Advanced Inquiry / 12 guided hours

Advanced Cryptozoological Inquiry

Lead an evidence audit and produce a reproducible, ethically governed investigation dossier.

Study requirement: complete Cryptozoological Field Methods before this level opens. You may purchase it in advance or choose the complete pathway.

The syllabus.

Six 90-minute guided modules account for approximately nine hours. Source work, the field notebook capstone, revision and final assessment add approximately three hours.

Timed project route

Three-hour capstone studio

180minutes

Turn the six notebook checkpoints into a coherent advanced-level inquiry. The result should demonstrate how to design an independent inquiry, test rival explanations and communicate responsibly to a public audience, not merely repeat lesson summaries.

  1. 01
    Frame and plan20 min

    Rewrite the capstone as one bounded research question. List the six notebook components you will reuse, identify the intended audience and state what the finished work will not claim.

  2. 02
    Audit the evidence40 min

    Select at least four authoritative public resources and build a citation ledger. For every source, record the item or page, institution, date, access date, direct evidence, interpretive use and one limitation.

  3. 03
    Build the synthesis55 min

    Draft the required exhibition, dossier, protocol, atlas or case study. Connect each claim to a source or notebook observation, preserve local terminology and keep observation separate from interpretation.

  4. 04
    Challenge the argument30 min

    Write the strongest reasonable rival interpretation. Test it against the same evidence, retain one unresolved disagreement and revise any sentence that carries more certainty than its source.

  5. 05
    Edit and document25 min

    Finish the 200-word evidence-limit statement, standardise citations, add useful headings and check that a reader can distinguish fact, historical claim, interpretation and reflection without assistance.

  6. 06
    Revise for assessment10 min

    Review the six module explanations and your corrected knowledge checks. Note three reasoning rules you will apply in the final assessment and one area that requires another source check.

Completion checklist

  • A bounded question and clearly identified audience
  • Evidence from all six notebook checkpoints
  • At least four complete public-source citations
  • A rival interpretation and unresolved disagreement
  • A 200-word evidence-limit statement
  • A conclusion that respects this pathway boundary: an unexplained observation is evidence that an identification remains unresolved, not automatic evidence for a new species

Research foundations.

Lessons are independently written and source-led. These starting collections support the pathway; individual modules explain interpretation limits.

Smithsonian: Giant Squid

Smithsonian: Coelacanth

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

IUCN Red List assessment resources

The Giant Squid

Giant squid: from deep sea to display

Smithsonian National Cephalopod Collection

One-off access

Advanced Cryptozoological Inquiry

No subscription. Unlimited revision-led assessment retakes.

£29.99
Choose course