In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
This unit explains how geological processes that produce landforms, geological structures, rocks, and soils affect the location, design, construction, and maintenance of civil engineering projects. In this unit, you will gain knowledge of the engineering properties of soils, conduct and analyse data from geotechnical tests performed according to Australian Standards, and prepare high quality geotechnical reports. You will select appropriate approaches for analysing the behaviour of soils in civil engineering applications. You will need to use appropriate 'civil engineering language' in context and document the process of modelling and analysis of geotechnical problems. You will present information in a professional manner and communicate, work, and learn, both individually and in teams. In this unit, you must complete compulsory practical activities. Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for proposed dates. This unit will promote progress toward the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 15 - Life on the land.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: [ENEG11006 Engineering Statics AND [MATH11218 Applied Mathematics OR MATH11160 Technology Mathematics]
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 2 - 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 SUTE
The content was relatable to engineering practice and the lecturer was very passionate about the subject matter.
The high relevancy of the content with changing engineering practice should be maintained.
Feedback from SUTE
The course requirements were very clearly communicated.
The clear communication style should be upheld in all future offerings.
Feedback from SUTE
The residential school was a good opportunity to practice various soil testing. A longer residential school would be better.
The residential school component should be maintained along with increasing the duration to four days.
- Identify and discuss the implications of geological factors affecting the location, design, construction, and maintenance of civil engineering projects
- Conduct geotechnical tests, analyse test data, and prepare geotechnical reports
- Calculate basic engineering properties of soils and explain the relationship to soil behaviour
- Analyse the behaviour of soil in response to engineering applications using appropriate theories and national standards
- Communicate, work and learn both individually and in teams, document the process of modelling, testing, and analysis and present the information in a professional manner.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:
Introductory 3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 5N )
Intermediate 1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 2I 3I 4I ) 1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 3I ) 2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem-solving. (LO: 1N 3I 4I ) 2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources. (LO: 2I ) 2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 4I ) 3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 2I 5I ) 3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 2I )
Advanced 1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2A 3I 4A ) 1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 3A ) 3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 2A 5I )
Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping informationhttps://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 35% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 35% | |||||
| 3 - Online Test - 30% | |||||
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 | |||||