a set of activities equaling at least at least two-thirds of the total evaluation activities of the course.

2.2- SEMINARS

IMPORTANT: Even if students choose the unique evaluation, they must attend the seminar sessions of this course.

There is an individual evaluation about the conferences, and a group evaluation of the work developed during the seminars. The work and the oral presentation of all the members of each group are also evaluated. The grade corresponding to the seminars will represent 20% of the final grade of the course.

• Attendance to seminars is mandatory.

• This activity cannot be re-assessed.

• For the seminars, to be averaged with the other course activities, the average seminar mark must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

2.3- PRACTICES

IMPORTANT: Even if students choose the unique evaluation, they must attend the practice sessions of this course. Practices represent 20% of the final grade of the course.

Laboratory and field practices: Attendance at the laboratory practices is MANDATORY and ESSENTIAL to take the unique theory exam.

There are three evaluation activities in the practices:

- Teaching folder:

It consists of a series of learning material that is made during the different activities of practices (outputs and laboratory) and that students accumulate throughout the course. These materials can be the elaboration of an identification guide of an ecosystem, files of follow-up of the work, field notes of the observations, work carried out in dissemination to society, small tests of evaluation on some lab practices, field trips, etc. In this activity there is no chance for re-assessment.

- Observation record:

The aim is to identify if the students reach competences of a more attitudinal nature through the observation by the professors of their attitude in the different types of activities that take place in the practices (field trips and laboratory sessions). This activity has a value between -1 and 1 that is added in the practical grade reached by the previous evaluations. In this activity there is no chance for re-assessment.

• Attendance at lab sessions and field practices is mandatory.

• This activity does not have the possibility to be re-assessed.

• For the practices, to be averaged with the other course activities, the average practices mark must be equal to or higher than 4.0.

SUMMARY TABLE OF THE WEIGHT OF EACH COMPONENT:

3. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

To pass the course, the final weighted grade must be 5.0 out of 10 or higher.

Not assessable: Students who complete less than 50% of the assessment activities described above will receive a Not Assessable grade.

Students who do not pass the theoretical component of the course but successfully complete the practical component and/or seminars (obtaining a minimum mark of 5.0 out of 10) will retain this mark for a period of three additional enrolments, although they will be required to re-enrol in the entire course.

Students who are unable to attend an individual assessment activity for justified reasons (such as illness, the death of a family member up to the second degree of kinship, an accident, or holding elite athlete status and having to participate in an official competition or compulsory sporting event, etc.) and who provide the corresponding official documentation to the teaching staff and the degree coordination (official medical certificate explicitly stating the inability to sit the examination, police report, certification from the relevant sports authority, etc.) will be entitled to take the assessment on an alternative date. The degree coordination will ensure that this assessment is organised, following consultation with the teaching staff responsible for the course.

Grade improvement: Students who have passed the theoretical component and obtained a mark higher than 4.0 in both the practical component and the seminars may sit the resit examination in order to IMPROVE THEIR GRADE in the theoretical component. To do so, they must formally renounce their previous mark in writing (by email) and notify the teaching staff responsible for the course at least three days before the resit examination. The mark that will be considered for the theoretical component will be that obtained in the last examination taken by the student.

Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies: For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as literature searches or information retrieval. Students must clearly identify which parts of their work have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity. Failure to disclose the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total reduction of the mark for the activity, or more severe disciplinary sanctions in serious cases.

Irregularities in Assessment Activities: Any irregularity committed during an assessment activity (including academic fraud, plagiarism, or the improper use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), unless such use is expressly authorised in the course guide) that may lead to a significant alteration of the assessment result will result in that assessment activity being awarded a mark of 0. If the course guide establishes that obtaining a minimum mark in that assessment activity is an essential requirement for passing the course, or if multiple irregularities are committed in the assessment activities of the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0. In addition, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who commits any of these irregularities.