SC1102 2021 Subject Outline PDF

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Summary

A summary of content for the SC1102 course at JCU...

Description

Subject Outline Subject Name

Modeling Natural Systems

Subject Code

SC1102

Credit Points

3

Study Period

2

Study Mode

Internal

Campus

Cairns, Townsville

Subject Coordinator/Division /College

A/Prof Scott Heron (DTES/CSE), A/Prof Lucas Cernusak (DTES/CSE)

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where our University is located and actively seek to contribute and support the JCU Reconciliation Statement, which exemplifies respect for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures, heritage, knowledge and the valuing of justice and equity for all Australians. © Copyright 2021 This publication is covered by copyright regulations. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process or placed in computer memory without written permission.

Pre-requisites MA1020 or Senior Mathematics or equivalent

Subject Outline preparation This Subject Outline has been prepared by Lucas Cernusak and Scott Heron for the College of Science and Engineering, Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, James Cook University. Updated July 2021. Q1. This subject is offered across more than one campus and/or mode and/or study period within the one calendar year.

Yes 

No ☐

Q2. If yes (Q1), the design of all offerings of this subject ensure the same learning outcomes and assessment types and weightings.

Yes 

No ☐

Subject Outline peer reviewer Name

Prof Yvette Everingham

Position

Professor, College of Science and Engineering

Date reviewed

19 July 2021

Teaching Staff contact details Teaching team

Staff member

Room

Phone

Email

Consultation times*

Subject Coordinator (TSV)

Scott Heron

14-112 (TSV)

4781 4199

[email protected]

By appointment

Subject Coordinator (CNS)

Lucas Cernusak

E2.205 (CNS)

4232 1763

[email protected]

By appointment

Lecturer

Yvette Everingham

14-119c (TSV)

4781 4475

[email protected]

By appointment

Learning Advisors

The Learning Centre

JCU Library

Online contact form

Visit Learning Advice Desk – JCU Library

*Other consultation times by appointment only.

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Contacting)staff)via)email) 1. Check the subject outline first before emailing. Many student enquiries are answered there. 2. Send emails from your JCU email account. 3. Please type SC1102 in the subject line. 4. Please have a salutation; e.g., Dear Scott, Hi Lucas, Dear Professor, Dear Sir/Madam 5. Briefly introduce yourself; e.g., My name is Mary Smith and I am student in your SC1102 class. 6. Write a brief, polite message. If the matter is complex, it is probably best to phone the subject co-ordinator. 7. Sign off appropriately; e.g., Regards, Mary; Best wishes, Max; Yours kindly, Sam; Cheers, Julie. 8. Lecturers and administrators love it when students include the full email thread when responding to emails on the same subject. An email thread is an email message that includes the original email plus a running list of all the succeeding replies to the original email. If you are composing the first email, then this will be the first email in the thread. 9. Please allow two business days for a reply (emails are not checked on a weekend). Should a reply not be forthcoming please send your email again in case it has been lost or missed over. Should the matter be urgent, contact the school office on 4781 4785.

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Contents 1

2

3

4

Subject)at)a)glance).....................................................................................................................................)5 1.1

Student participation requirements....................................................................................................... 5

1.2

Key dates ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Subject)details)............................................................................................................................................)6 2.1

Subject description................................................................................................................................. 6

2.2

Subject learning outcomes and course learning outcomes.................................................................... 6

2.3

Learning and teaching in this subject ..................................................................................................... 6

2.4

Student feedback on subject and teaching ............................................................................................ 7

2.5

Subject resources and special requirements.......................................................................................... 7

Assessment)details)...................................................................................................................................)8 3.1

Requirements for successful completion of subject .............................................................................. 8

3.2

Feedback on student learning .............................................................................................................. 10

3.3

Assessment items ................................................................................................................................. 10

Submission)and)return)of)assessment).............................................................................................)12 4.1

5

Submission of assessment.................................................................................................................... 12

4.2

Late submissions .................................................................................................................................. 12

4.3

Special Consideration (including deferrals and extensions)................................................................. 13

4.4

Declaration of Assessment ................................................................................................................... 13

4.5

Return of assessment and feedback..................................................................................................... 13

4.6

Review of assessment .......................................................................................................................... 13

Subject)calendar)......................................................................................................................................)14

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1

Subject at a glance

1.1 Student participation requirements The JCU Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedure (2.1.2d) indicates a typical student workload for a three (3) credit point subject requires a 130 hour work load of study related activities, including attendance, assessment and self-directed study over the duration of the subject with equivalency across all modes of delivery. Note that attendance at specified classes will be a mandatory requirement for satisfactory completion of some subjects (Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedures, 3.1.8e); and that additional hours may be required per week for those students in need of English language, numeracy or other learning support. Key subject activities

