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Syllabus

The syllabus provides general information on the course. The different topics can be opened by clicking on each of them.

About this course

During this course you will learn the role of treatment technologies in providing effective sanitation which are essential for human society and the safeguarding of public and environmental health.

The course details with fundamentals and application of urban wastewater treatment technologies. The different treatment steps involved in the treatment chain will be described as well as the physical, chemical and biological processes involved. There will be an emphasis on effluent quality and the functionality of each unit process within the treatment chain.

After the course you should be able to recognize the process units, describe their function and make simple design calculations on wastewater treatment plants.

Course details

Start: 8 June 2018 Prerequisites: High school level of mathematics and chemistry is recommended.

This course is based on a third year BSc course of the study Civil Engineering of TU Delft. The course is intended to be an introduction to water treatment technologies for everyone interested in sanitary engineering.
End: 16 April 2019 - 12:00 UTC
Assignments due date: 16 April 2019 - 12:00 UTC
Duration:

Self paced

Estimated effort: 6 - 8 hours / week

Course overview

The course is divided into 6 modules. Each module consists of a fixed structure:

  • An introduction with a forum discussion about the topic (not graded)
  • Specific subsections with learning material and knowledge quizzes (not graded)
  • A tutorial to prepare yourself for the graded module assessment (not graded)
  • Graded module assessment (graded)

At the end of each module you will find a link to the discussion forum. As this is a self- paced MOOC you should rely on your fellow learners to support the learning process. So the more active you are on the forum the more you'll get out of this MOOC. However, once in a while the course team will give feedback on the most prominent forum discussions. If you have questions about the platform, please take a look at the edX manual for more information or contact edX through their Help Centre.

We know that our learners come from all over the world and that internet connections aren't always as good as they should be, that's why we try to incorporate as many subtitles as possible and also give you a link to download the videos, so you can watch them later. However, some videos are not in our possession, therefore we can not give you verified subtitles and links to download the video. Also some other material like textbooks can have copyrights that restrict us in offering you the possibility to download the whole textbook at once.

Interactive Learning sequences

Each module consists of various subsections which tackle an aspect of that module's learning material.  A subsection has the following structure:

  • It starts with a short video clip, which gives an overview of the subject
  • Then there are quiz questions about the video
  • Followed by reading material from the textbook 
  • And finally quiz questions about the reading material

Please note that the quiz questions will not contribute to your grade, only the graded module assessments will. Answer-check mechanisms are provided for the quiz questions.

Graded Module assessment

Every module has a graded assessment.

The graded module assessments must be completed by April 16th 2019, 12:00 UTC. Only 4 of the 6 graded module assessments count for your final grade. So the two lowest scores of the graded module assessments are dropped.

While collaboration is essential, you are not allowed to post full solutions, please keep this in mind while being active on the forum.

Tutorials

Tutorials are conversational step-by-step videos designed to teach you how to solve design questions. Several tutorials are published in this course, helping you to understand the learning material.

Discussion forum

There is a discussion forum in the course for all students of CTB3365STx. You may use these forums to discuss course concepts, problem solving approaches, interesting references, or other topics related to the course. You may just use it to ask questions. The first task of every module is a discussion assignment. This assignment provides insight into the translation of the theory to practice. You are not allowed to post full solutions of the graded assessments, keep this in mind while being active on the forum. Please observe the appropriate online etiquette as outlined in the Forum Guidelines. The forum is moderated frequently by course staff and community TAs, and they will give feedback on the forum's most prominent discussions through a video. We've summarized to most important aspects of the Guidelines for you:

  • Be specific and concise: Try to compose a thread title which is descriptive. In your title, specify the problem or video and, in a few words, what your issue is. In the question text, describe what aspect you do not understand and what you have already tried doing.
  • Search before asking: We advise you to use the search bar with a search term. Before asking a question, have a look through the topics to see if another participant already asked/or answered your question. If there is already a thread about your issue you can use the upvote button. This way we can see what the most prominent questions on the forum are. We will use this information to construct our weekly feedback video's.
  • Be polite: We have learners from all around the world and with different backgrounds. Something that is easy for you may be challenging for someone else. Let's build an encouraging community.
  • Posts directed to staff: If you specifically want to have a staff member look at your post, please write [Staff] at the start of your title. This is most relevant for any questions regarding technical aspects of the course.
  • Write clearly: We know that English is a second language for many of you but correct grammar will help others to respond. Avoid ALL CAPS, abbrv of wrds (abbreviating words), and excessive punctuation!!!!

Course schedule

The schedule of the course is presented in the table below.

ModuleTitle
0 Getting started
1 Wastewater treatment plant overview
2 Primary treatment
3 Biological treatment
4 Activated sludge process
5 Nitrogen and phosphorus removal
6 Digestion of sludge and sewage

Please note that if you are enrolled in this course before the end date, you will be able to view the study material even after the course ends. The course will then be in archive mode, which means that you will be able to view all the learning material, but there will not be any interaction with the course team. Also the graded module assessments will not be available to submit.

Grading scheme

This course has 6 graded module assessments to test what you have learned each module. Only 4 of the 6 graded module assessments count for your final grade. So the two lowest scores of the graded module assessments are dropped.

You have to score at least 60% to pass the course. To check your progress click on the "Progress" button on the top of this page.

The deadline for the graded module assessments to finish is April 16th 2019, 12:00 UTC.

Those who achieve a passing grade in a course will receive a certificate of DelftX.

Textbook

There is one textbook for this course. The e-book Wastewater treatment is used, which is provided for free within the course (see tab Wastewater textbook). It can be downloaded here or read online. Not under CC license.

Certificates

We have summarized the most important information about the certificate for you:

  • A verified certificate is a certificate that requires learners to verify their identities using a webcam and a government-issued photo ID. Verified certificates carry a fee that varies by course. A verified certificate from edX can provide proof for an employer, school, or other institution that you have successfully completed an online course.
  • Verified certificates are available for this course for $50. To register for the verified track, use the "Upgrade to Verified" button on your dashboard. The deadline to upgrade to a verified certificate for this course is the 15th of April 2019.
  • This course is 1 of 3 courses in the Water Management XSeries. An XSeries is a group of courses that add up to a rich understanding of an area of study. As you learn, you prove you have the knowledge with the Verified Certificates you earn in each course. Once you pass the entire series, receive a personalized XSeries Certificate that shows you put in the work, understand the material, and you have a shareable certificate to prove it! 
  • This course is one of the three courses in the Water Management XSeries. When you successfully complete and pass all three courses and opted for the Verified track (so you have purchased three verified certificates) only then the Water Management XSeries certificate is available for you. So in total you’ll have 4 certificates.
  • You can audit this edX course. You do not receive a certificate if you audit this course, but you can print your progress page for the course if you want evidence of your achievement.

If you have any questions, check out https://www.edx.org/verified-certificate, view the related FAQs on edX, contact the edX help centre.

License

This course is licensed with a Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported.
Content published by DelftX may be used, copied, distributed, translated, and modified, as specified under the Creative Commons license. 

If you choose to reuse or repost DelftX course materials you must give proper attribution to the original TU Delft faculty author(s). Please utilize the following citation "This material was created by or adapted from material posted on the Delftx website, delftx.tudelft.nl, and created by TU Delft faculty member (Name), (Title), (Year). DelftX is not responsible for any changes made to the original materials posted on its website and any such changes are the sole responsibility of [name of user/adapter]."

You must also include a copy of the Creative Commons license used by DelftX, with every copy of the TU Delft materials or the derivative work you create from it.