Course Title: The Atmosphere
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: The Atmosphere
Credit Points: 12.00
Important Information:
Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: Coming to campus - COVID protocols for students.
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
ENVI1216 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
135H Applied Sciences |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2015, Sem 1 2016 |
ENVI1216 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
171H School of Science |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2017, Sem 2 2019 |
Course Coordinator: Dr Samantha Grover
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1982
Course Coordinator Email: samantha.grover@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 003.02.009
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
The air we breathe; understanding the atmosphere. The atmosphere is all around us, all the time. Our lives and the lives of all living things depend on it, yet few of us understand how the atmosphere functions. In this course, you will develop a solid scientific understanding of how the earth’s atmosphere works and its interactions with the earth and oceans. Learning about the atmosphere during the Anthropocene, global warming takes centre stage. Local weather and Indigenous knowledge of seasons, climate extremes and air pollution provide real-world examples of atmospheric science theory that will position you ideally to apply a scientific understanding of the atmosphere to diverse careers.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This course also contributes to the following AQF 9 Program Learning Outcomes:
PLO 1.2 Knowledge: Knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to studying the chemical, biological and physical processes occurring in the environment
PLO 2.1 Skills: Cognitive skills which demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge about environmental processes enabling critical reflection on environmental theory and professional practice or scholarship
PLO 2.4 Skills: Communication and technical research skills to enable you to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences
PLO 3.1 Application of knowledge and skills: Apply knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in your role as a professional environmental practitioner and also in your further studies
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
After successfully completing this course you will be able to:
CLO 1 Understand and explain how the atmosphere functions
CLO 2 Recognise local weather patterns and Indigenous seasons in their bioregion
CLO 3 Critically evaluate sources of information about atmospheric processes and phenomena
CLO 4 Work with others to solve problems associated with mitigating and adapting to climate change
CLO 5 Communicate a scientifically-grounded analysis of atmospheric science issues to a range of audiences in a written and oral format
Overview of Learning Activities
This course is an online course combining interactive online workshops and discussion forums, independent study and group activities. As part of this course, you will:
- regularly access online learning resources via Canvas
- explore your local bioregion and local sources of scientific and indigenous knowledge about meteorology
- undertake independent research and private study, working through the course material each week and developing independent learning skills
- actively participate with your classmates in online workshops, discussion forums and small group activities
- develop critical academic research skills by exploring library resources to create an Annotated Bibliography on a topic of your choice
- hone your oral and written science communication skills by completing Authentic Assessment tasks
Overview of Learning Resources
This course is delivered via online learning resources that you will access through Canvas and weekly teacher-guided tutorials via Microsoft Teams. Your learning resources include essential concept videos, and the open-source online textbook “The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science” podcasts and authoritative written materials.
Overview of Assessment
Note that: This course has no hurdle requirements.
Assessment for this course are:
Assessment Task 1: Local weather and Indigenous Seasons Authentic Assessment
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 5
Assessment Task 2: Atmospheric function weekly quizzes
Weighting 30%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 3
Assessment Task 3: Annotated Bibliography Authentic Assessment
Weighting 35%
This assessment task supports CLOs 3, 5
Assessment Task 4: Case study Authentic Group Assignment
Weighting 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 3, 4, 5