APPLICATION FORM
ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN PLANT IDENTIFICATION
I should like to register for the following modules:
ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN
a) Module 1 (families)
5th Oct. – 30th November 2010
………
b) Module 2 (species)
25th Jan. – 2nd July 2011
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Note
Module 1 can be taken alone, but it is recommended that module 2 be
preceded by module 1, either in the current or in a previous academic
year.
NAME:
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ADDRESS: …………………………………………………………..
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TELEPHONE: ………………………………………………………..
EMAIL:
BOTANIC GARDEN
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Return this form to: Administrator, University of Leicester Botanic Garden,
Stoughton Drive South, Oadby, Leics., LE2 2NE
PLANT
IDENTIFICATION
part-time 2010-2011
www.le.ac.uk/botanicgarden/
Advanced Certificate in Plant Identification
Botanic Garden
Course details
BS2018 (20 credits)
BS3098/9 (40 credits)
Total 60 credits
Duration:
th
nd
5 Oct.2010 – 2 July 2011
Times: Tuesdays 6.15-9.30pm,
plus nine one-day workshops
and excursions, three in the
autumn term and six in the
spring and summer terms.
Locations:
Attenborough Arboretum
(Carsibrooke Rd.)
Botanic Garden (Oadby).
Fees*:
Module 1: £250
Module 2: £350
Both: £575 total
* You may be eligible for a government
grant: contact your LEA for advice.
Teaching staff:
Dr R.J. Gornall (Botanic
Garden)
Dr J.P. Bailey (Biology Dept.)
Further information:
Administrator, University of
Leicester Botanic Garden,
Stoughton Drive South, Oadby,
Leics. LE2 2NE
Tel. 0116-271-2933
Email: [email protected]
Mallorca Field Trip (optional)
This part-time course is intended for people who
would like to develop or improve their plant
identification skills, in the company of a group of
friendly, like-minded people. Through a
combination of lectures, laboratory classes and field
excursions, we teach you how to identify the wild
plants found in Britain. We take a stepped approach,
whereby the identification of plant families is taught
first (module 1, October to November). With this as
a foundation, we then introduce you to the methods
of species identification (module 2, January to
June). The aim is to increase your appreciation and
understanding of the diversity of the British flora as
well as of the plants in your own garden.
We present topics in an evolutionary context to help
you develop a deeper understanding of the families,
their species and how they originated. In doing this
we emphasise the roles played by reproductive
biology, geography and ecology.
By the end of module 1, you should be able to:
demonstrate an understanding of the major plant
groups and their evolutionary relationships;
identify reliably any plant to the level of class;
identify reliably at least 36 of the commoner
flowering plant families found wild in Britain;
use a microscope properly.
By the end of module 2, you should be able to:
identify important families and genera by sight;
identify at least 200 species by sight or key;
use identification keys effectively;
prepare botanical specimens and make botanical
records;
discuss what species are and understand the
background to their evolution, especially in the
context of ecology and reproductive biology.
Assessment
Module 1: laboratory-based identification test.
Module 2: the BSBI-validated FISC laboratory- and
field-based identification test.
The visit provides an
introduction to a wider range of
species; practice with keys,
recording and specimen
preparation; as well as a
chance to undertake a small
project on a topic of your
choice.
You will experience a variety of
habitats, including the worldrenowned Albufera marshes,
and see a profusion of plants,
many not found wild anywhere
else in the world.
A ‘hands-on’ approach to learning is encouraged,
and we teach you how to use compound and
dissecting microscopes, prepare botanical
specimens, use identification keys, and make
records.
Numerous field trips provide you with all-important
personal experience and practice. Places we visit
include the Derbyshire Dales and the Norfolk coast,
along with sites of a more local interest. Above all
we aim to have fun while we are teaching and you
are learning.
There is an optional field trip to
Mallorca in the Easter
vacation. Accompanying
University students on their
Island Biology field course, the
trip lasts for one week.
Accommodation is in a good
hotel, on a full-board basis.
Successful completion of
module 2 will result in
the additional award of an
appropriate Field
Identification Skills
Certificate (FISC), the
professional qualification
validated by the
Botanical Society of the British Isles.