ENAR12014 - Introduction to Mining Technology and Mineral Processing

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces students to the improved safety and productivity of mining methods from an historical perspective. Students will investigate the social, environmental and economic sustainability of Australian mining operations and the impact of Australian laws on coal and metalliferous, underground and surface mining, blast design, and mineral processing. During the unit students will be expected to demonstrate an effective and professional level of teamwork, communication and support for collaborative peer group learning through the use of forums, reflective journals and workbooks.

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 1 - 2019

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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 35%
3. Written Assessment 45%
4. Portfolio 0%

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

Previous Feedback

No previous feedback available

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 and self reflection.
Feedback:
Include updated blasting content.

Recommendation:
Update safe and efficient blasting content based on industry best practices.

Action Taken:
More material for blasting is added.
Source: Student feedback and self assessment.
Feedback:
Include updated ventilation content and assessment.

Recommendation:
Update ventilation measurements and calculations content and include them in the appropriate assessment items.

Action Taken:
More slides and material added for ventilation.
Source: Student feedback and self assessment.
Feedback:
Improve the organisation of the course content.

Recommendation:
Scaffold the updated learning material to improve the student's ability to build their knowledge of mining methods and the more technical aspects of blasting and ventilation.

Action Taken:
New techniques and methods are introduced to cover the technical aspects of blasting and ventilation.
Source: Student Evaluation
Feedback:
Overall unsatisfactory evaluation

Recommendation:
Delivery of the unit and the unit material should be improved to get the students to a satisfactory level.

Action Taken:
In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Analyse the historical development of mining methods to determine the key factors that have improved the safety and productivity of mining operations.
  2. Assess the social, environmental and economic sustainability of Australian mining operations.
  3. Outline the acts and regulations associated with Australian law that impact on blast design and mineral processing for surface, underground, coal and metalliferous mining.
  4. Determine a suitable blast design for a coal or metalliferous deposit in a surface mining operation.
  5. Evaluate suitable mineral processing methods for the extraction, separation and concentration of various coal and metalliferous products.
  6. Demonstrate an effective and professional level of teamwork, communication and support for collaborative peer group learning through the use of forums, reflective journals and workbooks.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Written Assessment
4 - Portfolio
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
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
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 10
1 - Written Assessment
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Written Assessment
4 - Portfolio