Overview
Soils are the physical and chemical foundation of terrestrial ecosystems and Australian soils are among the oldest and most fragile in the world. In this unit you will learn the origin of soils and how they are affected by geology, geography, climate, living organisms and time. You will develop soil classification and testing skills in the laboratory and in the field, and study the conservation, management and remediation of Australian soils.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: CHEM11043 Atoms, Molecules and Matter or CHEM11041 Chemistry for the Life Sciences and BIOL11099 Living Systemsor BIOL11102 Life Science Laboratory
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Have your Say
Feedback from the residential school report would have been helpful for the written assessement. Clearer criteria for what is a publication quality figure.
I'll produce a criteria sheet for figures and tables for use in all the Science and Environmental Science units (with feedback from other lecturers).
Feedback from Have your Say
The residential school was a critical piece of student learning for this unit.
We will continue to offer and refine the residential school.
- Describe the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil
- Describe and classify a range of soils
- Plan and conduct soil tests in the laboratory and field
- Discuss the major challenges for the sustainable management and remediation of Australian soils.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Communication | ||||
2 - Problem Solving | ||||
3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
4 - Information Literacy | ||||
5 - Team Work | ||||
6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
8 - Ethical practice | ||||
9 - Social Innovation | ||||
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% |
Textbooks
Australian Soils and Landscapes
(2004)
Authors: Neil McKenzie, David Jacquier, Ray Isbell, Katharine Brown
CSIRO
ISBN: 9780643104334
Binding: Hardcover
Additional Textbook Information
Students may use the eBook in lieu of a hardcover copy.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Australian soils and landscapes: an illustrated compendium http://ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/login?url=http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/lib/cqu/detail.action?docID=714045
- Soil health, soil biology, soil born diseases and sustainable agriculture: a guide http://ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1194484&site=eds-live&scope=site
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.english@cqu.edu.au
s.makiela@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Soil Development (pedogenesis)
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 1 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Physical properties of soils and classification
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 2 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil microbes, sampling and processing
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 3 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil Chemistry and solutions
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 4 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School and Field trip, April 2 to 4, 2022 (Compulsory). See Moodle for more details and scheduling updates.
Module/Topic
Field Trip and Res School continued (no lectures this week), April 2 to 4, 2022.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil ion chemistry and biochar
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 6 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Guest Speakers
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 7 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil acidity and nutrients
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 8 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil microbial ecology, nutrient cycling, and transport
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 9 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Soil pollutants and wastes
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 10 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group Written Report must be submitted before 5PM AEST Monday, May 16, 2022.
Module/Topic
Soil conservation (biodegradation and bioremediation)
Chapter
Readings as assigned on Moodle Week 11 tile.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
In-class Group Oral Presentations, unit overview and exam preparations.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group Oral Presentation slides must be submitted before 8AM AEST Monday, May 30, 2022. Presentation will be delivered online (Zoom) and the times will be advised on Moodle once Timetables are completed.
Self and Peer Assessments (SPA) must be submitted before 5PM AEST June 3, 2022.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
End of Term Online Quiz
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
The timing of the End of Term online quiz will be announced during the term.
End of term online quiz Due: Exam Week Monday (13 June 2022) 11:45 pm AEST
1 Practical and Written Assessment
For this assessment you will submit:
1. A scanned copy of your Field Workbook and worksheets completed on the field trip. The worksheets must include a legible soil characterisation for the sites we visited. (10%)
2. A Summary of work completed at the residential school. This short report should include a brief description of the experiments carried out and their results, including relevant figures. It must be no more than 1500 words, excluding title page, references, table, figures and captions. Figures must be publication ready and generated using Excel, R or other suitable software. Resources and exemplars are available on the Moodle site to explain how to make publication ready figures in Excel. (20%)
The ENVR12001 Residential School is compulsory for all students. You may not complete this activity using notes produced by another student.
Week 6 Friday (22 Apr 2022) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 8 Friday (6 May 2022)
The Field Workbook and worksheets will be marked on:
- Completeness and legibility of information in field workbook/notebook;
- Completeness and legibility of information in worksheets.
The Summary will be marked on:
- Completeness (all descriptions, field and laboratory soil tests and results presented);
- Clarity, grammar, punctuation and organisation;
- Figure presentation (figures and tables should be publication ready);
- Accuracy and supporting evidence of the final soil classifications.
