Fossils and Ancient Life: An Introduction



Overview

What can fossils tell us about life on Earth?  What were the first life forms like? How did they live and how did they die? We will consider all these questions, and more, as we work our way through fossils from each era of geological time. Fossils are our only way of knowing about past life and during the course we will find out how good this record is. We will discover what fossils can tell us about big 'Earth moments' as we explore mass extinctions. One topic of interest is what killed the dinosaurs, with a surprise at the end. 

We will work through how to identify fossils and how they inform us about ancient environments, evolution and extinctions. Fossils used for hands-on exploring will be selected from the tutor's large collection and include ammonites, trilobites, corals, graptolites, trace fossils plus many more.

Many skills will be developed in handling and interpreting fossils in terms of 'form and function'.

Students may bring in their own fossils for some fun identification as a class activity.

Programme details

Course begins: 8 Oct 2024

Week 1:      What is a fossil. 'It's life Jim but not as we know it' - the first life on Earth (8 Oct)

Week 2:      Fossil identification session - the 8 main groups of invertebrates (15 Oct)

                   Case study 1: corals

Week 3:      The trilobites - form and function? (22 Oct)

Week 4:      Bivalves and brachiopods  -  'Life in the Silurian' (29 Oct)

Week 5:      Trace fossils - traces of life, but no bodies (5 Nov)

                   Case study 2: echinoderms (not all spiky)

Week 6/7:   Field trip Sat 9 Nov. 12pm to 4 pm. Local site tbc by start of course.

*No class 12 November*

Week 8:      Ammonites - more to them than you think & Life in the Jurassic (19 Nov)

Week 9:      Death of the dinosaurs. Class activity with students' collection or tutor's to explore more (26 Nov)

Week 10:   Fossil preservation. Some exceptional fossils from Brazil - fossil preservation at its best (3 Dec)

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Jill Eyers

Dr Eyers is a UK geologist and lecturer with many years’ experience who has worked and travelled all over the world. She is an author of many scientific papers and books, and is a regular speaker on cruise ships.

Course aims

To give an overview of the many different forms of ancient life that have existed over more than 500 million years and to explore some of the fossil groups in detail.

Course Objectives

  • To develop the skills of fossil identification based on body plan.
  • To determine potential lifestyle from the features seen.
  • Explore some major changes in ancient life over 500 million years.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods vary through the course. The usual format is an introductory PowerPoint lecture followed by practical work handling a vast array of the tutor's collection of fossils. Practical exploration of the fossils is guided by helpful handouts and followed by discussion and explanation of the material. There will also be short video clips of important concepts. Overall the style is very relaxed and a lot of learning takes place while having a lot of enjoyment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to:

  • identify the main eight groups of invertebrate fossils presented;
  • interpret an animal's potential lifestyle by looking at their physical features;
  • identify some crucial moments in the evolution of ancient life.

Assessment methods

Five elements for assessment: four will be worked on in class (as activities) and the fifth will be a short piece of writing on a fossil group (chosen by the student). This would include information such as when they first arose, when they became extinct, life habits or anything of interest about the group with at least one sketch or illustration. 400-500 words is enough, but the length is up to the student.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enroled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.

Level and demands

No background is required and all levels can be accommodated from beginner to more knowledgeable.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support