Semester 2, 2023 Springfield On-campus | |
Units : | 1 |
School or Department : | School of Engineering |
Grading basis : | Graded |
Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Overview
Engineering and spatial science students need to be able to forge successful working relationships with other professions and the general public. In order to meet their professional responsibilities, engineers and spatial scientists should acquire an appreciation of how politics, culture, economics and the law affect their day-to-day work, and how their work may impact upon different sections of the community and the physical environment. They must have a broad appreciation of the technological advancements of the past 20th and current 21st century and how these have benefited, people but also appreciate the negative side including impacts on the environment. Engineers and spatial scientists must also be prepared to deal with a really important new goal now highly relevant in this current century namely, that of environmental sustainability while maintaining economic viability of society. The main rationale of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and attitudes that would help them ethically promote and defend their work within their profession and society at large.
Students of engineering and surveying need to understand and be convinced that through their future professional work they will relate to the rest of society. Throughout their careers they will need to strive to ensure that this relationship is meaningful and successful. Only then will they earn respect for themselves and their profession, and ensure their work will be valued and recognised. For engineers and surveyors to meet their responsibilities towards society they must be able to appreciate how politics, culture, economics and the law affect their work and how their work impacts on different sections of the community and the physical environment. They must also be prepared to deal with the issue of long-term sustainability. The goal of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop skills and attitudes that would help them promote and defend their work within their profession and within society at large.
Course learning outcomes
The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. On completion of this course students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an appreciation of the impact of technological developments on society and the environment from historical and contemporary perspectives;
- Discuss the basic philosophies that underpin sustainable management practice and critique strategies for evaluating the environmental, social and economic implications of a proposal or a solution;
- Determine the relevance of social structure and cultural values (equity, opportunity, impact) to engineering, surveying and built environment practitioners and demonstrate a cultural awareness to enhance the practice of engaging Indigenous communities in projects;
- Explore the role and application of engineering, surveying and built environment applications to disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable communities to improve quality of life, support empowerment and ensure sustainable development;
- Identify the consequences and impacts of human endeavours on social, economic and environmental sustainability; and apply the ethical and legal constraints that govern engineering, surveying and built environment practice, including professionalism, certification and ethical practice;
- Discuss the role of engineers, surveyors and built environment practitioners in addressing Australian and global challenges, and identify and discuss emerging global issues, trends and responses in practice;
- Develop a plan on how the skills and knowledge developed in the Course will be approached and embedded in discipline-specific career goals to strive towards social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Topics
Description | Weighting(%) | |
---|---|---|
1. | Technological Developments on Society and the Environment | 15.00 |
2. | Sustainable Engineering | 30.00 |
3. | Professional Career Ethics and the Legal Framework | 20.00 |
4. | Humanitarian Aid and Development in terms of Engineering, Built and Spatial Sciences | 10.00 |
5. | Indigenous Awareness and Culturally Sensitive Practices | 10.00 |
6. | Professional Practice | 15.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | No | 15 | 1,6 |
Case Study A1 of 2 | Yes | 15 | 2,3,4 |
Case Study A2 of 2 | Yes | 15 | 2,3,4 |
Report | No | 30 | 2 |
Portfolio | No | 25 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |