CIVL9811: Semester 2, 2021

University home

Library

Current students

Staff intranet

Find an event

Give

Current students

Units CIVL9811 Semester 2 2021 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

CIVL9811: Engineering Design and Construction

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

The objectives of this unit are to develop an understanding of construction methods, strategies, equipment and machinery in a range of construction activities and an understanding of the principles involved in the design for those construction activities. At the end of this unit, students will have developed a familiarity with a variety of construction methods, strategies, equipment and machinery in a range of construction activities such that they will be able, if and when the opportunity arises to participate as site engineers (or similar role) in the planning and execution of those construction activities, albeit with supervision and guidance from experienced professionals. Students will also have developed an understanding of the design principles and techniques involved in the planning for those construction activities such that they are able, if and when the opportunity arises, to participate as design engineers, in the planning and design for those construction activities, with supervision and guidance from experienced professionals. The range of topics covered in this course is such that the learning outcomes form a basis for later development of more detailed knowledge, dependent on the future career experiences of the student. The course does not prepare a student for immediate, unsupervised participation in construction and design work associated with the topics covered. The topics may vary dependent on current and planned projects in Sydney, NSW and Australia. At this stage the topics are hard rock tunnelling and general hard rock underground excavation; soft ground tunnelling; underground construction; micro tunnelling; cut and cover (cover and cut) tunnelling; earth retaining systems; piling; formwork and falsework (incl Tilt up, Ultrafloor, Sacrificial form); dewatering; pavement design and construction - rigid and flexible (incl and pavement construction materials); stormwater drainage design and construction; marine construction; civil construction in environmentally sensitive areas; contract administration for construction engineers; general engineering in remote localities (project based); construction methods in bridge engineering; QA documentation on a typical project; insurance in the construction industry occupational health and safety issues in the construction industry; timber engineering; post-tensioned/ pre-stressed concrete construction; civil engineering in a marine environment. On day 1 of the course, a form based survey is taken to invite students to nominate specific areas of interest which may lead to adjustment in course content.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	CIVL9811
Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	CIVL8811
Prerequisites ?	CIVL9810
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Faham Tahmasebinia, faham.tahmasebinia@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Faham Tahmasebinia, faham.tahmasebinia@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final Exam Students will solve a real problem in practice.	50%	Formal exam period	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 1 Research and analysis task.	15%	Week 06	TBA
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home short release)	In - Semester Exam TBA	20%	Week 09 Due date: 15 Oct 2021 at 18:00	2.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assignment 2 Research and analysis task.	15%	Week 13	TBA
Outcomes assessed:
= Type D final exam ? = Type D in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

The overall assessment will be based on submitting 2 technical assignments during the semester. An in-semester exam will be held by week 9. The final exam will be held in the exam time.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late submission will be penalized 10% of the overall weight of the assignment per day after the due date.

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
Week 01	Detailing in the Composite Structures	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 02	Detailing/Design in Pre-Stressed Structures - Part 1	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 03	Detailing/Design in Pre-Stressed Structures - Part 2	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 04	Detailing/Design in Foundation and Retaining walls.	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 05	Design and Analysis of Tunneling (Part 1)	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 06	Design and Analysis of Tunneling (Part 2)	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 07	Introduction to Bridge Engineering (Part 1)	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 08	Introduction to Bridge Engineering (Part 2)	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 09	Lateral stability of building structures – Part 1	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 10	Lateral stability of building structures – Part 2	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 11	Green building: How can passive and active systems work together?	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 12	Design stable roof systems	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)
Week 13	Introduction to Fire Engineering in Buildings	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students must attend either to the online or face-to-face tutorial sessions.

Also, they need to try to do some technical contributions during the tutorial sessions. Students who are unable to take part to the tutorial session will lose 2 marks per week.

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.

Required readings

This unit will have 2 hours lecture and 2 hour tutorial sessions per week. Students will have access the lecture slides, pre-recorded lectures as well as number extra teaching resources to gain a better understating of the practical aspects in engineering construction.

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. design prefabricated and modular concrete elements
LO2. design and construct pavements: (a) flexible pavement construction (including pavement construction materials) and (b) rigid pavements construction (including joints)
LO3. understand construction related issues and undertake limited design of selected construction operations
LO4. apply particular construction related aspects of digital engineering including building information modelling
LO5. design deconstruction strategies to deal with buildings and infrastructure at the end of their service life
LO6. understand design and construction aspects of environmental engineering and general engineering for environmentally sensitive projects (including EPA projects)
LO7. communicate engineering construction concepts and issues clearly and concisely
LO8. develop familiarity with insurance and other forms of risk management and with occupational health and safety issues in the construction industry.

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.

Based on the following suggested plan, the proposed layout of the course became more practical for students who are planning to have their internship in the coming summer.

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

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

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