Unit Synopsis
This unit comprises seven key topics covering the development of Australia's design and construction industry, Government and private sector roles in managing Australian construction industry and emerging trends applied to the construction industry.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| 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 - 2026
Term 3 - 2026 Profile
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Research Proposal | 5% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 45% |
| 3. Report | 35% |
| 4. Presentation | 15% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web 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.
Source: Student Feedback
Students noted that there is an opportunity to better align the unit content and assessments with current technological trends in the construction industry. To support students' learning and ensure relevance to their enrolled course, future offerings of the unit will consider incorporating more content and assessment tasks that reflect these industry developments.
Incorporate opportunities for students to explore research topics relevant to their specific fields and recent technological trends in the construction industry, highlighting how research can be a valuable tool in solving industry problems and advancing their careers.
In response to this feedback, the unit content and assessments were updated to better reflect current technological trends in the construction industry. Opportunities were incorporated for students to explore research topics aligned with their specific fields and emerging industry developments. This included integrating research-focused elements into assessment tasks, emphasising the role of research in addressing real-world construction challenges and supporting students’ professional development.
Source: Student Feedback
While the unit provided valuable foundational knowledge, they found it challenging to directly relate some of the content to the specific responsibilities of a building surveyor. This highlights an opportunity to further contextualise content for different professional pathways.
It is recommended to provide specific real-world examples of how the content of this unit can be useful for the purposes of the student courses.
In response to this feedback, additional real-world examples were incorporated into the unit to demonstrate better how the content applies to different professional roles, including building surveying. Teaching materials and discussions were further contextualised to highlight the relevance of key concepts to students’ specific courses and career pathways, improving their ability to connect theoretical knowledge with professional practice.
Source: Student Feedback
Students responded positively to the unit’s reading resources, lectures, and tutorials, noting that these elements supported their learning effectively. The unit coordinator was consistently praised for providing exceptional support, being responsive to student inquiries, and offering valuable feedback on draft assignments. This level of dedication was greatly appreciated and contributed significantly to students' overall satisfaction with the unit.
It is recommended that the same approach be used in the next offering of the unit to maintain and build on this positive learning experience.
In response to this feedback, the same approach to teaching and student support was maintained in subsequent offerings. High-quality reading resources, well-structured lectures, and interactive tutorials continued to be provided, alongside timely responses to student inquiries and detailed feedback on draft assessments. These practices were sustained to ensure a consistent and supportive learning experience and to maintain high levels of student satisfaction.
Source: Student Feedback
Students found the unit useful and informative; however, some indicated that the scope of the final research assignment was extensive relative to the specified word limit, leading to a greater focus on managing the process rather than fully developing the content.
Review the scope and expectations of the final assessment to ensure alignment with the word limit, or adjust the structure to allow students to better focus on the depth and quality of their research.
In Progress
Source: Staff Feedback
The unit places significant emphasis on the research component, however, the time available for students to adequately develop their final research assessment is limited.
Reconsider the unit structure and timeline to allocate more time for the final research task, allowing students to engage more deeply with the research process and produce higher-quality outcomes.
In Progress
Source: Staff Feedback
There is an opportunity to further enhance student learning through increased hands-on practice during tutorials, as additional opportunities to actively apply concepts could strengthen understanding and skill development.
Incorporate more structured, practical activities within tutorials, such as guided exercises, short applied tasks, and real-world problem-solving scenarios. This will provide students with regular opportunities to practice key concepts, receive immediate feedback, and build confidence in applying their knowledge in both assessment and professional contexts.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Evaluate the development of Australia's Design and Construction industry
- Review and analyze the importance of Australian government and private sector roles to manage Australian construction industry
- Analyze and discuss emerging trends in areas of best industry practices, including innovation/ cutting edge technology, information technology, business improvement, networks and alliances, procurement, asset management, the environment, regulatory reform and intellectual improvement
- Research critical industry problems and find solutions to fix them.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal | • | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Report | • | |||
| 4 - Presentation | • | |||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |