CLASSES

Study Modes

This unit is available in both internal and external study modes.

External Students

This unit will run as a lecture series (2 x 1hour lectures weekly), and a weekly online tutorial/discussion program. Lectures will be recorded and made available to external students a couple of hours after they were given through Echo360 which is linked to iLearn. PowerPoint presentations (used in the lectures) will be posted under weekly topics in iLearn. 

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Required textbook

The required readings for ENVG262 are available electronically through the library e-reserve (https://www.library.mq.edu.au/reserve/). Please note that some readings are from open-access websites/journals and will be linked directly through the iLearn site, please scroll down to the week the reading is assigned and follow the link. ENVG262 teaching staff may post supplmental material related to weekly themes throughout the semester.

Please let Donna know immediately if you have trouble accessing the required readings. Please note that reading is an integral (compulsory) part of this unit. The readings will complement and support the lecture program, and will be referred to extensively in tutorials and assessments.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Technology Use

ENVG262 provides all students with significant web-based support using iLearn. If you need help with iLearn please contact Donna as soon as possible. The unit website will be maintained regularly, providing you with copies of lecture PowerPoint slides either before, or as soon as possible, after each lecture.

Please take full advantage of Mail and Discussion Tools and regularly read and contribute to discussions. Access should be possible at the University (Library and Computer Labs) as well as remotely via modem. All students should be able to use Public Library facilities to access the site regularly. If you have difficulty with access, let one of the unit convenors know so we can discuss alternative arrangements.

Please note that essential information will be made available to ALL STUDENTS via the iLearn website for ENVG262, so all students are expected to regularly check the website for notices on the Discussion Tool and email.

iLearn

The password protected component of the ENVG262 website is hosted on Macquarie University's Online Teaching Facility (MUOTF). The facility is run by the Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL). One of CFL's functions is to assist teaching staff to develop course units that allow students better access to teaching materials and provide different ways for staff and students to communicate.

MUOTF automatically collects two types of information:

• Server Use: this is accessible to selected CFL staff only. This information is used by CFL staff for identifying reported access difficulties, improving server performance and tracing any breaches of security. CFL also uses the information for statistical analysis of access times and locations, and for analysis of other patterns of use. Some summarised information may be available to your convenor after the examination period. In all cases your individual confidentiality is maintained.
• General Unit Management: this is accessible to your convenor. The software your unit is using tracks information such as your first and last log in, how many discussion messages you have posted and read, and how much of the course material you have looked at. This information is available to your convenor. However, your convenor cannot read your personal mail or annotations.

If you have any concerns about issues such as confidentiality, contact your unit' convenor or the Manager, Online Learning Systems Macquarie University. Email: ols.manager@cfl.mq.edu.au

 Lecture Schedule 

Lectures will be recorded and made available to external students a couple of hours after they were given and linked through iLearn using Echo360. PowerPoint presentations will be posted on iLearn under each weekly topic.

*Please note that guest lectures may be subject to change in speaker schedule due to unforeseen circumstances

Tutorial/Weekly Discussion Program 

There are no on-campus sessions for external students in ENVG262.  Students participate in a weekly online tutorial discussion via iLearn.  Please put up a post in week one in the general discussion forum to introduce yourself to the external class.

The tutorial/workshop program in ENVG262 examines specific issues raised in the lecture program with opportunity for student-teacher and student-student interaction, discussion and debate. The program is described in detail below and the summary provided in this unit guide should be used as your reference point prior to and during your weekly preparation. The tutorial/discussion program parallels the lecture program in terms of progressing through debates around ideas of nature, ecology, humanity and their interrelations.

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory - as an external student, this means you are required to put up two posts in response to the readings and online discussion each week. Every year there are people who think that they can get through the unit without pariticpating in the weekly online discussions – but they typically fail the unit. The discussion provide an opportunity to ask questions, discuss problems and develop your understanding. You are adult learners, and if you choose not to participate, that is your choice, but your marks will suffer and you risk not meeting the requirements to pass the unit. If you do not understand what is going on in tutorials and discussions, you are unlikely to do well in any of the set tasks for assessment. Therefore external students should treat the regular web-based discussions as equivalent to the tutorial program in every way and develop a routine of listening-reading-participating each week.

