Overview
In this unit, students will develop an advanced understanding of the role forensic engineering methods and victim pathology play in informing accident investigation and causation. Students will also appraise the contribution of engineers and the engineering profession, safety engineering concepts, safe design, engineering failure analysis to accident investigation and prevention. The contribution of principles and methods of fire investigation and the role of meteorology are also analysed. All students are required to attend a Residential School.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Have Your Say student Feedback
The best aspects were that the instructors are very knowledgeable and very helpful. There was a lot of information given in a short space of time but it appeared to be a seamless process. The course was enjoyable to attend.
Continue to use lecturers that are knowledgeable and helpful.
Lecturers were qualified and experienced in the discipline area of engineering, giving credibility to the content and students commented that they were helpful
- Discuss the role and effect of safety engineering and prevention through design on the causation and prevention of accidents.
- Analyse forensic investigation contexts and methods from the engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical engineering for establishing accident causation factors.
- Examine the methods of engineering failure analysis and their contribution to accident forensics.
- Examine the contribution of victim pathology in identification of the biomechanics of injury causality and the implication for future design and injury prevention.
- Explore the nature of fires and the principles and techniques for fire investigation.
- Examine the impact of meteorology on accident causation and associated methods of investigation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 20% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||||
| 4 - Research | ||||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Group Discussion - 20% | ||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.howard@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Course and Moodle
Module 1 : Safety engineering & prevention
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2 : Forensic Engineering Investigation Methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 2 : Forensic Engineering Investigation Methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 3 : Engineering Failure Analysis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 3 : Engineering Failure Analysis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 4 : Crashworthiness and biomechanics
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 5 : Meteorology and accidents
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Module/Topic
Module 6 : Fire investigation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Contribute to Moodle Group discussion
Class Discussion and Moodle Activities Due: Week 9 Friday (12 May 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Residential School
- Forensic Engineering Methods Practical
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School 16-18 May, Bundaberg Crash Lab
Module/Topic
Review & reflection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review & reflection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Group Discussion
Discussion topics related to the unit content of Accident Forensics and Engineering will be introduced in the News forum at stages throughout the term. These will then be discussed by the cohort on the Moodle discussion forum, where you will develop and share your final understandings. As an example, previous topics have included:
- Likely injury mechanisms in the 2005 Banda Aceh Indonesian Tsunami
- Energy....the scientific cause of injuries
- Examples of engineering failures that have lead to accidents - students to contribute from own knowledge base
- Benefits and limitation of simulation as an accident analysis tool.
You are expected to participate in each of these discussions as they form a part of the assessment activities for this course.
Week 9 Friday (12 May 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 11 Friday (26 May 2017)
As a general rule assessment criteria for all assessment items include
1. (90%) Content - includes the accuracy, relevance and application of key concepts, analysis, argument, language and grammer used in answering a question or report (see marking criteria for individual requirements).
2. (10%) References - includes the provision of a reference list and the application of the Harvard style for referencing information, data, tables or images sourced for the assignment or report.
Where necessary your Lecturer may provide additional assessment criteria in Moodle.
- Discuss the role and effect of safety engineering and prevention through design on the causation and prevention of accidents.
- Analyse forensic investigation contexts and methods from the engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical engineering for establishing accident causation factors.
- Explore the nature of fires and the principles and techniques for fire investigation.
- Examine the impact of meteorology on accident causation and associated methods of investigation.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
2 Written Assessment
During the compulsory residential school, you will be engaged in a number of practical activities to apply the knowledge you have learned. Details of each activity will be provided during the residential school, however they will include:
- Forensic Engineering & Crashworthiness assessment
- Engineering Failure Analysis
- Victim Pathology
You will collate these activities as a portfolio and submit it for assessment.
Week 11 Friday (26 May 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (9 June 2017)
As a general rule assessment criteria for all assessment items include
1. (90%) Content - includes the accuracy, relevance and application of key concepts, analysis, argument, language and grammer used in answering a question or report (see marking criteria for individual requirements).
2. (10%) References - includes the provision of a reference list and the application of the Harvard style for referencing information, data, tables or images sourced for the assignment or report.
Where necessary your Lecturer may provide additional assessment criteria in Moodle.
- Discuss the role and effect of safety engineering and prevention through design on the causation and prevention of accidents.
- Examine the methods of engineering failure analysis and their contribution to accident forensics.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Written Assessment
You will be given 4 case studies to investigate. You are required to identify two different forensic methods/technologies used in each of the cases (in total eight different methods and technologies). Critique the strengths and weaknesses of their application to the case with your argument supported by the appropriate literature (references).
The cases will be presented to you at the start of the assignment. Links to the relevant reports will be provided in Moodle.
Please note that while this is due at the end of term, you should be working on it during term so that it is not a major piece of work in the last 2 weeks.
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (16 June 2017)
As a general rule assessment criteria for all assessment items include
1. (90%) Content - includes the accuracy, relevance and application of key concepts, analysis, argument, language and grammer used in answering a question or report (see marking criteria for individual requirements).
2. (10%) References - includes the provision of a reference list and the application of the Harvard style for referencing information, data, tables or images sourced for the assignment or report.
Where necessary your Lecturer may provide additional assessment criteria in Moodle.
- Analyse forensic investigation contexts and methods from the engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical engineering for establishing accident causation factors.
- Examine the contribution of victim pathology in identification of the biomechanics of injury causality and the implication for future design and injury prevention.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
