Certificate Course in Soundscape Assessment

Entry Requirements

The Institute of Acoustics is committed to an open access policy. The main principle is to admit all who will benefit from the Certificate programmes. However, students will need to be numerate and to be able to carry out scientific calculations. If the Certificate is used towards satisfying the educational requirements for Technician membership of the IOA (TechIOA) relevant passes at GCSE level may be necessary also.

Study Modes

Students take the Certificates at an Accredited Centre (see separate list). Attendance at the Centre is usually for four days, plus the examination day. Assessments for CCSA typically take place twice per year. It is important to check on the local arrangements for the assessments.

Assessment

To obtain a Certificate, a candidate is required to;

1. Pass a short test on underlying theory and concepts.

2. Produce planning documentation for a soundscape assessment.
3. Produce a competent report from a dataset from a soundscape assessment.

The written examination papers are set by the Chief Examiner, who is responsible to the CCSA Committee. Members of the Committee review and moderate the marking of all papers at their meetings held shortly after each course.

The detailed logistical arrangements for the practical test and report submission are made by the Accredited Centre. However, the requirements for the practical assessment and the report are overseen by the CCSA Committee.

Aims and Learning

Outcomes Unwanted sound, which we call noise, can have negative impacts on human health and wellbeing as well as a range of aspects of modern life – including annoyance, sleep disturbance, increased stress levels, and disruption of concentration. However, there are positive effects of sound which are often less considered in the literature, but which can enhance people’s quality of lives, sense of wellbeing and potentially health. The concept of a soundscape approach treats the sound environment as a scarce resource, which can be used to affect quality of life, health and well-being and promote its improvement and optimisation for humans and potentially other species.

The course aims to provide candidates with:

• An understanding of the concepts, practices and terminology of soundscape.
• An awareness of the soundscape expectations of the UK’s four environmental regulators, and government policies and legislation to which soundscape could be relevant.
• Knowledge of the processes and techniques available and recommended for soundscape assessment, including data collection and analysis.

After successfully completing the course, candidates should be able to:

1. Understand the principles and theory of soundscape including human perception and contextual experience of sound.
2. Undertake soundscape assessment and apply the categorisation and assessment of soundscapes, taking into account appropriate regulatory frameworks, standards and guidance.
3. Understand the implications of soundscape and soundscape design on health, wellbeing and sustainability in both outdoor and indoor environments.
4. Understand and analyse the principles, benefits and challenges of applying soundscape techniques to a project. 5. Present and interpret data from a soundscape assessment in a written report.

Syllabus

1. Fundamentals of sound Generation and propagation of sound.
   Fundamental properties of a sound wave – wavelength, wave period, amplitude, frequency. Sound Pressure and Power. The decibel scale, sound pressure levels and sound power levels. Significance of level changes for energy. Ways of looking at sound information - waveform, spectrum and spectrogram.
    
2. Fundamentals of social science methods
   Ethical considerations of social science methods (respect; responsibility including inform, consent, withdraw; competence; integrity). Recruitment strategies for assessments, to ensure fair representation of diverse views across affected population (i.e. not just outspoken voices heard).
   
   Questionnaire design – item wording, response options, ordering of questions. Interview Schedules and skills in conducting interviews. Intended analysis – statistical analysis (quantitative) and/or qualitative analysis
    
3. Fundamentals of human hearing, perception of and response to sound.
   Basics of human hearing system and perception of sound. Thresholds of audibility. Loudness vs Level. The use of weighting networks in acoustic measurement. What makes a sound perceptible/noticeable other than level. Patterns – impulsive sounds, intermittent sounds, human speech, periodic (tonal) sounds.
   
   Masking (temporal and frequency masking). Psychoacoustic parameters: Spectrum and perceptual quality.
   
   Qualitative terms of assessment. Random (noisy) vs periodic (tonal) components and relation to quality. Human perception and response to sound. Concepts of neuro- and aural diversity. Noise sensitivity and annoyance. Human physiological response to sound both in terms of the mechanism of hearing and why sound affects everyone. Context and human response. The effects of sound on hormone release and brain function.
   
   The consequential effects of sound exposure, from fear/flight response and the effects of short term and long term stress hormones on human function. The conditions that allow optimal human function and the effects on activities such as concentration, learning, creativity and a positive sense of wellbeing. The effects of sound on other species, their breeding success and ultimately their survival.
    
