GGH3707/201/02/2024

Tutorial Letter 201/01/2024

Ecotourism

GGH3707

Semester 1

Department of Geography
This tutorial letter contains guidelines for the
upcoming May/June examination period.

Open Rubric
 GGH3707/201
Dear Student

This tutorial letter contains information on the structure of the examination paper for GGH3707 as
well as some guidelines which you might find useful whilst preparing for the examination.

Please note that the examination question paper for this period will differ considerably from previous
years. Thus, please ensure that you work through these guidelines, the study material, and the
prescribed readings to prepare for the examination. Please do not rely on passed papers when
preparing for this examination because the exam format has completely changed this semester.

Please remember that you can contact your lecturer or e-Tutor for assistance should you require.

Best wishes with your studies!

Kind regards
Ms Anisa Khotoo

Tel: 011 471 2749

E-mail: khotoa@unisa.ac.za

IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING SUPPLEMENTARY/

AEGROTAT/SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS
If a situation develops which requires you to write a supplementary/aegrotat/special
examination for this module, please note that the structure of the examination paper, as well
as the scope (guidelines) for the examination may vary slightly from semester to semester
and from year to year.

You must use the guidelines provided for the semester in which you are now going to write
your supplementary/aegrotat/special examination and not the guidelines for the previous
semester in which you were registered.

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Table of contents

Page

General guidelines for examination preparation 4

Specific guidelines and structure of the examination paper 4

Plagiarism 5

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General guidelines for examination preparation

The examination paper focuses to a large extent on the application of theory. You will be able to
use the knowledge, skills and values that you were introduced to in this module, to answer the
questions (often based on unique contexts) presented in this module. You will need to have worked
through the study material in the form of your learning units, your e-reserves, and your prescribed
textbook. An understanding of the theory presented within these sources will help you succeed in
this module.

Although some of the questions are of a theoretical nature, you will not get far if you have mastered
only the theory. You will need to learn how to apply the theory as well. It is therefore essential that
you work through the case studies that are supplied online in the e-reserves and learning units.
Furthermore, it would greatly benefit you to try to answer at least some of the set questions for each
learning unit.

To conclude, the information given to you in this tutorial letter is merely a guideline. It is important
to note that most, if not all, concepts are related and intertwined. Therefore, one cannot study
sections in isolation. A thorough understanding of all the material is required in order to master this
module.

Specific guidelines for and structure of the examination paper

The examination for this module will be in the form of an online timed assessment. Note that the
structure and mark allocation of the examination will be similar to the online assessments that you
encountered during the semester. However, the content of the questions will be completely different.
Thus, we strongly recommend that you work through these guidelines as part of your examination
preparation.

The examination paper for this semester will be out of 100 marks in total. You will have only 2 hours
in which to complete the examination. The assessment will take the form of Multiple-Choice
Questions (MCQs), written answers and/or other forms of short online questioning.

Tips:

The specific learning units that you should focus on for the MCQ component of the exam ONLY
include learning unit 6 to learning unit 8. Please ensure to review the section from your prescribed
textbook, the online learning units as well as the e-reserve readings. Remember that the exam will
not be backwards compatible. You will find more information on this in the online lesson (recording
or slides).

There will also be a written component in the exam. Please note that the specific learning units given
above only refer to the MCQs. For the written component, you will need a holistic understanding of
the content. The written component of the paper will be based on an application of the study material.
Thus, for this section, you need to have a thorough understanding of the content so that you can
apply it to the context presented in the question.

In other words, you need to have read through and understood all the content covered in the module
in order to effectively answer the questions. The written component will be holistic in nature, meaning
that you cannot see the content as isolated parts, but you rather have to view it as a collective whole.

Some of the interrelated themes that you could review before the exam include:
• different types of tourism and tourists,

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• ecotourism development,
• establishment or development of ecotourism destinations,
• critical factors that determine the success of ecotourism destinations,
• possible negative impacts of ecotourism and their mitigation,
• community engagement and participation in ecotourism,
• sustainability (whether long- or short-term) and ecotourism,
• the key criteria for, and elements/nature of, ecotourism destinations,
• differences in the types of management of reserves,
• the role of research and education in ecotourism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s thoughts, opinions, research, etc. and passing it off
as your own. Contract cheating or other forms of unethical behaviour also fall under this banner.
Engaging in these practices is considered academic theft and constitutes a major academic offense.
You are encouraged to work through Unisa’s plagiarism policy (link in TL101) to better familiarise
yourself with this concept as well as the practices that fall under the umbrella of plagiarism.

Please also note that all instances of plagiarism or cheating WILL be penalised (a mark of zero will
be awarded) and you may be referred to a disciplinary committee for further action. Thus, please
ensure that your answers for the examination are your own and based on your understanding of the
content. Proctoring software will be utilised during the examination in order to maintain the integrity
of the exam. You are encouraged to acquaint yourself with proctoring. If you are unfamiliar with the
system of proctoring, please look out for further information closer to the examination on the module
site.