Unit rationale, description and aim
Students will explore a range of environmental management challenges by applying advanced environmental management practices in organisational settings. The goal is to equip students with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills essential for effective environmental management.
The natural environment is emerging as a critical factor for organisational success as it presents significant challenges on for organisational activities. Stakeholders should conduct business while protecting, maintaining and conserving the environment in order to align with sustainable development goals and universal human rights principles.
Professionals in OHSE advisory and general management roles understand their responsibility toward both the environment and society. They possess knowledge of environmental management systems, including legal and compliance obligations. This specialised unit builds upon existing knowledge of OHSE management focuses on:
1. Environmental Science Principles: consideration of ecosystems, biodiversity, water management, ecologically sustainable development, the precautionary principle, ozone depletion, and greenhouse gases.
2. Environmental Management: focus on natural resource management, climate change mitigation, circular economy, management of chemicals and waste.
Students explore a range of challenges, gaining experience in applying advanced environmental management practices in organisational settings. This unit promotes commitment to common good and stewardship of creation. Businesses must embrace sustainable practices that uphold human dignity and ecological integrity.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Synthesise environmental management concepts and a...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically analyse environmental management system...
Learning Outcome 02
Assess impacts of adverse environment management e...
Learning Outcome 03
Evaluate and recommend interventions to control ri...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Significance of occupational health and wellbeing, human factors and ergonomics
- Organise, analyse, and synthesis information arising from product and task analysis: physical & environmental, cognitive/human factors, organisational
- Human, organisation, performance and systems analysis
- Manual tasks: calculate risks for musculoskeletal disorders (acute and cumulative), risk management, participatory ergonomics and design strategies
- Office workstation ergonomics issues
- Human information processing, shift-work and fatigue and OHSE
- Psychosocial hazards, occupational stress and the wellbeing of employees
- Psychosocial hazards resulting in workplace bullying & occupational violence and healthy workplaces
- Technology, work design principles, tools & methods and human diversity
- Integration of occupational health & safety with good work design and other business unit activity
- Planning workplace wellness strategies for diverse individual needs
- Fundamentals of return to work considerations and its impact on employees and business sustainability
Assessment strategy and rationale
Three primary assessment items are required in this Unit. The first, based on online activities and discussion of selected topics, requires students to provide and synthesise their views and experiences with weekly learnings from lectures and research from the academic literature The second is a workplace report that requires students to demonstrate their ability to research, reflect and apply OHSE knowledge and skills using a human factors/ergonomics approach, to assess risk and determine design concepts and features that lead to recommendations to improve work or job design, . This assessment will help students demonstrate their written communication skills in a business context. ) The third assessment is a toolbox talk presentation via video that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as an OHSE practitioner to a non-academic audience for workers and maintainers. The content will arise from selected topics within the unit.
To pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall mark of at least 50% and must make an attempt at all three assessment items. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Discussion Forum This assess...
Assessment Task 1: Discussion Forum
This assessment task consists of a 1000-word Discussion Forum activity requiring students to provide three of their discussion forum posts (including three responses to other students posts). This task requires students to locate and interpret information relevant to environmental science concepts and demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas effectively with organisational stakeholders.
Submission Type: Individual
Assessment Method: Discussion Forum activity
25%
Assessment Task 2: Critical Evaluation Report of ...
Assessment Task 2: Critical Evaluation Report of Issue in Environmental Science
This assessment task consists of a 1750-word report. This task requires students to select a topic of environmental concern within an organisational context, identify and assess the risk of potential adverse impacts to human and environmental health in a scholarly and evidence informed manner.
Submission Type: Individual
Artefact: Written report
40%
Assessment Task 3: Presentation This assessment ...
Assessment Task 3: Presentation
This assessment task consists of a 10 minute video presentation and PDF slides. This task requires students to assimilate concepts and practice in environmental management and demonstrate their ability to determine the appropriate actions organisations can take to control the risk of adverse impacts to human and environmental health within a legislative framework.
Submission Type: Individual or group (depending on size)
Assessment Method: Video
Artefact: Online
35%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This Unit employs a learning and teaching strategy that combines active learning (engaging with online lecture videos, reading, writing and case studies to analyse, synthesise and problem solve) and peer learning methods (engaging with peers and the lecturer via online tools to collaborate, query and elaborate). Live online workshops will be offered at regular intervals throughout the teaching period to allow students synchronous access to their lecturer and peers at defined times or ACU Online 10 week asynchronous delivery mode. Use of applied case studies and scenarios, with reference to legislation and standards as well as national and international contexts, are used to facilitate applied action learning. The provision of timely student feedback is also a key aspect of the learning and teaching strategy as this allows students to direct future learning behaviours and performance in a meaningful way. The online learning environment can be challenging in terms of encouraging student interaction and participation, and the Unit’s teaching methods have been chosen because they are most likely to support the achievement of learning outcomes and participation by a geographically diverse cohort of students.
ACU Online
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.