Delivery mode

2 hr of lectures + ~2 to 4 hr prac classes each week of semester. There is a compulsory 7 day field trip during the mid-semester break. Lecture slides and related material are provided on the Unit website at least the night before. Lectures will be recorded. You are expected to participate in full and to the greatest of your ability. This includes reading the literature, web materials, and completing the assessment tasks to a standard that you would expect to provide to an employer or relevant external body.

ENVE338 is a field and practical intensive unit. We aim to give you the field experience and hands on application to knowledge and theory learnt in class. The objective is to prepare you with skills for the workplace – it is not a content driven course, we use the content to illuminate skills, practice, method and approach, all of which you will require when working. Content can change constantly in the workplace and you will need flexibility to deal with new or variable content and situations.

WEEKDAY AND MID-SEMESTER BREAK FIELDWORK

We run practical classes in the laboratory or field in the weekly classes and a longer mid-semester fieldtrip – all of which are compulsory. Assessment tasks are framed around the lectures and practical components. A few notes about working in the field:

Weather:

We do not normally cancel fieldtrips for bad weather! You must be prepared to work in the rain and sun with the appropriate clothing, and avoid dehydration. Transport: In the practical classes, you must provide your own. On the longer mid-semester break field trip, transport will be supplied.

Cost:

Your costs on the fieldwork are limited to accommodation and food; transport is provided by the University.

 Food:

We will be staying at delightful Cowra, a township of 10,000 people about 310 km west of Sydney. Most supplies can be purchased there. For those with special food requirements, taking some food out of Sydney may be necessary.

Accommodation:

Will be organised by you. There are various options around Cowra, but almost certainly a motor inn or country pub. Shared rooms will save on cost.

 Personal field equipment:

·      Each student should bring the following aids/comforts on each field trip:

·      Boots; No sandals or thongs in the field. Doesn't have to be steel caps, just sturdy boots. 

·      Water bottle (full, of course!) & food for each day.

·      Inclement weather gear (we go irrespective of the weather). An umbrella is sometimes good to write notes under. Warm clothing, sunscreen. Hat -  NO BASEBALL CAPS. Really. 

·      Waterproof (or waterproof bag) field note book and writing implements (see note below).

·      Calculator, hand lens, reconnaissance maps and readings.

·      Camera.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE STURDY BOOTS AND A BRIMMED HAT, YOU WILL NOT DO FIELDWORK.

WHS equipment, including compulsory hi-viz clothing, will be supplied by MQU.

Website:

Practical material and important messages will be available on www.mq.edu.au/iLearn

Class times and locations:

• Wednesdays, Lecture 1100 - 1300 h, E7B264.

• Practicals: 1400-1800 h. E5A 210 Petroglyph Lab (or the Soil Labs E5A064 or in Building EMC²). Note: we will not always be in this room for this session – several session will be field-based – listen for advice in the lecture and iLearn postings].

Recommended resources:

Reading suggestions will be provided on an ongoing basis – see unit website.

 Minimum performance requirement

In order to pass this unit, the aggregate mark must be 50% or greater. It is not compulsory to pass each component.

Attendance Requirements

Attendance at the mid-semester field trip is compulsory. Date: 12-18 September inclusive. Location: Near Cowra, NSW. Full details to be provided.

Assignment submission

All assignments must be submitted either via email or in the class (via flash drive/memory stick) on the due date (Pollutants report, Portfolio); or via email or personally to the unit convenor (Field Report). If you would like feedback through the document, use doc/docx for your submission. If you just want generic comments, feel free to submit pdf. Quizzes will be on paper.

Extensions and penalties 10% of the mark allocated for the assignment will be deducted per day or part thereof for any work that is submitted late.

Handing work in on time is your responsibility. All applications for special consideration or extension must be sought before the due date unless this is impossible. All applications for extensions of deadlines must be submitted to the unit convenor, with sufficient evidence that their case can be reviewed.

Returning assessment tasks

Assessment tasks will be returned via email preferably, or in class for the Quizzes.

Student Commitment

Students should expect to spend about 150 hours in total over the full semester on (including class contact hours, fieldwork and private study). These are minimum requirements and should you wish to achieve a higher than pass grade, you may choose to work harder or more efficiently.

Feedback and unit evaluation

In this unit you will receive a range of verbal and written feedback on your assessment tasks and work in class or online. To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning, the Department of Environmental Sciences also seeks feedback from students. One of the key ways students have to provide feedback is through unit and teacher evaluation survey. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Department with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied with and areas for improvement. For example, students previously enrolled in this unit have contributed to its development through the suggestion of more group-orientated practical tasks.

Referencing and Citations

There are various referencing styles. They differ markedly between journals and journal types: medical science journals differ from law journals, which differ again from science journals. We take the opinion that there is no correct style, however there is a right way and a wrong way. The right way is to include enough information to attribute ideas, and allow us to find the sources. The more information the better. To help you attain this "right way", we prefer and strongly recommend the referencing style in the journal Environmental Pollution as it is appropriate for this unit, and it is simple and clear.

Please try to format your assignments using the method detailed here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02697491

Reference style

Name and year style in the text Text:

All citations in the text should refer to:

1. Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication;

2. Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication;

3. Three or more authors: first author's name followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication. Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed first alphabetically, then chronologically. Examples: "as demonstrated (Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan & Jones, 1995). Kramer et al. (2000) have recently shown ..."

List:

References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication. Note that any (consistent) reference style and format may be used.

Examples:

Reference to a journal publication:

Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2000. The art of writing a scientific article. Journal of Scientific Communications 163, 51-59.

Reference to a book:

Strunk Jr., W., White, E.B., 1979. The Elements of Style, third ed. Macmillan, New York.

Reference to a chapter in an edited book: Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 1999. How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in: Jones, B.S., Smith, R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281-304.

Reference to a URL:

NTP (National Toxicology Program), 2012. National Toxicology Program Monograph on Health Effects of Low-level Lead. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. June 13th, 2012. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/NTP/ohat/Lead/Final/MonographHealthEffectsLowLevelLead_prepublication_508.pdf (accessed 19Nov15).