4. The concepts and terminology of Soundscape
   he meaning of the terms: ‘acoustic environment’, ‘acoustic comfort’, ‘soundscape’ and ‘community noise’ within the context of the built environment either outside or inside or the natural environment in the absence of buildings. Auditory spatial awareness, interaction with acoustic spaces.
   
   The main dimensions underlying the human experience and assessment of humans’ acoustic environments (i.e., the soundscape), interpretation of their relevance for environmental design and land use planning practice, and how these relate to personal and contextual factors. The definitions and general framework of the soundscape approach, as per ISO 12913-1:2014 in relation to outside assessment.
   
   Theories of sound classification. Categorisation and Taxonomy – identification of sound sources, prominence of sources, proportion of sound types. Geophonic, biophonic and anthrophonic sounds.
   
   The meaning of and difference between ‘soundscape indicator’ and ‘soundscape descriptor’ in the context of the soundscapestudies and the use of those to interpret soundscape prediction models and make informed decisions about their selection and use to characterize soundscape quality depending on context of application. Familiarity with historical and recent trends in soundscape research literature.
    
5. Policy, Guidance and Regulation
   Examples relevant to current approaches in public health and built environment research & practice. Familiarity with historical and recent trends in soundscape policy and guidance.
   
   Awareness of the soundscape expectations of the UK’s four environmental regulators, primary legislation and policy in Wales, and elements of the NPSE through aim 3 ,. to which soundscape would be relevant.
   
   ‘Regulators’ lighter alternative to being able to carry out a full soundscape assessment’.
    
6. Human response, Health and Wellbeing
   Appreciation of the significance of aural diversity context and non-acoustic factors to human beings’ perception and experience of sound
   
   How design interventions can create healthier soundscapes which are more supportive of human and other species’ health and wellbeing.
   
   The potential of sound to have both positive and negative impacts on listeners, including restorative effects of positive or perceptually pleasant sound and effects on sleep, stress levels and epidemiological factors of perceptually unpleasant sound.
   
   Perception and characteristics of ‘pleasant’ sounds. Natural and manmade sounds. Sound for relaxation and enjoyment. Soundscaping and urban/interior design. Visual effect on perception of sound – natural and manmade landscapes. The significance of listeners having a sense of choice/control. Acoustic diversity (meaning a diversity of sound environments on offer as distinct from aural diversity, which refers to the diversity of people experiencing the sound).
   
   Perception and characteristics of ‘unpleasant’ sounds. Noise annoyance and Individual noise susceptibility. Spatiality/directivity and annoyance. Effects on sleep, stress levels and epidemiology. Low-frequency annoyance. Signal-to-Noise ratio.
   
   The impacts of noise sensitivity and how this may be affected by aural diversity and neurodiversity as well as by context. The need to avoid outdated terminology such as “undue sensitivity” and “unreasonable response” which presuppose the rightness of the “average” person.
   
   Acoustic comfort in indoor environments. Contributors to acoustic comfort – absorption, location and type of noise sources, other sound sources, context, sensitivity, personal choice/control. Interrelationship / risk of trade-offs between indoor soundscape, air quality, thermal comfort, etc. Working from home. Education and healthcare environments. Effects of noise on learning and concentration. SEN students and non-native speakers. The open plan office.
    
7. Sustainability
   Understanding how design for improved soundscape quality can contribute to sustainable development and regenerative design. The potential for soundscape design to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
   
   The contributions of green and blue spaces which can result in the improvement, vegetation and nature to the acoustic environment.
   
   The extent to which current prediction schemes account for the acoustical influences of green and blue spaces, vegetation and nature and suggest ways in which they could be improved.
    
8. Conducting a soundscape assessment
   Understanding the general framework of a soundscape predictive model – its goals, constraints, and assumptions.
   
   Experimental approaches: listener tests, surveys, focus groups. Psychoacoustic and Sensory evaluation methods. Applicable standards e.g. ISO 12913-1:2014, ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, ISO/TS 12913-3:2019, ISO/TS 15666:2021. Awareness of relevance of soundscape to other related standards e.g. BS4142, BS 7445. Awareness of relevance of soundscape to Non-acoustics Factors standard(s) ISO/AWI TS 16755-1.
   
   The design and implementation of soundscape data collection campaigns in accordance with current technicalspecifications and the use of data for prediction and design purposes.
   
