APPENDIX 13 - CDG

Student Handbook

HNC Construction & Bridge to HNC

Academic Year 2014/15

Program Team Leader – Mohammad Yusuf

Course Tutor – Peter Brennan

Preston’s College

All course materials, including lecture notes and other additional materials related to your course and provided to you, whether electronically or in hard copy, as part of your study, are the property of (or licensed to) UCLan and MUST not be distributed, sold, published, made available to others or copied other than for your personal study use unless you have gained written permission to do so from the Head of School. This applies to the materials in their entirety and to any part of the materials.

UCLAN MISSION STATEMENT:

WE PROMOTE ACCESS TO EXCELLENCE ENABLING YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR POTENTIAL

We value and practise equality of opportunity, transparency and tolerance.

We strive for excellence in all we do: locally regionally, nationally and internationally.

We work in partnership with business, the community and other educators.

We encourage and promote research innovation and creativity.

The Card

This represents a clear statement of the University’s intentions to deliver agreed standards for a range of academic and administrative services. It spells out what is expected of you as a student and the contribution that can be made to gain the most benefit from your time at UCLan.

You will get the best out of your time at UCLan if you are committed to:

  • Preparing for classes and attending punctually
  • Completing your work to the best of your ability and submitting it on time
  • Not committing plagiarism
  • Keeping up to date with course information through UCLan email or other channels
  • Using the feedback you are given to improve subsequent work
  • Making appropriate use of teaching staff’s time
  • Taking responsibility for your personal development planning and skills development
  • Treating staff, fellow students and neighbours in the local community with respect at all times

We aim to:

  • Start and end all classes on time
  • Give you one week’s notice of changes to your classes
  • Give you feedback on assessed work within 15 working days
  • Give you clear, legible and informative feedback on your work
  • Be available for timed appointments
  • Treat you with respect at all times
  • Support you in your preparation for the work place

Supporting Diversity at UCLan

UCLan recognises and values individual difference and has a public duty to promote equality and remove discrimination in relation to race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age. During your time at UCLan we expect you to be able to

  • experience "an integrated community based on mutual respect and tolerance where all staff and students can feel safe, valued and supported."
  • contribute to creating a positive environment where discriminatory practices and discrimination no longer happen.

Please review the UCLan Equality and Diversity Policy for further information.

Contents page

1. Introduction to the course

2. Structure of the course

3. Approaches to teaching and learning

4. Student support, guidance and conduct

5. Assessment

6. Course regulations

7. Student voice

8. Appendices

8. 1 Approved programme specification

1. Introduction to the course

1.1 Welcome to the course

On behalf of Preston’s College, We would like to welcome you to the College and in particular the School of Advanced Materials and Technologies.

The course information included in this handbook will hopefully give you a detailed insight into the course. It should tell you everything you need to know and how to solve any problems you may come across.

Nevertheless, there are bound to be a number of queries you may have as the course develops. The staff will always be willing to help, and please do not hesitate to contact us if the need arises.

You are now a student at Preston’s College and UCLAN. This means that all college and University facilities are available to you, make the most of them and enjoy your time with us.

We hope you enjoy the course, and find it both challenging and rewarding.

Good luck!

The Preston’s College Course Team

1.2 Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course

This course provides a general introduction to the study of construction. It does not develop a specialist focus but provides a generalised coverage of the key areas, which relate to the needs of the main construction professions concerning the management of the design, production and aftercare of buildings. These areas can be summarised as follows:

  • Technology
  • Management
  • Legal Studies

The course will provide an introduction to those persons who have an interest in developing their careers in construction, from people who already possess a construction qualification to people who have had minimal opportunity to develop their academic knowledge in the subject area but have industry experience.

The course has been designed to meet the objectives, which have been set by a national consortium headed by the Construction Industry Council (CIC). This consortium have identified a need to develop the employment and training needs of the national and local construction economy and meet the demand for intermediate level, technical, supervisory, management and professional skills across a range of employers including SME’s and specialists.

The University and Preston’s College have been mindful to provide scope for specialisation and this is presented by the provision of a series of work based modules, which will enable you to study aspects of construction projects from your own particular perspective in a working environment. This aspect is regarded as a unique feature of this course.

On completion of this course, it is anticipated that graduates will be able to apply for exemption from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) professional membership examinations at level 1 Foundation Studies and Level 2 Core Studies enabling recognition at the Associate and Incorporated Member levels respectively.

Graduates of the course will be expected to work as middle managers of construction projects, either as site managers or project managers. They will be expected to oversee the planning of construction work in domestic and commercial projects, understand the contract administration and contract procurement processes and exhibit a range of computer and information management skills, which are key to the delivery of safe, efficient and customer focused projects.

