EGH479 Advances in Civil Engineering Practice

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Civil engineers use their full breadth of knowledge and skills bases to develop solutions to complex infrastructure planning and design problems that meet stakeholders' needs. In this final unit of the civil engineering major you will be presented with such a complex problem and in developing a solution you will hone your skills in critical review, analysis, synthesis and creativity. You will continue to develop your ability to communicate advanced knowledge and concepts in written, modelled and graphical forms to technical and non-technical audiences. You will hone your abilities in team working, reflective practice, and time and resource management. Emphasis is placed on your understanding of risk, ethics and stakeholder perspectives. This unit draws upon your learning throughout the civil engineering major.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Interpret a civil engineering planning and design project brief at a mastered level
2. Evaluate the civil engineering systems within a study area considering technical and societal aspects at a mastered level
3. Create a feasibility plan and design of a civil engineering project by applying discipline knowledge and methodologies, and adhering to applicable codes of practice, at a mastered level
4. Contribute to a civil engineering assessment, with evidence of working on agreed tasks as a team member and with peer to peer evaluation, at a mastered level
5. Compose a structured technical report of a civil engineering project including design calculations and design drawings at a mastered level

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you can expect to experience the following timetabled activities:

• Formal lectures from experienced professional civil engineers to give you insight into knowledge, skills, and
  attributes that will assist you in completing your assessments. You have the opportunity to ask questions
  during these lectures.
• Guest lectures on selected topics such as stakeholder engagement and Aboriginal cultural heritage  to assist students confidently respond to assessment items.
• Tutorial classes will give you the opportunity to work individually but with team consultation to prepare your
  project understanding, and collaboratively with your team to complete your existing conditions analysis and
  feasibility design study. They will be facilitated by tutors and will provide an opportunity to test your
  understanding and gain feedback on your work.
• Computer laboratory classes where demonstrators will provide your team with formal training on the use of a
  civil engineering software package to aid your existing conditions analysis and feasibility design study.
• Cultural heritage walk at the site of the proposed project conducted by an archaeologist and Yuggera elder combined with additional learning content developed by Indigenous educators to enable students confidently respond to assessment items on Indigenous cultural heritage within the context of their project.

These activities will be detailed by week of semester on the unit schedule. You can also expect to be provided with
learning resources including video presentations and readings on a unit Canvas site, which you can access
flexibly to complete your learning in this unit.

At the beginning of the unit, you will be made aware of the ways in which you can ask questions or seek clarification
from the unit coordinator, lecturers and tutors.

You are expected to:

• Engage with timetabled learning activities on campus and ask questions.
• Engage with online resources outside of timetabled learning activities. They will be available on the unit
  Canvas site. You will receive regular email announcements regarding the release of these resources.
• Consult with your team while preparing your individual project understanding so that you may plan ahead effectively for the remainder of the unit.
• Work in a cohesive, effective team to complete an existing conditions analysis and a feasibility design study.While there will be time during timetabled tutorial classes, you will also need to undertake independent workoutside of that time to complete assessment tasks, including for areas of individual responsibility.
• Prepare for learning activities according to the unit schedule, and follow up on any work not completed.
• Complete assessment tasks by working consistently throughout the semester and meeting the due dates that are published via the unit Canvas site.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

During tutorial classes, you will share your formative ideas for your assessments and you will receive feedback from your tutor. As part of an effective team you will share the outcomes of your design task with your tutor for marking and feedback, and with students from other groups in your tutorial class. You are encouraged to view your team as a learning community and to share and discuss emergent ideas in the civil engineering analysis and feasibility design process and your understandings of civil engineering professional practice. Each assessment submission will be graded against criteria and standards that will be shared with you at the beginning of semester through Assessment Task Descriptions and Marking Rubrics. Marked assessment will include feedback given by the markers against the criteria.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment will include one individual task and two team project tasks. Criterion Referenced Assessment (CRA) will be used to evaluate your work in this unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Project Understanding

You will work as an individual but in consultation with your team to prepare a Project Understanding that demonstrates your understanding of background information provided by your client, what your client requires of you to complete the project (including Existing Conditions Analysis and Feasibility Design Study), and your own plan to organise your team's time and resources to complete the project. You will communicate your work in a written technical report that adheres to your client's requirements.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Existing Conditions Analysis

You will work as an effective member of a fully functional civil engineering team to prepare an Existing Conditions Analysis that demonstrates your ability to investigate the complex impacts between study area attributes and its civil engineering infrastructure system. You will communicate your work in a written technical report including design calculations and design drawings, which adheres to your client's requirements.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Feasibility Design Study

You will work as an effective member of a fully functional civil engineering team to prepare a Feasibility Design Study that demonstrates your ability to create a feasible, innovative and effective solution to a civil engineering design challenge. You will communicate your work in a written technical report including design calculations and design drawings, which adheres to your client's requirements.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

Risks may be associated with you visiting study areas and/or project sites. You are required to have completed a valid Workplace Health and Safety course. You shall not enter project sites without the Unit Coordinator's approval. You shall not to contact members of the public, public officers or staff associated with any project without permission of the Unit Coordinator. More detailed information will be provided in your Week 1 information class.

Course Learning Outcomes

EN55 Master of Professional Engineering

1. Apply advanced and specialist knowledge, concepts and practices in engineering design, analysis management and sustainability.
   Relates to: Project Understanding, Existing Conditions Analysis
2. Critically analyse and evaluate complex engineering problems to achieve research informed solutions.
   Relates to: Existing Conditions Analysis, Feasibility Design Study
3. Apply systematic approaches to plan, design, execute and manage an engineering project.
   Relates to: Project Understanding, Existing Conditions Analysis, Feasibility Design Study
4. Communicate complex information effectively and succinctly, presenting high level reports, arguments and justifications in oral, written and visual forms to professional and non specialist audiences.
   Relates to: Project Understanding, Existing Conditions Analysis, Feasibility Design Study
5. Organise and manage time, tasks and projects independently, and collaboratively demonstrating the values and principles that shape engineering decision making and professional accountability.
   Relates to: Existing Conditions Analysis, Feasibility Design Study