Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including field trips and workshops to receive credit for components of the course.
The course will not include live online events.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable delivery.

The course is not available to Offshore or Online students.

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

n/a - readings will be provided during the course. 

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

This course is 100% internally assessed. There will be no final exam. Your final mark for the course will be a combination of a course contract and three major assignments. The course contract comprises 30% and the assignments 70% of your final grade. If you fulfill the course contract, you are guaranteed 30%, plus whatever marks you earn in the assignments. 

EARTHSCI 705 uses a course contract to support student learning and to facilitate teacher-student and student-student collaboration and engagement. If you follow the contract for the entire semester, you will receive 100% for the course contract component of your grade (worth 30%), plus whatever marks you achieve in the three assignments (worth 70%). If you do not meet the expectations in the contract, you will have marks removed from this component. You are responsible for being aware of and following the contract stipulations. The grades for the course contract component are spread over three blocks: Block 1 (10%); Block 2 (10%) and Block 3 (10%). At the end of each block, marks for that block will be released. Anyone who has not received full marks for the block will receive an email from the course coordinator explaining the breaches of contract that have led to a lower mark. The Course Contract expects you to: 1. Attend all workshops in all three blocks, arriving on time and staying for the duration (unless you have a valid excuse such as sickness, proven with a doctor’s certificate. Please note that work, workload, being on holiday, and computer and transport issues are not valid reasons); 2. Meet due dates for all three major assignments; any extensions must be pre-arranged with the course coordinator; 3. Prepare all work with integrity and avoid plagiarism (note that all work uploaded to canvas will be checked by Turnitin, which is an online plagiarism checker); 4. Complete all preparation tasks by due dates, uploading to Canvas as and when required (note that extensions will not be given for preparation tasks); 5. Not use your device during classes and workshops unless it is needed for an activity or notetaking; 6. Give thoughtful peer feedback during class workshops and work faithfully with your group on other collaborative tasks (e.g., group assignment, sharing papers, commenting on drafts, peer editing, on-line discussion boards, answering peer questions); 7. Be honest and open to new approaches during class; 8. Encourage a diversity of opinions on all topics and give everyone the opportunity for equal participation; 9. Participate fully in both whole-class and group activities, and try your best!

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

I will consider all constructive feedback and make appropriate minor tweaks.  

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.