1.3 Course Team

The following persons are listed as the immediate points of contact at the University and the college, in case you either have an academic question or problem with the course as a whole or an individual course module. It you need general advice, it is wise to speak with your course tutor.

Title / Module / Name / Telephone No.
Head of School / - / Prof Akinenwe / 01772 893211
Course Leader / - / Chris Pye / 01772 893220
Course Leader
Preston’s College / - / Mohammad Yusuf / 01772 225724
Module Tutors / Construction Technology 1 / Peter Brennan / 01772 225724
Construction Management / Mohammad Yusuf / 01772 225724
ICT 1 / Mohammad Yusuf / 01772 225724
Legal Studies / Mohammad Yusuf / 01772 225724
Workplace Module / Peter Brennan / 01772 225724
Performance of Construction Materials / Mohammad Yusuf / 01772 225724
01772 225724
Construction Technology 2 / Peter Brennan / 01772 225724
Industry Project / Peter Brennan / 01772 225724

1.4 Personal Tutor

Course Tutor HNC Construction – Mohammad Yusuf/Peter Brennan

Course Tutor Bridge to HNC Construction – Mohammad Yusuf

1.5 School office administration details

The administration office is located in the Construction Building at the Fulwood Campus. This is your first port of call for any administration queries. They can be contacted on 01772 225696.

1.6 Communication

The University expects you to use your UCLan email address and check regularly for messages from staff. If you send us email messages from other addresses they risk being filtered out as potential spam and discarded unread.

Communication from your tutors at the College will usually be in the form of verbal briefings during normal lesson times. Any further urgent communication may be via your College email address or in some circumstances by letter to the home address given on your enrolment form. If you correspond with a tutor via email or verbally you can expect to receive a response within a week.

In addition to this, Course review meetings are held twice a year in which a representative from your course is invited to discuss any issues with the Course Team. Feedback sheets are also issued to students on completion of each module which will allow you to give your opinions on the module completed and any ideas for change or improvements.

2. Structure of the course

2.1 Overall structure

The course modules detail the respective learning strategies and objectives. These strategies are set in the context of the respective levels of learning which are appropriate to the development of the abilities of the successful graduate. In consideration of the totality of the degree the following aims and objectives are defined.

The learning aims for students who enter this course are defined as:

  1. To develop a general ability to use and apply construction knowledge in the work place in order to develop the potential management skills of candidates;
  2. To understand the fundamentals, principles and the initial applications of construction technology, construction management, ICT and legal studies;
  3. To develop the use of the fundamental skills in a work place environment;
  4. To undertake independent critical thinking; and
  5. To develop skills in creative and innovative thinking.

The learning objectives for students are defined as:

  1. To provide an introduction to the study of construction;
  2. To develop a broad base to facilitate progression to a honours degree;
  3. To provide access to those students who may not naturally enter HE;
  4. To provide flexibility in study pathways and assessment methods; and
  5. To integrate life skills and practical experience in the learning process.

On successful completion of the course programme, graduates will be able to:

i Demonstrate the ability to appraise the design, construction, and performance of low rise, framed, and masonry structures;

ii Demonstrate an ability to understand and apply the concepts of management and contract administration within a legal framework in a project scenario;

iii Demonstrate the ability to use information and communication technologies, in particular, computer-aided design in the construction process;

iv Demonstrate by application, a general understanding of the legal environment and interaction with the construction process;

v Demonstrate occupational competence in a range of work skills within the context of construction, and in particular site surveying;

vi Demonstrate the development of interpersonal Key Skills within the Built Environment.

The following section details the course curriculum. Detailed module descriptions and study plans will be provided in your initial class sessions. It is wise to use the flow diagram provided in figure 2.1 as an aid to the review of this section.

Links updated July 2010 1

APPENDIX 13 - CDG

Figure 2.1 Curriculum Plan – Part Time Day Release Mode

Links updated July 2010 1

APPENDIX 13 - CDG

2.2 Modules available

Level 1 Programme

The level 1 programme has been developed to enable a broad base in subject knowledge to be gained by the students. Thus the module structure exhibits the following central themes:

BN1091 Construction Technology 1 – this module will introduce you to the structure and production of buildings, the key components and associated services systems.

BN1092 Construction Management 1 – this module includes the development of an awareness of the economic environment, which characterises the construction industry and the basic concepts of project management and site organisation.

BN1093 ICT for the Built Environment – in this module you will be able to develop your abilities in the use of information and communication technology, the basic concepts of the use of numbers and data in construction applications.

