Course Outline
CIV203 Construction Technology
Course Coordinator:James Ghent (jghent@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
2026Trimester 2
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This course will provide you with appropriate knowledge, skills and techniques used to maximise construction project outcomes and success. The course covers cutting-edge digitisation techniques in construction, focusing on Building Information Modelling (BIM). Hands-on activities cover various equipment, construction methods and planning/organising a project. The importance of aligning construction activities to the Sustainable Development Goals will be considered.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Asynchronous weekly learning material | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Seminar – On campus | 1hr | Week 1 | 3 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
| Laboratory 1 – On campus | 2hrs | Week 2 | 5 times |
Course Topics
Topics may include:
- Construction Methods and Techniques.
- Construction Equipment and Technology.
- Sustainable Construction Practices.
- Digital Construction Documentation and Communication.
- Construction Safety and Risk Management.
What level is this course?
200 Level (Developing)
Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Competencies from multiple Professional Bodies (see below) * | |
| 1 | Demonstrate knowledge of materials, construction techniques and testing to the level of a student engineer working on a construction site | Knowledgeable |
1, 1, 1.2.a, 1.2.a, 1.3.a, 1.3.a, 1.2, 1.2, 1.3, 1.3 |
| 2 | Assess the underpinning theories for civil infrastructure management, contract models and project delivery methods | Creative and critical thinker |
1.6.a, 1.6.a, 1.6.c, 1.6.c, 1.6.d, 1.6.d, 1.6, 1.6, 2, 2, 2.1.a, 2.1.a, 2.1.h, 2.1.h, 2.1, 2.1 |
| 3 | Evaluate risk, project safety, sediment control and environmental considerations relevant to a sustainable civil infrastructure construction project |
Creative and critical thinker Sustainability-focussed |
1.6.b, 1.6.b, 1.6.c, 1.6.c, 1.6, 1.6 |
| 4 | Distinguish national, state and local infrastructure requirements to maximise construction and sustainibility outcomes. |
Ethical Sustainability-focussed |
1.6.a, 1.6.a, 1.6.c, 1.6.c, 1.6, 1.6 |
| 5 | Implement a Building Information Model for the planning of a civil infrastructure project | Empowered |
1, 1, 1.2.a, 1.2.a, 1.2, 1.2, 2, 2, 2.2.b, 2.2.b |
| 6 | Demonstrate knowledge of up to date cutting-edge construction techniques and technology | Engaged |
1, 1, 1.4.a, 1.4.a, 1.4, 1.4, 3.3.b, 3.3.b, 3.5.c, 3.5.c |
* Competencies by Professional Body
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Engineers Australia Stage 1 Engineering Technologist Competency Standards | |
| 1 | Elements of competency: Knowledge and Skill Base |
| 1.2.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Conceptual understanding of the, mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the technology domain: Fluently applies relevant investigation, analysis, interpretation, assessment, characterisation, prediction, evaluation, modelling, decision making, measurement, evaluation, knowledge management and communication tools and techniques pertinent to the technology domain. |
| 1.3.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the technology domain: Proficiently applies advanced technical knowledge and skills to deliver engineering outcomes in specialist area(s) of the technology domain and associated industry, commercial and community sectors. |
| 1.6.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the technology domain: Understands the standards and codes of practice, as well as the legislative and statutory requirements associated with specialist practice area(s) of the technology domain. |
| 1.6.c | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the technology domain: Appreciates the social, environmental and economic principles of sustainable engineering practice. |
| 1.6.d | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the technology domain: Understands the fundamental principles of engineering project management and systems as a basis for planning, organising and managing resources. |
| 1.6.b | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the technology domain: Appreciates the principles of safety engineering, risk management and the health and safety responsibilities of the engineering practitioner, applicable to the technology domain. |
| 1.4.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Discernment of knowledge development within the technology domain: Identifies and critically appraises current developments and emerging issues professionally disseminated in specialist practice area(s) of the technology domain. |
| 1.2 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Conceptual understanding of the, mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the technology domain. |
| 1.3 | Knowledge and Skill Base: In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the technology domain. |
| 1.4 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Discernment of knowledge development within the technology domain. |
| 1.6 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the technology domain. |
| 2 | Elements of competency: Engineering Application Ability |
| 2.1.a | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to broadly-defined problem solving within the technology domain: Identifies, discerns and characterises salient issues, determines and analyses causes and effects, justifies and applies appropriate simplifying assumptions, predicts performance and behaviour, synthesises solution strategies and develops substantiated conclusions. |
| 2.1.h | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to broadly-defined problem solving within the technology domain: Identifies, quantifies, mitigates and manages technical, health, environmental, safety and other contextual risks associated with engineering application in the technology domain. |
| 2.2.b | Engineering Application Ability - Application of engineering techniques, tools and resources within the technology domain: Understands the principles, limitations and accuracy of mathematical, physical or computational modelling. |
| 2.1 | Engineering Application Ability: Application of established engineering methods to broadly-defined problem solving within the technology domain. |
| 3.3.b | Professional and Personal Attributes - Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour: Seeks out new developments in specialist area(s) of the technology domain and applies fundamental knowledge and systematic processes to evaluate and report potential. |
| 3.5.c | Professional and Personal Attributes - Orderly management of self, and professional conduct: Demonstrates commitment to life-long learning and professional development. |
| Engineers Australia Stage 1 Professional Engineer Competency Standards | |
| 1 | Elements of competency: Knowledge and Skill Base |
| 1.2.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline: Develops and fluently applies relevant investigation analysis, interpretation, assessment, characterisation, prediction, evaluation, modelling, decision making, measurement, evaluation, knowledge management and communication tools and techniques pertinent to the engineering discipline. |
