CCC8013 The Process of Science
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Assignment
Learning outcomes (LOs)
LO2. Apply intellectual and practical skills (inquiry and analysis, critical thinking, written communication, quantitative/data literacy, and information literacy) across a range of scientific contexts.
LO3. Demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply learning about the process of science to new settings and complex problems.
LO4. Develop personal and social responsibility (glocal civic knowledge and engagement, intercultural competence, and ethical reasoning foundations) focused on real-world challenges.
Submission guidelines
• Limit your work to two A4 pages including tables and figures (but not including the reference list).
• Use Times New Roman font, font size 12 with single spacing.
• Title page is NOT required.
• In-text citation and a reference section are required.
• Submit your report in a PDF/Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx format) file via Turnitin (on Moodle) by 29th October 2024 (Tue), 23:59
• Late submissions will be penalized based on the rules listed out in the document “CCC8013 Important Things”
Grading of assignment
This assignment contributes towards 20% of your final grade for the course. See the last page of this document for the detailed breakdown of how this assignment will be graded.
Instructions for assignment
In this assignment, we will utilize the ecological footprint (EF) data collected in Lab 2 to examine patterns in resource usage among Lingnan students. We will also estimate the amount of biologically productive areas on Earth needed to sustain our demands. Through this assignment, you will showcase your analytical skills by analyzing and presenting data, as well as effectively communicating your findings and interpretations through written explanations and graphs (Graphs - Lab 4 & 5). Furthermore, based on your findings, you will be expected to provide recommendations on how to transition towards a more sustainable lifestyle. (Lab 3).
Your job in this assignment is:
• Download the class EF data, which can be found on Moodle in the SDG assignment under Written Assignments.
• Utilize your own judgment to analyze the class data in a way that you find suitable. For instance, you could identify which activity contributed to the most EF for Lingnan students, compare water use between students living in student hostels and those living at home, identify relationship between EF and food, etc. Your analysis should demonstrate your proficiency in understanding the types of variables (categorial vs quantifiable variables) and using descriptive statistics.
• Present the results obtained from your analysis either in a table or as text within the main text. Use graphs to visually illustrate your findings and the key messages you want to convey. Provide interpretations and explanations of the results presented in these graphs within the main text. Each student is expected to create two graphs of different types (e.g., bar chart and scatter plot) for this assignment.
• Discuss the implications of your results from a broader perspective and provide recommendations on how to transition towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Support your interpretations and recommendations with relevant literature. Do not plagiarize!
Grading rubric
|
Criteria
|
Excellent
|
Good
|
Fair
|
Poor
|
Very poor
|
|
Data analysis and
interpretation (max. 10
marks)
|
Use of correct
quantitative analysis.
Accurate presentation of data, and the results are interpreted accurately
and clearly.
References well
organized and easy to follow.
(9–10 marks)
|
Use of correct
quantitative analysis.
Accurate presentation of data, and the results are interpreted clearly.
References are present and easy to follow.
(7–8 marks)
|
Incorrect use of
quantitative analysis. Weak presentation of data/evidence.
References not well
organized/hard to follow. (5–6 marks)
|
Poor use of quantitative analysis.
Weak presentation of data/evidence.
References not well
organized/hard to follow. (3–4 marks)
|
Failed to use quantitative analysis.
Did not present any data/evidence.
Did not provide references.
Plagiarism.
(2 marks or lower)
|
|
Data
illustration (max. 10
marks)
|
Use of table/figure to effectively illustrate data, contains no/very few errors.
(9–10 marks)
|
Use of table/figure to illustrate data, may
contain a few errors.
(7–8 marks)
|
Use of table/figure to illustrate data, but
lacking essential
information in some
parts and contains errors. (5–6 marks)
|
Poor use of table/figure,
and contains substantial errors.
(3–4 marks)
|
Failed to present
readable/interpretable table/figure.
(2 marks or lower)
|