In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
This unit will develop your knowledge on the physical and chemical properties, usage, durability, innovation, and disposal of building materials. You will explore and understand environmental impacts of building materials, their roles in contributing to sustainable design and a circular economy, and innovative building materials and systems through examining real-world practical examples i.e. case study buildings. You will also learn about: relevant Australian Standards; quality control procedures for the manufacture, testing, and handling of materials; and life cycle assessments and conditions through recycling, re-use, by-products synergy, and resource efficiency. International standards will be introduced selectively where relevant to support comparison and professional awareness, while maintaining Australian Standards as the primary reference point
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 - 2026
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate 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 Student Feedback
Students noted that some of the reading material is UK-based, which creates challenges given the differences in terminology, and practices compared to the Australian context.
Future offerings should prioritise the inclusion of Australian-based reading materials to ensure alignment with local standards, terminology, and industry practices.
Feedback from Student Feedback
Students indicated that the criteria for the research assessments were not clear, making it difficult to determine exactly what content was required to meet the expectations and successfully pass.
Assessment criteria should be reviewed and refined to provide clearer guidance on expectations. Additional examples and explanatory notes should be considered to help students better understand the required content and standards for successful completion.
Feedback from Student Feedback
The unit is well-structured, and the content is clearly organised on Moodle. Learning resources are easy to access, logically sequenced, and support students in navigating the unit effectively, which enhances the overall learning experience.
The organisation of unit content on Moodle and the clarity of learning resources should be maintained. Future offerings should continue to ensure that materials are structured to support easy access and effective engagement with the content.
- Understand and describe building materials including types, manufacturing process, properties, and usage in design and construction
- Identify and apply relevant Australian codes and standards as well as selected international standards where applicable to building materials
- Explain the application of building materials in terms of their environmental impact and life cycle assessment
- Demonstrate skills in communication and analysis of building materials concepts in real-world practical examples
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||
| 2 - Case Study - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Group Work - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||