Free on-line text books will be used in this course:

• Steve Earle 2014. Physical Geology. (B.C. Canada Open Textbook Project).  https://opentextbc.ca/geology/

• Blewett RS (ed.) 2012. Shaping a Nation: A Geology of Australia, Geoscience Australia and ANU E Press, Canberra.  http://epress.anu.edu.au/titles/shaping-a-nation/pdf-download

MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).

The course consists of three 50-minute lecture or Q&A slots per week, three hours of practical work many weeks (although not all; pay attention to the course syllabus that we'll pass out on day 1 and through MyUni) and a one-day field excursion. The lectures are the source of most of the information assessed in the short theory exams and required for practicals. Many subjects are covered in detail only once and most contain some element of specialized vocabulary or facts that are hard to reproduce by reading alone.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

The course consists of three 50-minute lecture or Q&A slots per week, three hours of practical work for many weeks (although not every week; pay attention to the course syllabus below) and a one-day field excursion.

Part 1 - Weeks 1-3. Origins of a Habitable Planet.

Lecturer: Alex Francke

Part 2 - Weeks 4-6. Life and Death on Planet Earth.

Lecturer: Andrew Merdith

Part 3 - Weeks 7-9. Water World.

Lecturer: Alex Francke

Part 4 - Weeds 10-12. Surface Processes and Human Interactions.

Lecturer: Kathryn Amos

Week 13 - Test 3 (Weeks 7-12 content), during Thursday lecture time, 11.10am-12pm.

Weekend Day Fieldtrip - running on May 17th and 18th, you will be enrolled into one of these. Timing: 8am to 5pm.  

Assessment Overview:

• Test 1, online: Content from Module 1. 15% of course mark. Tuesday of Week 4.
• Test 2, online: Content from Module 2. 15% of course mark. Tuesday of Week 7.
• Test 3, in person: Content from Modules 3 and 4. 30% of course mark. Thursday of Week 13.
• Bonus quiz marks available: an additional 4 marks available in total (0.5 marks per bonus quiz), see above class schedule for timing of these. These bonus marks will be added to your mark for Test 3, up to a maximum possible award of 100% for that test. 
• Practical classes: 5% each (Weeks 2,3,5,6,8,9,11), for 35% of overall course mark
• Field excursion: online quiz, 5% of course mark. 

This course has a one-day field excursion to Sellicks Beach.This trip is compulsory, but fortunately fun. There is no charge for transport. The trip will run from approximately 8 am to around 5pm; more details will be provided at the start of Semester 1.

Short theory exams: Test material comes primarily from lecture material, and secondarily from assigned reading. Students may be tested on material that is not in the lecture material, but will be explicitly told what to read. The tests will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, short-answer and long-answer questions. The exams will take place within lecture slots.

Practical work: Students are enrolled in a particular practical session, and are expected to attend that session. The assessment will follow as a paper-based or MyUni on-line quiz or short answer exercises based on understanding gained during the practicals. Six will be assessed; each is worth 5%.

Virtual Field excursion: A series of exercises, including short questions and practical exercises will be undertaken online (10%).

Submission of Assigned Work

Practical work is submitted at the end of each practical session. There are no extensions for the practical work as it is to be accomplished during the practical period, and the practicals themselves are a mandatory and non-redeemable part of the course. Practicals will be marked and returned or answer keys posted within three weeks of each session.

The web-based assignment is to be submitted by the due date. There is no late submission or extension possible, unless you make an application on the basis of medical or compassionate grounds.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks

Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Co-ordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. The assessment extension application form can be obtained from: http://www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/current/

Late submission of assessments

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply.  A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.