Environmental monitoring, modelling and control
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| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This course explores strategies for analysing, defining and controlling environmental pollution. Its main themes are drinking water supply, air quality management, noise control and solid waste. The course builds on Environmental control and public health (T210), which we recommend you study first. You’ll also need strong numeracy skills, a good knowledge of chemistry, and the ability to develop and use computer models. The course considers water treatment processes, demand and quality; atmospheric pollution dispersal, modelling and control; noise prediction schemes and sound insulation; and the development of local waste management strategies. A final environmental impact assessment project brings these topics together.
Course content
This course consolidates the material in the Open University course Environmental control and public health (T210), taking you on to the design specification stage in selected areas of pollution control.
Computing is used throughout the course to enable you to do routine calculations, computer simulation modelling of pollution dispersal and control, and undertake financial assessments and detailed project work. Of the study time, about two thirds will be spent on the texts and modelling, and one third on an environmental impact project that draws together the different areas of study and requires your continuous effort throughout the course.
By the end of the course you should be able to define and describe:
- the principles and concepts of solid wastes management, noise control, air quality management and water treatment
- the computer modelling of environmental situations
- the economic assessment of projects.
Water the main topic here is water treatment for potable supply. Included with this are sections on minimising waste, emergency water treatment, trade effluent control and modelling river quality after the ingress of pollutants.
Air reviews the nature and characteristics of air pollution and discusses the interpretation of air quality data. Other topics include automobile emissions, dispersal of air pollution, modelling and calculation of chimney heights and control of particulates.
Noise begins by reviewing basic concepts such as units, criteria and indices, legal and social control and planning. The technical aspects of noise control including prediction schemes and sound insulation of buildings, are important topics. There are case studies of public enquiries and of industrial noise.
Waste management begins by reviewing the nature, characteristics and quantities of the main kinds of waste considering the policy and legislation that is driving waste management processes across the EU. Waste management processes are covered in depth concentrating on waste collection, recycling/composting, energy recovery and landfill. The emphasis is on assessing the environmental impacts of the processes and how to minimise any adverse impacts. The block ends with a discussion on the developing local waste management strategies and the use of models to select the process options to be used and their overall environmental impacts.
Entry
This course has been designed for both practising and would-be environmental professionals in land, air, water and noise pollution. You need a thorough working knowledge of basic chemistry and mathematics and some familiarity with computing. We strongly recommend that you take the Open University course Environmental control and public health (T210) (or the discontinued course T237) before you take this course, and you will benefit from taking T308 as soon as possible after T210.
You should be able to interpret graphs, manipulate equations, understand logarithms and operate a scientific calculator. You must be able to understand chemical equations and nomenclature, and to solve quantitative problems involving heat and mass calculations. If you have not taken T210 or T237, you need to have experience of quantitative approaches to environmental pollution control and the problems affecting land, air, water and noise. In particular, you should be able to:
- define, describe and assess pollution
- describe the diversity of plant and animal life and the role of certain groups of living organisms in pollution control techniques
- list the biological, chemical and physical characteristics of rivers and lakes and how pollutants affect the aquatic environment
- list and describe the processes of water purification and sewage treatment
- list and describe the processes used in managing municipal solid waste and hazardous wastes in order to minimise their detrimental effects
- recognise and use terms related to the basic physics of sound, and list the principles and describe the practice of noise control
- give brief accounts of the effects of air pollutants
- describe and select appropriate techniques to quantify and eliminate air pollutants.
T210 covers all these topics. T308 is a Level 3 course, which makes intellectual demands appropriate to the final year of an honours degree.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
T308 is a compulsory course in our
T308 is an optional course in our
- BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies (B19)
- BSc (Honours) Technology (B20)
- BSc (Honours) Environmental Science (B52)
- Advanced Diploma in Environmental Decision Making (C18)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it can help to weight your degree towards a BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course material can be provided on request. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, DVD, online forums, course website.
You will need
A scientific calculator.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you can use an Apple Mac or Linux computer if you can run Windows using Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day-schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
The end-of-course assessment is an environmental impact appraisal project.
Professional recognition
This course may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for Recognition leaflets 3.3 Professional Engineering Institutions, 3.4 Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and 3.8 Scientific Institutions.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the presentation of the course starting in February 2010. We expect it to be available at the same time once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Engineering and Technology.
Study explained
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Student Reviews
This course follows on from T210 (to complete the Diploma in Pollution Control) - and I disliked it almost as ...
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The amount of work required on the project can be a little daunting but as with all courses, continuous work ...
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