Overview
Climate change is now widely recognized as one of the pre-eminent global issues facing the 21st Century. Its effects are already severe in Australia as well as in many other parts of the world. This unit is intended to develop student understandings of the broad issue of climate change, with a focus on the multi-dimensional aspects (i.e., social, economic, political, technical, moral, as well as physical environment elements) of how we can avert, mitigate, and adapt to climate changes. It will develop systems analysis skills in formulating climate change problems and in developing management strategies and programs to deal with climate change problems. The unit is intended to examine climate change and its implications as a range of opportunities as well as challenges. As such students will be encouraged to view problems posed by climate changes as opportunities for entrepreneurial and other kinds of ?positive-response? engagements with these changes.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Minimum 18 credit points
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 2 - 2020
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 Feedback from unit survey
A student noted that the requirement for the assessment of climate change management plan was not very clear.
Detailed explanation of the requirement for this assessment will be provided in the unit's moodle site.
Feedback from self reflection
Lecture note
As a field of study, climate change has developed rapidly. The unit coordinator will continue updating the lecture notes and teaching approaches of this unit.
- Explain the concept of climate change and identify probable causes associated with anthropogenic global greenhouse gases emissions and other environmental changes.
- Access Australian and international documents, publications, and other resources, and use appropriate information technologies to engage in research and other data/information-gathering activities regarding climate change.
- describe climate changes that are already apparently affecting various regions around the planet
- Discuss a range of possible future climate changes that may occur under a variety of scenarios.
- Apply risk management frameworks to assessing impacts of climate changes.
- Develop multi-dimensional (i.e., incorporating social, political, economic and moral components as well as changes to the physical environment) systems models of climate changes and their effects.
- Assess capabilities and capacities of organizations to cope and adjust to climate change.
- Discuss a range of ways by which climate changes and their associated effects can be avoided, minimized, and/or adapted to.
- Develop strategies and mechanisms for dealing with climate change, identifying entrepreneurial and other opportunities that may arise from these.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | |||||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 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 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.wu@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Global atmospheric systems and climates
Chapter
Weekly learning materials will be made available on the unit's moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
There are 6 online quizzes, which all open in week 1 but cut off midnight on Sunday of different weeks during the term.
Module/Topic
Climate change: What and how?
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Climate change: The drivers
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Australian climate and climate change
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Impacts of climate change
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 1 cuts off
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Systems modelling
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2 cuts off
Module/Topic
Climate change risks & risk management frameworks
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3 cuts off
Module/Topic
Capability and capacity assessment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Systems modelling of strategies and programs
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 4 cuts off
Module/Topic
Case studies (1): Impacts of climate change on Australian biodiversity
FileChapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 5 cuts off
Module/Topic
Case studies (2): Impacts of climate change on public health and services in Australia
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Identifying opportunities
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 6 cuts off
Climate Change Management Plan Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
The task of this assessment item is to investigate what climate changes may occur and how these changes may affect Australia. Students are asked to identify a topic (community, organisation, industry, locality, species, ecosystem etc.) and write a report that assesses the impacts that climate change may have on that chosen topic. The report should be no less than 2,500 words in length.
The objective of the assessment item is to introduce students the approach of system modelling and familiarise with the climate change data. Detailed instructions will be provided in the Moodle site of the unit.
Week 8 Friday (11 Sept 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
The reports will be marked and returned in two weeks or as soon as practicable after the due date.
Your report will be assessed based on the overall quality of the research and the effectiveness of the written communication. These include:
- understanding of climate change and its impacts on the study topic that has been demonstrated in the report;
- applications of the systems model of impacts and the risk assessment framework to the topic;
- quality of written expression and presentation.
See detailed assessment criteria in the unit's Moodle site.
- Explain the concept of climate change and identify probable causes associated with anthropogenic global greenhouse gases emissions and other environmental changes.
- Access Australian and international documents, publications, and other resources, and use appropriate information technologies to engage in research and other data/information-gathering activities regarding climate change.
- describe climate changes that are already apparently affecting various regions around the planet
- Discuss a range of possible future climate changes that may occur under a variety of scenarios.
- Apply risk management frameworks to assessing impacts of climate changes.
- Develop multi-dimensional (i.e., incorporating social, political, economic and moral components as well as changes to the physical environment) systems models of climate changes and their effects.
- Assess capabilities and capacities of organizations to cope and adjust to climate change.
- Discuss a range of ways by which climate changes and their associated effects can be avoided, minimized, and/or adapted to.
- Develop strategies and mechanisms for dealing with climate change, identifying entrepreneurial and other opportunities that may arise from these.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
Students are asked to follow up the findings of assignment 1 and write a 3,000-word paper. The paper is to outline and discuss a plan to manage the identified impacts that climate change may have on the chosen topic. This includes assessing the capability and capacity of the topic (or the responsible agencies) to copy with the impacts.
Detailed instructions will be provided in the unit's Moodle site.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
The paper will be marked and returned as soon as practicable after the end of term
Your report will be assessed based on overall quality of the research and effectiveness of the written communication. These include:
- understanding of the climate change plan
- quality of climate change mitigation, adaptation and management discussions
- appropriate application of required methodologies
- quality of written expression and presentation.
See detailed assessment criteria in the unit's Moodle site.
- Explain the concept of climate change and identify probable causes associated with anthropogenic global greenhouse gases emissions and other environmental changes.
- Access Australian and international documents, publications, and other resources, and use appropriate information technologies to engage in research and other data/information-gathering activities regarding climate change.
- describe climate changes that are already apparently affecting various regions around the planet
- Discuss a range of possible future climate changes that may occur under a variety of scenarios.
- Apply risk management frameworks to assessing impacts of climate changes.
- Develop multi-dimensional (i.e., incorporating social, political, economic and moral components as well as changes to the physical environment) systems models of climate changes and their effects.
- Assess capabilities and capacities of organizations to cope and adjust to climate change.
- Discuss a range of ways by which climate changes and their associated effects can be avoided, minimized, and/or adapted to.
- Develop strategies and mechanisms for dealing with climate change, identifying entrepreneurial and other opportunities that may arise from these.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment consists of 6 online quizzes. Each quiz has 10 multiple choice questions. You need to select the most appropriate answer from the given options. Detailed instruction is available on the unit's moodle site.
6
Other
All online quizzes will be available from Monday of the first week. Each quiz will be cut off in different weeks. Each quiz must be completed before its cutoff time.
Each quiz will be marked automatically after submission.
Quiz will be marked automatically. Each question will be marked 'correct' if you chose the right answer. Scores are based on the number of correct answers only. There are no marks deducted for incorrect responses.
- Explain the concept of climate change and identify probable causes associated with anthropogenic global greenhouse gases emissions and other environmental changes.
- Access Australian and international documents, publications, and other resources, and use appropriate information technologies to engage in research and other data/information-gathering activities regarding climate change.
- describe climate changes that are already apparently affecting various regions around the planet
- Discuss a range of possible future climate changes that may occur under a variety of scenarios.
- Apply risk management frameworks to assessing impacts of climate changes.
- Develop multi-dimensional (i.e., incorporating social, political, economic and moral components as well as changes to the physical environment) systems models of climate changes and their effects.
- Assess capabilities and capacities of organizations to cope and adjust to climate change.
- Discuss a range of ways by which climate changes and their associated effects can be avoided, minimized, and/or adapted to.
- Develop strategies and mechanisms for dealing with climate change, identifying entrepreneurial and other opportunities that may arise from these.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
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?
