Assessment submission

This unit uses electronic submission and marking. The required format and mode of submission is as follows. Note: there is no requirement to submit hard copies unless requested. Further details on how to use Turnitin will be provided separately.

General assessment criteria

The general assessment criteria that is used to examine the overall attainment of knowledge, skills and abilities includes the following, where the level of achievement is expected to be at the standard of a post-graduate student in each of the criteria. GradeMark Rubrics will be used to mark and grade field trip reports.

Penalties for late assessments and extension requests

All assessments must be completed and submitted, on time and in full, in order to receive a minimum pass grade.

Penalties for late written assessments will be a minimum of 10% per day (including weekend days) or part thereof. These deadlines and penalties will be imposed. Allowing some students to hand assessments in late is unfair to those who meet the deadlines.

The deadlines for assessments are not negotiable except in the circumstances outlined below. Please take note of the DAYS at which work is due and let the Convenor know of problems in advance or as soon as possible, not after the event: they are likely to be much more sympathetic and flexible if you follow this advice.

The University has a Disruption to Studies Policy, which can be accessed here: http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html 

In accordance with the Policy, students that experience a disruption to studies which is serious, unavoidable and greater than 3 days as per the Policy guidelines, and wish to request an assessment extension on these grounds, must submit a formal application for special consideration to the Science Faculty. http://science.mq.edu.au/current-students/postgraduate-students/

If a student experiences a disruption to studies that is unavoidable, but not serious and is of 3 days or less in duration, they can apply for special consideration to the convenor under the following conditions:

• Personal illness or illness of a child – If an assessment is submitted after the due date, a medical certificate or a letter with appropriate supporting documents outlining the extenuating circumstances must be provided that covers the day that the assessment was due, and/or the days preceding.
• Work commitments - Work commitments will not be viewed as grounds for an extension unless your work commitment requires you to be away from home for at least 1 overnight or requires you to be at work for longer than 12 hours per day, e.g. field work or inter-state meetings. 
• Other family commitments or emergencies - If you have other commitments that take you away from study you should plan for these in advance as part of an effective individual study plan. Extensions will only be considered if your ability to submit an assessment on time was caused by an unexpected event where you can demonstrate: that the event was not foreseeable or predictable and that the event substantially impacted upon your ability to complete the Assessment Task and that there was alternative option available.

The number of days of disruption and the timing of disruption will be taken into considered in determining whether special consideration should be granted or not. The ultimate grounds for the decision will be whether the disruption was unavoidable and fairness with respect to other students.

Requirements to Complete this Unit Successfully

Attendance and assessment submission

In order to successfully complete this unit and receive a minimum Pass grade, students should:

1. Attend all lecture/tutorial sessions;
2. Attend and participate in all field trips;
3. Submit all assessments;
4. Meet the minimum level of achievement expected of a postgraduate student, as outlined in the General Assessment Criteria.

Unit Rubric

In ENVS829, it is expected that your assessments will be very high quality and demonstrate comprehension of course content including knowledge, skills and abilities which are at the standard of a postgraduate level. Grades for the unit as a whole will be awarded according to the following rubric.

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DELIVERY

Delivery is via a weekly 3 hour Lecture/tutorial block.

In weeks 4, 7, and 10 a half day field trip (starting at 1pm) replaces the scheduled class times for that week and are compulsory. Bus transport will be provided for Field Trips 1 and 3. Access to Field Trip 2 is by foot. Students to meet in the E5A compound for all field trips by 12:45. Closed in shoes, sensible field wear, hat, water bottle, notebook and pencil are needed. Rain coat may be required.

The Week 9 practical scenario exercise (in prescribed class time) and the associated Week 13 group presentation are both compulsory.

Field Trip Work, Health and Safety

The safety of you and those around you is our highest priority. Consequently, ALL participants in fieldwork activities are obliged to work and behave appropriately in the field, and to take care to protect their own health, safety and welfare and that of fellow fieldwork participants. You are required to follow instructions from the Fieldwork Leader at all times.

Prior to the fieldwork, you must let the Fieldwork Leader know of any allergies, special dietary requirements or medical considerations that may affect your ability to participate in fieldwork. You will need to complete a declaration of a known medical condition form, outlining a treatment plan for your condition. Details of your responsible next of kin must also be provided incase of emergencies.

You are required to wear and carry clothing and footwear as appropriate to the fieldwork situation. Your Fieldwork Leader will advise you as to what these are prior to the fieldtrip. Irrespective of the activity, footwear must be worn. For all fieldwork activities, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and items to protect against unexpected weather changes, such as rain & cold, are strongly recommended. The Fieldwork Leader reserves the right to exclude anyone that is ill-equipped from the activity.

If you are taking any medication, please ensure that you take sufficient supplies with you on the field trip. The University’s staff are unable, by law, to provide this to you. This includes pain relief, such as panadol, cold and flu medication and anti-histamines for allergies.

If you need to leave the field location for any reason prior to completion of the scheduled activities, you must first inform the Fieldwork Leader. In the event of illness or injury, please let the Fieldwork Leader know immediately. All injury’s or incidents must be reported via the on-line reporting system: http://www.ohs.mq.edu.au/form5a.php

Alcohol is a significant contributing factor in many incidents and acts of prejudicial conduct. Alcohol must not be consumed when undertaking fieldwork activities or when using a motor vehicle/machinery. After-hours consumption of alcohol is at the discretion of the Fieldwork Leader. Anyone acting irresponsibly or in any way deemed to be a danger to themselves or others by the Fieldwork Leader will be required to leave the field trip, return to Sydney at their own expense and report to the Head of Department. The consequences of this may include exclusion from the Unit of study or your Degree program.

For more information, contact:

Russell Field

Fieldwork Manager (Dept of Environmental Sciences)

Macquarie University NSW 2109.

(W) 98508341

RESOURCES

There is no prescribed text for this unit. The following lists some useful resources.

Books

• Buonicore A & Davis W 1992 Air pollution engineering manual Van Nostrand

  Reinhold, New York.

• Eckenfelder W 1989 Industrial water pollution control McGraw Hill, New York.

• Bruel & Kjaer 1986 Noise control: principles and practice Naerum:Bruel & Kjaer,

  Denmark.

• Tchobanoglous G, Theisen H & Eliassen R 1977 Solid wastes: engineering principles and practice McGraw Hill, New York.

Websites

National

National Environment Protection Council http://www.nepc.gov.au/

Commonwealth

Environment Australia (Commonwealth) http://www.erin.gov.au/

National Pollutant Inventory http://www.environment.gov.au/epg/npi/

Natural Heritage Trust (Commonwealth) http://www.nht.gov.au/

State

EPA (NSW) http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/

EPA (Vic) http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/

Dept of Environment and Heritage (Qld) http://www.env.qld.gov.au/

Dept of Environment (Tas) http://www.delm.tas.gov.au/

EPA (SA) http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/

Environment Department (WA) http://www.environ.wa.gov.au/

International

World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/

Environment Canada http://www.ec.gc.ca/

UK Environmental Agency http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk

US Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/

• Unit content has been altered from previous offerings with a more even spread of pollution control and waste management issues covered.
• An increase in field trips examining real world scenarios have been added.
• Assessment tasks have been altered to better assess theoretical knowledge with practical applications.