Year one core modules

• An Introduction to Technology and Design

  This module is designed for students of construction, surveying and architecture with little or no prior knowledge of building construction, services and material properties. Students will learn the common materials and methods of construction of both new and traditional housing, by considering in turn each of the main elements of the buildings' structures. They will also study the requirements of the internal environment, so as to understand how services installations contribute to user comfort. Other basic aspects such as the personnel involved, health and safety requirements and specialised terminology will be illustrated as appropriate to support this. The module is also designed to provide an insight into the behaviour and properties for a variety of materials commonly used in the construction of buildings and civil engineering projects. The behavioural properties and performance of these materials will be explored using basic scientific principles in order to develop the students' ability to make informed choices. Students will also gain an appreciation of the role of the designer in the construction process and have an understanding of the design process. An integrated learning system comprising course text book, weekly videos, and workbooks for students' home study, are used together with formal lectures and group tutorials. Students will also undertake a series of calculations culminating in a design exercise.

• Learning and Practical Skills Development

  Foundation Degree Students entering Higher Education will need specific study skills to enable them to maximise their learning potential and take advantage of opportunities available both in the academic setting and the workplace. The module is intended to be both preparatory and supportive building a strong foundation for learning and later development. Students will gain an appreciation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills for research, information management and presentation purposes. It encourages students to use contemporary ICT methods for research and for the production and presentation of reports, in a style suitable both for their university coursework requirements and in a commercial environment. The module will enable students to gain experience in applying the elementary surveying techniques of levelling and linear measurement, both for detail acquisition and setting out. The relevant mathematical skills will be introduced and developed contextually. Final survey drawings will be produced and annotated. Students will be introduced to basic 2D drafting techniques using a powerful set of tools. Skills in this medium are highly sought after in the construction industry. Students will develop and maintain a reflective learning log to support this module and their continuing studies, the reflective log to be used as the basis of their PDP submission.

• The Built Environment Work Sector

  This module is intended to support the development of understanding of the nature of the work sector in the broadest sense including the environments in which the sector operates, its performance within these contexts and factors that influence the operation of organisations. Students will cover the generic work together as a whole group focusing on the role of the professions in the built environment sector and opportunities for employment and career progression. The students will then split into different subject specialisms. Students will examine man in his environment and his attempts to control the development of society politically, socially and economically through the medium of land use in both organic and planned terms from earliest civilisation to the present day. Multicultural perspectives and issues within Built Environment are discussed. The module introduces the student to the complications of the present day structure of the building and development industry including the roles of the leading participants and the development of the organisation by examining the historic growth of the systems up to the present day situation.

• Construction Economics

  Students will also gain an understanding of basic microeconomic and macroeconomic principles and how they impact on firms in the Built Environment. This allows students to develop an appreciation of the importance of the economy on the industry in which their careers are located. The learning experience combines formal lectures with workshops and tutorial discussion to provide a foundation of understanding. Students are also expected to read not only text material but also web-based source material to gain an appreciation of current issues and debates. Students should be able to demonstrate in their assessment that they have undertaken their own research following guidance from the module leader.

• Introduction to Civil Law and Legislation

  This module introduces surveying and real estate students to the structure and processes of the English legal system, to the sources of the law, and to those basic legal concepts and skills which such students need to address more detailed legal issues in later modules. It is the essential foundation to the development of the legal skills necessary in the provision of sound advice to clients in a student?s professional career. The module will focus in particular on the English Civil Law, as this is the branch of the law most relevant to students both in subsequent law modules and in professional careers after completing the surveying degree course. However, certain Criminal Law topics will be included where these are necessary to understand or draw a distinction between processes in the two branches of the law. The essential purpose of this module is to benefit students who may not have had the opportunity to study law previously. It will provide guidance to students on information, materials and sources to equip them with a basic understanding of the nature and structure of the English legal system, Parliament and law making, the court structure and precedent, legislation and case law, and legal terms and language. Students will be guided to legal sources and materials, and will be taught how to research law appropriate to their studies, using both published references and internet resources. A key aim of the module is to develop the students research skills, specifically in the field of legal issues affecting their work, together with their ability to analyse research material, and to marshal material and facts into cogent advice and reports. Whilst this introductory module will focus on the English law, it will provide an insight into the growing importance of the European context affecting English law.

Year two core modules

• Environmental Services and Construction Technology

  This module has been designed to give the students an insight into the scientific basis of the environmental performance and construction of buildings and their services. The main focus is on the introduction of modelling tools that can be used to simulate a building's performance and its affect on the environment. The main approach adopted is that of a scientific one, focusing on the analysis of a problem or set of problems, followed by the synthesis of a solution. Considerable emphasis is placed on the use of environmental criteria to assess a building's thermal, visual and aural performance. A number of scientific methods are explored and there will be a limited amount of practical experiment-based work. A number of technical solutions will be explored for lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning a building. The passive design features of a building are explored. This second level module is also designed to give students a broad understanding of the way we build our commercial and industrial buildings. It is intended to lead on from the study of domestic construction to considering the functional requirements of single-storey industrial sheds and multi-storey framed structures in concrete and steel. In addition, the affects on the construction process of the latest legislation in relation to fire and health & safety are examined. A great deal of guidance is give to students on skill development. The module is delivered by blended learning via WebCT, so good access to the internet is essential. The assessment is by a series of online multi-choice questions and a number of reports on the performance of buildings.

• Construction Resource Management

  This module is designed to allow students to study and acquire the theories, skills and competencies applicable to identify and manage the resources required to operate a construction organisation and in particular the development process. Students will develop a number of key management skills which enable efficient project and organisational situations to be changed. Students will be expected to appreciate and understand how the macro economic environment affects the way managers design micro economic systems and from this manage resources. Systems theory is used to help students understand how organisations function and is used to support organisational design decision making. Supply chain management is examined in some detail with case studies from other industries used as a focus for improving approaches adopted in construction. A broad understanding of financial management, in a construction context is developed. The way in which financial resources are measured, administered and reconciled in a systematic fashion will be studied by students. Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate the significance of how the human resource is procured, retained and motivated. An appreciation of the relative merits/demerits of the construction industry when compared to other industries will be developed with particular emphasis on employment and motivation. Analytical skills will be developed via the use of financial appraisal techniques, budgetary control tools and cashflow forecasting systems. Risk management with particular focus on health and safety appraisal of business and project scenarios. Structured problem solving and decision making will be at the heart of studies in this module.

• Work Related Learning in the Built Environment

  Some students have knowledge or interest in a work related field of the Built Environment which are not covered in the standard set of modules offered by the department or university. This module allows students to negotiate a structured set of specific objectives related to the world of work, which are to be achieved within the module. Students will be encouraged to take additional responsibility for their own learning. The student will be expected to submit the agreed deliverables in the agreed format at the end of the module period. These deliverables will be assessed against the objectives and assessment criteria agreed at the start of the module. The agreed objectives to be undertaken by the student will normally require the student to demonstrate the generic learning outcomes expected at this level and the size of the module.

Year one optional modules

• Site Management and Safety

  This module provides students with an introduction to the principles and application of management as they relate to the technical and professional disciplines of the construction industry. They will gain understanding of management principles and their relevance to the processes of design, construction and maintenance of the built environment. They will also learn how these principles may be applied to the management of construction through case studies. Students will consider the process of setting up a site and the importance of planning and organising work. Non-adversarial multi-discipline team working will be examined. The module provides students with opportunity to examine health and safety issues within the construction industry and their integration throughout the processes of design, tender award and construction. The roles of all parties involved are explored from both moral and legal viewpoints. Past and current attitudes will be discussed. Students will consider the safety record within the construction industry and identify health and safety legislation aimed at reducing accident rates. The process of hazard identification and risk assessment will be explained with students producing method statements following on from their risk assessments. Safe systems of work are identified enabling students to relate theory and practice.

