Taken in AY 19/20 Sem 1

Group Project (30%), Lab Report (10%), Mini Class Presentation (5%), Mid-Term (15%), Finals (40%).

Expected/Actual grade: A-/A-

Lecturer: Prof Olivier Patrick Lefebvre, Tutor: Ma MuTian

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What the module about:

The module covers a broad range of topics about how mankind has impacted the environment in various aspects, including energy sources, air pollution and global warming. The module has allowed me to have a better understanding of some of the human-related environmental problems that we face today.

Assignment workload:

The group project involved designing an extension to the board game Terraforming Mars based on the topics that are covered in the lectures. The majority of the workload for the module came from this project. The project included a presentation and rule book of the extension. We also needed to create any new cards, game boards or counters that are used in our extension. Time is provided during the tutorials for us to clarify any doubts regarding the project as well as consult the tutor on the direction of the project. If you have not played the original game before, it may take some time to understand the game by playing it a few times. We also needed some time to play our extension a few times to ensure that it was playable.

Apart from the project, the mini-presentation is relatively straightforward. It involved a 5 minute sharing about an event that was related to any of the topics covered in the lectures. This does not require much preparation however it may be a good idea to choose one of the earlier slots in the semester.

The lab experiment is not as straightforward as it seems. You'll need to understand the experiment well in order to do the calculations required in the lab report which is submitted as a group. Try to clarify any doubts you have about the experiment and take some notes while you are carrying out the experiment.

Mid-Terms/Exam:

Mid-Terms was a closed-book test with structured/calculation questions. Finals was also closed-book with MCQs and structured/calculation questions. Although both tests were closed-book, we were given a fact sheet that had the important formulas and definitions. Prof Olivier expects his students to think more deeply. As such, the questions he sets in his examinations will not always be straightforward.

Thoughts about the lecturer/tutor:

Prof Olivier is a very good lecturer who explains the various concepts clearly. He's very approachable and open to students clarifying anything they do not understand.

- Anonymous