Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

Online Course

Lancaster University

Future Learn

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Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

What is the course about?
Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
Reviews & Experiences

What is the course about?

Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

The course Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet is an online class provided by Lancaster University through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Learn about soils, the variety of life they contain and how humans impact this fragile system, with this free online course.

Course description

4 weeks

Soils are a complex environment, teeming with life and supporting our most fundamental environmental processes.
We will take a journey through the soil, learning about the basics of soil science and also about life in the soil.
We will look at why soil is so important and investigate threats to soil – a topic relevant to the past and present.
Finally we will learn about how and why soils are under threat at a local and global scale.
You will also get the chance to get your hands dirty with some activities to give you practical experience of assessing soil properties and conditions.
Soils are really important. How much do you know about the world beneath our feet? Take this just-for-fun quiz and find out…

Basic soil science – what is soil made of
Soil organisms – why soil microbes are so important
The rise and fall of civilisations and how they depend on soils
The impact of climate change on soils

Develop an understanding of what soil is made of and how it forms
Describe soil texture including how to test it yourself
Explore the variety and diversity of life in the soil
Evaluate the importance of soils throughout history
Identify threats to soil security
Assess threats of global environmental change to soils

This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in soils, biology, geography and environmental science. No prior knowledge is required but will be of particular interest to sixth formers and undergraduates studying these subjects.

Lancaster University
Lancaster University is a collegiate university, with a global reputation as a centre for research, scholarship and teaching with an emphasis on employability.

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Prerequisites & Facts

Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

Course Topic

Agriculture, Biology and Biotechnology, Nature & Environment, Science, Engineering & Maths

University, College, Institution

Lancaster University

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / Lancaster University you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

Lancaster University

Soils: Introducing the World Beneath Our Feet

provided by Future Learn

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