For this assessment, students will form teams and will conduct a research on the available topics on the unit website. These topics are related to the advanced methods for estimating the bearing capacity of the soil for foundation design, stability analyses, retaining structures design and exploration of the related Australian Standards. In some cases, students may also require using related geotechnical software packages for their report. Students are required to submit their report and also present it orally.

The following criteria will be assessed for submissions:

a) The format of the report and including the cover page, table of contents, abstract, literature, conclusion and examples (if any);

b) The coherence of the research;

c) Completeness of the research and its details;

e) Complete Referencing; and

f) Quality of the presentation.

Professional presentation:

The following will demonstrate the components and requirements of the presentation:

a) The research is clearly identified;

b) A clear statement of each topic and its details and requirements;

c) Appropriate use of diagrams and clear diagrams;

d) Correct use of terminologies; and

e) Clear English in the explanation of the procedure and interpretation of the results.

Grades for the assessment will be determined based on the evidence and substantiation of attainment of the Learning Outcomes. After submission of the team report, students will present their report orally as a team and all are required to contribute to delivering the presentations. Students must be well prepared for any question raised by the lecturer during the presentation about the topic of their research.

The team submission will be assessed and a grade will be given to each team. The individual grade will be determined based on the contribution and performance of each student during the presentation (i.e., quality of the presentation and answers to the raised questions). Each student's contribution will be determined by a peer assessment. It may be possible that the individual grade is higher than the team mark component. 50% of the total grade is attributed to the team report, 25% for the team presentation and the other 25% is attributed to the individual students' performance during the presentation.

Example:

Team A (4 students) has gained 80% on its team report. During the presentation, the team received 70% for their presentation and the performance values of the students were 50%, 100%, 90% and 70%, respectively. The final grade of each student for the team project (out of 30%) will be: Student 1: (80*50%+70*25%+50*25%)*30%=21 out of 30 Student 2: (80*50%+70*25%+100*25%)*30%=24.8 out of 30 Student 3: (80*50%+70*25%+90*25%)*30%=24 out of 30 Student 4: (80*50%+70*25%+70*25%)*30%=22.5 out of 30

The aim of this assessment is to allow the students to demonstrate their understanding of various concepts, theories and processes developed in the course. This may include but is not limited to skills to develop a numerical analysis for a foundation design, determination of foundation settlement, soil reinforcement, slope stability, retaining structures and site investigation.

Each question in this assessment will be assessed separately for the:

• Criterion accuracy and correct results;
• Correct application of mathematics and arithmetic;
• Clear answers; and
• Correct results.

In addition, the assessment as a whole will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Evidence of correct procedures;
• The correct order of necessary steps in the analysis;
• Clear presentation of the mathematics;
• Details of the problem with the obtained results; and
• Presentation of pieces of evidence for checking results (mathematics and graphs).

Evidence of understanding of the topic:

• Explanation of choices made in the analysis (why is procedure required, why this particular procedure); and
• Interpretation of results.

Students are required to submit MS Excel, Word and software code for this assessment.

Practical exercises assist students in achieving the Learning Outcomes for this unit. Students are required to complete required laboratory activities as per instructions given in the 'Practical Instruction Sheets'. The 'Practical Instruction Sheets' and report requirements are available on the unit website. Students will handle soil and rock samples and it is possible that their clothes become dusty and wet. Students must wear appropriate clothing for laboratory work, including closed shoes. Students who behave unprofessionally or risk the safety of other people or damage the equipment may be excluded from the laboratory class, and consequently, they may fail to complete this compulsory assessment task and fail the unit. Students must attend the lab session 10 minutes before the start of the session and those who are late more than 15 minutes will be excluded and cannot attend other groups.