Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

• Attempt all assessments, and
• Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%.

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 and instructions are released to you on iLearn. 

Submission of Assessments

All assessments must be submitted online through Turnitin unless otherwise indicated. Links for the submission of each assessment will be available on iLearn.​ 

You should always check that you have uploaded the correct file. If you have a problem, please email the Unit Convenor with your correct file. You must also keep a copy of your assessments until the end of semester in case there is a problem with your submission. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can provide a copy of your assessment if requested.

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 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 scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration. 

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

• Environmental Management Question – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 
• Environmental Assessment Report - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
• Stakeholder Debate - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted 
• Exam - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted 

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.

Marking of Assessments

Assessments 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.

We aim to return your assessment grades and feedback within two to three 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.

Final Exam

The Final Exam in this unit will be a 2-hour on-campus, invigilated exam held during the University Exam Period. The draft exam timetable will be released approximately 8 weeks before the commencement of the exam period, with the final exam timetable published around 4 weeks before commencement. All students (including exchange students) are expected to present themselves for the exam at the time and place designated in the exam timetable. Details of exam conditions and materials allowed will be able closer to the date via the Exam Portal.

For unavoidable disruptions during exams, you should apply for Special Consideration as soon as possible. If a Supplementary Exam is granted as a result of the Special Consideration process, the supplementary exam time will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period and you will receive an individual notification with the date and time. You will only be allowed one opportunity to sit the Supplementary Exam as outlined in the Special Consideration Policy

Class Timetable

The class timetable for this unit can be found through Class Finder: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/enrolling/create-timetable

All lectures in the unit are online via Zoom. The lectures will be interactive with time at the end for Q&A and discussion. Recordings of the lectures will be made available on Echo360. However, you are strongly encouraged to attend the live zoom so that you can actively participate in the discussion with your fellow students.

The practicals will be held on-campus - these are NOT recorded. Please check the unit schedule carefully as some weeks may have other instructions or require you to meet in a different location. Any updates or changes to the unit or classes will be announced through iLearn.

Week 1 Classes

Lectures will commence in Week 1. There are no practicals in Week 1, instead these will commence from Week 2.

Methods of Communication and Course Materials

This unit has an iLearn page that can be accessed through ilearn.mq.edu.au. It contains important information and all the materials relating to the unit, including the unit guide, unit schedule, instructions and links for assessments, the weekly lecture slides and prac instruction sheets.

The unit iLearn is the primary way that we communicate with you. Please check it regularly for announcements and posts. You are encouraged to use the Discussion Board on iLearn to post questions and generate discussion with other students. For private matters, please send a Private message to the Unit Contact. The links for these are in the Communications folder on the iLearn page.

Unit Organisation and Unit Schedule

This unit is organised into three modules:

• Module 1 - Australia's unique environment and the need to manage the impacts of people on the environment. This module examines some of the physical environmental management challenges posed by people and Australia's unique environment. For example, the impacts of bushfire management on vegetation communities, and the impacts of urban areas on streams.
• Module 2 - The role of policy, planning and legislation as effective tools in environmental protection and management. This module focuses on how policy, planning and legislation impacts on the environment through strategic planning, development controls and day-to-day decision-making. This module will tie together your understanding of the physical environment and some of the tools that are used to prevent or manage environmental impacts in urban areas.
• Module 3 - The importance of implementing strategies that engage people as part of the solution to environmental problems. This module explores several themes in environmental management and decision-making including, ways of engaging people in environmental protection and management issues, identifying stakeholders, negotiation and the decision-making processes that are used to resolve environmental conflicts. This module will demonstrate the social/political challenges and complexities of environmental management.

The content in the unit is conveyed through weekly lectures and practicals. The organisation of these is outlined in a detailed unit schedule which is available on iLearn. 

We use multiple approaches in teaching and delivery, including blended learning and experiential learning, such as reading texts, watching videos, listening to audio resources, visiting field sites, participating in class activities and online discussion forums. The emphasis is on enabling students to understand and apply various techniques used in environmental management.

Workload

The expected workload for this 10 credit point unit is 150 hours of activity, comprising of lectures, practicals, completion of assessments and individual study.

Recommended Texts and/or Materials

There is no specific textbook for this unit. You will be required to research information independently and consult a wide variety of information sources to aid your learning in this unit.

Referencing

In this unit, the preferred style of referencing is APA. For further details on the APA style, go to: https://libguides.mq.edu.au/APA7_referencing

Technology Used and Required

This unit will use iLearn and Echo360. 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
• Assignments and Gradebook - Find out how to submit assessments and view your grades using iLearn
• Online study tips - Studying online is a unique experience, learn how to navigate it here
• Discussion forums - Explore the different types, and features of discussion forums in iLearn
• Lecture recordings - Find out how to access lectures online, as well as the features available to you

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

GenAI poses a serious risk for academic integrity. The Macquarie University Library has produced a guide for students on using Generative AI: https://libguides.mq.edu.au/generativeai. The guide contains sections on GenAI at MQ and Using GenAI ethically which explains the academic integrity issues, as well as the limitations and reliability of GenAI outputs.

In this unit, GenAI is permitted to be used to help gain a general understanding of the concepts covered in the unit and other background knowledge about the environment and environmental issues (similar to doing a google search). It should not be used to create work that is submitted as part of an assessment - all assessible work must be your own. The penalties for inappropriate use of GenAI are similar to plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating.  

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such, we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys (e.g. LEU's), as well as to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however we remain committed to continuous improvement across all aspects of learning and teaching in this unit.