Requirements to Pass this Unit: To pass this unit you should attempt and submit all assessments, and must achieve an aggregate mark equal to or greater than 50%.

Assessment Criteria: Assessment at Macquarie University is standards-based. This means that your work will be assessed against clear criteria, which will be made available when the assessment tasks are released to you on iLearn.

Referencing: Students often ask about preferred referencing style. The University approves five styles (https://libguides.mq.edu.au/referencing). I prefer the APA 7th style (https://libguides.mq.edu.au/APA7_referencing), but any of the five are acceptable. However, ensure you include the Digital Object Identifier (doi) in your reference list. 

Use of generative artificial intelligence tools: Many students have experimented with AI tools to write or re-write their text. Read this advice: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/academic-integrity/ai-tools and feel free to refer to the relevant Macquarie University Academic Integrity policy. Please do not use these tools in this unit. 

Submission of Assessments: Links to the assesssments are provided in iLearn ("Assessments" tab). Do not submit written assessments via email or in hard copy unless requested. Due dates for all assessments are in the unit schedule (iLearn, "Unit information" tab).

• Quiz: A quiz in week 2 will help you (and the teaching staff) gauge how you are going with the unit content. This quiz does not count toward your unit mark and grade.
• Minor written report: The minor written report consists of a topic relevant to the unit content, and is designed to help you explore unit-related material in depth. The report must be submitted online through Turnitin. 
• Examination: The final examination is a summative piece which will encapsulate all unit material - lectures, practicals, field and laboratory work, and compulsory readings. The examination will be held in the practical class time.
• Major written report/RAP: The major report is deisgned to help consolidate, integrate and analyse your field and laboratory investigations, and carry that information through into a professionally-presented report. The report must be submitted online through Turnitin.

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

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 report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7^th day (including weekends). After the 7^th day, a mark of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 2355 h. A 1 h grace period will be provided to students who experience technical concerns. In the case of late submission of assessments with justifiable reason, please apply for Special Consideration.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted: In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows;

• Minor written report – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies.
• Examination – NO, unless Special Consideration is granted.
• Major written report – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies.

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

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials: The freely-available textbook (available as an e-book online from the library) for this unit is; Lottermoser, B.G. 2010. Mine Wastes. Characterization, Treatment and Environmental Impacts. 3rd edition. Springer, Heidelberg, 400 pp. Other recommended readings for each week will be noted on the iLearn site.

Technology Used and Required: This unit will use iLearn and associated technology. Essential computer-based components of this unit include recorded lectures, practical exercises (not all weeks - refer to the unit schedule), and online discussion fora for communicating with staff and other students in this unit. 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" link on the unit's homepage are used to share 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 66 h on this unit during weeks 1-9 for lectures, practicals, reading and assessment preparation and completion. On top of that, around 50 hours for the field work and 40 hours for the final assessments. However, grades are awarded on a demonstration of your understanding and ability, not on time or effort! Lectures and practicals 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. The set readings are relatively modest for a 3000 level unit, and they will be assessable. All lecture and practical material is assessable. You should participate in six 2 h practicals, held at times stipulated by the timetable. 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, and the final practical is also a final opportunity for help with the Major Report, prior to the examination.

Practicals provide greater depth to related lecture materials and will assist learning by encouraging your active participation. Important material for the practical classes may be included on iLearn: check the weekly folders. Classroom and practical workload will be spread over the first half of the session, fieldwork in the mid-session break, and assessments distributed throughout the session. Understanding this will help you manage your time effectively throughout the session and work around your other units and commitments.

Grades for each assessment task and the unit as a whole will be awarded according to the following general criteria (course rubric);

Lectures: will be available on iLearn at the start of the week in which they are scheduled. All lectures will be online and you cannot phyically "attend" a lecture. Lectures provide the framework with which to focus your study of the subject and are essential for you to engage with. You should supplement them by reading, from the textbook, and current journals, which contain the most up-to-date information. The iLearn site contains suggested readings, but please don't limit yourself to those. Lectures are available through iLearn https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login.

Practicals: may contain a mixture of components online, in the classroom, laboratory or field. More information will be supplied on iLearn. Each student must attend all practical sessions. Practicals may contain material to supplement the lectures, or comprise practical exercises to give you skills to help with fieldwork or the workplace. Practicals provide greater depth to related lecture material and will assist learning by encouraging your active participation. The venue of the practical classes varies (see iLearn). Important material for the practical classes is included on iLearn. You must wear appropriate clothes for the laboratory: closed toe shoes where no part of your foot is visible (imagine dropping a rock on your foot - choose the footwear you'd like to be wearing should that happen).

Fieldwork: There is a compulsory mid-session fieldtrip for all students. This fieldwork forms an essential component of this unit’s learning and assessment. We will conduct site assessments and propose remediation plans (if necessary) for contaminated sites outside of the Sydney metropolitan area. For this, we will survey and collect soil and water samples. You will measure the elemental compositions of the soil on site, and I will measure (back at the MQU laboratories) the elemental compositions of the water, and perhaps soil mineralogy. You will then use all of this information – collected by all students, or me – to write your major report. On fieldwork, there are professional standards to adhere to for use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Personal Protective Clothing (PPC). Everyone should have sturdy footwear - no running shoes or other inadequately protective shoes (you don't need steel capped boots). You will wear hi-vis tops - either your own hi-vis shirts or a vest that I can supply. Your shirts must have a collar and long sleeves. You must wear a hat with a wide brim - no baseball caps. Either shorts or long pants are acceptable. Gloves will be required according to the task you are conducting (I will supply nitrile gloves for chemical safety). Safety glasses may be required by the task you are conducting (I can supply these). In summary, no sleeves, no collar, no hat, no sturdy shoes = no work. Non-adherance with required PPE and PPC will result in exclusion from fieldwork. 

Week 1 classes: Lectures are pre-recorded, and they will be released on the Sunday night at the start of the week. Practicals start in week 1.

Methods of Communication: We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. General queries to the convenor can be placed on the iLearn discussion board; if your query is more specific to you, or you want more privacy, email the unit convenor or other teaching staff directly via their email (see iLearn for these communication details).

The unit schedule is under the "Unit Information" tab on iLearn.

The unit content this year includes a lecture and practical on WSUD and stormwater, replacing lecture content on landfills, asbestos and unconventional energy, and a practical on hydrogeology. The minor written assessment replaces the professional portfolio. Fieldwork has changed location and includes more downstream depositional context.