STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AT HOME
This is an extremely flexible program, offering people with a background (prior study, or experience) an opportunity to obtain a formal qualification in this discipline
The course is comprised of two parts:
i. Three environmental modules/short courses (plus exams). The beauty of this course is that you can negotiate with one of our academic officers to select virtually any combination of relevant modules that are appropriate to your needs. Your selection might be made from modules such as "Professional Practice for Consulting", "Environmental Assessment", "Environmental Waste Management", "Wildlife Management", "Introduction to Ecology", "Statistics", "Botany I", "Botany II", "Water Conservation & Management", "Ornithology", "Vertebrate Zoology" or "Marine Studies I". Others may also be acceptable.
ii. A workplace project or relevant work experience equivalent to 200 hours.
Duration: 500 hours
MORE ON THE WORKPLACE PROJECT/WORK EXPERIENCE -
Workplace Projects
There are four options available to you to satisfy this requirement:
Alternative 1.
If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.
The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.
Alternative 2.
A one module credit (100 hrs) can be achieved by verifying attendance at a series of industry meetings, as follows:
-
Meetings may be seminars, conferences, trade shows, committee meetings, volunteer events (eg. Community working bees), or any other meeting where two or more industry people or people who are knowledgeable about their discipline.
-
Opportunity must exist for the student to learn through networking, observation and/or interaction with people who know their industry or discipline
-
A list of events should be submitted together with dates of each attended and times being claimed for each
-
Documentary evidence must be submitted to the school to indicate support each item on the above list (eg. Receipts from seminars, conference or shows, letters from committee or organisation secretaries or committee members. All such documentation must contain a contact details)
Alternative 3.
Credits can be achieved by completing standard modules Workshop I, II and/or III
Each of these modules comprises a series of “hands on” PBL projects, designed as learning experiences that involve interaction with the real world. (This approach is based upon tried and proven learning approaches that originated in American universities but are now widely used and respected by academia throughout many countries). See the web site or handbook for more detail.
Example:
Workshop I
There are 3 lessons, each involving a PBL project, as follows:
1. Workplace Tools, Equipment and Materials: Identifying and describing the operation of tools and equipment used in the workplace; routine maintenance of tools and equipment; identifying and comparing materials used in the workplace; using different materials to perform workplace tasks.
2. Workplace Skills: Determining key practical skills in the workplace; identifying and comparing commonly-performed workplace tasks; determining acceptable standards for workplace tasks; implementing techniques for improving workplace efficiency.
3. Workplace Safety: Identifying health and safety risks in the workplace; complying with industry OH&S standards; developing safety guidelines for handling dangerous items.
What is PBL? Problem-based learning has been defined as: “A learning method based on using problems as a starting point for acquisition and integration of new knowledge.”
Alternative 4.
If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.
Procedure for a Workplace Project
This project is a major part of the course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above). Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work experience is seen as highly desirable.
This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.
Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.
For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.
Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.
If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).
HOW TO PROCEED
1. Students are expected to select a suitable project or task to complete that allows the student to apply and integrate the knowledge and skills they have obtained as part of their studies.
2. The student should submit a draft proposal outlining their proposed project, study or task. The expected outcomes of this project should be clearly stated. This will be looked at by a tutor and comments made. Students are welcome to visit the school or to talk to a tutor to obtain advice on how to draw up their proposal. The proposal should indicate what the student intends to do, how they intend to do it, where they intend to do it, and what they expect to produce (e.g. a written report, a folio, references from an employer) as a means of showing what they have achieved during their project/study/task.
3. A refined proposal will be submitted by the student incorporating changes based on the comments made by the tutor. This updated proposal will either be accepted as being suitable or further comments made. The proposal may need to be submitted several times before it is finally accepted.
4. The student will then be expected to carry out the project, study or task.
Progress Reports
The student will be expected to submit three progress reports during the duration of the progress. This is in addition to the final project product (e.g. report, folio). Each progress report should show what you have done so far (e.g. what research you have done, what tasks you have carried out, etc.). It should also cover any problems you have had so far, and if so, what you have done to overcome these problems. Each progress report should be in the vicinity of 300 - 500 words in length.
Progress Report 1.
This should be submitted about one quarter of the way through your study/project/task.
Progress Report 2.
This should be submitted about one half way through your study/project/task.
Progress Report 3.
This should be submitted about three quarters of the way through your study/project/task.
Final Report
This report is to be typed and submitted to the school.
The final report should summarise the objective of the workplace project, and be set out like a professional report.
Although content is the most important factor in determining a pass grade for the workplace project, your report should exhibit elements of professional report writing (in regards to spelling, grammar, clarity and presentation).
Final Report Length
For 100 hours Workplace Projects: Complete and submit a report of 1,500 to 3,000 words.
For a 200 hour Workplace Project: Complete and submit a report of 3,000 to 5,000 words.
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification - Proficiency Award In Environmental Management is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Environmental Management is Necessary for a Sustainable Future
People around the world recognise the need to change the way we treat the environment if life is to be of good quality. In the past, environmental problems were managed only when they became serious or affected human health. This sometimes led to permanent and serous environmental harm. Adopting ecologically sustainable development (ESD) will help us look after the environment.
ESD can be defined as "using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased".
