MTMG05-Professional Skills

Module Provider: Meteorology
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Dr Hilary Weller
Email: h.weller@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module comprise writing skills, a team literature review, a Met Office taught forecasting course and employment related presentations and visits.

Aims:

The aim of this module is to enhance communication and employability skills and give practice in techniques relevant to many areas of research and consultancy work in meteorology and beyond. These skills include:

• literature and internet searching; critical reviewing of literature; oral presentation skills;


• writing for a non-scientific audience;


• synthesising and presenting information in written and oral form with strict time and space limitations;


• team-working;


• analysing and interpreting ‘live’ weather information and producing weather forecasts.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Part 1 - New Skills (Autumn term: Dr Hilary Weller) There is no summative assessment of this part of MTMG05, but a marked practice essay will provide knowledge and skills relevant to some other MSc programme modules. A session on library skills for research will be included in Part 1. A series of seminars and workshops during the term will cover presentation skills and other transferrable skills, as well as careers. 

Part 2 - Team Project (Dr Hialry Weller) By the end of this part of the module the student will have obtained experience in:

• planning a small literature review project both in terms of the student’s own work and in terms of the team as a whole;


• demonstrating the ability to work within a team


• critically assessing the relevance of material to a particular project;


• organising and producing written material for both scientific and non-scientific audiences.

Part 3 - Forecasting Course, typically late April/early May By the end of this part of the module the student should be able to:

• describe how the Met Office provides its forecast services;


• assess standard weather charts and satellite imagery and interpret them in terms of weather experienced on the ground;


• give appropriate weighting to model forecast products as compared with subjective interpretation of weather data in a variety of circumstances;


• recognise the importance of a forecast routine in developing a local forecast based on central guidance model output and actual data;


• produce a written or oral forecast of required length for specific user needs and to a rigid deadline.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

Part 1 - Bibliographic searching skills online library facilities; wider context of weather forecasting and climate prediction; sessions focusing on potential careers.

Part 2 - Team Project Students will work in teams of 3 or 4 on a subject of topical interest in meteorology and its related disciplines. Projects could include analyses of recent weather events, studies of recent atmospheric or oceanic phenomena, such as the previous year’s Antarctic Ozone Hole, or Hurricane Season.

Part 3 - In the forecasting course, students will cover:

• Met Office forecasting services;


• optimising forecasts under operational time and data constraints;


• appropriate use of NWP model products and radar and satellite imagery;


• practical applications of fluid dynamics theory in real time forecasting;


• production and presentation of customer-specific forecasts.

Visits and presentations - You will visit the European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasts and attend presentations in the Department by employers (including MSc graduates). You will also learn about the advice on offer from the University’s Careers Advisory Service.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Part 1 - New Skills Part 1 - Lectures and hands-on computing practical sessions; formative coursework essay with feedback from tutors.

Part 2 - Team Project - Students will receive a short introduction to the structure of the team project and some background on the understanding of the general roles of individuals in teams from the course convenor. They will meet with their team sup ervisor once per week; the supervisor will provide input on resources available for the sub ject and will provide critical input to both written and oral material produced by the team.

Part 3 - Forecasting Course - Lectures and hands on practical exercises making use Met Office operational forecasting software packages.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	5		8
Seminars		5
Practicals classes and workshops	5	3	20
External visits		7
Guided independent study:	10	30	7
Total hours by term	20	45	35
Total hours for module	100

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	50
Oral assessment and presentation	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

N/A.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Team project report and presentation 50%

Forecasting course presentation 50%

Formative assessment methods:

Feedback on written work from tutor and team project supervisor.

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy 'Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes', which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• 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 five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/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.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

50% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:

Re-submission of coursework.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 2) Specialist equipment or materials: 3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 4) Printing and binding: 5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence:

Last updated: 30 March 2023