Course Title: Ecohydrology

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Ecohydrology

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities. 

To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption. 

Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT:  https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209. 

Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance:  https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus 

Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance. 



Course Coordinator: Dr. Valentina Marchionni / A/Prof. Matthew Currell

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 0402

Course Coordinator Email: valentina.marchionni@rmit.edu.au / matthew.currell@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: City Campus

Course Coordinator Availability: Email to book appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Assumed Knowledge:

A basic understanding of water engineering and/or hydrology fundamentals is helpful to the course.


Course Description

This course introduces students to the multi-disciplinary field of eco-hydrology. You will learn about the interactions between vegetation and water in diverse environmental and climatic settings. You will be introduced to theoretical and applied techniques for analysing plant-water-atmosphere interactions and become familiar with key data collection and analysis tools used by eco-hydrologists to manage vegetation and water, including groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Eco-hydrological tools and knowledge will have an increasing application in efforts to increase the sustainability of the environmental, social, and economic development.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to development of the following program learning outcomes for BH080 Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) (Honours):

  • PLO1: Demonstrate an in-depth understanding and knowledge of fundamental engineering and scientific theories, principles and concepts and apply advanced technical knowledge in specialist domain of engineering. 
  • PLO2: Utilise mathematics and engineering fundamentals, software, tools and techniques to design engineering systems for complex engineering challenges.    
  • PLO3: Apply engineering research principles, methods and contemporary technologies and practices to plan and execute projects taking into account ethical, environmental and global impacts.     
  • PLO5: Communicate respectfully and effectively with diverse audiences, employing a range of communication methods, practising professional and ethical conduct.
  • PLO6: Develop and demonstrate the capacity for autonomy, agility and reflection of own learning, career and professional development and conduct.  


On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  1. Analyse hydrological, climate and vegetation data to understand key eco-hydrological processes.
  2. Use multiple types of data and evidence to determine the major source(s) of water supporting ecosystems in different climates and environmental settings.
  3. Develop conceptual models of groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) and their relationship to groundwater flows and quality.
  4. Collect and interpret field data that are relevant to eco-hydrology investigations and questions of interest.


Overview of Learning Activities

This course involves weekly lectures, practical sessions, and a field trip. Assessments are completed individually (practical assignments) and in teams (group report). These assessments build analytical and communication skills relevant to professional practice.


Overview of Learning Resources

Recommended readings, selected videos, modelling software, lecture presentations and weekly practical instructions will be available online via Canvas, which is accessed through the RMIT Student website.

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the RMIT Student website.


Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: Group Assignment
Weighting: 45%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1-3

Assessment Task 2: Individual Practical Assessments (reports submitted fortnightly)
Weighting: 30%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1-3

Assessment Task 3: Field trip assignment
Weighting: 25%
This assessment task supports CLOs 2-4