Overview
This unit introduces you to the roles and responsibilities of being a professional practitioner in the building and construction sector through consideration of professional ethics; personal actions and liabilities; and stakeholder collaboration and involvement. In this unit you will also gain an understanding and learn the application of organisational psychology - theory and practice; project management and control; financial, time, and quality management; construction business planning; trust and general accounts; contemporary office management practices; legal, regulatory, and control measures; and identifying opportunities to implement social innovation practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
BLAR11049 Built Environment Communication and Skills Or COMM11003 Professional and Technical Communication (before 2012 term 1)
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 Staff Feedback
Lecture slides were good but could use more real-world examples.
Future offerings will include more industry-focused examples to enhance relevance and application.
Feedback from Staff Feedback
The assessments are designed in a way that support career planning and professional growth for students.
Assessment design should continue to support career planning and professional growth to further develop critical reflection on career pathways.
Feedback from Staff Feedback
The unit contain a large volume of reading material, which provides a valuable source of resources that supported learning and also strengthened knowledge useful for future careers.
The wide range of readings should be maintained and updated accordingly for their academic and professional value.
- Explain and analyse the ways organisational behaviour theories and personal traits influence building professional practices
- Identify and apply strategies to implement effective professional and social innovation practices within the built-environment industry
- Apply skills in teamwork and managing conflict within multidisciplinary project environment comprising consultants, clients, authorities, and other stakeholders
- Apply financial, time, and quality management principles to start, grow, maintain, and solve problems and scenario of workplace practice
- Describe legal, contractual, regulatory, and control measures that are relevant to built-environment professionals
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||
| 2 - Group Work - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50% | |||||
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)
- Endnote (available through Library - see Moodle link)
- Presentation software such as MS Powerpoint
- Headphones or speaker, and a microphone for Zoom sessions
- Zoom access for weekly meetings
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.abbasi@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Topic 1. Professionalism, Ethics, and Code of Conduct
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 2. Personal Traits, Attitudes, and Managing Emotions
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 3. People Management and Leadership Skills
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 4. Communication Skills in the Building Industry
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 5. Working with People, Collaboration, and Teamwork Skills
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 6. Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There is no session scheduled for this week, enjoy the break!
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 7. Running a Practice and Business Management
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 8. Financial Planning and Time Management
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Group Presentation for Assessment 2 in Week 9
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Group Presentation for Assessment 2 in Week 10
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 9. Professional Development and Industry Engagement
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 10. Cultural Awareness and Global Citizenship
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
This is an online quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions. The questions are taken from Weekly Topics 1 to 4. The Quiz will be made available on Monday morning of Week 5 and will be closed on the due date.
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.
Week 5 Friday (10 Apr 2026) 10:59 pm AEST
Complete and submit the quiz via the Assessment Block of the Moodle page of the unit.
The system automatically records the highest score of the two attempts.
The assignment will be assessed automatically by the system. The coordinator will review the grades.
- Explain and analyse the ways organisational behaviour theories and personal traits influence building professional practices
- Apply skills in teamwork and managing conflict within multidisciplinary project environment comprising consultants, clients, authorities, and other stakeholders
- Apply financial, time, and quality management principles to start, grow, maintain, and solve problems and scenario of workplace practice
- Describe legal, contractual, regulatory, and control measures that are relevant to built-environment professionals
2 Group Work
This assessment focuses on the Weekly Topics 2, 3, 5, and 6. You are required to form a team of 3-4 members and complete a number of teamwork tasks. The assessment products will include three components: 1) a 15-min team verbal presentation in one of the presentation sessions scheduled in Week 9 and 10 (18 marks); 2) a 500-word individual written report reflecting on the teamwork experiences submitted to the Moodle on or before the due date (8 marks); and 3) completed Self-and-Peer Assessment (SAPA) survey which is embedded in the Assessment Block of the Moodle page (4 marks).
AI Assessment Scale: AI Collaboration (You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use).
Please ensure that you upload your completed work by the nominated due date. Follow the step-by-step instructions provided on-screen during the submission process. Once uploaded, your work will be automatically checked using Turnitin, a tool that detects text similarity to identify possible instances of plagiarism. You are encouraged to review your Turnitin report and, if necessary, revise your work to address any issues before the deadline.
It is essential that your submission is entirely your own. If you use any sources, they must be appropriately cited in accordance with the CQU Harvard referencing style, as outlined in the CQU Harvard referencing guide.
Additional guidance and information about the assessment requirements can be found on the unit's Moodle site.
Week 9 Monday (11 May 2026) 10:59 pm AEST
Submit the individual report online via the Assessment Block on the Moodle-Complete the SAPA in the Moodle-Make the team verbal presentation in week 9 or 10 Zoom session.
Week 11 Monday (25 May 2026)
Via the Assessment block of the Moodle page of the unit
The assignment will be assessed on quality of work submitted, relevance and coherence to the specific question and tasks. This includes clear argumentation and use of quality references (in-text and bibliography). The content prepared is to expand beyond the learning material provided and demonstrates the student's development of the unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Students will work with a marking rubric for self-review and receive formative and summative feedback.
- Explain and analyse the ways organisational behaviour theories and personal traits influence building professional practices
- Identify and apply strategies to implement effective professional and social innovation practices within the built-environment industry
- Apply skills in teamwork and managing conflict within multidisciplinary project environment comprising consultants, clients, authorities, and other stakeholders
- Apply financial, time, and quality management principles to start, grow, maintain, and solve problems and scenario of workplace practice
3 Reflective Practice Assignment
This assessment focuses on Weekly Topics 7 to 10. Tasks include development of a detailed business plan and writing up reflective statements on your role as a culturally aware and globally responsible built environment professional.
AI Assessment Scale: AI Collaboration (You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use).
Please ensure that you upload your completed work by the nominated due date. Follow the step-by-step instructions provided on-screen during the submission process. Once uploaded, your work will be automatically checked using Turnitin, a tool that detects text similarity to identify possible instances of plagiarism. You are encouraged to review your Turnitin report and, if necessary, revise your work to address any issues before the deadline.
It is essential that your submission is entirely your own. If you use any sources, they must be appropriately cited in accordance with the CQU Harvard referencing style, as outlined in the CQU Harvard referencing guide.
Additional guidance and information about the assessment requirements can be found on the unit's Moodle site.
Exam Week Friday (12 June 2026) 10:59 pm AEST
Electronic submission via the assessment block of the Moodle page of the unit with giving enough time for a Turnitin report to be generated
Within two weeks of submission but before the certification of grades
The assignment will be assessed on quality of work submitted, relevance and coherence to the specific question and tasks. This includes clear argumentation and use of quality references (in-text and bibliography). The content prepared is to expand beyond the learning material provided and demonstrates the student's development of the unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Students will work with a marking rubric for self-review and receive formative and summative feedback.
- Identify and apply strategies to implement effective professional and social innovation practices within the built-environment industry
- Describe legal, contractual, regulatory, and control measures that are relevant to built-environment professionals
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?
