ZOOL100 General Zoology

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Svein Dale

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:Structured teaching: 75 hours. Own effort: 50 hours.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in Autumn parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in Autumn parallel, June block, .

About this course

The course focuses on the systematic division of the animal kingdom, as well as the build, habitat and life history of separate groups of animals. In addition to protozoans, a total of nine phyla of multicellular animals will be reviewed (sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, molluscs, segmented worms, roundworms, arthropods (with major emphasis on insects), echinoderms and chordates), including further division into classes, orders and families for selected phyla. There will also be focus on specific examples from the Norwegian fauna.

Learning outcome

A candidate who has completed the course shall have obtained the following:

Knowledge: The student should have a basic overview of the animal kingdom, as well as knowledge of individual animal groups' build, habitat and life history, and how build and life history reflect adaptations to the environment.

Skills: The student should have learnt to identify selected animals to phylum, class, order or family level. During the field course, the student will acquire experience with field work, common methods for collecting animals in the field, and use of literature to identify animals.

General competence: The student shall after the course be familiar with Norwegian wildlife, and thereby e.g. be able to assess what kind of animals may be affected by human activities in different environments, and how they may be affected. In addition, the student will have a good basis for studying more specialized courses and topics within zoology and ecology.

  • The course consists of lectures that illuminate the most important parts of the syllabus. Each lecture is followed by a connected laboratory exercise where students are given practical experience in each topic. The course ends with a four-day field course where the focus is on identification and placing of animals that are collected from nature in the animal kingdom.
  • The candidate\'s learning can be supported through academic supervision during the teacher\'s office hours.
  • Portfolio assessment: Written exam at the end of the autumn semester (multiple-choice test) lasts 3 hours and counts for 80%. Systematic test, which is completed at the end of each field course, lasts 1 hour and counts for 20%. All evaluated parts must not be passed to pass the course. It is the overall quality of the answers that must be assessed as passed.
  • External examiner participates in preparing the examination questions and sensor guidelines in the course.
  • Approved laboratory course, participation in field course and the first lecture in the autumn semester.
  • Lectures: 20 hours. Laboratory: 20 hours. Field course: 4 days.
  • Letter grades
  • Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)