Assignments are the means used to assess if you have reached the learning outcomes for the unit. The criteria by which the assignment will be marked are made clear in each case. As a rough guide, 10 marks is equivalent to about 10 hours of quality work.

Evidence of wide and comprehensive reading is required, drawing on journals, international examples, thought pieces, and reports. All ideas must be cited inclusive of the source/author. Unless otherwise stated in the detailed assessment guide, any recognised referencing style may be used so long as it is consistent and accurate.

Detailed information on the assessments tasks, marking criteria, and supporting resources will be provided via the iLearn site. 

Submitting assignments

All assignments must be submitted electronically on the iLearn site.

Each assignment has a separate upload site. The assignment site will usually be a ‘Turnitin’, where your work is reviewed for similarity to websites, articles or other students’ work. If you have not given credit for ideas used to the author or source you will be penalised (failure of the assignment and reporting to a disciplinary committee to determine whether you have breached the University’s Academic Integrity Policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity). See information on academic honesty on the iLearn site and techniques on how to avoid common plagiarism errors (https://www.students.mq.edu.au/public/download.jsp?id=201272).

You do not need an assignment cover sheet for electronic submission to ENVS8229, it is understood that you are signing a declaration of honesty. Be sure to add your name, title of work and unit to your work.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment at Macquarie University is standards-based, as outlined in the Assessment Policy. This means that your work will be assessed against clear criteria, and these criteria (e.g. in a rubric) will be made available when the assessment tasks are released to you on iLearn. 

Marking of Assessments

Assignments will usually be marked through Turnitin with grades provided through Gradebook on iLearn. Please do not submit your assessments via email or in hard copy unless requested (e.g. a sketch or drawing).

We aim to return your assessment grades and feedback within four weeks of the date that you submitted it. We appreciate your patience and will advise you through iLearn when your marked assessments and feedback are available for viewing.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

From 1 July 2022, Students enrolled in Session based units with written assessments will have the following university standard late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information. 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.  

Extensions for Assessments

To obtain an extension for an assessment task, you will need to follow the formal process as outlined in the Special Consideration Policy, and you must provide appropriate supporting evidence (e.g. medical certificate - see advice for Special Consideration requests). The final decision regarding the granting of an extension lies with the unit convenor. Permission for extensions must be sought before the due date unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please let us know of problems in advance or as soon as possible, not after the event. We are likely to be much more sympathetic and able to accommodate your circumstance if you follow this advice.

The content is based on a weekly lecture program and tutorial activities supported by core readings.

There is a mandatory full day field trip in the Sydney area. An exemption for attendance may be granted to students due to COVID or other exceptional reasons. Approval must be sought and is to be granted in advance of Week 6.

The unit is delivered with a mixture of lectures and tutorials. The teaching process includes:

• Background reading by the students
• Lectures to introduce basic concepts
• Interactive group sessions to provide opportunities for experiential learning on tasks and through discussion with other class members (preparation is essential)
• Talks from guest lecturers that introduce innovations in science and technology used to make cities sustainable and the policy and planning to facilitate change
• A field trip to appreciate the practical, technical and socio-ecological aspects of sustainable cities.
• Assignments that require students to practice key skills, including critical and integrative thinking and communicating through diverse forms including writing and presenting in a logical and clearly argued manner.
• Assignments provide opportunities for presenting in different formats, working with people of different skills and cultural perspectives.

Students are expected to:

• Participate in group activities;
• Read set readings in advance for classes; and
• Follow current developments about sustainable cities in the media/ internationally.

NB. Lecture and practical topics may be subject to small changes during the session, and we may add guest lecturers.

KD - Katie Dafforn; PD - Peter Davies; MC - Michael Chang