Environmental Tools and Technologies (11775.1)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | On-Campus |
Bruce, Canberra |
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Science And Technology |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| Academic Program Area - Science | Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit | Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Identify, locate and explain the most appropriate tools and technology for a given environmental challenge;
2. Demonstrate the application of a combination of tools and technologies in measuring, recording and assessing a range of environmental variables;
3. Synthesise and critically examine contrasting datasets; and
4. Evaluate and apply tools, methods, skills and theoretical knowledge to address environmental challenges and advance environment and sustainability practice (adapted from ACEDD TLO 3.3).
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline
Prerequisites
Students must have passed 24 credit points.Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 05 February 2024 | On-Campus | Dr Jurian Hoogewerff |
Required texts
- Environmental Chemistry by Stanley Manahan https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315160474
Highly Recomended as will be used in some weeks
- Environmental Chemical Analysis By S. Mitra , Pradyot Patnaik , B.B. Kebbekus, https://www.routledge.com/Environmental-Chemical-Analysis/Mitra-Patnaik- Kebbekus/p/book/9780849338380
- Sampling and Analysis of Environmental Chemical Pollutants 2nd Edition by E Popek, ¿https://www.elsevier.com/books/sampling-and-analysis-of-environmental-chemical- pollutants/popek/978-0-12-803202-2
- Environmental DNA: For Biodiversity Research and Monitoring. by P Taberlet et al. https://academic.oup.com/book/32663
- Statistics and Chemometrics for Analytical Chemistry 7E, J Miller and J Miller and R Miller. https://www.pearson.com/store/p/statistics-and-chemometrics-for-analytical-chemistry/P200000005030/9781292186719
- Introduction to Geographic Information Systems ISE 9th Edition, Kang-tsung Chang ISBN · 9781260289084: https://www.mheducation.com.au/introduction-to-geographic-information-systems-ise-9781260289084-aus
Submission of assessment items
Special assessment requirements
Final assessment will be based on successful completion of each component of this Unit. To attain a pass grade or better in this Unit, the following criteria apply.
The pass the unit the student must:
- attend all field, laboratory and workshop activities (more then 2 absences can lead to a fail for the unit)
- attempt all assessment items; including draft submisson of the report
- and achieve minimum 50% (>49.49%) aggregate or higher for the total of individual assignments, which are worth 50% of the total unit mark;
- and achieve minimum 50% (>49.49%) or higher, after peer assessment adjustment (see section 6c) for the group assignments, which are worth 50% of the total unit mark.
If the conditions for a pass are met, the grade will be awarded as follows:
HD 85–100% DI 75–84% CR 65–74% P 50 – 64%
• non-attempted assessment items will obtain 0%.
The unit convenor reserves the right to question students on any of their submitted work for moderation and academic integrity purposes, which may result in an adjustment to the marks awarded for a specific task.
Academic integrity
Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.
To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.
Use of Text-Matching Software
The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.
Learner engagement
The total workload for this unit is 150 hours. To achieve top marks for this unit students should plan to need the full 150 hours of commitment, as the unit is designed with those 150 hours of commitment in mind (not less!).
The face-to-face contact time for this unit consists of eleven 2-hour lectures/workshops and seven 2 hour practicals and one 9 hour fieldwork.
Thus the total formal contact time for students equates to 10x2 + 7x2 + 9 = 20 + 14 + 9 = 43 hours during the semester.
The preparation for the Thursday lecture or tutorials will require at least 3 hours per week of self-study (11 weeks x 3 = 33 hours in total).
The remaining 150 - (43+33) = 74 hours should be apportioned according to the weighting for each assessment item.
Participation requirements
As team work is an essential part of the unit all students are required to attend al field, lab and workshop activities.
Peer team marking scheme:
All the team assignments are subject to a peer assessment marking scheme. Each team member will get a mark weighted for their contribution to the team effort.
The peer assessment is done after the final report submission when each team member will assess their fellow group members (and themselves) in an anonymous survey about the level of contribution of each member to the group effort. After the survey the convener will use the assessment to adjust the mark of each individual team member. Thus, some students might get higher marks than the overall team mark, and some students might get lower marks but the average mark for the whole team will remain the same. It is important to note that if a student does not contribute at all to the team work, their mark for the team component could be halved and resulting in failing the unit if the other individual marks (50%) are low too. Many years of experience has shown that this peer marking scheme fairly attributes appropriate marks to each team member; it penalises freeloaders and rewards hard workers.
Required IT skills
MSWord, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint and R skills. Students will get an introduction to basic GIS skills
In-unit costs
The students will need to purchase one "Tradie" waterproof A4 notebook (less than $10 at Officeworks) . See section 4b for details
There will be no cost associated with the required field trips. The cost of transport to the field sites will be covered by the University of Canberra.
Students will need to provide the following for the field trips:
- A4 TRADIE NOTEBOOK!
- Work clothes - You'll be dealing with mud and water
- Long dark wide tradie or field trousers because of snakes (no leggings, as snakes will bite through!)
- Closed working boots or high walking boots
- Water bottle (full, of course!)
- Snacks
- Wet weather gear
- Hat (with a wide brim, front and back) and sunscreen
- Camera (phone is fine)
- Calculator (phone is fine)
- Medication (allergies, asthma, etc)
- A backpack to store it all in
- Lots of positive energy!
Work placement, internships or practicums
This unit involves Work Integrated Learning by Simulation of an environmental survey with fieldwork.
Additional information
Research led Unit: This unit involves research-led education. There are active researchers delivering this unit who are able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.
Provision of information to the group: Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they check for announcements on the Unit's Canvas website (Canvas forum messages are also emailed to student email addresses only). Students should ensure they check their student email regularly. The Canvas forums will be checked by staff regularly.
Use of student email account: The University Email policy states that "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes". Therefore all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Students should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account.
