Teaching methodology and training activities

The training activities are divided into three sections: theory classes, problem classes, and laboratory practices, each with its specific methodology.

Theory classes

The teaching staff will explain the content of the syllabus with the support of audiovisual material that will be available to students on the subject's Virtual Campus. These expository sessions will constitute an important part of the theory section.

Under the guidance of the teaching staff and through communication through the Virtual Campus, the knowledge of some selected parts of the syllabus will have to be searched and studied through autonomous learning by the students. In order to facilitate this task, information about locations will be provided in textbooks, web pages, etc.

Problem solving classes

The number of students in the problem group(s) depends on the teaching plan programmed by the Departments of Physics and Chemistry to which the teaching work of this subject is requested.

The dossiers of problem statements of the subject by topics will be delivered through the Virtual Campus, which will be solved during some of the face-to-face problem sessions (programmed on the timetable from the Coordination of the Environmental Science Degree). In these sessions, the problem's teachers will explain the experimental and calculation principles necessary to work on the problems raised, explaining the guidelines for their resolution.

This type of problem class will be combined with problem classes aimed at the guided preparation of a project, as well as the presentation of the project.

Laboratory practices

Two laboratory practices are scheduled, one from each area of the subject (Physics and Chemistry) (programmed in the schedule from the Coordination of the Environmental Sciences Degree). The Scripts of each practice will be delivered through the Virtual Campus, aswellas all related information of interest.

Material available on the subject's Virtual Campus

Teaching guide

Presentations used by teachers in theory classes

Dossiers of the problem classes

Scripts of laboratory practices

AI Use

Model 2 - Restricted use: “For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translations, and note preparation. It may also be used in justified cases during the preparation of the Chemistry Project. In any case, students must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology in the case of any assessable test (Project and/or class evidence). The tools used must be specified as well as a critical reflection on how they have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in any assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.”

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

The evaluation process follows the principle of continuous evaluation (continuous assesment). For the evaluation of the subject, the following will be carried out:

A) Two partial trials on the dates indicated by the faculty (and marked in the schedule of the Degree in Environmental Sciences), each corresponding to a part of the subject. The partial trials are individual.

B) Laboratory practices: The practices of each area are mandatory, and will be evaluated and will have their own weight in the final grade of the subject. The evaluation mode will be notified through the Virtual Campus of the subject. They will be carried out in pairs.

C) Project related to the part of the subject from topic 4 (part of the Chemistry field: organic and/or inorganic pollutants). Work will be done in groups of at least 4 people.

The final grade of the subject will be distributed with 35% for the Physics part, and 65% for the Chemistry part. To pass the subject, students must obtain a final grade equal to or greater than 5.0.

Each area distributes its grade as follows:

65% Chemistry: 10% will correspond to the grade of the part corresponding to Chemistry of the 1st partial trial; 40% will correspond to the grade of the 2nd partial trial; 10% to the preparation of a project (in working groups); and 5% to the laboratory practices corresponding to the Chemistry laboratory part.

35% Physics: 25% will correspond to the grade of the part corresponding to Physics of the 1st partial trial; and 10% to the laboratory practices corresponding to the Physics laboratory part.

The grade of each partial must be equal to or greater than 3.5, in order to calculate the final grade weighted with the other grades achieved in the other scheduled activities. The average grade of these two partial trials must be, at least, 5.0 in order to calculate the final grade with the rest of the assessment activities.

If the project is not presented or the two laboratory practices are not attended, the student will be classified as "NOT ASSESSABLE", regardless of the grade of the partial trials or exams. On the other hand, students who do not present themselves for the 1st partial or the 2nd partial, will also be classified as "NOT ASSESSABLE".

Students who do not pass the assessment of the partial trials in section (A) will have an extraordinary assessment, on the dates determined by the faculty (and marked in the schedule of the Degree in Environmental Sciences). In order to be able to take the extraordinary exam, students must have participated in evaluation activities throughout the course that are equivalent to 2/3 of the final grade (that is, they must take both partial trials).

To recover the grade in section (A), students must take each of the partial trials with a grade lower than 3.5. In the event that the average grade of the partial trials is lower than 5.0, and the partial trials have a grade higher than 3.5, the student may decide to take the extraordinary evaluation of both partial trials or only the extraordinary evaluation of the partial trial with the lowest grade.

The grade of the retake exam will replace the previous grade in the calculation of the final grade. In order to be able to average the final grade, the grade of the retaken partial must be equal to or greater than 3.5.

Only the grade referred to in section (A) can be retaken. For the purpose of retaken, the grades of sections (B) and (C) remain unchanged.

Evaluation of students in 2nd or 3rd call ("repeaters")

Students who repeat the subject will not have to repeat the part of the laboratory practices (the grade for 2 consecutive calls will be saved). For the rest of the assessment activities, they will NOT be assessed differently from the rest of the students.

UNIQUE ASSESSMENT:

Students who have accepted the single assessment modality will have to take a final trial, where the content of the entire subject will be assessed. The exam grade must be at least 5.0, and will have a weighting of 75%. On the same day of the exam (which will be held on the same day that the continuous assessment studentsare assessed for the 2nd partial trial) the Project for the field of Chemistry (which in this case will be individual) must be handed in, and will have a weighting of 10%. The laboratory practices are also compulsory attendance and will have a weighting of 10% of the Physics part, and 5% of the Chemistry part.

If the final grade does not reach 5, the student has another chance to pass the subject through the extraordinary exam that will be held on the same day as everyone's extraordinary exam. Regarding this option, the grades for sections (B) and (C) will be the same.

Irregularities: copying and plagiarism

Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures that are deemed appropriate, irregularities committed by students that may lead to a change in the grade of an assessment act will be graded with a zero. Therefore, copying, plagiarism, deception, allowing copying, etc. in any of the assessment activities will involve failing it with a zero.

Academic fraud: The commission of any irregularity in an assessment act (academic fraud, plagiarism or improper use of AI, unless this use is expressly authorized in the teaching guide), which may lead to a significant variation in the grade, means that this act will be graded with a 0. In the event that the teaching guide provides that to pass the subject it is an essential requirement to have obtained a minimum grade in this assessment act or that several irregularities occur in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject is 0. Apart from this, a disciplinary process may be initiated against the student who incurs any of these irregularities.