Global Challenges in Agriculture (AGRC7047)

Course overview

The course introduces participants to the many challenges that affect agriculture and food systems across global regions. The course is relevant to students of agriculture and food science, agribusiness, and rural development. It equips participants to apply and extend knowledge and acquire skills for a rapidly changing world. Analysis of global megatrends, futuring and foresighting skills, globalisation, food security, climate change and followed by seeking solutions for sustainability and resilience. Participants are guided in their development as leaders who shape the future, emphasising self-directed learning that is guided by international experts.

This course addresses the big challenges in agriculture. Course highlights:

• Explore Global Megatrends: learn about agriculture and food with a view of climate change, food security, water, biodiversity, population and social justice.
• Develop Futuring Skills: anticipate the future by gathering and evaluating information about trends and the necessary changes for future agriculture and food systems.
• Sustainability Focus: consider how to best to balance food production with environmental sustainability – from local settings for global impact.
• Interactive Learning: engage in debates with experts and peers for idea-sharing to identify strategies for agriculture and food systems.
• Advancing Leadership with 21st century super-skills: critical thinking and systems thinking, communication, collaboration and knowledge creation, and reflections on our biases and perspectives.

2-hour online lectures (weeks 1-7) are complemented by 2-hour in-person workshop (weeks 1-13). Much of the course assessments is completed during workshops with staff feedback.

At the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge-sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold students and staff accountable for actively contributing to establishing a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against ﾠUQ Policy, ﾠand will not be tolerated. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

AGRC6010

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• Another instance of the same course

This course shares content with AGRC7047 in-person St Lucia campus and external mode, with activities that may vary to suit the mode and campus of study.

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Lectures run weeks 1-7

Workshops run weeks 1-13

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to develop students' understandings of a set of global challenges affecting agriculture, food and the environment. Furthermore, together with the companion course AGRC7046, we aim to develop personal leadership skills and motivate students to contribute to solving these challenges in their professional and personal capacities.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Workshop participation and ePortfolio

• In-person

Mode

Oral, Written

Category

Essay/ Critique, Participation/ Student contribution, Portfolio, Reflection

Weight

20%

Due date

31/10/2025 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

The ePortfolio is completed in a personalised Google site with the link uploaded by students on Blackboard. Instructions are provided in the Week 1 workshop and detailed in Blackboard -Learning Resources. The materials for the ePortfolio are derived from lectures and further developed in group discussions in weekly workshops.

Legal Declaration

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Individual presentation

• In-person

Mode

Oral, Written

Category

Presentation

Weight

20%

Due date

26/09/2025 5:00 pm

The full submission includes the initial PowerPoint slide, peer feedback, student reflection and improved slide.

Other conditions

Peer assessed.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

Legal Declaration

By submitting your work via the course website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Team presentation

• Team or group-based
• In-person

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

40% This assessment is exempt from supplementary.

Due date

10/10/2025 - 24/10/2025

Other conditions

Peer assessed.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

The online components of this assessment are completed within Blackboard under the appropriate assessment title on your course Blackboard site, and presented in class during a timetabled session.

Legal Declaration: 

By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications. 

Information available on the course Blackboard site.

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Translation (MT) tools, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which AI or MT will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

The use of AI or MT must be acknowledged appropriately. Please see assessment guidelines in blackboard course site for specific instructions.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

If a team member happens to be unavailable on the day of the presentation, and the presentation cannot be postponed to a later session, the other team members will present on the student's behalf. All students have already contributed to the creation of presentation, and the missing the presentation will discriminate against the student or their team. Because peer assessment is part of the team presentation assessment, the team assessment cannot be completed as a single team without the peers.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Quizzes (5 out of 7 are marked)

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Performance, Quiz

Weight

20%

Due date

1/08/2025 8:00 am

8/08/2025 8:00 am

15/08/2025 8:00 am

22/08/2025 8:00 am

29/08/2025 8:00 am

5/09/2025 8:00 am

12/09/2025 8:00 am

Each quiz is worth 4%, 5 of the 7 quizzes contribute to the mark.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Quizzes will be completed online via the course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.

Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

The Team Presentation is exempt from supplementary.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

The students contributed substantively to the development and preparation of the team presentation. However, if due to unavoidable circumstances, they are unable to attend the scheduled presentation session, the remaining team members proceeded to present on the student’s behalf.

While this approach ensures continuity of assessment for the team, it introduces two significant limitations:

1. Assessment Disadvantage: The student’s absence from the live presentation phase prevents a fair evaluation of their individual presentation skills, which are integral to the assessment criteria. Requiring a supplementary assessment would not accurately reflect the collaborative nature of the original task or the student’s contribution to the team’s work.
2. Peer Assessment Integrity: The peer assessment component is designed to evaluate the performance of all team members during the presentation. Without the student’s presence, peers are unable to provide a complete and valid assessment of their contribution, rendering the supplementary attempt unfeasible in its original format.

Given that the student has already fulfilled the preparatory and collaborative requirements of the task, and that the structure of the assessment does not lend itself to individual supplementation without compromising its integrity, an exemption from the supplementary assessment is in place.

Additional assessment information

TurnItIn Assignments
Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site. If you submit any version of your assessmentﾠitem to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating and you will be held liable for this action.

Re-mark Applications - Refer to theﾠUniversity's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility.

Before applying for a remark, students should consider the following:

• You have consulted the course coordinator for feedback
• Your academic grounds for remark have been discussed and are valid
• Wanting a higher grade is not grounds for a remark. A remark can decrease your grade.

Remark applications will not be considered without first having contacted your course Co-ordinator.

Deferred and Supplementary assessment (including Deferred Mid-Semester Examinations)

Deferred and Supplementary information can be located on the my.UQ website

• Apply for a deferred examination
• Information on supplementary assessment

Results

Feedback for all progressive assessment will be provided within 3 weeks of the submission of the assessment, via Blackboard. Results from the Policy Critique Project and the Reflective Diary will be provided following the release of results for Semester 2. ﾠ

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

You are expected to read widely in this course, selecting your own materials, particularly refereed literature. You will learn to vouch resources as some appear valid but are not, with much information and misinformation available.

Please reference using the Harvard Gatton style, available on UQ library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.