Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Kira Westaway kira.westaway@mq.edu.au Kerrie Tomkins kerrie.tomkins@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to BEnv
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This core skills-based unit introduces students to the employability and technical skills that are essential for a career in the environmental sciences, and lays the important groundwork for subsequent units in the Bachelor of Environment. The unit is delivered through a series of online modules, masterclasses and practical sessions, aimed at providing a fundamental understanding of what each skill is and why it is important. Opportunities for practical hands-on experience in the field and laboratory are also provided so that each student can being developing their capabilities and confidence in mastering these essential employability and technical skills.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

ULO1: Demonstrate an understanding of the technical and employability skills that are needed to work effectively in environmental roles.
ULO2: Describe why each skill is important and show using examples, how they are applied in different contexts.
ULO3: Achieve a basic level of competency in operating some of the tools and equipment that are commonly used in the office, laboratory and field by environment professionals.
ULO4: Demonstrate professional qualities and behaviours, including expertise in writing a formal email, and compliance with work, health and safety requirements when in the laboratory or in the field.
ULO5: Engage with feedback from others and undertake self-review, reflecting on how these apply to your performance both as an individual and as a team member.
ULO6: Show evidence of skills development by recording achievements in an ePortfolio, and demonstrate an understanding of the transferability of these skills within and between different disciplines.

General Assessment Information

Requirements to pass this unit

To pass this unit students students must pass all the hurdle activities, attempt all the assessments and achieve at least 50% in the exam

Hurdle Assessments The learning participation tasks are all Hurdle assessments (7 in total) - they carry no weighting but must be completed to pass this unit. This is because each activity tests a key employabilty skill and is linked to specific learning outcomes for the unit. If you make an attempt at a hurdle but fail you will be given an opportunity to resit this hurdle towards the end of semester - details will be provided in ilearn. The remaining assessments are three hand-in assessments all carrying a weighting of 20% and a final timed assessment at 40% - none of these assessments are hurdles.

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 All assignments must be submitted online through Turnitin unless otherwise indicated. Links for the submission of each assignment will be available on iLearn. The due dates for all assessment tasks are not negotiable. 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 and you may need to contact the unit convenor for advice.

Marking of Assessments Assignments will be marked through Turnitin and feedback will be noted on the assignment. Do not submit your assignments via email or in hard copy. Your grades will be returned using the Grades Report on iLearn. Grades from quizzes and the exam will also be made available on iLearn. We aim to return your assignments with feedback within two to three weeks of the date that you submit your assignment, and before your next assignment is due. We appreciate your patience and will advise you through iLearn when your marked assignments and feedback are available for viewing.

Submission deadlines Online quizzes, in-class activities, or scheduled tests and exam must be undertaken at the time indicated in the unit guide. Should these activities be missed due to illness or misadventure, students may apply for Special Consideration. All other assessments must be submitted by 11:59 pm on their due date. Should these assessments be missed due to illness or misadventure, students should apply for Special Consideration.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

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

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as the final exam, please apply for Special Consideration.

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment.

Written Assessments: If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Weekly hurdle tasks: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in all 7 hurdles. If you miss a weekly practical class due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption, contact your convenor ASAP as you may be able to attend another class that week.

If it is not possible to attend another class, you should still contact your convenor for access to class material to review in your own time.

Note that a Special Consideration should only be applied for if you miss more than three of the weekly practical classes.

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 documentation (e.g. medical certificate - see advice for Special Consideration requests) and apply through ask.mq.edu.au. The final decision regarding the granting of an extension and/or a late penalty lies with the unit convenor. Permission for extension must be sought well before the due date unless this is absolutely impossible. 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 flexible in our requirements if you follow this advice.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Learning and participation tasks (Hurdle)	0%	Yes	Weeks 1-11
Reference list	20%	No	9/3/23 @11:55 pm
GPS and map reading	20%	No	6/4/23 @11:55 pm
Presentation of figures	20%	No	4/5/23 @11:55 pm
Timed assessment	40%	No	Week 13

Learning and participation tasks (Hurdle)

Assessment Type ¹: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task ²: 18 hours
Due: Weeks 1-11
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Completion of online quizzes, peer review, attendance and engagement in an employability event, compliance with work health and safety, and creation of an ePortfolio