MINING 4104 - Socio-Environmental Aspects of Mining

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2015

This course provides the future mining engineer with a comprehensive and practical understanding of the socio-environmental impacts both positive and negative that mining may have on society. Topics covered are: Legal & political context of mining in Australia, principles of sustainable development, company-based initiatives in environmental management, state of the art techniques in environmental management of mine sites, and major issues associated with social/community impacts of mining in Australia and internationally.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MINING 4104
    Course Socio-Environmental Aspects of Mining
    Coordinating Unit School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Eng
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Assumed Knowledge MINING 1011
    Course Description This course provides the future mining engineer with a comprehensive and practical understanding of the socio-environmental impacts both positive and negative that mining may have on society. Topics covered are: Legal & political context of mining in Australia, principles of sustainable development, company-based initiatives in environmental management, state of the art techniques in environmental management of mine sites, and major issues associated with social/community impacts of mining in Australia and internationally.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Adjunct Associate Pr Emmanuel Chanda

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    No information currently available.

    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    (i) Lawrence, D (Editor), 2011. A Guide to Leading Practice Sustainable Development in Mining,
    Dept of Resources, Energy and Tourism, 198p,

    (ii) Selected Minerals Tertiary Education Council (MTEC) Mine Planning Modules (compiled
    as Course Learning Guide and Reader/Notes).

    (iii) DVD: Mining Education Australia “Socio-environmental Aspects of Mining”
    3 Disc set of selected media broadcasts and corporate videos.
    Recommended Resources
    (i) Spitz, K and Trudinger, J, 2009. Mining and the Environment – from Ore to Metal, Taylor and Francis, UK, ISBN 978-0-515-46510-6 (pbk), 890p.

    (ii) Environmental Management in Minerals Industry – Mulligan (ed)

    Information should be obtained from a variety of sources, including the library and the media. Internet sources must be treated with caution: as a generalization the most reliable sources are universities, recognized research organizations, and government departments. The larger, reputable, companies are acceptable sources, but remember that almost everyone on the web is trying to sell you something.

    Two particularly useful site for this course are:

    http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/Pages/Publications.aspx
    http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/minerals 
    Online Learning
    All Resources for this Course are available on MyUni, the online learning system for the University of Adelaide (https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/. These include:
    · Course Profile
    · Learning Guide
    · Reader (Notes)
    · Projects/Assignments
    · PowerPoint Presentations
    · Past examination paper with model answers

    Note: Each student will be supplied with a set of 3 DVDs containing selected media broadcasts and corporate videos. Please, collect the Discs from the School Office.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course uses a number of different teaching and learning approaches including:
    · Lectures
    · Problem-solving tutorials
    · Verbal presentation coaching
    · Self-directed activities
    · Group activities
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Lectures = 3 hours per week
    Tutorials = 1 hour per week
    Group Work = 2 hrs per week
    Self Study = 3 hrs per week
    Excursion = 1 hour per week
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week Activity Hours Content 
    Week 1 Lecture/tutorial 4 Course introduction/expectations; The Demon Fault
    What is Sustainable development; International perspectives
    Week 2 Lecture/tutorial 4 Legislative context;
    EIA;EMS; Risk management (ERM)
    Week 3 Lecture/tutorial 4 Codes of conduct; Enduring value; Corporate responsibility; EMPs and other reporting; auditing; IN CLASS Activity (critique sustainability reports); Workforce training and awareness;
    QUIZ – 15% Groote Eylandt Scenario Tutorials commence. (15%) 
    Week 4 Lecture/tutorial 4 Leading Practice Environmental Management (LPEM) – an introduction;
    LPEM – Mineral Exploration
    LPEM – Air (includes dust & gas)
    Uranium mining:
    Quarries and industrial minerals
    Student Verbal Presentations ( 10%) progressive through week 8
    Week 5 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – Waste rock
    LPEM – Tailings (design, types, risks etc)
    Week 6 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – Water including ARD
    LPEM - Environmental Monitoring and sampling
    ASSIGNMENT 3 due (Report 20%)
    Week 7 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – Hazardous substances including cyanide
    LPEM – small scale & placer mining
    Week 8 Lecture/tutorial 4 Mine planning to reduce impact
    Introduction to Mine Rehabilitation
    QUIZ – 15%
    Week 9 Lecture/tutorial 4 Mine Rehabilitation continued
    Mine Rehabilitation continued
    Field excursion - week of May 9th Groote Eylandt Scenario Tutorial report due
    Week 10 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – mine closure
    Week 11 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – communities and mining Field excursion report due ( 10%)
    Week 12 Lecture/tutorial 4 LPEM – Social and community impact –
    QUIZ - 15%
     Field trip Field trip (Week 9) 6 Examples of metal, coal or industrial minerals operations highlighting issues covered in course
    INDIVIDUAL REPORT
    Specific Course Requirements
    The University of Adelaide is a member of Mining Education Australia and has agreed to the common 3rd and 4th year mining curriculum offered by MEA participating universities (The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales and The Western Australian School of Mines at Curtin University of Technology). This course is run simultaneously at the four MEA universities. When one considers this fact the total number of students enrolled in the course is well over 200 students.