   Planning and execution of a soundwalk, soundscape survey and/or other relevant soundscape data collection method, in accordance with ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 (Methods A, B, C). Common rules and ethical considerations of conducting qualitative surveys and interviews. Selection and demographic of participants. The understanding and selection of “local experts” for the purposes of soundscape surveys. Understanding of the technical requirements for binaural measurements.
   
   Requirements for data collection and storage for qualitative and quantitative data. Styles of data collection. UK data protection and the responsibilities of the study organiser.
   
   The practicalities, implications and limitations of conducting a soundscape study in a laboratory setting.
    
9. Analysing assessment results
   Analysis of qualitative, quantitative and binaural soundscape data following the methods set out in ISO/TS 12913-3:2019.
   
   Qualitative data analysis techniques such as Grounded Theory, Qualitative Content Analysis or Social Network Analysis.
   
   Quantitative data analysis techniques including descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Potential confounders (bias effects) such as sequential effects, range effects and demand characteristics.
   
   he concept, use and implications of ‘triangulation’ and mixed methods in soundscape studies.
   
   Interpreting and assessing the quality of a soundscape assessment.
    
10. The practical application of soundscape techniques to a project
    Understanding that the soundscape standards are a toolbox, and the right tool(s) must be selected and used in the right way for the right job.
    
    Awareness of the limitations and constraints of a traditional acoustic approach.
    
    Potential financial, health and wellbeing benefits of a soundscape approach to a project. Assessment of whether soundscape approaches are likely to be beneficial and add value to a given project, and which soundscape techniques are proportionate, practicable and likely to be the most useful / cost-beneficial in a given scenario.
    
    Post-completion evaluation of a project.
     
11. Report preparation and interpretation The concepts of good practice in reporting a soundscape study as per ISO/TS 12913-2:2018.
    
    Being able to understand and interpret a soundscape assessment report (e.g., in support of a planning or environmental permit application).
     

Assessment

Assessment is split into 3 elements:

• A formative test to assess knowledge of fundamental concepts.
• The planning of a soundscape assessment.
• Analysing and reporting on the data from a soundscape assessment.

In class test: Weighting 0%

This formative test will present candidates with a range of short answer questions on fundamental concepts covered during the course. The test will be undertaken online and candidates will be expected to take around ½ an hour to complete. It will be taken after the first day of the course.

Soundscape assessment:

Weighting 50% For this assessment the candidate is required to prepare all the materials which would be required to undertake a soundscape assessment for a particular scenario. They will submit for assessment a full set of assessment materials (e.g. questionnaires, maps, instructions to participants, specifications for use of equipment such as sound level meters or recording devices).

The submission will be assessed on the basis of the quality of material presented, including the level of detail and clarity in instructions, appropriateness of the assessment method to the scenario and the appropriateness of the data to be collected.

The assessment component is examined and marked with reference to the examiner’s checklist which have been developed and refined by the course tutors and examiners. Further guidance can be given by the Institute if required. Candidates are encouraged to refer to published soundscape assessment guidelines such as those in ISO 12913-2:2018. A copy of each candidate’s report will be sent with the candidates’ scripts to the Institute for moderation.

Soundscape assessment report. Weighting 50%

For this assessment the candidate will submit a report from a soundscape assessment based on a given dataset. This is expected to be formatted and presented clearly and professionally making reference to guidance and standards. The marking scheme showing the importance attached to the various elements of the report is given in Appendix A.

Report generation and submission

The report must contain a declaration that it represents the student’s own work and it must identify the source of any other information that is included.

The expected length of the written report is no more than eight sides of A4. It should include a statement of the objective(s) of the assessment and an outline of the scenario. The report must be appropriately structured and address the requirements of the assessment brief.

This includes summarising the reason for the assessment and the methods used, and appropriately analysing and presenting the data, coming to a clear conclusion in relation to the brief.

A suggested marking scheme is appended showing the relative importance attributed to the various components of the report by the CCSA Committee.

It is anticipated that the report will be submitted around two weeks after the completion of the course. The timing of the report submission will have implications for the expected quality and content of the report. A write-up in the form of a twenty page ‘draft technical report’ is excessive and unacceptable.

IOA Accredited Centre

University College London (UCL), Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE)
Spring Delivery Only

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/environmental-design/research/acoustics-and-soundscapes

email: f.aletta@ucl.ac.uk

KP Acoustics Research Labs
Autumn Delivery 

https://www.kpacoustics.com

email: education@kpacoustics.com