In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
This unit will first pave the foundation to understand how contracting parties engage in enforceable contracts, both in respect of building owners and contractors, as well as contractors and subcontractors. Then, you gradually obtain knowledge of how the dynamics of the contract change during the course of the building project, in respect of variations and extensions of time. This will further ensure you become familiar with the circumstances of how contracts can be breached, the methods of providing remedy for the breaches, and of dispute resolution. The unit will then consider the legal framework of government legislation in terms of the Acts of Parliament that relate to Builders Licensing, the Building Code of Australia, The Development Act and Occupational Health and Safety. All previous knowledge areas make you become competent in the reading and understanding of building contracts, and the application of government regulations that apply to building projects.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this 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).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2025
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.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy 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.
Feedback from Staff Feedback
The assignments are designed to replicate real-world scenarios and require students to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the regulations covered in the unit. This approach effectively supports the development of practical, industry-relevant skills but may present challenges for students unfamiliar with interpreting legislation independently.
To support student success while maintaining the integrity of the assessments, it is recommended that additional scaffolding, such as guided tutorials, annotated examples, and explanations in lectures, be provided early in the term to help students build confidence in applying regulations to real-world contexts.
Feedback from Student Feedback
It would be beneficial to keep the recording running for general discussion/questions after the lecture presentation is over.
For the next offerings of this unit, the lecture recordings should also include the Q&A session at the end of each lecture.
Feedback from Student Feedback
The unit content promotes the application of legal principles to practical scenarios, supporting deep learning. Providing more real-life examples could further enhance student confidence and clarity in responding to tasks.
It is recommended to use more real-life examples during the lectures to further support the understanding of students.
Feedback from Student Feedback
The open-ended nature of the assessments encourages independent research and critical thinking, aligning with industry practices. However, some students may benefit from additional guidance on interpreting case studies and aligning responses with assessment expectations.
It is recommended to provide more information for the assessments, and also dedicate a specific time at each lecture to discuss about the assignments.
- Contrast and compare how contracting parties engage in enforceable contracts, both in respect of building owners and contractors, as well as contractors and subcontractors.
- Investigate the dynamics of the contract change during the course of the building project, in respect of variations and extensions of time.
- Discuss the circumstances of how contracts can be breached, the methods of providing remedy for the breaches, and of dispute resolution.
- Explain the legal framework of government legislation in terms of the Acts of Parliament that relate to Builders Licensing, the Building Code of Australia, The Development Act and Occupational Health and Safety.
- Describe building contracts, and the application of government regulations that apply to building projects.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 35% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||