CCC8013 The Process of Science
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Assignment
Intended learning outcomes (ILOs)
ILO3: Demonstrate scientific literacy by being able to locate and evaluate the quality of
sources of information about scientific issues.
ILO4: Critically analyze and visualize the data, based on which a fully-engaged students can
draw appropriate decisions or evaluate the reliability of decisions drawn by others.
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 26th March 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 15% 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 3 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 5 & 6). Furthermore, based on your findings, you will be expected
to provide recommendations on how to transition towards a more sustainable lifestyle (Lab 4).
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. 5 marks)
Use of table/figure to
effectively illustrate
data, contains no/very
few errors.
(5 marks)
Use of table/figure to
illustrate data, may
contain a few errors.
(4 marks)
Use of table/figure to
illustrate data, but
lacking essential
information in some
parts and contains errors.
(3 marks)
Poor use of table/figure,
and contains substantial
errors.
(2 marks)
Failed to present
readable/interpretable
table/figure.
(1 mark or lower)