Attendance is strongly expected at scheduled activities including lectures/clinics to gain the greatest benefit from this course.
Lectures will be available as recordings, however recordings do not convey the same amount and quality of information as is obtained through the lectures, especially in lecture theatres where only one screen can be recorded. Other learning activities including clinics will be available as recordings where possible.

Attendance on campus is required for the test and exam.

Students who are working part time during this course and semester should advise their employer suitably in advance of their forthcoming university commitments, so that the employer is able to reduce their working workload as appropriate to enable them to realistically undertake their studies. The University expects the employer to meet this obligation.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable which will be presented in modules in CANVAS.

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.

The following standards should be downloaded from Standards NZ website (https://www.standards.govt.nz/sponsored-standards/building-standards/):  

AS/NZS 1170.0 (Structural Design Actions Part 0; General Principles) and 1170.1 ( Structural Design Actions Part 1; Permanent, Imposed and Other Actions); NZS 1170.5: 2004 (Earthquake Loadings Standard), NZS 3101-2006 (Concrete Structures Standard), and NZ3404: 1997/2001/2007 (Steel Structures Standard).

Additional notes are being provided and will be available from UBS prior to the semester commencing if desired. The date will also be advised on CANVAS. Further notes will be provided on CANVAS on a weekly basis during the semester – students are responsible for checking CANVAS for updates prior to class and having copy available for note taking during class time.  

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.

Students must ensure that they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the University's Health and Safety policy.

There are no scheduled laboratories for this course, however timetabling permitting, a voluntary refresher MDLS lab will be organised demonstrating the lateral torsional behaviour of steel beams and influence of stiffeners using the teaching tools developed for Structeng 302 and taught in semester 2. If there are site visits these will be organised under the auspices of the University Health and Safety provisions for off campus activities.

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.

For the assignments, which are done in groups, students are expected to work together to plan designs and to determine who will do which part of the project in order that all students in the group participate evenly in the work and get learning benefit from the full scope of the assignment. Students will be required to sign a statement on the cover sheet of the assignment stating either that they have participated evenly in the project or advising what the split of work undertaken has been. Students are especially encouraged to work together during the design office period to discuss the way to plan designs and who will undertake which parts of the assignment in order to share the workload. This is a very efficient way of learning about the design of parts of the assignment that you are not doing the calculations for.  

POLICY ON OUT-OF-LECTURE SUPPORT:

This policy is how lecturers (during their period of lecturing) will manage out-of-lecture contact for STRCTENG 711 and will not necessarily apply to other courses or lecturers in the Department or School of Engineering.

Office Hours

Office hours will be confirmed by individual lecturers are the start of their section. Note that the physical availability of lecturers is limited so office hours will be limited and students who turn up to the lecturer’s office outside the following hours may be directed to come during these times or make an appointment. Also the use of Piazza on Canvas is replacing the need for office hours and that will be the preferred means of answering queries for this course. 

Emails

All emails should be written in a professional manner correctly formatted with a subject, greeting, body text and signature. Replies will not be sent to messages improperly composed. Questions sent to us by email on coursework/lecture material will NOT be answered. These questions can be posted on Piazza and this will be checked by the appropriate lecturer on a regular basis. Queries on other matters will be acknowledged within 24 hours or as soon as possible thereafter.

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.

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.

Rules for Calculating Final Mark and Grade.

A passing mark, comprising the sum of all assessment types, is 50% or higher, according to University policy. In addition, a minimum of 40% is required in the combined exam+test mark to pass the course. 

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

Late submissions will not be accepted/allowed for the exam, tests, and online quizzes. Late submission of assignments and projects will receive a penalty, and the penalty schedule will be included in the assignment and project handouts.

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.

Tutorials will be used to consolidate knowledge gained from the lectures in a focused learning environment rather than introducing new material, unless public holidays during a particular week mean that scheduled lecture time is not available. Where that has to occur, it will be announced the week in advance. However, attendance at tutorials has traditionally been lower than at lectures and students will need to attend to get the full benefit from these, especially when hands-on teaching tools are used.

The previous 10% rule for determining the final mark for grading has been replaced by the 40% minimum (test + exam) mark required in addition to the final mark comprising the sum of all assessments being at least 50%. This was strongly requested in SET feedback.

Both the time required to complete the test and exam will be carefully considered when preparing each, to make it possible for students who have prepared well to complete the test and exam.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.