| 1.3.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline: Proficiently applies advanced technical knowledge and skills in at least one specialist practice domain of the engineering discipline. |
| 1.6.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the basis and relevance of standards and codes of practice, as well as legislative and statutory requirements applicable to the engineering discipline. |
| 1.6.c | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the social, environmental and economic principles of sustainable engineering practice. |
| 1.6.d | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Understands the fundamental principles of engineering project management as a basis for planning, organising and managing resources. |
| 1.6.b | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the principles of safety engineering, risk management and the health and safety responsibilities of the professional engineer, including legislative requirements applicable to the engineering discipline. |
| 1.4.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline: Identifies and critically appraises current developments, advanced technologies, emerging issues and interdisciplinary linkages in at least one specialist practice domain of the engineering discipline. |
| 1.2 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. |
| 1.3 | Knowledge and Skill Base: In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. |
| 1.4 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. |
| 1.6 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. |
| 2 | Elements of competency: Engineering Application Ability |
| 2.1.a | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving: Identifies, discerns and characterises salient issues, determines and analyses causes and effects, justifies and applies appropriate simplifying assumptions, predicts performance and behaviour, synthesises solution strategies and develops substantiated conclusions. |
| 2.1.h | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving: Identifies, quantifies, mitigates and manages technical, health, environmental, safety and other contextual risks associated with engineering application in the designated engineering discipline. |
| 2.2.b | Engineering Application Ability - Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources: Constructs or selects and applies from a qualitative description of a phenomenon, process, system, component or device a mathematical, physical or computational model based on fundamental scientific principles and justifiable simplifying assumptions. |
| 2.1 | Engineering Application Ability: Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. |
| 3.3.b | Professional and Personal Attributes - Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour: Seeks out new developments in the engineering discipline and specialisations and applies fundamental knowledge and systematic processes to evaluate and report potential. |
| 3.5.c | Professional and Personal Attributes - Orderly management of self, and professional conduct: Demonstrates commitment to life-long learning and professional development. |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
ENG105 or ENG102
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
ENG340
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
In this course you will be required to submit a reflective journal on the learning outcomes from each week to track your progress. The first submission is due in Week 3.
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Portfolio | Individual | 30% | 1000 words |
Week 5 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 2000 words |
Week 11 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 30% | 2 hours |
Exam Period | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Portfolio | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | Case studies, Laboratory and Field information/ reports based work Analysis/ evaluation. |
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| Product: | Portfolio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Case studies, Laboratory and Field information/ reports based work Analysis/ evaluation. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | Research project on construction technology topic. |
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| Product: | Written Piece | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Research project on construction technology topic. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Organisation, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Examination | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | All the topics covered in the course will be accessible. |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | All the topics covered in the course will be accessible. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
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Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Schedule
| Period and Topic | Activities |
MODULE 1: Introduction to construction technology: Weeks 1 and 2 |
Learning materials and review activities on introduction to construction technology and cutting edge techniques including Building Information Modelling (BIM) Workshop on reflective practice for this course and BIM |
MODULE 2: Management theories for civil infrastructure activities: Weeks 3 to 5 |
Learning materials and review activities on management theory and tools, including contract models, financial management, project delivery methods and managing contractors Workshops on Work Breakdown Structure, assessing risk and project safety and erosion and sediment control and environmental considerations. |
MODULE 3: Infrastructure requirements at the National, State and local levels: Weeks 6 and 7 |
Learning materials and review activities on Australian Standards and local government requirements Workshops on Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia and DTMR requirements |
MODULE 4: Winning sustainable civil infrastructure projects: Weeks 7, 8 and 9 |
Learning materials and review activities on preparing a tender submission - cost estimation Workshops on preparing a tender submission - cost estimation and engaging the market |
MODULE 5: Construction materials, techniques and cutting-edge technology: Weeks 10 to 13. |
Learning materials and review activities on pavement design and construction, cement and concrete properties, testing and reinforcing, Pipe and conduit laying. Workshops on geotechnical surveys, pavement design and construction and cement properties. |
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Recommended | Andrew Baldwin,David Bordoli | 2014 | Handbook for Construction Planning and Scheduling | n/a | John Wiley & Sons |
Specific requirements
Not applicable
How are risks managed in this course?
Risk assessments have been performed for all field activities and a low level of health and safety risk exists. Some risks concerns may include working in an unknown environment as well as slip and trip hazards. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: