Overview
This unit introduces you to fundamental communication concepts relevant to a career in the Built Environment. These include written, verbal, visual and mathematical communication skills. You will discover CQUniversity systems that will support your success in future studies. Through teamwork tasks, you will develop skills in negotiation, team dynamics, conflict resolution and ethical issues. Interpretation of commonly used industry documentation, together with effective plan and specification reading and analysis, and the introduction to industry-specific software, will provide you with the foundations for future studies and work in the Built Environment.
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 1 - 2026
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 Student evaluation
The lectures. The PowerPoint was sometimes slow and didn’t show up as they were being discussed.
A review of Zoom and current computer system will seek ways to improve the hosting experience.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Enjoyed learning some basic math skills that I lacked at school.
Unit review will maintain the maths endorsement provided.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Results/feedback for assessment 3 took too long.
Review will look at marking assistance to shorten return time.
Feedback from Student evaluation
I liked how we could connect with the teacher before the live discussion if we had any doubts.
Consultation time before and after the scheduled online class will be retained.
- Identify and use CQUniversity systems appropriate to specific tasks.
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills related to the built environment.
- Analyse and interpret technical data to apply basic mathematical principles to solve practical built environment problems.
- Employ negotiation and conflict-resolution strategies to support effective teamwork.
- Interpret and use common industry documentation and software effectively.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 20% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||||
| 4 - Group Work - 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 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.adams@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
CQU Systems
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Research and Referencing
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Written communication
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Visual Communication 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Visual Communication 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Class Presentations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Number Operations and Algebra
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Algebraic Equations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Trigonometry
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Vectors
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Geometry
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Unit Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Group Work
The task comprises a shared group mark for the jointly produced project deliverable (such as a report or presentation) and an individual component that each student must complete.
This individual component requires students to submit a reflective commentary on their own communication, contribution to the group, and approach to managing any team conflict, as well as to complete a peer review rating of team members’ contributions using a standard rubric.
AI Assessment Scale: AI Planning (You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas).
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
Week 6 Monday (13 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Monday (4 May 2026)
Detailed assessment criteria will be available on Moodle
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills related to the built environment.
- Employ negotiation and conflict-resolution strategies to support effective teamwork.
2 Practical Assessment
Students will complete the training pack tests from the following list offered within the Archistar system
• Autodesk: Revit Designer 2024
• Revit Advanced 2024
• AutoCAD Essentials
• Graphisoft: BIM Essentials
Week 7 Monday (27 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9 Monday (11 May 2026)
Detailed assessment criteria will be available in Moodle
- Identify and use CQUniversity systems appropriate to specific tasks.
- Analyse and interpret technical data to apply basic mathematical principles to solve practical built environment problems.
- Employ negotiation and conflict-resolution strategies to support effective teamwork.
- Interpret and use common industry documentation and software effectively.
3 Written Assessment
Students will solve given math problems.
AI Assessment Scale: AI Planning (You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas).
Week 12 Monday (1 June 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Vacation/Exam Week Monday (15 June 2026)
Detailed assessment criteria will be available on Moodle
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills related to the built environment.
- Interpret and use common industry documentation and software effectively.
4 Online Quiz(zes)
This is an online quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions.
AI Assessment Scale = No AI (You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge).
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
1
Other
Exam Week Thursday (11 June 2026) 7:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Monday (8 June 2026)
The assignment will be assessed automatically by the system. The coordinator will review the grades.
- Identify and use CQUniversity systems appropriate to specific tasks.
- Analyse and interpret technical data to apply basic mathematical principles to solve practical built environment problems.
- Interpret and use common industry documentation and software effectively.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
