Overview
ENSC 495 and ENSC 496 are based on contracted study arrangements between each student and an approved supervisor. Students improve their skills to choose and define problems, obtain information from libraries or experiments, organize facts and ideas, and report ideas and conclusions in written form.
These courses are for students who wish to carry out environmental science-related projects or to obtain formal recognition, through these courses, of environmental science-related skills and training they have received on the job (e.g., agriculture, forestry, or industry). A student may complete one three-credit project (ENSC 495) or two three-credit projects (ENSC 495 and ENSC 496).
These courses may involve library, field, or laboratory work as agreed to by the student and the supervisor. Students are expected to obtain and pay for all materials used in the projects. Project supervisors may be paid an honorarium by the University for their services. Before registering, students must submit an acceptable project proposal to the course coordinator.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to
- search, critically evaluate, and summarize the primary environmental science literature relevant to a given research question.
- develop and perform experiments to test and refine hypotheses based on data.
- analyze and interpret data in order to draw conclusions.
- communicate original research findings in a variety of scientific formats.
Evaluation
The assessment for these courses is based upon the student's written reports and other work as outlined in his or her learning contract. The evaluation is based on the project supervisor's assessment of the student's work. ENSC 495 and ENSC 496 are excluded from the challenge for credit policy. To receive credit you must achieve a course composite grade of at least a C- (60 percent).
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.