This course examines the fundamental concepts in environmental health, health needs assessment, and environmental risk assessment and management. This will include a range of environmental risks, including water and food quality, sanitation, air quality, occupational health, environmental toxicology and the built environment. This course will also examine the pathways through which climate change is likely to influence human health. These include the likely health effects of rising ambient temperatures, shifting patterns of vector-borne and food-borne diseases, physical and mental health risks of extreme weather events, potential food and water insecurity, occupational health risks, and the likely impacts of climate change on health equity, vulnerability and resilience.

This course will provide an introduction to research methodologies used to examine the relationships between environment and health, and examine the determinants and management of health protection. The emphasis will be on understanding the literature linking environment to health, the assessment of health risks and benefits associated with environmental factors, and the evaluation of frameworks designed to protect public health, including the risks and benefits associated with current and future climate change.    

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Describe environmental risks to health
2. Define the key steps of environmental health risk assessment and identify the sources of uncertainty at each step
3. Explain the direct and indirect pathways through which environmental change can impact population health
4. Critically evaluate an environmental health topic of global importance

Field Trips

Field trip to Cotter drinking water catchment and Mt Stromlo Water treatment plant: Icon Water

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Verbal comments
• Written comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Adjustments to delivery in 2020

Course delivery and assessment in 2020 was adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any information below that replaces what was published in the Class Summary for Semester 1, 2020 was approved by the Associate Dean Education (as is required after 10% commencement of a course). Where an activity or assessment is not referenced below, it remains unchanged.

Teaching Activities

• Lectures were done on Zoom, recorded, and posted online.
• Discussion sessions were done via Zoom.

Assessment

Adjustments were made to assignment due dates; for details see the course Wattle site.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Environmental Health	Dr Aparna Lal
2	Climate Science and Health Extreme heat and public health	Dr Liz Hanna, Dr James Goldie
3	Risk Assessment: Framework and Case Study	Dr Aparna Lal
4	Field trip to Cotter drinking water catchment and Mt Stromlo Water treatment plant: Icon Water	ICON Water
5	Floods, drought and public health Engaging with your essay	Dr Aparna Lal, ANU Academic Skills Learning Centre
6	Air Pollution and Bushfire Smoke	Dr Vanessa Johnston, Prof Sotiris Vardoulakis
7	Pollen, Thunderstorms and Asthma	Prof Simon Haberle
8	ACT Asbestos Study How to present to your peers	Dr Rosemary Korda,, ANU Academic Skills Learning Centre
9	Inequity and Vulnerability to Climate Change	Prof Sharon Friel
10	Food safety and climate change	Dr Adele Yates
11	Climate Change and Infectious diseases: Leptospirosos Climate Change and Infectious diseases: Schistosomiasis	Dr Colleen Lau, Dr Johanna Kurscheid
12	Climate change adaptation and mitigation Peer-teaching presentation: Review of chosen essay topic (20%)	Dr Jamie Pittock, Class activity

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Online quiz	30 %	27/03/2020	20/04/2020	1,2,3,4,5
Written essay	30 %	24/04/2020	15/05/2020	2,3,4
Assessment 3 Part A: Peer teaching presentation	10 %	20/05/2020	17/06/2020	1,2,3,4,5
Assessment 3 Part B: Online discussion	30 %	27/05/2020	25/06/2020	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Particpation in the online and/or face-to-face forum

Assessment Task 1

Online quiz

The online quiz contributes 30% of the total mark for the course. This assessment is paced throughout the first part of the course. There is a combination of Multiple Choice and Short Answer (250-300 word) questions. The online quiz will open following the first teaching week (Week 1) and close at 5 pm at the end of Week 5. During this time, you are able to modify answers to all questions and there is no limit to the number of attempts for any question.

Assessment Task 2

Written essay

The essay contributes 30% of the total mark for the course. It has a word limit of 1500 words. Record the word count (not including References or Declaration) at the end of the text.

Rubric

	High Distinction: 7 (=85%)	Distinction: 6 (75-84%)	Credit: 5 (65-74%)	Pass: 4 (50-64%)	Fail: 3, 2, 1 (<>
Introduction and outline of topic. In this section, you will introduce the "hazard" you are considering and the scope of the hazard (geography/time).	Excellent introductory description of the hazard. Scope of the topic (geography/time) and aims are clearly defined	Good introductory description of the topic area. Scope and aims are well defined.	Solid introductory description of the topic area. Scope and aims of project are less clearly defined	Sound introductory description of the topic area. Limited scope and aims.	Very poor introductory description of the topic area. Scope and aims are poorly defined. No introduction or outline.
Research & critical analysis of reference materials relating to the topic. Here you will conduct a hazard and exposure assessment using published literature, clearly identifying the sources of uncertainty.	Excellent analysis of the full body of literature as well as evidence of substantial research. Excellent identification of strengths of the published literature and weaknesses. Sources of uncertainty are clearly defined and explained.	Good analysis of the literature. Strengths and weaknesses of readings are well identified. Sources of uncertainty are identified and explained.	Solid research and analysis of the literature. Some strengths and weaknesses of readings identified, but further analysis needed. Sources of uncertainty are identified.	Sound attempt to research and analyse the literature. Consideration of strengths and weaknesses of readings is limited. No sources of uncerainty identified.	Very poor attempt to research and analyse the literature. Strengths and weaknesses of readings are very poorly identified. No sources of uncerainty identified.
Identification of common themes and gaps in the literature (Discussion and risk characterisation)	Excellent identification of common themes and gaps in the literature. Risk is characterised clearly using the evidence from the hazard and exposure assessment phases.	Good identification of common themes and gaps in the literature.Risk is characterised well using the evidence from the hazard and exposure assessment phases.	Solid identification of some common themes and gaps in the literature, but further consideration needed. Risk is characterised although limited evidence from the hazard and exposure assessment phases is used.	Some identification of common themes and gaps in the literature, but considerably more needed. Risk is characterised poorly.	Very poor identification of common themes and gaps in the literature and risk characterisation.
Scholarly presentation	Presentation is cohesively written. Clear format, very few grammatical, spelling &/or punctuation errors. Excellent use of English language. Excellent formatting and use of referencing.	Presentation is well written. Some minor grammatical, spelling &/or punctuation errors. Good use of English language. Very well formatted and good use of referencing.	Some grammatical, spelling &/or punctuation errors. English expression is sound. Well formatted. References used.	A number of grammatical, spelling &/or punctuation errors. Some problems with English expression. Not well formatted. Poor use of references with limited relevance.	Large number of grammatical, spelling &/or punctuation errors. Presentation contains English construction that is incomprehensible. Poor formatting. with little evidence of referencing.

Assessment Task 3

Assessment 3 Part A: Peer teaching presentation

Students will be evaluated by their peers on their presentation using a rubric, which will contribute 40% of the total mark for the course. An important part of learning comes from your peers and this assessment will develop your communication and interpersonal skills as well as your ability to provide constructive feedback to others. These presentations must be uploaded online with a voice over from the student lasting no more than 10 minutes. Every student MUST grade TWO of their peers’ presentations using the peer assessment scheme below (available as online document). Marks from each peer will be automatically collated out of 10. Their total mark out of 10 will be the average score from their peers.

IMPORTANT: There is no additional research required for this assessment task. This will be using the information from your ESSAY and turning that into an oral 8 minute presentation.

Rubric

	Exemplary	Competent	Developing	Inadequate
Overall Understanding	Shows a deep/robust understanding of the topic with a fully developed argument per the categories below	Shows a limited understanding of the topic, not quite a fully developed argument per the categories below	Shows a superficial understanding of the topic, argument not developed enough per the categories below	Shows no understanding of the topic and no argument per the categories below
Argument   Description of environmental hazard and its importance	Clearly articulates a position or argument	Articulates a position or argument that is incomplete or limited in scope	Articulates a position or argument that is unfocused or ambiguous	Does not articulate a position or argument
Evidence Comprehensively identifies physical, biological, chemical and emotional risks associated with the hazard Realistically assesses the risks, considering the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences	Presents evidence that is relevant and accurate     Presents sufficient amount of evidence to support argument	Presents evidence that is mostly relevant and/or mostly accurate     Presents limited evidence to support argument	Presents evidence that is somewhat inaccurate and/or irrelevant, but corrects when prompted   Does not present enough evidence to support argument, but augments when prompted	Presents a lot of inaccurate and/or irrelevant evidence   Doesn’t present enough evidence to support argument, even when prompted repeatedly
Conclusions and Implications Risk characterization (conclusion) based on the evidence Theoretical implications: what are some future research directions? Practical implications: how can your research help develop public health response capabilities?	Fully discusses the major implications of the argument or position	Adequately discusses some of the major implications of the position	Discusses minor implications (missing the major ones) OR does not discuss major implications adequately	Doesn’t discuss the implications of the argument or position

Assessment Task 4

Assessment 3 Part B: Online discussion

The other 30% of this assessment comes from interacting with at least three other presentations. When you upload your presentation, you will simultaneously post ONE question on the discussion forum. Every student MUST pick THREE questions out of the pool to respond to and include at least two references in each response. These three responses will be graded by the course convenor (10% each). An important part of the learning comes from interaction among students and instructors and, if you do not actively engage with your peers, you will not experience the development of ideas in the course and miss the opportunity to attain a deeper understanding of the course materials. Quality is more important than quantity.

IMPORTANT: There is no additional reseearch required for this assessment task. This will be using the information from your ESSAY and turning that into an oral 8 minute presentation.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students