In 1987, The World Commission of Environment and Development also defined ESD in Our Common Future as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. In other words ESD means using the environment and its resources in a way that lets other people, including those not yet born, live productive and healthy lives, with relatively the same access to resources.
Under ESD, resources are not limited to minerals, food or energy sources. ESD includes natural resources such as air, water and soil, and social and cultural resources. If development is ecologically sustainable, natural resources and biological, cultural and social diversity will be maintained or improved.
A number of countries around the world are developing ESD policies. For example, in Australia, the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development stated the core objectives of ESD:
1. To enhance individual and community well-being and welfare by following a path of economic development that safeguards the welfare of future generations.
2. To provide for equity within and between generations.
3. To protect biological diversity and maintain essential ecological processes and life support systems.
Two other principles of ESD described in the National Strategy are:
• Incorporating ESD in decision-making: When any decision is made, it has to take into account environmental, social, economic and equity factors. The decision not only has to consider short-term effects, but also long-term effects. This is important because if a decision ignores any of these factors, or takes a short-term view, it may affect community wellbeing of cause environmental harm.
• The precautionary principle: If something might cause permanent damage to the environment, but there still is not enough information to be certain, then we should take action which will reduce the threat of damage to the environment. Lack of proof is not a good enough reason to avoid making a decision to reduce likely damage to the environment.
Sustainable Development is a global issue. In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg. This summit was aimed at implementing agreements which were already in place between the 183 countries involved to ensure sustainable development was occurring now and in the future. The sustainability agreements covered areas such as Agriculture, Sustainable Use of Chemicals, Fisheries, Biodiversity, Ocean Protection and Sustainable Consumption and Production.
This was followed by a meeting convened by the IUCN in 2006 to discuss the issue of sustainability in the 21st Century. At this meeting, the representatives recognised three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social and economic. In its 2005-8 programme, the IUCN adopted the notion that these three dimensions were interlocked with one another to demonstrate that the three objects require better integration and balance.
A framework for ESD can encompass these three dimensions in a way that
• Recognises the importance of ecological considerations
• Adopts a precautionary approach to assessing risks
• Ensures social equity in and between generations
• Cultivates a long-term global orientation
• Maximises efficiency of resource and energy use
• Encourages public participation in decision making.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Learning Facilities
ACS follows the old fashioned idea that “the student comes first”. Our staff are told to treat every student as an individual and respond promptly to their enquiries; and the facilities we have developed and continue to develop, are all focused on that goal. Facilities include:
- Offices in two time zones (UK and Australia) –which means an international team of academics are responding to students 5 days a week and 16 hours a day.
- An online student room with unique resources that are only available to students studying our courses, including online library.
- Bookshop offering quality downloadable e books
- A data base of 20 million words of unique information written by our staff over 3 decades that can be drawn upon if needed by academics for use in supporting our students.
- Systems that ensure assignments are tracked, marked and returned to students, fast -commonly within a round 1 week & rarely more than 2 weeks (note: many other colleges take longer).
- The school is active in social networking and encourages students to connect with us and each other.
- No automated handling of student phone enquiries. When you call you get a real person; or leave a message and a real person will call you back within a day, but more commonly within an hour or two.
- No additional charges for extra tutor support over the phone or email.
- Free careers advice for graduates –It is our policy to provide support and advice to our students even after they graduate. If a graduate needs help with getting a CV together, or advice on setting up a business or looking for work; they only need ask.
- The quality of academic staff is higher than many other colleges.
How our Courses Differ
- Courses are continually improved –we invite feedback from all graduates and change courses immediately the need is detected.
- Courses are relevant to the whole world –we try hard to teach make the learning transferable to any region or country because the world is increasingly a global economy
- Courses written by our staff, teach different skills to standard courses; giving a unique mix of skills and knowledge to provide a career advantage. Do you want an accredited certificate and the same skills as 100 other job applicants; or one of our courses with skills that no other applicants have?
- Certificates and diplomas are longer. They teach you more, and our qualifications have built a reputation amongst academics and industry as being a very high standard for this reason.
- We are focused on helping you learn in a way that improves your capacity to understand your discipline, apply knowledge, and continue learning and developing your capabilities beyond your course.
These things cannot be always said of other colleges.
Career Opportunities
Study alone can never guarantee career success; but a good education is an important starting point.
Success in a career depends upon many things. A course like this is an excellent starting point because it provides a foundation for continued learning, and the means of understanding and dealing with issues you encounter in the workplace.
When you have completed an ACS course, you will have not only learnt about the subject, but you will have been prompted to start networking with experts in the discipline and shown how to approach problems that confront you in this field.
This and every other industry in today’s world is developing in unforeseen ways; and while that is unsettling for anyone who wants to be guaranteed a particular job at the end of a particular course; for others, this rapidly changing career environment is offering new and exciting opportunities almost every month.
If you want to do the best that you can in this industry, you need to recognise that the opportunities that confront you at the end of a course, are probably different to anything that has even been thought of when you commence a course.
BOOKS
Visit our School bookshop at www.acsebook.com
- Downloadable ebooks that can be read on ipads, PC’s, Laptops, or readers like a Kindle.
- Titles are written by our principal and staff.
- Anyone can purchase books –ACS students are offered a student discount
