A successful student in this course should be able to:

1.    Demonstrated proficiency in common practical skills in first year geology

2.    Describe the four components of Earth’s system: Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere;

3.    Understand the broad-scale structure of the Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere, and  their dynamic evolution;

4.    Have knowledge of how episodic events change Earth over short time scales;

5.    Have knowledge of how long-time scale events shape Earth;

6.    Appreciate the time-scales of naturally occurring cycles;

7.    Describe the impact of human activity on Earth;

8.   Appreciate from field observations how Earth acts as a system;

9.  Collate Earth Systems information to produce a web page project.

A free, on-line text book will be used:

• Blewett RS (ed.) 2012. Shaping a Nation: A Geology of Australia, Geoscience Australia and ANU E Press, Canberra. http://epress.anu.edu.au/titles/shaping-a-nation/pdf-download

MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).

The course consists of three 50-minute lectures per week, three hours of practical work every week and a one-day field excursion. The lectures are the source of most of the information assessed in tests and quizzes and required for practicals. Many subjects are covered in detail only once and most contain some element of specialized vocabulary or facts that are hard to reproduce by reading alone.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Week	Type of learning activity	Topic
Week 1	Lecture	Earth System Science
	Practical	Lab 1 Earth Systems Science
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 2	Lecture	Lithosphere
	Practical	Lab 2 Lithosphere
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 3	Lecture	Hydrosphere
	Practical	Lab 3 Hydrosphere
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 4	Lecture	LECTURE TEST 1 Atmopshere
	Practical	Lab 4 Atmosphere
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 5	Lecture	Biosphere
	Practical	Lab 5 Biosphere
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 6	Lecture	Adelaide and Environment
	Practical	Lab 6 Adelaide and Environment
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 7	Lecture	LECTURE TEST 2
	Practical	Lab 7 Hallett Cove
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 8	Lecture	Geohazards
	Practical	Lab 8 Geohazards
	Tutorial or other activity	Sellick’s Beach field trip (provisional) Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 9	Lecture	Weathering and Landscape
	Practical	Lab 9: Weathering and Landscape
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 10	Lecture	Climate Change
	Practical	Lab 10 Climate Change
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 11	Lecture	Surface Processes
	Practical	Lab 11 Surface Processes
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 12	Lecture	Earth System Science
	Practical	Lab 12 Earth Systems Science
	Tutorial or other activity	Small Group Experience Exercise
Week 13*	Lecture	LECTURE TEST 3
	Practical
	Tutorial or other activity

This course has a one-day field excursion to Sellicks Beach.This trip is compulsory, but fortunately fun. There is no charge for transport. The trip will run from approximately 8 am to around 5pm; more details will be provided at the start of Semester 1.

Assessment task	Type of assessment	Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes	Hurdle (Yes/No)	Outcome being assessed
Practical assessment of learning (follow up quizzes on practicals)	Summative	20%	No	1-8
Web-based project	Summative	15%	No	1,4,5,9
Field report Sellick’s Beach (or alternative assignment)	Summative	5%	No	1,3,4,5,6,8
Theory Tests (3 at 15%, 15% and 30%)	Summative	60%	No	1-8

Attendance is compulsory at all scheduled practical sessions.  The learning outcomes for this course are substantially dependent on
laboratory and field experience and practice.  Therefore, missing any  practical class in a semester will result in a grade of FAIL being
recorded for the course.

Students are able to apply for an allowed absence from a practical session for medical or compassionate reasons by submitting an absence form with appropriate supporting documentation to the course coordinator.   Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/current-students/forms/savs-allowed-leaveofabsence-tute-prac.pdf

Practicals missed due to medical or compassionate reasons must be made up (opportunity permitting; contact the course coordinator for details, as soon as possible to discuss options).  All students who miss a practical will receive an email at their University of Adelaide student account with instructions on the action to be taken to organise a make-up practical.

Lecture (theory) tests: Test material comes primarily from lecture material, and secondarily from assigned reading. Students may be tested on material that is not in the lecture material, but will be explicitly told what to read. The tests will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, short-answer and long-answer questions. The first two tests will be for 40 minutes; the last test for 50 minutes.

Practical work: Students are enrolled in a particular practical session, and are expected to attend that session. The assessment will follow as a MyUni on-line quiz or short answer exercises based on understanding gained during the practicals. Four (of the five) will be assessed, each is worth 5%.

Web-based assignment: The MyUni-based group assignment will be in lieu of lecture and practical sessions in week 8. The assignment will be on Earth System processes, and will require background research in groups, and development of on-line content. The content will be marked against criteria that will be clearly given to the students.

Submission of Assigned Work

Practical work is submitted at the end of each practical session. There are no extensions for the practical work as it is to be accomplished during the practical period, and the practicals themselves are a mandatory and non-redeemable part of the course. Practicals will be marked and returned or answer keys posted within three weeks of each session.

The web-based assignment is to be submitted by the due date. There is no late submission or extension possible, unless you make an application on the basis of medical or compassionate grounds.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks

Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Co-ordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. The assessment extension application form can be obtained from: http://www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/current/

Late submission of assessments

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply.  A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.