Along with planning, investigation, construction, and management, design work is a key element of civil engineering. This unit (NEC3202) of study aims to give students design practice and skills in a number of areas of civil engineering, and to further develop a range of more generic skills including teamwork and communication. Students will work in small design teams to carry out two designs of varying focus and complexity, but drawn mainly from the areas of water and road engineering. Each design will typically involve data gathering, analysis, calculations, preparation of engineering drawings, a report and presentation. To increase student exposure to current real-world practice and requirements, at least one of these designs will be offered and run by an external civil engineering organisation in collaboration with the unit convenor.

Unit details

Location:
Study level:
Undergraduate
Credit points:
12
Unit code:
NEC3202

Prerequisites

NEC2203 - Hydraulics

NEC2204 - Highway Engineering

NEC3103 - Hydrology and Water Resources

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. Investigate key issues in a typical civil engineering design problem, formulate the problem, and use a systems approach to solve it;  
  2. Locate, evaluate and use additional data and information from a variety of sources relevant to a particular design;  
  3. Analyse the implementation of preliminary designs for projects in the broad fields of water and road engineering;  
  4. Evaluate design options against technical and other criteria; and  
  5. Collaborate effectively as a member and/or leader of a small design team.  

Assessment

Assessment type Description Grade
Presentation Presentations (2) 30%
Test Test 20%
Assignment Two team-based design reports 50%

Where to next?

As part of a course

This unit is studied as part of the following courses. Refer to the course page for information on how to apply for the course.

VU takes care to ensure the accuracy of this unit information, but reserves the right to change or withdraw courses offered at any time. Please check that unit information is current with the Student Contact Centre.