A complete rubric and exemplar with weightings will be available on Moodle.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Describe the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil
- Describe and classify a range of soils
- Plan and conduct soil tests in the laboratory and field
2 Presentation and Written Assessment
This assessment consists of:
- Group written report will be a maximum of 3000 words long (excluding title page, figure and picture captions, tables and references). (25%)
- Group Oral Presentation will consist of an 8-minute online (Zoom) presentation of the report with an additional 4 minutes for questions (10%). Each student will be given an individual mark for their portion of the presentation and that will form a part of your overall mark for the group presentation (i.e. you may receive a different mark from your group members).
- Mark from the Self and Peer Assessment (SPA) tool, based on your contributions to the group work. It is in your best interests to participate fully and professionally with your peers. There is a guide to Working in Groups on the Moodle page. (5%)
Both the written report and oral presentation should include:
- a region-appropriate acknowledgement/welcome to country;
- a description of the setting;
- a summary of the approach you would take to identify potential problems regarding soil at the site, and how you would assess, quantify and measure these issues.
A more detailed task description and exemplar is available on Moodle.
Group Written report must be submitted by 5PM Monday, May 16, 2022. Group Oral Presentation slides must be submitted before 8AM AEST Monday, May 30, 2022. Presentation times will be advised on Moodle once Timetables are completed. Self and Peer Assessments (SPA) must be submitted before 5PM AEST June 3, 2022. All times are AEST.
Exam Week Friday (17 June 2022)
The Group Written Report, Group Oral Presentation & SPA will be graded in the following way:
Group Written Report:
- Completeness of scenario description;
- Approach and reasoning;
- Appropriateness of the methods selected to assess, quantify and measure the issues;
- Clarity, grammar, spelling, references, and contribution statement.
Group Oral Presentation:
- Presentation quality (including slides, oral presentation, on-time delivery, organization and focus);
- Audience targeting;
- Equal division of presentation time;
- Quality of answers to questions asked after the presentation;
- Each student will receive an individual mark based on presentation quality for their portion of the presentation excluding the Acknowledgement of Country.
Self and Peer Assessment (SPA):
- Each student's final mark for the SPA will be an average of their peers' assessment of their contribution to the group.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Describe the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil
- Plan and conduct soil tests in the laboratory and field
- Discuss the major challenges for the sustainable management and remediation of Australian soils.
3 Online Quiz(zes)
This is the End of Term Online Quiz. You will get one attempt and have 90 minutes to complete it once you start. Make sure to begin the quiz at least 90 minutes before the closing time to ensure you have the full 90 minutes to complete the quiz. The quiz is worth 60 marks, and the marks are divided in the following manner:
- Five 1 mark Short Answer Soil Physics questions (1 Soil order, 1 Soil Texture, 3 Non-Specific) (5 marks total)
- One 15 mark Soil Classification question (15 marks total)
- Two 5 mark Soil Chemistry questions (10 marks total)
- One 10 mark Soil Chemistry question (10 marks total)
- Two 10 mark Soil Biology questions (20 marks total)
The questions in each category are selected from a question bank and are balanced for difficulty and type. The marks are a relative guide to how long is required to answer each question (1 mark ~ 1 minute). For each question, type your answer in the box provided. It is an open book quiz but your answers must be your own work and will be checked against answers available in textbooks or on Google/Reddit/DuckDuckGo/etc. The unit coordinator has provided required/suggested materials (e.g. Soil Texture Triangle) in a Moodle tile titled "Useful documents/links for the End of Term Quiz". Spelling and grammar are not a primary concern in marking (you won't lose marks for misspelling or poor punctuation), but you will not get full marks if your ideas are hindered or obscured by poor spelling/grammar.
Some questions allow you to submit a hand-drawn sketch with your answer. Before beginning the quiz, you must have a digital camera/smart phone to take pictures with and a means to upload the images to moodle from that camera before the quiz attempt ends). Please confirm that you can transfer pictures from your camera or phone to your computer before you begin.
1
Other
Exam Week Monday (13 June 2022) 11:45 pm AEST
The timing of the End of term online quiz will be communicated to you via email and the moodle forums during the term.
Quiz answers will be marked based on:
- Completeness of the answer;
- Relevance of the answer (did you answer the question);
- Accuracy of the answer.
Spelling and grammar will not be marked except as it impacts the ability of the marker to understand the answer.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Describe and classify a range of soils
- Discuss the major challenges for the sustainable management and remediation of Australian soils.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
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