Teaching methodology and training activities

The training activities are divided into four sections: theory classes, problem classes, field practice and laboratory practices, each with its own 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 Virtual Campus of the subject. 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 can be searched and studied through autonomous learning by the students. In order to facilitate this task, information will be provided on locations in textbooks, websites, etc.

Problem solving classes

The dossiers of problem statements for the subject will be delivered through the Virtual Campus, which will be solved throughout some of the face-to-face problem sessions (scheduled in the schedule by the Coordination of the Degree in Environmental Sciences). In these sessions, the problem teaching staff will explain the experimental and calculation principles necessary to work on the problems posed, explaining the guidelines for their resolution.

This type of problem classes will be combined with problem classes aimed at the guided preparation of a Case Study.

Field practice

A field session is scheduled for the UAB Campus in order to carry out a guided sampling.

Laboratory practices

Two laboratory practice sessions are scheduled in the field of Chemistry (scheduled in the schedule by the Coordination of the Degree in Environmental Sciences). The script for each practical session will be delivered through the Virtual Campus, as well as all related information of interest. In these laboratory sessions, attempts will be made to use the samples collected in the field practice.

Material available on the Virtual Campus of the subject

Teaching guide

Presentations used by teachers in theory classes

Dossiers of problem classes

Scripts for field practice and 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, for example. Especially for the preparation of case studies/projects in each area (Physics and Chemistry). The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these 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.

Note: 15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/degree, for students to complete the surveys to evaluate the performance of the teachers and the evaluation of the subject.

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. For the evaluation of the subject, the following will be carried out:

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

B) Field practice: It will be carried out on the UAB campus. The script for the field practice will be delivered through the Virtual Campus. This part can be evaluated within one of the partials of the subject.

C) Laboratory practices: The two laboratory practice sessions are in the field of Chemistry, and attendance is mandatory. They will be carried out in pairs. And the practice script will be delivered via the Virtual Campus. This part can be evaluated within one of the partials of the subject.

D) Case studies related to the subject matter. A problem or case study will be presented for each area, one from the Sampling area (Physics), and the other from Analytical Techniques (Chemistry). Students will work in work teams. The Virtual Campus will provide instructions and details of each case study or work to be developed by each work team.

The final grade for the subject will be distributed as follows:

23% 1st exam part

10% Case study Sampling (Physics)

40% 2nd exam part

20% Case study Analytical techniques (Chemistry)

7% Laboratory practices (Chemistry)

The grade for each exam part 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 for these two tests must be at least 5.0 in order to calculate the final grade with the rest of the assessment activities.

If the Case studies are not presented or the field practice and/or laboratory practice sessions are not attended, the student will be classified as "NOT EVALUABLE", regardless of the grade for the both midterm exams. On the other hand, students who do not attend the 1st exam part and/or the 2nd exam part will also be classified as "NOT EVALUABLE".

Students who do not pass the evaluation of the partial tests in section (A) will have an extraordinary evaluation, 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 retake exam, students must have participated in evaluation activities throughout the course that are equivalent to 2/3 of the final grade.

To recover the grade in section (A), students must retake each of the partials with a grade lower than 3.5. In the event that the average grade of the partials is lower than 5.0, and the partials have a grade higher than 3.5, the student may decide to take the extraordinary evaluation of both partials or only the extraordinary evaluation of the partial 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 calculate the average for the final grade, the midterm grade must be equal to or greater than 3.5.

Only the grade referred to in section (A) may be recovered. For the purpose of recovery, the grades in sections (C) and (D) remain unchanged. The grades in sections (C) and (D) must be greater than 5.0 in order to calculate the final grade with the rest of the assessment activities.

Evaluation of repeating students

Students who repeat the subject will not have to repeat the field practice or laboratory practices (the grade for 2 consecutive exams will be kept). For the rest of the assessment activities, they will NOT be assessed differently from the rest of the students.

SINGLE/UNIQUE ASSESSMENT:

Students who have opted for the single/unique assessment modality will have to take a final test, 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 63%. On the same day of the exam (which will be held on the same day that continuous assessment students are assessed for the 2nd partial) the work related to the Case Studies (which in this case will be individual) will have to be submitted, and will have a weighting of 30%. Field and laboratory practices are also mandatory, with laboratory practices accounting for 7% of the final grade.

If the final grade does not reach 5.0, the student will have another opportunity to pass the subject through the retake exam that will be held on the same day as the retake exam for the rest of the students. For the retake, the grades for sections (C) and (D) remain unchanged (and must be greater than 5.0 to calculate the final grade).

Irregularities: copying and plagiarism

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