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Module

CEG8107 : Environmental Engineering in Low and Middle Income Countries

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Professor Thomas Curtis
  • Lecturer: Ms Tess O'Hara, Professor Claire Walsh
  • Owning School: Engineering
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 2 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 5.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

Our aim is to provide insight into WASH (water supply, sanitation, hygiene), and disease in The Global South (~lower- and middle-income countries).

The students will learn about, Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) paying particular attention to on SDG 6.1 and 6.2 and the concept of the sanitation ladder. The will then learn of resource and environmental engineering interventions, to address these goals and have an introduction to relevant social, economic and institutional issues.

Main topics: Disease; Sanitation (on-site, faecal sludge management sewerage, treatment, re-use int the context of city wide inclusive sanitation); Water (resources, treatment, provision); Hygiene; Drainage; Solid waste management.

Cross-cutting issues: Finance social issues and institutional issues; the use of logical frameworks to propose investments in the WASH sector.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus will pursue three themes

SDG 6

Health

Sanitation (especially City Wide Inclusive Sanitation)

Water supply and treatment in rural and periurban settings.

Finance and institutional issues

The students will be given case studies to pursue in small groups in which they will propose solutions to a particular issue using, inter alia, a logical frameworks and briefing note.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion180:309:00Revision
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture161:0016:00Lectures and case studies
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops11:001:00Careers
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery20:301:00Minitutorials either present in person or synchronous online
Guided Independent StudyStudent-led group activity221:0022:00Project work and presentation.
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study481:0048:00Includes background reading and reading lecture notes for a full understanding of material.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesModule talk11:001:00Seminar
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesModule talk21:002:00Intro to coursework and reflective tutorial
Total100:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures cover the key topics, working towards the intended Knowledge Outcomes 1 to 3 and Skills Outcome 4.

Guest speakers are invited to share with the students their experiences of working in developing countries, in order to add interest and insight to the module, and again work towards the intended Knowledge and Skills Outcomes 1 to 4.

It is intended for social aspects associated with any technical topics covered to be included in general across the module. In addition, a few of the sessions are dedicated to social issues, to strengthen the intended Knowledge Outcome 3.

The coursework is designed to encourage Skills Outcomes 4 to 7 in particular. Class discussion of group presentations, and during lectures, seminars and case studies, is encouraged to strengthen Skills Outcome 7.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams
Description Length Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written Examination1202A50written exam
Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Design/Creative proj2M50Case study written exercise
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Prof skill assessmnt2Mgroup presentation
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assessment Rationale and Relationship: The exam will evaluate their understanding of the core materials and their ability to place that in a wider context. The project work evaluates their ability to conceive of a solution and to take the necessary steps to get their solution funded by an outside agency

Students will be allocated into teams of around 4 to research and develop the outline of a particular environmental engineering and management programme (e.g. Water programme to supply a population of 1000 from 2 mountain springs in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh). They will be assessed on the basis of effort, knowledge and innovation demonstrated in both the team presentation and summary report. The coursework is designed to assess and provide feedback on the Skills Outcomes 4 to 7 in particular, together with the demonstrated application of the Knowledge Outcomes 1 to 3.

The written examination is designed to assess the Knowledge Outcomes 1 to 3 in particular, with some exam questions also giving students the opportunity to demonstrate some of the Skills Outcomes 4 and 7.

Reading Lists

Timetable