    Students will use SPARK to assess each of their Team Member’s contribution to the Group project(s). For each project 6 students will be selected at random to for a project team. Team members are expected to work together to achieve the objectives of the projects. SPARK will allow the course coordinator to monitor how your team is functioning and provide help as required. SPARK factors calculated by the system based on information you input, will be used to calculate the individual mark for the project. Please refer to Section 9 for more details on the use of SPARK. 
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Timetable
    Assignment/quiz. Week handed out Week due % Details
    1  3 3 15 Quiz to test understanding of material presented to date
    2  2 4,5,6,7,8 10 10 min group presentation on the topic to be discussed that day. Will require background reading.
    3  3 6 20 Individual assignment on one issue (future of the Uranium Industry in 2011 - 2012 topic is yet to be set ) and its impacts on the mining industry
    4  8 8 15 Quiz to test understanding of material presented to date
    5  12 12 15 Quiz to test understanding of material presented to date
    6  9 11 10 Individual report on the field trip
    7  2 9 15 Groote Eylandt Scenario
    Assessment of Learning Objectives
    Assessment Task Task Type  Due
    Demonstrate knowledge of the legal, political & ethical context of mining in Australia and overseas.  Describe, explain the various contexts Quizzes 1 and 5
    Describe and apply the principles of Sustainable Development  Describe, analyse, synthesize principles and applications Quiz Report / tutorial
    Critique company-based initiatives in environmental management against national and international standards  Analyse, compare environmental plans against each other and standards Quiz Report / tutorial
    Identify, analyse and apply state of the art techniques in environmental management of mine sites  Brainstorm risks, prioritize, analyse, synthesize and evaluate solutions Group presentations Reports/and Tutorial


    Identify the major issues and management strategies associated with social/community impacts of mining in Australia and internationally.
     As for above with focus on social issues Quiz Report / tutorial
    Assessment Detail
    1 Quiz
    Type: In class quiz
    Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3
    Date: week 3
    Weighting: 15 %
    Duration: 45 minutes
    Format: Multiple choice and short answer ( 1 - 2 paragraphs )
    Areas covered: Course scope; media coverage and perceptions; Demon Fault & other videos; sustainable development; international perspectives; legislation; EIA, EMS, risk management; codes of conduct; corporate responsibility; EMPs.
    Criteria & marking: quiz will have roughly 10 multiple choice questions for 10 marks and roughly 6 short-answer questions for 20 marks.

    2 Group Presentations
    Type: In class verbal presentation
    Learning Objectives: 3, 4
    Date: weeks 4 through 8
    Weighting: 10 %
    Duration: 12 minutes + 5 minutes for questions
    Format: Powerpoint presentations
    Areas covered: Leading Practice Environmental Management
    Criteria & marking: Marks will be awarded based on content, delivery, group cohesiveness and answers to questions in class

    3. Individual Assignment 
    Type: essay ( 3000 words maximum including appendices)
    Learning Objectives: 3, 4
    Date: week 6
    Weighting: 20 %
    Format: Technical report – see MEA Report Writing Guide
    Areas covered: Recent coal or metal mine incidents.
    Criteria & marking: Executive summary, introduction, literature, resources review, discussion.

    4. Quiz 
    Type: In class quiz
    Learning Objectives: 3, 4
    Date: week 8
    Weighting: 15 %
    Duration: 45 minutes
    Format: Multiple choice and short answer ( 1 - 2 paragraphs )
    Areas covered: Leading Practice Environmental Management
    Criteria & marking: quiz will have roughly 10 multiple choice questions for 10 marks and roughly 6 short-answer questions for 20 marks.
    1. Quiz

    Type: In class quiz
    Learning Objectives: 4, 5
    Date: week 12
    Weighting: 15 %
    Duration: 45 minutes
    Format: Multiple choice and short answer ( 1 - 2 paragraphs )
    Areas covered: mine planning to reduce impact; rehabilitation; closure; communities; social impact; field trip.
    Criteria & marking: quiz will have roughly 10 multiple choice questions for 10 marks and roughly 6 short-answer questions for 20 marks.

    6. Field Trip Report
     Type: essay + calculations (1000 – 1200 words )
    Learning Objectives: 3, 4
    Date: week 9 - report due week 11
    Weighting: 10 %
    Format: brief report + problem-solving exercise
    Areas covered: acid mine drainage, material handling, remediation
    Criteria & marking: students will prepare a short report on the nature and quantitative scope of the problem at Brukunga. This will be followed by an analysis of the problem, a suggested plan for remediation, and costing of alternative plans.

    7. Group Tutorial – Groote Eylandt
     Type: group tutorial
    Learning Objectives: 4, 5
    Date: weeks 3 – 8 report due week 9
    Weighting: 15 %
    Format: small group tutorial ( depending on number of tutors )
    Areas covered: issues and management strategies associated with social/community impacts of mining in Australia
    Criteria & marking: tutors will award marks based on participation in brainstorming sessions during tutorials, and group reports. Reports will be mostly recommendations going forward with the isssues and highlighting pros and cons. Peer assessment using SPARK ( see section 9 ) will be included.
    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
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