Outline

Overview

Humanitarian Engineering is the application of Engineering design and organisation to improve quality of life, in circumstances where severe conditions of life are preventing the community from achieving those outcomes themselves. It can be anything from large scale infrastructure which benefits provinces to small scale innovations which benefit single families. It can be regarded as developmental aid or as disaster relief. In this unit students will study the world humanitarian sphere and its major and minor players. Students will be expected to critically analyse many of the notions which underpin humanitarian aid by use of various case studies and with reference to scholarly research. The subject will include both historical and contemporary study of engineering application in developmental aid delivered through governments, organisations and individuals. Various humanitarian theories will be studied and applied to specific cases, as well as methods of measuring success. This unit will be first offered in 2017. As well as being a requirement for the Humanitarian major, it is also available to all Civil students as a 3rd year Civil elective and to students from other disciplines as a free elective.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	CIVL9310
Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Jacqueline Thomas, jacqueline.thomas@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Jacqueline Thomas, jacqueline.thomas@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Open book)	Final exam 90 min online exam	30%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial participation	10%	Multiple weeks	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Individual presentation on SDGs	10%	Week 04	3 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Mid-semester quiz Online quiz in lecture time	15%	Week 07	Online quiz 45 min
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Interview report	15%	Week 09	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Disaster planning refugee camp report	20%	Week 11	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type C final exam ?

Assessment summary

Individual presentation: Individually present on a chosen sustainable development goal, its importance and the role of engineers. The individual performance will be marked by grading by peers.
Tutorial participation: Preparation, engagement and participation in the tutorial will be assessedeach week over the semester.
Interview report: Individually, students will conduct a structured interview with a person who has lived in a developing country. That can either be from birth or during work. The interview will draw out the positives and negatives as well as the role of engineering and IT in development.
Disaster planning refugee camp report: In assigned intra-discipline engineering groups of three people, the team is to use the Sphere Handbook standards to design a refugee camp for a given scenario. The team will present their design in the as a joint report.
Disaster planning refugee camp model: In the same teams, students will use the Sphere Handbook standards to design a refugee camp for a given scenario. The team will then use a model to present their design in the tutorials as a presentation.
Decentralised technologies report: Individually students will research decentralized technologies and select a technology that will beneficial to remote communities. Students will then present their chosen technology during the tutorials as well as handing in a brief report.
Final exam: During exams students will sit a closed book exam which will assess the knowledge of the concepts that were taught (including guest seminar content). The questions will be mix of multiple choice, short and long answer.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. explain the professional roles and ethical considerations of engineers working in the context of humanitarian engineering (developing countries, disasters and remote areas)
LO2. work in a small team with different engineering disciplines to solve an engineering challenge
LO3. use analytical and evaluation skills to present the theoretical and practical considerations for project success and failure in humanitarian engineering.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Information will be diseminated in the first lecture.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

CIVL9310: Humanitarian Engineering

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect