C&ENVENG 4109 - Environmental Engineering & Design IVB

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

Designing large-scale water supply systems or local-scale urban stormwater systems requires excellent knowledge of hydrology and climate science, water quality, statistics and risk estimation, and a diversity of catchment modelling tools. This course will develop the fundamental understanding, as well as the engineering design tools and principles, to design the water supply and drainage infrastructure needed to meet the demands of an increasing population and changing climate over the 21st century. Topics will be covered from the following: (1) water sensitive urban design approaches to managing urban stormwater quantity and quality; (2) reservoir modelling, including continuous rainfall-runoff modelling, yield assessments and water demand estimation; (3) climate change impact assessments; (4) stochastic generation of rainfall time series; and (5) environmental flow requirements.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code C&ENVENG 4109
    Course Environmental Engineering & Design IVB
    Coordinating Unit School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Eng
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assumed Knowledge C&ENVENG 3029, C&ENVENG 3079, C&ENVENG 3077
    Course Description Designing large-scale water supply systems or local-scale urban stormwater systems requires excellent knowledge of hydrology and climate science, water quality, statistics and risk estimation, and a diversity of catchment modelling tools. This course will develop the fundamental understanding, as well as the engineering design tools and principles, to design the water supply and drainage infrastructure needed to meet the demands of an increasing population and changing climate over the 21st century. Topics will be covered from the following: (1) water sensitive urban design approaches to managing urban stormwater quantity and quality; (2) reservoir modelling, including continuous rainfall-runoff modelling, yield assessments and water demand estimation; (3) climate change impact assessments; (4) stochastic generation of rainfall time series; and (5) environmental flow requirements.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Seth Westra



    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

    Technical knowledge and application of knowledge skills

    1.   Describe the key principles of various stormwater treatment measures and the stormwater treatment train

    2.   Understand and apply modelling approaches to evaluate stormwater treatment measures to improve stormwater quality

    3.   Articulate differences between alternative types of evapotranspiration, and calculate potential evapotranspiration for a catchment and an open water body

    4.   Calculate catchment-average rainfall and assess the quality of rainfall data

    5.   Develop a model to simulate runoff, and evaluate model performance by comparing the simulated runoff to the observed runoff

    6.   Understand and account for the implications of climate variability and change on water supply systems

    7.   Understand environmental flows and design reservoirs to minimise environmental impacts

    8.   Calculate municipal water demand, reservoir inflows and reservoir yield

    9.   Articulate the reason for using stochastic methods in engineering design, and apply stochastic methods for a reservoir yield assessment

    10. Use commonly used software packages MUSIC and Source Catchments

    Thinking skills

    11.    Solve complex engineering design problems, accounting for a range of constraints and competing objectives

    12.    Identify information needs, obtaining accurate and timely information, and applying information to an engineering design problem

    Personal skills and attributes

    12.  Work effectively as a member of a team, and be able to manage complex projects with a large number of specific tasks

    13.  Be able to plan and manage time effectively to achieve project goals

    14.  Produce professional engineering design reports
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1-8
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 10-12
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 12-14
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-11
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 10, 14
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Lecture slides will be a required resource and these will be provided for download from the MyUni site.

    Online Learning
    All handouts, course material and lecture slides will be made available on MyUni. The use of the discussion board on MyUni is also strongly recommended. Assignments are to be submitted online, with instructions to be provided through email announcements and/or during lectures.


  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course will involve two one-hour lectures and one two-hour CATS practical session per week. Certain weeks during semester will be dedicated to design sessions where groups will work exclusively on the design projects and be able to get feedback from the tutors. The timing of these design sessions will be provided on the MyUni site.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    In line with University guidelines, it is expected that the average student should spend 12 hours per week on this course. In addition to the lectures (2 hours) and the practical session (2 hours), students are expected to spend an additional 8 hours per week reviewing lecture material and working on the online quizzes and design projects.
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    The overall assessment schedule is given in the table below. All assessments (including quizzes and design projects) are due at 11:59pm of the day indicated. Note that dates provided below are subject to changes, which will be announced through the MyUni portal.

    Task Title % Group/Individual Type Calendar Date
    1 Online quizzes 5 Individual Online multiple choice See table below
    2-1 Design Project Phase 1 20 Group (4) Design report Friday, Week 5
    2-2a Design Project Phase 2a 20 Group (4) Design report Friday, Week 8
    2-2b Design Project Phase 2b 20 Group (4) Design report Thursday, Week 12
    3 Exam 35 Individual Numerical / Short Answer TBA
    TOTAL 100

    Note that for the Design Projects, groups are self-selected. All members in a group are expected to contribute equally to the
    overall task.  In cases of perceived unequal contributions to groupwork, students should come and discuss the matter with the course coordinator.

    The timetable for the online quizzes is given below - see MyUni to access the online quizzes.
    Quiz Topics covered Due date
    1 WSUD storm water treatment measures and the use of MUSIC to model them Friday, Week 4
    2 Rainfall, potential evapotranspiration and streamflow data, and reservoir behavioural analysis Friday, Week 8
    3 Reservoir behavioural analysis, stochastic hydrology, flood risk, environmental flows and climate change Friday, Week 11



    Assessment Related Requirements
    In order to pass this course, students must obtain at least:

    • 35% averaged over all phases of the design project, and
    • 40% for the exam
    If the above requirements are not met, students will receive a zero (0) fail for this course.

    Assessment Detail
    Online Quizzes
    Objectives: "To test your understanding of material presented during the lectures"

    The Online Quizzes (OQs) can be accessed via the MyUni site. How to answer the quiz questions is self-explanatory (e.g. multiple choice, true/false, rank in order, match statements, fill in the blanks).  However, please note that if you are asked to respond to a “Multiple Answer” question, any number of the answers provided can be correct (or incorrect) and you must indicate which of the answers you consider to be correct.

    Please Note:
    ·       You can have up to three attempts to do each quiz.
    ·       The mark from your last attempt will be counted.
    ·       Although the quizzes will remain available after the due date, marks will not be counted once the due data has passed.
    ·       The quizzes are open book
    ·       You must complete the quizzes individually, without the assistance of anybody else

    Design Projects
    Objectives: "To provide you with the opportunity to apply the course material in a realistic context to achieve higher-order learning outcomes"

    Details about the Design Projects will be provided on the myUni site and during lectures throughout the semester.

    Exam
    Objectives: "To provide an independent test of whether you have gained an understanding of the key learning objectives"

    Details about the Exam will provided at a later stage in the course.

    Submission
    Digital submissions should be submitted by the appropriate MyUni portal for the particular assessment. Further information will be provided through the course’s MyUni website.

    Late submissions will only be accepted for the design projects. There will be a loss of 10% of the marks obtained if the submission is less than 24h late, 20% if the submission is between 24 and 48h late and so on.  Extensions will only be granted in special circumstances (e.g. illness) and must be sought for each assessment task individually. Extensions will not be granted less than 24h before the deadline for a given task, with the exception of a medical certificate.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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