ENVMGT 701 : Environmental Management in Practice
Science
2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
ENVMGT 701 is a required course for those enrolled in the Environmental Management programs - 120 point Postgraduate Diploma in Science, 180 point Master of Environmental Management (MEnvMgt), and 120 or 240 point Master of Science. The course will prepare students for the research experience, with self-directed learning activities, workshops, group tutorials, and assignments that, collectively, will help them establish a research platform for a topic of personal interest. Learning opportunities will enable students to combine academic literature, policy-relevant sources, and a range of interpretive skills to determine an optimal research pathway for their needs. Although the acquisition of research skills is a primary focus, ENVMGT 701 will also emphasize critical self-reflection on the positionality, ethical and cultural dimensions of appropriate research, and the contribution that research can make to realizing community aspirations.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate the capacity to identify, source and apply academic literature to a research problem. (Capability 3, 4 and 6)
- Critically review and assess theories and concepts relevant to a personal research interest. (Capability 3, 4 and 6)
- Justify, differentiate and communicate methods, ethical standpoints and research practices that will resolve a research question. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8)
- Develop and design a research project and a research strategy to initiate that project. (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Develop competencies and skills in research methods that will be required for future research needs. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
- Structure and articulate diverse resources to synthesise and communicate the core components of a research platform. (Capability 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Annotated Bibliography | 5% | Individual Coursework |
| Literature Review | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Methodological Review | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Pechakucha | 5% | Individual Coursework |
| Proposal or Report | 50% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Annotated Bibliography | ||||||||||
| Literature Review | ||||||||||
| Methodological Review | ||||||||||
| Pechakucha | ||||||||||
| Proposal or Report | ||||||||||
Key Topics
- Bibliographic search (RefWorks, Scopus/Web of Science, Write-n-Cite);
- Accessing and working with public submissions on environmental controversies;
- Discourse analysis and media representation;
- Understanding policy evolutions, with options to investigate the change in a local or central government policy for an environmental issue of significance to individual students;
- Themes in common to a cluster of case law precedents;
- Archival research;
- Working with ‘text’ in qualitative analysis.
Special Requirements
Students should consider carefully the relationship between lectured content and out-of-class reflection exercises. Although the latter are not assessed, your capacity to use and apply the former will be greater if you use the reflection exercises as practice for whatever method is considered in a particular teaching week.
Tuākana
As part of the University-wide Tuākana community, The School of Environment Tuākana Programme aims to provide a welcoming learning environment for and enhance the success of, all of our Māori and Pacific students. We are led by the principles of tautoko (support) and whanaungatanga (connection) and hope you find a home here at the School. Students who have identified as Māori and/or Pacific will receive an invitation to our online portal introducing the Programme, the resources we have available, and how you can get involved.Māori and Pacific's students are encouraged to contact Sonia Fonua (s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz) for information about the Tuākana programme.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 35mins of in-class reflection, 35mins of lecturing and 35mins of in-class group discussion per week, along with 3 hours of reading, 2 hours of self-directed skills acquisition, and 3 hours of work on assignments.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including workshops and tutorials to complete components of the course.
There are few lectures in the course, and most learning opportunities are based on self-directed learning or small group work, so there will be few opportunities to record classes.
The course may include live online events including group discussions and tutorials.
There are no tests or exams that require in-person attendance. Some exercises are dependent on Auckland-based resources and activities, but equivalents may be negotiated for overseas students.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes 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.
All academic articles required for learning and assessment will be provided through Talis reading lists.
Student Feedback
During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.
At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.
Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.
The course ran for the first time in 2022. The emphasis on weekly experimentation with a new research method was appreciated so that till again be the emphasis for 2023.
Academic Integrity
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.
Class Representatives
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.
Copyright
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.
Inclusive Learning
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 http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework 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 https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
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 your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
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 https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.