| Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Toowoomba | |
| Short Description: | Land Studies |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Civil Engineering and Surveying |
| Student contribution band : | Band 2 |
| ASCED code : | 050999 - Environmental Studies not else |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Rationale
The ongoing human population growth places more pressure on available land resources both in urban and rural settings. Coupled with technological advances which enable us to access land resources to a greater extent, this growth potentially leads to the degradation of land resources. Hence, it has become increasingly important that professionals in arts, science, education, engineering, surveying, GISand urban and regional planning to have a knowledge of physical land resources and natural resources management to ensure adherence to sound land resource management practices to attain environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Synopsis
This course introduces the physical land resources of geology, soils, landform, climate, vegetation and fauna; the need for and the principles of resource management and ecosystem operation; and the major causes of land degradation (physical, chemical and biological). It also includes an introduction to the purpose of and methods involved in undertaking land resource surveys and land evaluations. An important tool in land resource management, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is perused in detail to ensure applicable knowledge of the processes and legislative requirements associated with EIA.
Objectives
The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. On completion of this course, students should be able to:
- apply the principles of urban and rural land resource management;
- identify and describe the different land resources and the inter-relationships between geology, geomorphology, water, soils, vegetation and fauna resources;
- apply the techniques commonly used to describe and assess the physical land resources;
- discuss the nature and causes of land degradation issues and analyse conservation practices as land resource management practices;
- describe the purpose of land resource surveys and land evaluation practices and apply the processes involved in undertaking such land resource surveys and land evaluation practices to case studies;
- interpret the legislative context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and apply the requirements for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and the techniques involved in EIA to case studies;
- demonstrate an ability to learn from experience by reflecting on personal skills, attitudes, knowledge and functioning.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Introduction to Resource Management | 5.00 |
| 2. | Introductory Ecology & Ecosystems Management | 10.00 |
| 3. | Introduction to the Physical Land Resources in a land resource management context | 45.00 |
| 4. | Land Degradation issues and Conservation Practices | 10.00 |
| 5. | Land Resource Survey and Evaluation | 10.00 |
| 6. | Environmental Impact Assessment | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=ENV2201)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
There are no texts or materials required for this course.
Reference materials
Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
McDonald, RC, Isbell, RF, Speight, JG, Walker, J & Hopkins, MS 2008, Australian soil and land survey: field handbook, 3rd edn, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Vic.
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 54.00 |
| Examinations | 2.00 |
| Lectures | 39.00 |
| Private 精东传媒app | 47.00 |
| Tutorials | 13.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 250 | 25 | 31 Mar 2020 | |
| Assignment 2 | 300 | 30 | 21 May 2020 | |
| Online Exam | 450 | 45 | End S1 | (see note 1) |
Notes
- This will be an open examination. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via 精东传媒appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the official examination timetable has been released.
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to be awarded a passing grade in this course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1 2020:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle).
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.
Requirements after S1 2020:
Candidates are allowed access only to specific materials during a Restricted Examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the restricted examination for this course are: writing materials (non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination); Students whose first language is not English may take an appropriate unmarked nonelectronic translation dictionary (but not technical dictionary) into the examination. Dictionaries with any handwritten notes will not be permitted. Translation dictionaries will be subject to perusal and may be removed from the candidate's possession until appropriate disciplinary action is completed if found to contain material that could give the candidate an unfair advantage. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date.
Requirements after S1 2020:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period. -
精东传媒app Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment notes
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The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner.
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Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if required by the Examiner.
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In accordance with 精东传媒app Policy, the Examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances.
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If electronic submission of assessments is specified for the course, students will be notified of this in the course Introductory Book and on the USQ 精东传媒app Desk. All required electronic submission must be made through the Assignment Drop Box located on the USQ 精东传媒app Desk for the course, unless directed otherwise by the examiner of the course. The due date for an electronically submitted assessment is the date by which a student must electronically submit the assignment. The assignment files must be submitted by 11.55pm on the due date using USQ time (as displayed on the clock on the course home page; that is, Australian Eastern Standard Time).
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If the method of assessment submission is by written, typed or printed paper-based media students should (i) submit to the Faculty Office for students enrolled in the course in the on-campus mode, or (ii) mail to the USQ for students enrolled in the course in the external mode. The due date for the assessment is the date by which a student must (i) submit the assessment for students enrolled in the on-campus mode, or (ii) mail the assessment for students enrolled in the external mode.
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The Faculty will NOT normally accept submission of assessments by facsimile or email.
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Students who do not have regular access to postal services for the submission of paper-based assessments, or regular access to Internet services for electronic submission, or are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements prior to the submission date.
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Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded one of the temporary grades: IM (Incomplete - Make up), IS (Incomplete - Supplementary Examination) or ISM (Incomplete -Supplementary Examination and Make up). A temporary grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non directed personal study.
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Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).
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This is a communication benchmark course and a major component of the assessment of this course will be associated with the demonstration of communication skills.
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Students who fail to demonstrate satisfactory communication skills, as described in the assessment scheme, will be required to resubmit the assignments and meet the communication skills requirements in order to achieve a passing grade in this course.
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Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.