Urban Watershed Management

SOIL/LWS 516 001 - Winter Term 1

Instructor: Julie Wilson (Email: julie.wilson@ubc.ca)

Office Hours: By appointment

Important Message from Course Instructor (Sept. 6, 2022):

Hello LWS/SOIL 516 Students,

As a result of a recent, unforeseen, and serious family issue, and the demands and uncertainty I am to expect in the future, it has been suggested to me to forego the weekly in-class discussion session for this course, for a temporary time. This means we will not have a scheduled meeting on Tuesdays at 12:30pm, until further notice.

What changes can you expect?

Until I can better assess my situation over the coming weeks, this course will be offered entirely online, where readings, discussions and work towards assignments will be conducted in an asynchronous fashion (meaning you do the work at the time that best suits you) with a more flexible pace.

I will be modifying the course activities and materials in Canvas, so check back on the course modules regularly. The assessment components will not be affected, as these can all adapt to an online format fairly seamlessly. The discussions will move online, and will be mostly seeking out your individual contributions, instead of group discussions.

As I mentioned above, I am hoping that this is temporary. I appreciate your understanding and will keep communication channels with you open as changes arise. Please feel free to reach out to me directly, if you have any questions.

I feel this is an exciting and valuable course, and I am committed to help facilitate your learning in the best way I can, given the strenuous circumstances. The Canvas course will be published on the first day of classes, Tuesday, Sept. 6^th.

Thank you,
Julie Wilson

Course Components and Structure (*See important message above for temporary change in course format*)

• This is a blended course format. Students can expect to interact with the course materials, instructor and other students both asynchronously (on your own schedule, from different locations), and synchronously (in the classroom, during scheduled class time).
• Online course materials are supplemented by a weekly in-class* Discussion period on Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 - 2:00pm, on UBC campus in ORCH 4004 (Orchard Commons building, 6363 Agronomy Rd.).
• All course information is posted on Canvas, which contains course announcements, discussion boards, links to readings and resources, etc.
• Prior to each Tuesday discussion, there will be pre-assigned readings and activities organized in Modules for students to complete in preparation. There may be short recorded lecture videos; readings including journal articles, book chapters, course eTextbook material and grey literature; questions to prepare for discussion in-class, and more.
• Assignments will be posted and submitted through Canvas.

Learning Objectives

• Review and describe how biophysical watershed processes respond to urbanization, including those that affect water quantity, quality and aquatic ecosystem health.
• Discuss principles of watershed effects, and the dynamics between watershed monitoring, indicators, references and assessment.
• Analyze a problem and investigate alternative beneficial management practices to mitigate impacts of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems and water resources.
• Evaluate management decisions and how they affect, and are affected by, biophysical, socioeconomic, governance/policy components and processes in the urban watershed system.
• Integrate principles or concepts from different disciplines in urban watershed management, through written and oral communication.

By the end of the course, students should have a sound knowledge base on the biophysical processes, impacts, and beneficial management practices in urban watersheds. It is expected that course participants who are involved in developing and implementing a watershed management plan will be able to directly apply the course concepts to their activities.

Assessments of Learning

To help students achieve the learning outcomes, the following activities will be evaluated:

• You will develop a Concept Map of an urban watershed as a visual tool to aid in the organization and reflection on your learning in this course. For more information visit, Urban Watershed Concept Map - Instructions. (10%)
  
• Participation in regular discussions, both in class and in online discussions on Canvas, where questions will be posted. (10%)
• Two written assignments will be posted on Canvas. Participants have at least 3 weeks to complete each assignment and submit it. (2 x 20% = 40%)
• A take home final exam will be shared with each participant. Participants have 4 days to complete their final exam and submit it to the instructor. (40%)

For more information, visit Assessment and Grading.

Prerequisites

A Bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as environmental science, engineering, planning, geography or biology is recommended. Academic or professional experience related to land and water resource management in an urban context is desirable.

University Policies

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions.

Details of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website.

Academic Integrity

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or final exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.

All course assignments and final exam will be reviewed with the TurnItIn application, where they will be compared to information on the Web and other material submitted to the database. It is recommended that you review “Tips to Avoid Plagiarism” hosted by UBC’s Learning Commons.