BN1094 Legal Studies – this module has been designed to introduce the concepts of the European and UK legal systems and to develop an awareness of the basic aspects of contracts and other legal applications that may be applied to the construction process.

BN1095 Workplace Module 1 – in this module workplace knowledge and experience is assessed by the development and submission of a portfolio of knowledge, which is specifically applied to a project application. The format of the work is student lead and as such suitably adaptable to enable each of the respective construction specialisms to be brought into the curriculum. This enables a greater degree of flexibility to students to be provided.

BN1096 Performance of Construction Materials - this module has been designed to achieve two distinct aims. Firstly, students will be able to work in a team environment, developing skills in report writing and associated key skills whilst secondly developing their awareness of the use of construction materials in a laboratory setting. The module will be run at the University campus.

Level 2 Programme

BN2091 Construction Technology 2 – this module will develop the theme of building design and production gained at level 1. The curriculum will extend to the consideration of multi-storey structures and appraise their structural stability. Aspects relating to internal services and performance will also be covered in this module.

BN2096 Industry Project – this module will allow you to develop the content of the workplace module. Students, who wish to complete their studies at this stage will be encouraged to work as part of a group to produce an industry standard project.

Full module descriptions are found at the back of this handbook.

2.2.1 Progression

Discussions about your progression through the course normally take place in February each year. It is an opportunity for you to make plans for your study over the next academic year. The course team will tell you about the various modules / combinations available and you will both agree on the most appropriate (and legal) course of study for you.

The pass mark for all module assessments will be a mark of 40%. There are no specific criteria for progression in order to facilitate flexibility of study. However, a student must complete the module requirement to achieve the specific target and exit awards.

To progress to level 2 modules the following pre-requisites must be completed:

Pre-requisite / Level 2 module
BN1091 / BN2091
BN1092 / BN2092
BN1093 / BN2093
BN1094 / BN2094
BN1095 / BN2095
BN1096 / BN2096
BN2097
none / BN2420

2.3 Study Time

2.3.1Weekly timetable

During the first year, Day session students are required to attend college for a full day on Mondays each week, from September to May. Evening session students are required to attend two evenings per week on Mondays and Thursdays. During the second year, students are required to attend college for a full day on Tuesdays each week from September to May. Evening session students are required to attend two evenings per week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

You will be provided with a detailed timetable for each semester of each academic year. The timetable indicates when you have lectures, laboratory sessions and workshops and which member of academic staff has been timetabled to teach your group.

As your course is being held at the Preston’s College campus, students attend during the normal college calendar and are therefore not required to attend college during holiday periods, such as Christmas, Easter, Summer and Half Terms throughout the year.

Please refer to the HNC in Construction area of MyCourse for a full college calendar which will inform you of the holiday dates for the coming year.

2.3.2Expected hours of study

The normal amount of work involved in achieving a successful outcome to your studies is to study for 10 hours per each credit you need to achieve – this includes attendance at UCLan and time spent in private study.

Typically you should arrange your time to fit in the following amount of private study:

Level 4 1 hour for every hour on the timetable.

Level 51½ hours for every hour on the timetable.

2.3.3Attendance Requirements

You are required to attend all timetabled learning activities for each module.

Except in cases of illness, or by agreement with your Course Tutor, you are expected to attend all lectures, laboratory and workshop classes scheduled in the timetable and any group or private tutorials or field trips that are arranged. If you are unable to attend as a result of illness you should notify the department office by telephone 01772 225724.

If you are absent for more than 2 weeks you should obtain a medical certificate or Doctor’s note and hand it to your Course Tutor when you return to College. Student attendance may be recorded and if you are absent for more than 28 days without contact we reserve the right to contact your employer. They need to know because they are the ones who pay the majority of your course fees.

If you have not gained the required authorisation for leave of absence, do not respond to communications from the University or College and if you are absent for four weeks or more, you may be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. If this is the case, then the date of withdrawal will be recorded as the last day of attendance.

Each time you are asked to enter your details on SAM you must remember that the University has a responsibility to keep information up to date and that you must only enter your own details on the system. To enter any other names would result in inaccurate records and be dishonest. Any student who is found to make false entries can be disciplined under the student guide to regulations.

2.4 Data Protection

All of the personal information obtained from you and other sources in connection with your studies at the University will be held securely and will be used by the University both during your course and after you leave the University for a variety of purposes. These are all explained during the enrolment process at the commencement of your studies. If you would like a more detailed explanation of the University’s policy on the use and disclosure of personal information, please contact the Data Protection Liaison Officer, Strategic Development Service, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE.