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Unit Synopsis
This unit will provide you with knowledge of physical and chemical properties, usage, durability, innovation and disposal of brick, block masonry, ceramics, polymers, glass, bituminous materials, synthetics, paints and hazardous materials. You will learn about relevant Australian and International Standards; quality control procedures for the manufacture, testing and handling of materials; life cycle impacts and conditions through recycling, re-use, by-products synergy and resource efficiency.
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 3 - 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task |
Part Weighting
(% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Assessment 1 ( 20% of unit • 1 part ) | |||
|
Part 1
– Case Study
|
100% of 20% | Medium | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 2. Assessment 2 ( 30% of unit • 1 part ) | |||
|
Part 1
– Case Study
|
100% of 30% | Medium | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 3. Assessment 3 ( 10% of unit • 1 part ) | |||
|
Part 1
– Online Quiz(zes)
|
100% of 10% | Low | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 4. Assessment 4 ( 40% of unit • 1 part ) | |||
|
Part 1
– Presentation and Written Assessment
|
100% of 40% | Medium | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web 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.
Source: Teacher Evaluation Survey
Students demonstrated a strong interest in sustainability, reflecting their enthusiasm for learning about emerging technologies and solutions to address future industry challenges.
To further support this interest, the inclusion of sustainability assessment tools or software (e.g., energy modelling, life cycle analysis) is recommended to provide practical, hands-on experience and deepen conceptual understanding.
Assessment tasks were modified or added to emphasise the environmental impacts of building materials in the selected case study, including life cycle analysis and sustainability issues.
Source: Teacher Evaluation Survey
Aligning the unit content more closely with the specific needs and responsibilities of building certifiers and surveyors will enhance its practical relevance and applicability to professional practice.
Incorporating targeted case studies, up-to-date regulations, and real-world scenarios relevant to certification and surveying roles is recommended to bridge theory with industry practice and support career-ready learning outcomes.
Discussions on case studies of best practice in the use/application of building materials were added to weekly sessions, and this suggestion was addressed in the refined assessment tasks.
Source: Student email communications with the lecturer and class discussion
Students reported positive views about the introduction of a verbal presentation component to the final assessment.
In any future offering of the unit, we will need to maintain the verbal presentation component as a major component of Assessment 4: case study analysis.
In Progress
Source: Students' written comments in SUTE survey
Students recommended the use of more Australian-based resources within the unit content.
We should continue to include and update Australian-based resources and standards related to the use/impacts of building materials.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Discuss material properties for selected commonly used building products
- Explain the application of materials in buildings, their lifecycle impact and consideration for recycling and reuse
- Interpret and communicate clearly technical information about Quality Assurance and Codes of Practice using relevant standards
- Apply analytical thinking and researching skills using library and Internet resources
- Show skills in communication and presentation of building materials concepts.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
Part 1 -
Case Study
|
• | • | • | • | • |
|
2.
Assessment 2
Part 1 -
Case Study
|
• | • | • | • | • |
|
3.
Assessment 3
Part 1 -
Online Quiz(zes)
|
• | • | • | ||
|
4.
Assessment 4
Part 1 -
Presentation and Written Assessment
|
• | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |