15314 Project Management in Peripheral Communities
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksDescription
This subject offers students the opportunity to experience the process of the design and construction of small scale developments in a developing community. It involves students in the planning and construction of small building projects in disadvantaged communities either within or outside Australia. The subject is project based and includes instruction on both the customs and culture of the relevant community and the construction methods relevant to that community. As part of the experiential learning process for this subject, students are immersed into a developing community to participate in a hands-on construction workshop.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Deliver effective oral presentations to communicate the development of a business case progressively in the class. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Express understanding of the concept of balancing resources, time, cost and other factors with the impact of constraints on project scope, design and implementation. |
| 3. | Deliver the build for a planned design in a peripheral community. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and evaluate actual or potential ethical issues and determine sound ethical judgements in project contexts (Ethical Judgments) (A.1)
- Manage cultural diversity to meet project objectives (Managing Diversity) (A.2)
- Communicate effectively through oral communication in projects at a professional level (Oral Communication) (C.1)
- Apply foundational project management knowledge in projects (Foundational Knowledge) (P.1)
- Apply and extend advanced project management knowledge (Advanced Knowledge) (P.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
The learning activities in this subject involve a variety of block mode lectures, workshops, remote off-campus ‘hands-on’ construction activities for 5 - 10 days duration in a peripheral community (either within Australia or overseas depending on the project) and online teaching strategies.
Block mode lectures are used to deliver specific knowledge regarding the management of a construction project in a peripheral community.
Project-based group learning activities are used to provoke participatory discussions and encourage multidisciplinary teamwork. In conjunction with the lectures a project-based approach to the development of a building design and the planning of its construction is undertaken.
All students are expected to attend all lecture and workshop sessions, and follow suggested learning patterns and activities. Students are also encouraged to participate actively in the group discussions that occur during the course.
UTS staff believe that collaborative peer learning enhances learning. During the workshop component you are required to work in groups to achieve the project objectives. To facilitate this, some of the assessments are framed in such a way as to encourage group-based learning.
This subject includes field-trips to peripheral communities to enable students to directly experience the planning, logistics and risk management that remote construction activities entail.
There are a number of online resources used to support the learning objectives of this subject. A detailed overview of the pedagogy and associated tasks and assessment items are included in the subject documents. Also online are essential and recommended readings. Significantly, the readings support the lectures by providing students with an overview of issues that accompany remote construction activities. It is also important to note that the essential readings will introduce students to the lecture content.
All documents are accessible from UTS Online that support the learning objectives of this subject. A detailed brief, associated tasks and assessments, and additional documentation will, therefore, be uploaded to this subject’s UTS Online portal. The location of all documents referred to in any assessment task will be detailed in such a way as to make it is easily accessible to students. To further assist learning in this subject, essential and recommended readings, lectures, as well as previous student work, will be available.
Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject. The feedback provided will vary in form, purpose and in its degree of formality:
Formative feedback will be provided during the learning process, typically provided verbally by the subject's teaching staff. It will address the content of work and a student's approach to learning, both in general and more specific ‘assessment orientated’ terms. It is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment. Formative feedback may also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings or studio sessions.
Summative feedback is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria.
Content (topics)
The content of this subject covers the following topics:
- Overview of the project
- Details of the culture and other relevant aspects of the project community
- Details of the construction materials and processes particular to the project community
- Project planning, logistics and risk management necessary for the project.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Design Proposal & Development plus Project & Risk Plan
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment task is for students to understand what is required to develop a design proposal and the necessary supporting documentation, including Project and Risk Management plans. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2 and 3 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.1, P.1 and P.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Design/drawing/plan/sketch | ||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Reflection
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment is for students to demonstrate their skills as reflective practitioners. | ||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.1 and A.2 | ||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 10% | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Hands-on Workshop
| Intent: | The purpose of this assessment is for students to demonstrate their abilities to work effectively in groups to achieve the intended design and construction outcomes, taking onto account the cultural and geographical context of the assignment. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2 and 3 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.1, P.1 and P.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.