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Overview

Course Prescription

Earthquakes and the effects on civil infrastructure. The passage of seismic waves from inception, propagation, arrival at site bedrock, site specific response, infrastructure response. Including engineering seismology, seismo-tectonic setting of NZ, probabilistic seismic hazard analyses, NZS 1170.5, infrastructure dynamics, base isolation, effects of site geology, geophysical and geotechnical site characterisation, concepts of soil-structure interaction, the Canterbury series of earthquakes.

Course Overview

This is a post-graduate course in earthquake engineering designed to prepare students for entry into the relevant professions of structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and other associated professional activities. The content draws on a knowledge base of mathematics, physics, structural mechanics, geomechanics and design established in a 4-year civil engineering degree of good standard, e.g. the equivalent of the BE(Hons) of the University of Auckland. 

Because of the high level of seismic activity in New Zealand, earthquake engineering is heavily incorporated into all infrastructure engineering. This course will be structured around three key areas:

(1) Engineering Seismology and Seismic Hazard Analysis;

(2) Geotechnical Site Characterisation and Site Response;

(3) Structural Dynamics.

The first section will present the building blocks of engineering seismology that inform seismic hazard analysis, and how this approach can be undertaken and linked to code-based seismic design procedures. The second section will present the different approaches to investigate and classify a site in relation to its amplification potential, and present simplified approaches to quantify these effects. The third section will explore the key aspects of dynamic response of structures and some of the design aspects used to deal with seismic loading effects.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, 57 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 57 hours of work on assignments, giving a total of 150 hours.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City
UoA Online

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience or Online

In Semester One, CIVIL 720 is delivered via an in-person campus experience at the city campus.

  • Lectures will be available as recordings.
  • The course will not include live online events.
  • The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.


In Semester Two, CIVIL 720 is delivered via the University of Auckland Online platform.

  • The course content is delivered via online modules; a mix of interactive content and video recordings.
  • The course will include an optional one hour weekly meeting to support student learning

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Course notes will be provided in electronic form. Reference will be made, when required, to additional material.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

Students are required to be fully knowledgeable about, and practice, the health and safety guidelines, that may vary from time to time, of the New Zealand Government. Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Additional Information on Assessment

Students must sit the exam to pass the course. Otherwise, a DNS (did not sit) result will be returned.

Students must achieve a minimum of 40% in the Examination to pass the course.

A passing mark, comprising the sum of all assessment types, is 50% or higher, according to University policy.

Late submissions will not be accepted/allowed for the exam.

It is possible to submit late for the assignments and projects, and the late submission penalty schedule will be included in the assignment and project handouts.

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type123456

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

The 2025 Semester One Set Evaluations indicate that students are satisfied with the course (89.5% GA with a 48.7% response ratio).

Some students found the 3 hour-lecture format challenging. The 3 hour-lecture format is retained for the Semester One in-person delivery of the course to allow part-time students, who are practising engineers, to attend lectures in once block. The teaching team will ensure there is a 15 minute break in the middle of the 3 hour block allowing students a chance to rest.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.