Time

Day and date

Room/Location

12:00 – 12:50 Monday, CNS A3.3, TSV 142-111 11:00 – 11:50 Tuesday, CNS A3.3, TSV 25-1

Lecture (2 hours per week)

11:00 – 11:50 Wednesday, CNS A3.3, TSV 25-1 CNS: 3:00 – 4:50 Tuesday, Room E1.015 CNS: 1:00 – 3:50 Wednesday, Room E1.017 TSV: 1:00 – 2:50 Tuesday, Room 300-1 TSV: 1:00 – 2:50 Wednesday, Room 300-1 TSV: 4:00 – 5:50 Wednesday, Room 300-1 TSV: 1:00 – 2:50 Thursday, Room 300-1 TSV: 3:00 – 4:50 Thursday, Room 300-1 Wednesday

Computer workshop (2 hours per week)

1 September Class Tests (Weeks 6, 10, 13)

11:00 – 11:50

6 October 27 October

For information regarding class registration, visit the Class Registration Schedule.

1.2 Key dates Key dates

Date

Census date

See 2021 Study Period and Census Dates

Last date to withdraw without academic penalty

17 September 2021

Assessment task 1: Weekly Assignments [20%]

Due each week

Assessment task 2: Class Test 1 [25%]

Wednesday 1 September 2021

Assessment task 3: Class Test 2 [25%]

Wednesday 6 October 2021

Assessment task 4: Class Test 3 [25%]

Wednesday 27 October 2021

Assessment task 5: R bootcamp test [5%]

In your computer workshop, Week 9

Assessment task 6: Final Exam (marking scheme 2 below)

During examination period

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CNS A3.3 TSV 25-1

2

Subject details

2.1 Subject description By providing the bridge between theory and practice, this subject will demonstrate how quantitative and computing methods can be used to describe and enhance our knowledge about natural systems. This subject will be presented by a series of motivating and in depth case studies that span a range of biophysical settings with an emphasis on applications relevant to tropical systems. Computing technologies (Microsoft Excel, R-studio and calculator) will assist with numerical calculations and graphical presentations.

2.2 Subject learning outcomes and course learning outcomes Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to: • translate between verbal, algebraic, numerical, visual and conceptual characterizations of a system to enhance knowledge about natural systems; • reinforce the importance of biological and environmental scientists being quantitatively capable, and, mathematical scientists understanding biological and environmental phenomena; • undertake basic computing tasks with increased confidence and demonstrate basic computing know-how.

These outcomes will contribute to your overall achievement of course learning outcomes. Your course learning outcomes can be located in the entry for your course in the electronic JCU Course and Subject Handbook 2021 (click on ‘Course Information’ bar/ select ‘Undergraduate Courses’ or ‘Postgraduate Courses’/ select relevant course/ scroll down to ‘Academic Requirements for Course Completion’, ‘Course learning outcomes’).

2.3 Learning and teaching in this subject The first week of lectures introduces you to modelling concepts and how we rely on models in everyday life. The second week marks the start of the first modelling case study on Sustainable Fishing. The second modelling case study is on the Greenhouse Effect and will kick off in week 5. This case study is quite “maths-heavy”. PASS sessions are a great way to get you ‘maths-ready’ for this case study and for the whole subject in fact. The third and final modelling case study will be on Climate Prediction and commences in week 9. For those students up to the challenge, this case study introduces a new computing program called R-Studio. R is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most powerful and flexible programming languages. It is free to download and many employers appreciate graduates who are skilled at R and R-studio. R-studio is also the computer package used in your second year statistics subject, so it will be great to get a head-start with R-studio in SC1102. The subject is structured so there is time during computer workshops at the beginning of the semester for you to become confident with Microsoft Excel and the mathematics that will be used throughout the subject. It may seem like there is a misalignment between lectures and computer workshops for the first two weeks. This is done intentionally, so that you can devote time to getting on top of Microsoft Excel

