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 will be made available when the assessment tasks are released to you on iLearn.

Submission of Assessments: (1) The quizzes will be administered through iLearn. (2) Your written essay must be submitted online through Turnitin, using a link on iLearn. (3) Your final examination will be administered by the University during the examination period.

Due dates for all assessment tasks are elsewhere in this unit schedule. If you have commitments that will significantly impact your study during the session then you must plan for this in advance as part of an effective individual study plan.

Marking of Assessments: The quizzes are machine marked. Your written assignments will be marked through Turnitin and feedback will be noted on the assignments. Your assignment grade will be returned using the Grades Report on iLearn. We aim to return your assignments with feedback within 2-3 weeks of the date that you submit your assignment. We appreciate your patience and will advise you through iLearn when your marked assignments 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 2355 h. 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.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted: In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows: Quizzes – NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted. Written essay – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials: The textbook set for this unit is archived on the iLearn site because it is now difficult to find. It is; Middelmann, M.H. (Editor) (2007) Natural Hazards in Australia. Identifying Risk Analysis Requirements. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Any other recommended readings for each week will be noted on the iLearn site.

Technology Used and Required: This unit uses iLearn and associated technology. See the Instructions on how to log in to iLearn and the iLearn quick guides for students which will help you;

• Getting started - Find out how to navigate and familiarise yourself with the iLearn environment,
• Activities - Learn how to effectively complete the activities required of you in iLearn,
• Assessments and Gradebook - Find out how to submit assessments and view your grades using iLearn,
• Online study tips,
• Discussion fora - Explore the different types, and features of discussion fora in iLearn.

Computer-Based Learning: Essential computer-based components of this unit include lectures recorded through Zoom, weekly practical exercises (not all weeks - refer to the unit schedule on iLearn), and online discussion fora for communicating with staff and other students in this unit. You can undertake this work on- or off-campus. If you’re unsure of how to connect to the internet or use the computer system, help can be obtained at; http://students.mq.edu.au/support/.

Announcements and General Discussion Forum: The "Announcements" and "General Discussion Forum" links on the unit's homepage are used to make unit-wide announcements and discuss important issues related to the unit. You are expected to read every posting to the discussion forum because important administrative and academic information will be posted there - it is your responsibility to stay up to date.

What is Required to Complete This Unit Satisfactorily? You must receive an aggregate unit mark of at least 50 % to pass this unit. In order to receive a Pass grade, you should spend around 11 h per week on this unit, which includes lectures, practicals, reading and assessment preparation and completion. However, keep in mind, grades are awarded on a demonstration of your understanding and ability, not on time or effort! Lectures provide the framework with which to focus your study of the subject and they are essential for you to engage with. You should supplement them by reading, especially from the text, but also from current journals, which contain the most up-to-date information. All lecture material is assessable in the quizzes or final examination. The iLearn site contains suggested readings, but please don't limit yourself to those. Lectures will be available by the start of the week in which they are scheduled. You should participate in one 2 h practical held in Weeks 2-10 and Week 13, at times stipulated by the timetable. Practicals are live online, and are not recorded. Practicals consist of tasks that you have to work through individually, but a tutor will be available online throughout the practical to introduce the activity, and to help you work through it. Each student should complete all practical sessions.

Practicals contain material to supplement the lectures, or comprise exercises which give you skills to help with your understanding of the unit topics and the workplace. All practical material is assessable in the quizzes or final examination. Practicals provide greater depth to related lecture materials and will assist learning by encouraging your active participation. Important material for the practical classes is included on iLearn. Workload will be spread over the session, but may be concentrated around the time assessment tasks are due. It would help if you manage your time effectively throughout the session and work around your other units and commitments. In this unit we expect quality in your assignments and a level of knowledge and comprehension of unit content in the assessment tasks. Grades for each written assessment task and the unit as a whole will be awarded according to a general rubric (table below). The unit content during weeks 1-13 (lectures, practicals, quizzes, written assignment) can be undertaken without you being on campus. We offer this because many of you have demonstrated a need for unit content to be delivered in this way, to help you schedule your studies around other commitments, and we hope that ENVS2237 delivered in this way is convenient for you.