• Surveying Practice II

  This module is designed to develop the student's awareness of the administrative and legal framework within which land use planning operates. As a manager there is a need to advise clients in both the private and public sectors of potential development / redevelopment opportunities. In this respect the manager needs to gain a fundamental understanding of the social and economic forces which lie behind the local authority plan making and development control functions. It also provides an opportunity for the student to explore the different roles of the modern day planner from strategic planning at national and regional level to development control issues at local level. Students will be introduced to the stages of the present planning system from application to determination by planning officers or planning committees. Students will also gain an understanding of the current planning appeals system to the Planning Inspectorate if there is a refusal to grant planning consent. The module provides an insight into land use decision-making and public participation within this process and the involvement of the real estate manager. Finally students will study the evaluation of planning strategy and the evaluation techniques employed. Modern planning practice will be explored together with an examination of latest government initiatives proposed to create a more effective and faster planning process. A variety of teaching strategies will be employed within this module from formal group lectures, seminars, group and individual tutorials to hone the skills necessary to undertake a professional report and fully contribute to the role-play exercise at the culmination of the module. Students will improve their communication skills by the preparation of both a written report and oral presentation of an appeal against an adverse planning decision. Students will also develop the ability to work within a team to aid the efficient presentation of a planning appeal to peers and tutors alike.

• Surveying Practice III

  This module aims to give students the skills to enable the completion of a typical condition survey (RICS Home Buyer Report). Emphasis will be placed upon property inspection, recognition of defects in residential property and related matters such as non traditional construction, assessing age of buildings, asbestos awareness and damage by trees to buildings. Students will also explore current health and safety legislation and how this affects the surveying of buildings together with an examination of data protection legislation and guidelines. The module provides a good grounding in undertaking modern condition surveys and of recognising defects in low rise residential buildings. By its very nature this module will demand a mixture of teaching strategies from formal group lectures, group and individual tutorials and practical condition survey workshops. In this respect students will require various items of personal protective equipment in order to undertake the practical sessions on site. Students will assess a range of residential buildings of traditional construction and prepare a condition survey in similar format to that required under the RICS Home Buyer Report. Supplementary information will be included that demonstrates a sound underpinning knowledge of time management, health and safety, communication and research analysis. As a result students will improve their communication skills by completing a condition survey report and analytical skills will be developed through the identification of building defects and by the rating of the defects into three conditions ratings.

• Project Administration

  This module is designed for construction students with a general background in construction subjects and who wish to learn how to manage and administer a building contract from a legal and economic standpoint. Students will learn how contracts are constructed, be able to interpret their contents and manage the more routine legal and financial aspects through the completion of a contract and its final account. Students will learn through problem solving and case study activity that simulates a live project and the likely circumstances that arise. It is a module which has direct application to practice and will be of value in terms of the student employability.

• Measurement and Analysis of Prices

  This module seeks to develop skills in interpreting drawn and written information, and of presenting that material in quantified descriptive form to facilitate the analytical processes necessary for accurately assessing the cost of construction works. The content of the module will cover the skills and competencies necessary for the measurement of selected key elements of domestic and medium sized commercial buildings, enhancing students' understanding of the functions and processes of the estimator and quantity surveying practitioners. Students will be expected to interpret and apply the principles and rules of the Standard Method of Measurement of Building Works (currently SMM7), and to produce measured dimensions and quantities using conventions and processes recognised in the surveying profession. The measuring and quantitative skills developed by students in this module will be in the context of the essential requirement for clarity of measured information, ensuring this is understandable to estimators and quantity surveyors preparing estimates and prices for construction work. Students will therefore study the principles and methodology in the computation and adjustment of elemental unit rates for individual items of work, utilising the measurements produced in the module as far as possible. Students will examine and distinguish between the various forms of measured data and estimating and tender documentation, and to understand and process quantitative and data and constants using mathematical models to prepare clear, accurate examples of measurements and prices.