Each session requires preparation by everybody. You are all expected to do at least the required reading and to participate on the basis of your preparation. You should get into the habit of writing critical abstracts of the papers and chapters you read as part of your preparation for tutorial/workshop sessions. You are urged to adopt a systematic approach to your reading and recording of ideas in the unit. You may find it useful to keep a journal of your ideas, insights, frustrations and findings. It is not possible to assess these journals, but it would be a valuable learning tool if done systematically and regularly, and would be extremely helpful in dealing with the final assignment.

As an external student, you will also be leading a weekly discussion topic in weeks 4-11 with 2 or 3 other students (for more information on this assignment, please see section on assessment tasks). In weeks 1 and 2, we will sort out a presentation schedule. You can then use iLearn to get in touch with your co-presenters and organise how you will approach the discussion. 

Submission Requirements

The following applies to all assignments. Please read these requirements very carefully (this is a test of your reading ability!). Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your assignment being returned to you. Please ensure you:

• type or word-process assignments except in exceptional circumstances (note that all students have access to word processing facilities in the Students Union);
• do not put your assignment in any plastic cover or folder;
• use wide margins (3cm) and one-and-a-half or double spacing to allow for comments;
• use a reference list to correctly list all sources cited in your text (note that failure to cite sources - including unpublished lecture material etc - will be considered as plagiarism and will result in severe penalties, up to and including failure of the whole unit. If you need to include references to material not cited in your text, use a bibliography and include a brief paragraph explaining why).

External students can submit their assignments via email to the Center for Open Education (CoE) via:coeassign@mq.edu.au 

All assignments are to be submitted by 5pm on the date specified and must include a completed and signed coversheet stapled to the front cover.  The Assignment Cover Sheet will be available: in electronic format for completion and downloading from the web (http://web.science.mq.edu.au/intranet/lt/barcode/coversheet.php).

Please be aware of the conditions when signing the declaration, in particular that you have agreed to conform to the University's policy on academic honesty (plagiarism) and that you have kept a copy of your assignment. Assignments will be returned to internal students in class. Any assignments not collected may be collected from the Science Centre during working hours. You will be required to show Student ID to collect assignments. 

Alternative formats and media for each assessment task may be negotiated, but you are required to consult with me for approval of specific topics, formats and approaches. In each case, you will need to formally identify specific learning objectives as part of your decision about assessment. These learning objectives can be discussed with Dr Houston and should be clearly listed in an attachment to your submitted work. The intention of this option is to encourage you to develop skills in identifying, discussing and reflecting upon your own motivations, priorities and objectives in doing this unit, and more generally, in assessing your own strengths and weaknesses as a learner, identifying your own learning needs, and designing and implementing strategies to meet these needs.

All assignments must be appropriately referenced. You must provide citations in your text (e.g., footnotes or Harvard style) and provide a reference list of all the sources cited in your text at the end of your assignment. Please note that failure to cite sources - including unpublished lecture material etc - will be considered as a breach of academic honesty and will result in severe penalties, up to and including failure of the whole unit. If you need to include references to material not cited in your text, use a bibliography and include a brief paragraph explaining why.

Deadlines, extensions and penalties

Deadlines are a serious element of 'real world' employment practices that most of us work under. Deadlines set for assignment submissions are real and will not be altered except in appropriate circumstances. In all cases, extensions must be requested from Donna Houston and they must be applied for before the due date and must be supported with appropriate documentation (medical certificate, counsellor’s certificate, statutory declaration) and confirmed in writing (eg by email). Where circumstances warrant an extension, you should also consider formally applying for special consideration through the Registrar's Office. In the case of the final assessment task, extensions will only be available under the same circumstances as would allow you to seek a special examination (illness, misadventure etc). No extensions will be granted because you have not organised your time adequately.

Where an extension has not been agreed to, late penalties will be imposed as follows:

• 1 full mark per day (or part of a day commencing at the due time) for assignments received within 10 days of the due date.
• Assignments received 11-14 days after the due date will be marked on a Pass/Fail basis, with a Pass awarded a numerical mark equivalent to a minimum pass of 50%
• Assignments received more than 14 days after the due date will not be marked and you will be considered to have failed to meet the requirements of the unit.