Environmental Problem Solving (ENVM7512)

Course overview

The aim of environmental problem-solving is to avoid the complex psychological biases inherent in decision-making and to allow the engagement of multiple stakeholders, incorporate all available information, and ensure that we know exactly what we are trying to achieve, before making a decision. In this course we will outline a structured approach to problem-solving and decision-making from an environmental perspective and present tools for structuring and solving complex environmental problems. This course is a foundational course for environmental management and should change the way you approach problem-solving both at work and at home.

Albert Einstein once said that if he had one hour to save the world he would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and 5 minutes finding the solution. Of course, he was a genius.

In ENVM7512 – Environmental Problem Solving, you will learn what Einstein pondered about in those 55 minutes before making the decision. You will learn a structured approach to solving problems and making decisions from an environmental perspective. You will learn how to avoid psychological biases in decision-making; how different stakeholders bring in a multitude of values; how to incorporate the available information, and how to ensure that we know our objectives before making a decision. We will give you tools for structuring and solving complex environmental problems. This course is a foundational course for environmental management and should change the way you approach problem-solving both at work and at home.

This innovative course is delivered through an online learning platform with a mix of video and written content for students to follow each week and solidified through expert-led weekly workshops that include online content summary and practical implementation of learning modules.

Course requirements

Assumed background

No assumed background.

The course will lay a foundation for how to approach environmental problem solving, it will help you think holistically about decision-making (of all forms) and assist you both in your future careers and also with subsequent courses.

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

ENVM4512 & ENVM7512 share activities.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

The course includes a weekly two-hour practical workshop that is designed to assist you in completing the assessments and is core to the learning experience of the course. We are offering different time slots to accommodate different schedules. Completion of weekly online learning content is essential andﾠattendance of practicals is highly recommended to ensure success in this course.

Aims and outcomes

The central aim of this course is to provide students with the essential skills to formulate problems and find solutions to complex environmental issues and to facilitate decision-making for environmental practitioners.

The content of this course will be based on sound theory and practice and will be delivered by world leading researchers in this field as well as practitioners from key environmental organisations. 

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Problem Plan

• Team or group-based

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

25%

Due date

31/03/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

Instructions for submission will be provided closer to the due date.

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.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

Video quiz on biases

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

5%

Due date

3/04/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Submission guidelines

Instructions for submission will be provided closer to the due date.

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.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

Analysing an environmental problem

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

25%

Due date

13/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Instructions for submission will be provided closer to the due date.

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.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

End of Semester Exam

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

45%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Course grading

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

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.

Additional assessment information

Important notes for assessable material

To obtain higher pass grades, students will exhibit evidence of studies outside the material provided in the text and readings.

Students are to retain a personal copy of all assignments which must be produced if/when required by the examiner.

Assessment Submissionﾠ

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.ﾠ

Turnitinﾠ

All written assessment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission portal, which can be found within the Blackboard site. You are responsible for ensuring that your submission is complete. It is wise to re-enter the Turnitin portal and confirm that your submission is there and that it has not been altered during the submission process.ﾠ

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.ﾠ

In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.ﾠ

Assessment/Attendanceﾠ

Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. The my.UQ website and the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this courseﾠ

Any student who enrols in a course must not be given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment. Instead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolment (PPL Assessment - Procedures).ﾠ

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum timeframe applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for timeframes. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. If you are incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, you are advised to apply for Removal of Course.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.

If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

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.

Additional learning resources information

Course Structure

This innovative course is delivered through an online learning platform with a mix of video and written content for students to follow each week and solidified through expert-led weekly workshops that include online content summary and practical implementation of learning modules.

Each week, classesﾠconsist of a three-hour interactive practical contactﾠ(we offer different time slots - please refer to the time table for optionsﾠin my.UQ).

There will be four differentﾠassessment items. Students will analyse an environmental problem, submitting a group report subsection and an individual final analysis. There is also a video quiz and a final exam.

Attendance and participation in the practicals in strongly encouraged,ﾠthey are a key aspect of the course and will help inform your assignments and build on onlineﾠcontent to help you get the best outcome in the exam.

Please note the weekly online content may change slightly depending on unexpected availability issues or external events. Announcements will be posted on the course Blackboard site if anything changes.

Other recommended readings, such as scientific articles or decision reports will be announced andﾠavailableﾠonline.ﾠ

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 - Students Policy and Procedure

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