School: Medical and Health Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Environmental Health Investigations
  • Unit Code

    HST3180
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mr Yves Bernard Garry DINE

Description

In this unit students will develop a range of skills required to assess the impact of air, water and noise quality on public health, and the legislative framework that supports pollution control and environmental management. A variety of measurement approaches, including quality indicators, and appropriate control methods will be covered.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

All students are required to attend a compulsory three-day on-campus workshop, normally at the Joondalup campus.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must have passed HST1160 or HST2114.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Use standardised scientific methods and equipment to assess air, water or noise levels.
  2. Critically analyse data to assess compliance with environmental health legislation requirements.
  3. Communicate prevention, remediation and control of noise, water and air pollution advice to diverse professional and non professional audiences.
  4. Apply legislation, standards and codes of practice to enforce noise, water and air pollution control.

Unit Content

  1. Legislation that relates to the investigation of environmental health issues, such as air, water and/or noise pollution.
  2. Environmental impact/assessments statements as well as council planning and development procedures as they apply to air, water and noise issues.
  3. Water quality, including potable water, wastewater and, recreational water.
  4. Potable and recreational water testing.
  5. Air quality – ambient air, National Environment Protection Measures (NEPMs), local air pollution issues, air sheds and modelling
  6. Measurement of air quality from an environmental health impact perspective.
  7. Environmental noise assessment and control, and environmental health impacts.
  8. Evidence gathering for Environmental Health Officers.

Learning Experience

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Students will engage in online learning modules and tutorials supported by discussion groups and a three-day hands-on workshop to develop practical skills in the use of environmental sampling equipment.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ReviewReview of development and planning processes in respect to air, water, noise issues.30%
PortfolioReflection of field trip visits30%
Report ^Investigation of an Environmental health Issue40%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ReviewReview of development and planning processes in respect to air, water, noise issues30%
PortfolioReflection of field trip visits30%
Report ^Investigation of an Environmental health Issue40%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

HST3180|1|1