BLAR12041 - Building Materials 2

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will provide you with knowledge of physical and chemical properties, usage, durability, innovation and disposal of brick, block masonry, ceramics, polymers, glass, bituminous materials, synthetics, paints and hazardous materials. You will learn about relevant Australian and International Standards; quality control procedures for the manufacture, testing and handling of materials; life cycle impacts and conditions through recycling, re-use, by-products synergy and resource efficiency.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
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 3 - 2023

Term 3 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 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 20%
2. Written Assessment 30%
3. Online Quiz(zes) 10%
4. Presentation and 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 3 - 2021 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 85.71% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 18.42% 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 found the unit fun to complete with the content and assignments that were relevant and engaging. Among the best aspect of the unit, reference was made to the assignments. The flexibility allowed in the choice of material to study according to the students' interest; something that made it easier and more enjoyable for students to complete the assignments.
Recommendation
We continue to include assessment tasks that allow students to individualise their learning and become more engaged in the learning process.
Action Taken
Assessment tasks were carefully reviewed to remain relevant to the current practices and engaging for students. The same practice of student-led individualized assessment was adopted in 2021.
Source: Unit Evaluation Survey
Feedback
One suggestion made was to include more resources that include in-depth details to gain a broader understanding of some of the building materials in addition to relying on textbook chapters.
Recommendation
Additional readings will be added to the weekly topics to include more in-depth and diverse details around the selected building materials.
Action Taken
Additional resources were introduced to include more in-depth and diverse details around the selected building materials.
Source: SUTE Unit Comment
Feedback
Students stated that they enjoyed the unit and found the content interesting and engaging.
Recommendation
We continue to review the unit content and assessment tasks to ensure they remain relevant to the current industry practices.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Discussion forums and email communications between students and the lecturer
Feedback
Showing case studies and examples of the built environments that showcased the use of certain building materials in weekly online zoom sessions was suggested as a positive aspect of the unit.
Recommendation
We continue to bring to the weekly online zoom sessions examples of innovative and sustainable use of building materials which are examined in weekly topics.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Discuss material properties for selected commonly used building products
  2. Explain the application of materials in buildings, their lifecycle impact and consideration for recycling and reuse
  3. Interpret and communicate clearly technical information about Quality Assurance and Codes of Practice using relevant standards
  4. Apply analytical thinking and researching skills using library and Internet resources
  5. Show skills in communication and presentation of building materials concepts.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Online Quiz(zes)
4 - Presentation and Written Assessment
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
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 - Online Quiz(zes)
4 - Presentation and Written Assessment