BLAR11033 - Building Materials 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will develop your knowledge on the properties of building materials. You will also examine testing (both destructive and non-destructive) of timber, concrete, and metals in relation to: Timber - grading, strength tests, durability and protection of timber products; Concrete - tests on aggregates, fresh and hardened concrete properties, durability studies and test methods, and concrete protection; and Metal - ferrous and non-ferrous metal and its alloys, corrosion of metals and protection, and strength properties tests. This unit also develops your understanding of: Protection from corrosion and destruction; Identifying the suitable grade material for the site conditions; and Relevant Australian and international Standards. You will be provided with an introduction to: the development and application of materials from industry by-products and re-cycling of materials and life-cycle analysis of materials.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2023

Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 30%
2. Written Assessment 30%
3. Written Assessment 40%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 88.89% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 21.95% response rate.

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.

Source: Unit Evaluation Survey
Feedback
Students referred to well-organised and relevant learning materials which have all been posted in advance and a Moodle page that is easy to navigate as a positive aspect of the unit which enabled student self-paced learning.
Recommendation
We continue to include relevant learning resources and regularly update them on the Moodle page of the unit and ensure they are easily accessible.
Action Taken
Relevant learning resources were included in the Moodle page of the unit and some updated ones were offered during the unit online zoom sessions.
Source: Unit Evaluation Survey
Feedback
Students' comments pointed to the assessment tasks being clear and easy to understand. They were satisfied with the assessment return time frame which helped them understand the areas where they needed to improve before the next assessment item was due. A number of students also highlighted the need to receive more personal feedback on their submissions e.g. detailed comments on the assessment marking sheets.
Recommendation
We continue to include assessment tasks with real-life project-based aspects while ensuring that students receive proper written feedback in addition to the marks for the items of assessment rubrics.
Action Taken
Relevant assessment tasks with real-life project-based aspects were offered and students receive proper feedback after each assessment was marked.
Source: Unit Evaluation Survey
Feedback
Students suggested the inclusion of learning materials that introduce innovative and progressive building materials.
Recommendation
We review the unit resources and ensure that the content is up-to-date with the current innovation and trends in the Australian construction industry.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Discussions in the Zoom sessions and unit forums.
Feedback
Students pointed to the need for the inclusion of a textbook that is Australian based.
Recommendation
We will continue to update learning resources on Building Materials. A textbooks that is focused on the Australian construction industry will be included, once it becomes available.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain building materials, including the types, manufacturing process, properties, usage in construction and the life cycle analysis.
  2. Apply the Australian and international standards relevant to building materials.
  3. Conduct a literature review to answer specific questions related to building materials.
  4. Report on building materials through effective written communication.


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Written Assessment
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Written Assessment