Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Kathryn Korbel
Contact via 9850 8210
6 Wally's Walk - E8C - 142
Technical Officer
Nick Harris
Contact via 9850 8218
14 Eastern Road - E8A - 104
Kate Barry
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(3cp from MATH or STAT units at 100 level) and (6cp from BIOL114 or BIOL115 or BIOL116 or BIOL121 or ENVE117 or ENVS117 or ENV118)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
The marine environment is vitally important to humankind. It provides us with food and energy, it serves as a major transportation route, it performs critical roles in nutrient and carbon cycling and is of high recreational value. Overfishing, pollution, habitat damage, invasive species, and climate change are, however, increasingly eroding these important values of marine ecosystems. Because human communities are tightly coupled to coastal marine resources, understanding pathways to sustainability requires understanding as much about humans as about the ocean. In this unit, we will explore factors that contribute to the sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems and the human communities that depend upon them. We will do so through a series of case studies on topics such as: deep ocean drilling; wind and wave power generation; shoreline engineering and beach management; restoration of coastal wetlands for habitat and carbon values; marine debris; and fisheries and aquaculture.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Attendance for the entirety of the field trip and each of the 5 practicals is compulsory.
Assessment submission
Submissions of all assessments for this unit will be electronic.
1. For the Journal of learning (x 10) posts:
2. The practical report will be submitted to turnitin via the unit’s iLearn site.
3. The graphs should be uploaded to the assessment folder, clearly marked ‘graphs’ in iLearn.
Turnitin is a powerful online tool for the detection of plagiarism. It works by comparing the text of a submitted document (i.e., your assignment) with the work of your current classmates, other courses at Macquarie, as well as published material in books, journals and on the web.
To submit your assignment via turnitin:
Visit the Assessments tab in iLearn, look for the turnitin header and select the relevant assessment item (Practical Report or Field Trip Report).
Extensions, penalties and special consideration
The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. If an assignment is submitted late a penalty of -10% of the mark allocated for the assignment will be deducted per day that any work is submitted late (i.e. 5 days late = -50% of marks available).
If you experience a serious and unavoidable disruption to your studies and require an extension for an assessment please submit a Disruptions to Studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au with supporting documentation, and a Professional Authority Form completed by your health care professional. If you anticipate a potentially serious and unavoidable disruption (e.g. upcoming surgery) speak to the unit convenor early and apply for an extension before the due date.
If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the week of December 17-21 2018. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. Approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Graphs | 15% | No | 1 week after each prac |
Journal of Learning | 30% | No | weeks 4-13 |
Field Trip Report | 25% | No | 1/11/2019 |
Final exam | 30% | No | Exam period |
Due: 1 week after each prac
Weighting: 15%
During the semester, you will complete five practicals. Following each, you will be required to produce a single graph (the format and subject of which will be explained in the practical class), to be submitted by midnight the Friday following each practical class:
Each graph is worth 3% of your final mark
Due: weeks 4-13
Weighting: 30%
Each week, you will work through on-line activities prior to your tutorial. Activities in weeks 4-13 will require that you document learning activities in a weekly blog that is submitted as a single post, by 12 noon the day of your tutorial (i.e. Thursday or Friday). Each post will be worth 3% of your final grade.
Due: 1/11/2019
Weighting: 25%
On the field trip we will test hypotheses about how groynes directly and indirectly modify marine ecosystems. You will write a report on data acquired during the field-trip, in the style of an article for the journal, Marine and Freshwater Research.
This report is due midnight on the 1st November
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 30%
You will apply concepts introduced during this course to solve a variety of problems. You will be asked to interpret data of the type collected during this course.
In this unit we have replaced lectures with online activities and tutorials. Each week you will:
In addition, each student will complete five practicals during the semester (the dates for these are provided later in this document) and attend a compulsory fieldtrip to Silver Beach Kurnell on Fri 4 and Sat 5 October. (9-5pm each day)
Required and recommended texts and/or materials
There is no prescribed text book for this course. Instead, you will be directed to required and optional readings through the learning modules in iLearn. Throughout this unit, you are encouraged to keep track of contemporary issues in the marine environment by reading newspaper, listening to the radio and following expert tweets.
Unit web page
The format of this unit requires that you complete learning modules in iLearn. Hence, it is absolutely essential that you log in on a regular basis.
To access the online unit, go to https://iLearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/ and type in your Macquarie OneID Username and password.
New to iLearn? You can find out more at: http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/
Experiencing difficulties? Visit: http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/
MODULES
The topics we will cover, and the corresponding dates of tutorials, are listed below. It is absolutely essential that you turn up to tutorials having completed the online module first. The Journal of Learning is due by 12 noon on the day of your tutorial.
Week 1 An introduction to BIOL242
Week 2 Marine environments and their ecosystem functions
Week 3 Valuing marine ecosystem services
Week 4 Marine conservation and management
Week 5 Fossil fuel formation in the marine environment
Week 6 Carbon cycling in coastal environments
Week 7 Marine renewable energy
MID SEMESTER RECESS
Week 8 Kurnell fieldtrip
Week 9 Aquaculture / lecture on report writing
Week 10 Recreational and commercial fisheries
Week 11 Oceans and estuaries as transport routes
Week 12 Marine pollutants
Week 13 Marine ecotourism
PRACTICAL CLASSES
For all practical sessions in the 4WW-105 labs, you must be wearing covered shoes to be allowed entry and there is strictly no eating or drinking.
Timetable
Week 2 (9 August) - Introduction / WHS brief (4WW- 105)
Week 4 (23 August) - Using Google Earth to explore patterns of seagrass loss (4WW- 105)
Week 6 (6 September) - Snorkelling practical in MQ pool (MQ Sports and Aquatic Centre)
Week 7 (13 September) - Mangrove fieldwork (Buffalo Creek Park)
Week 8 (4-5 October) – Field trip (Silver Beach, Kurnell)
Week 11 (25 October) – Exploring the deep sea using photo and video analysis (4WW- 105)
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
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This graduate capability is supported by: