A large proportion of enrolled students have little background in science or engineering skills relevant to this course. Following the introductory few lectures, critical foundational practical knowledge is delivered via lectures in the early weeks of the course. This is to ensure that all students understand the essentials of ecological, catchment and hydrological processes and their relevance to the built environment professions before they embark on the assignments. Also, a field trip is scheduled close to mid-semester to demonstrate Auckland examples of successfully implemented urban catchment management and Water Sensitive Development. The most participatory sections of the course overlap with or follow the initial lectures and include assignments to demonstrate the development of research, design and presentation skills around topics related to integrated catchment management and water sensitive design. Some lectures that have less relevance to the assignments, but are professionally important, are delivered late in the course. Student learning occurs successively through lectures, reading, understanding and interpreting plans, practice in designing, oral and written presentations, and scheduled class activities