Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Civil engineers as professionals are responsible for the delivery of major transport infrastructure items through the stages of inception, planning, design, development, maintenance and management. The purpose of such projects is to improve the quality of life of the community by offering safe and efficient access to activity locations and mobility between them. In delivering such infrastructure it is imperative that social, economic and environmental impacts are considered and addressed. This unit offers you an opportunity to explore the role of the civil engineer in the preparation of a feasibility design study for a road.

This third year unit is midpoint in your Design strand. Emphasis is given to the development of your professional capabilities. You will be expected to draw upon the knowledge and experience you have already gained, in particular through Design of Environmentally Sustainable Systems, and Project Engineering 1. In turn, subsequent design units and other civil units will rely upon the knowledge and experience you will gain in this unit. In particular, the capabilities of work planning, information retrieval, documentation, communication, and team working skills will be assumed in future. Further, future units Transport Engineering, Transport Engineering and Planning Applications, and Civil Design Project will in turn assume your learning from this unit.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to enable you to understand the role of the civil engineer in developing a feasibility design study for a major road project. It will also develop your team working skills.

Objectives

By completion of this unit you will be able to demonstrate that you can:

1. Investigate the multi-disciplinary components to produce a robust and efficient transport plan and route investigation for a major road project.
2. Apply software manipulation skills to respond to queries about a concept road designed in the software package.
3. Apply road design theory to generate a robust and efficient concept road design using the software package.
4. Apply defined search strategies to procure pertinent information on specified topics from a defined range of sources using specified technologies; evaluate information and use pertinent information in solving your project's problems.
5. Address a substantial engineering problem as an individual by reflecting on the development of a suitable feasibility highway planning and design study.

Content

The major topics to be covered include:

• Project control and documentation, submission document expectations.


• Road system planning principles and applications.


• Route options investigation


• Road design theory


• Use of road design software (12D).


• Road geometric design application.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Teaching Mode:
Hours per week: 4
Lectures: 2hrs
Guided Design Office sessions: 2 hrs

This unit offers you an undertaking of a substantial feasibility design project. The emphasis is on problem based learning. You will undertake your project in groups of four, demonstrating your interpersonal skills and ability to communicate professionally.

Special lectures on certain new material will be provided by a team with expertise in their respective fields. You will be expected to use information and methodologies discussed in the development of your project. The remaining contact time will consist of design office sessions where unit staff will be available to guide you on your projects. The unit coordinator will be available throughout the semester to provide guidance on general aspects of the project.

It is stressed that you must attend the contact sessions in order to gain full advantage of staff presence. You will be encouraged to use the unit Blackboard site, which will be provided as a central resource.

Learning Approaches will include: problem based, self-directed learning, team based learning, experiential learning.

Assessment

Both the formative and summative assessment for this unit are centred upon the completion of an engineering project, which will include two written team submissions.

You will sit a final examination individually to exemplify your knowledge gained in the unit and reflect upon your team's completion of the project.You will receive feedback through group dialogue with teaching staff, written comments upon, and grading of your submission documentation, both of which will enable you to understand how you as an individual and your team as a whole are progressing and how your work may be improved.

There will be an individual grading component for each of your team's project submissions, which will be reflective of your individual contribution to completion of the tasks. There will also be a team grading component.

Grading will be made through the use of Criterion Referenced Assessment pro-forma, which will be discussed in class and published on Blackboard prior to the due dates.

Your final examination will be graded through the use of Criterion Referenced Assessment pro-forma, which will be discussed in the final week of lectures.

Assessment name: Project (applied)
Description: Project Submission1: Transport Planning and Route Investigation
As a team you carry out and submit a written report on the first phase of a transport feasibility study. You also include a brief synopsis on your contribution to the project and the team dynamics.
(20% individual component, 10% team component)
Weighting:30
Relates to objectives: 1,4,5
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: Week 6

Assessment name: Project (applied)
Description: Team/Individual Submission 2: Software Investigation and Geometric Design
As a team you carry out and submit a written report on the second (software investigation and project design) phase of the study. As above, you also include an individual component on your role.
(2% individual component, 10% team component)
Relates to objectives: 2,3,4,5
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: Week 13

Assessment name: Examination (Theory)
Description: You will answer a series of questions in relation to substantial engineering highway planning and design feasibility issues/problem/s
Relates to objectives: 1,2,3,4,5
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Type: Reference text
Author: Queensland Department of Main Roads
Title: Road Planning and Design Manual (online free download)
Year: 2004 - 2008.
Publisher: Queensland Government
Edition:

A package of basic background information that is relevant to the project (including Project Brief) will be issued to each group. You will be expected to identify any information further than that issued formally to the class, and where feasible, procure that information. Notwithstanding, you shall not approach members of the public nor public officers in relation to your project without authorisation of the unit coordinator.

A unit Blackboard site will provide a clearinghouse for electronic resources as well as documentation on unit housekeeping. You are expected to both review the unit Blackboard site and check your QUT student email account at least one day prior to each class.

Particular transport planning documents, which may be useful case studies, may be accessed through the internet. You may also be required to independently locate and review certain documentation. Class notes will also be posted on the unit website.

You may incur incidental costs in printing lecture notes and web based manuals, using electronic media for information storage, and attending site visits to local project sites.

Risk assessment statement

You will be informed of any requirements pertaining to a safe workplace. In lectures, tutorials and such, the information will include location of fire exits and meeting points in case of fire; in any laboratory practicals, you will be advised of requirements of safe and responsible behaviour and you will be required to wear appropriate protective items (e.g. steel capped shoes); on any field trips or site visits, you will progress through a safety induction session and where necessary obtain a safety induction card. If you do not follow legitimate instructions or endanger the safety of others or do not act in accordance with the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety Act, you will be required to leave the session/site. You will be responsible for your own health and safety, and that of other members of the community as a responsible citizen, should they elect in their own time to conduct any site visits related to the project.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 22-Oct-2012