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and the mathematics that is required for the subject. Please put this time to good use! You will see that the computer workshops in week 3 start to align with what has been taught in lectures. Weekly assignments are designed to complement important case study concepts. It is impossible for the weekly assignments to test all knowledge and skills associated with each case study, so make sure that you complete the weekly set of computer workshop problems as well, or you will not pass your class tests or exam! This subject gives you to hands-on real-life applications of scientific modelling. Although the subject presents scientific modelling via three case studies, the modelling skills you acquire from this subject are transportable to a wide range of applications, not just in science, but in medicine, banking, finance, climate and energy-security to name a few. Teaching staff hope that in week 13 you will reflect on the skills you have acquired in this subject and be proud of your accomplishments. Although the road is rocky in places, the challenge is worth it. Hang in there, keep up with your weekly computer workshops and oncourse assessments and please see teaching staff if you can identify a problem that you need help with. If you do this, you should do quite well in the subject. Best of luck! Learning and teaching activities may be recorded for this subject. Personal Information in the form of images and audio may be collected by JCU during the recording. This Personal Information may appear as part of the recording which is accessible to students and staff in this subject on Learn JCU

2.4 Student feedback on subject and teaching As part of our commitment at JCU to improving the quality of our courses and teaching, we regularly seek feedback on your learning experiences. Student feedback informs evaluation of subject and teaching strengths and areas that may need refinement or change. YourJCU Subject and Teaching Surveys provide a formal and confidential method for you to provide feedback about your subjects and the staff members teaching within them. These surveys are available to all students through LearnJCU. You will receive an email invitation when the survey opens. We value your feedback and ask that you provide constructive feedback about your learning experiences for each of your subjects, in accordance with responsibilities outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. Refrain from providing personal feedback on topics that do not affect your learning experiences. Malicious comments about staff are deemed unacceptable by the University. In response to previous student feedback and other data, the following enhancements to this subject have been made: • A dedicated R bootcamp computer workshop has been added to the schedule • A range of online tools have been added to broaden the learning experience

2.5 Subject resources and special requirements All subject readings and resources, including journal articles, book chapters, websites, videos, print and eTextbooks, are available to view online from your Readings list via your LearnJCU subject site. Textbooks are listed in your Readings list, including links to library holdings. The JCU Library has limited

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print copies of prescribed textbooks for two-day loan, and options for viewing available eTextbooks online. Additionally, you can find the most appropriate library subject resources, including dedicated disciplinespecific Library Guides, relevant databases and access to library services and staff through the Your Library tool, in your LearnJCU subject site.

3

Assessment details

3.1 Requirements for successful completion of subject In order to pass this subject, you must: • Achieve an overall percentage of 50% or more; • Attain a minimum score of 40% on the sum of invigilated assessment tasks (Class tests/Final exam, R quiz). • Submit only original, non-plagiarised work for assessment.

Assessment items and final grades will be reviewed through moderation processes (Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedure, 3.6). It is important to be aware that assessment results “must always undergo final ratification for each study period. No single grade or mark represents a final result in a subject” (Learning, Teaching and Assessment Procedure, 3.7.4.). Final results for this subject will be graded as described in the Student Results Policy. Assessment in this subject may involve the use of Respondus with camera surveillance or webcams. Respondus can record an assessment attempt, and that recording will be used for the investigation of cheating or any other conduct which may contravene JCU Policies and Procedures. Footage will only be accessed by persons authorised by the University to do so and may be shared with internal or external investigators. The footage constitutes personal information and will be stored and accessed in accordance with JCU’s Information Privacy Policy.

3.1.1 Details of Marking Schemes 1 and 2 There are two possible marking schemes for this subject, as summarized in the table below: Assessable Activity

Marking Scheme 1

Marking Scheme 2

Weekly Assignments

20%

20%

Class Test 1 (Invigilated)

25%

5%

Class Test 2 (Invigilated)

25%

5%

Class Test 3 (Invigilated)

25%

5%

R Bootcamp Test (Invigilated)

5%

5%

Final Exam (Invigilated)

0%

60%

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Weekly Assignments Weekly assignments will require you to submit your worked solutions in the week following the computer workshop. Many assignments will require you to include computing outputs from Microsoft Excel. Each assignment is worth an equal amount; that is, 20%/n where n is the number of assignments. Class Tests Each class test will be approximately 50 minutes in duration. The test will be conducted in a lecture theatre (i.e. no computers) and answers to the test will be written straight onto your test paper. You will need to bring a calculator to the class test. A formula sheet will be provided as part of the test paper. This formula sheet will be released to students before the test. Detailed information sheets will be handed to students close to the date of each class test to help guide study preparations. Final Exam This examination will be three hours in duration. It will be conducted in an exam room (i.e. no computers) and answers to the test will be written on the exam paper. You will need to bring a calculator to the exam. A formula sheet will be provided as part of the exam paper. This formula sheet will be released to students before the exam. R Bootcamp Test This test will be conducted during your computer workshop. It will test your skills in R and R studio. More details will be provided during R Bootcamp week. Assessment Grading Marking Scheme 1 You will obtain a total score out of 100 based on the M...