CONMGNT 7700 - Construction Management Professional Practice

North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2025

This course provides an opportunity for students to experience a working environment in an organization related to construction management in which to observe and apply their knowledge and skills for the degree. Students are expected to reflect upon their experience and learning in form of reflective journal and presentation. Students may involve in a series of on-site and offsite duties such as: site meeting, measurement, documentation, and presentation to a client. Students may also be involved in clerical work and administration in order to gain insight into the day-to-day functioning of a business.

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Course Details

Course Code	CONMGNT 7700
Course	Construction Management Professional Practice
Coordinating Unit	Construction Management
Term	Summer
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Restrictions	Available only to Master of Construction Management students
Assessment	Reflective journal, presentation, industry evaluation

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Jian Zuo

Mr. Michael Phillips-Ryder, Email: michael.phillips-ryder@adelaide.edu.au
SET Internships Team, Email: internships@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

This course provides an opportunity for students to experience a working environment in an organisation related to construction management to observe and apply knowledge and skills being obtained during the degree. Under the auspices of the professional practice project, students shall engage in industrial internships. The internships, which can be obtained through the university, as part of formal government programs or bilaterally with employers by students and with the university’s approval, may include on-site and off-site duties such as project planning, site supervision and coordination, estimating, measurement, contract administration, client interaction and other relevant tasks. Students may also become involved in regular administrative work in order to gain insight into the day-to-day functioning of a business in the construction industry. Students are expected to reflect upon their experience and learning in form of a reflective journal and presentation.

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1) Apply skills and knowledge of construction management acquired at university during the degree into a professional setting
2) Deliver tasks in a professional construction management setting, while acquiring first-hand knowledge of and experience in the construction industry
3) Appreciate, with the assistance of more practical experience, the various career opportunities and pathways available to them
4) Communicate technical, non-technical and commercial information about construction management and business in a professional setting
5) Understand the social and ethical responsibilities of professionals in the modern construction industry
6) Carry out professional tasks using common software and applications used in the construction industry

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)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1,2,3,4,5,6
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1,2,3,4,5,6
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	1,2,3,4,5,6
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	1,2,3,4,5,6
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	1,2,3,4,5,6
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	1,2,3,4,5,6

Learning & Teaching Modes

Under this course, students will carry out supervised professional experience by host organisations (Host) in an approved industry setting (Industry Setting) linked to the construction industry. The current, pre-approved Industry Settings are as follows:

Setting	Scope of activity
Construction contractor	Organisations that deliver head contracts for building and construction projects in the commercial, industrial, civil or residential sectors, including design and construct contracts.
Project manager	Organisations providing professional project management services for building and construction projects in the commercial, industrial or civil sectors.
Client	Organisations acting as principal for building and construction projects in the commercial, industrial or civil sectors, where it involves engagement of a building contractor.
Quantity surveyor	Organisations providing professional quantity surveying, cost planning and management services for building and construction projects in the commercial, industrial or civil sectors.

Additional Industry Settings may also be considered, such as property development, property finance, design consultancy (architecture, consulting engineering) building materials supply and installation, subcontracting, building certification and contracting to other sectors - for example, engineering, procurement and construction contracting for the electricity sector - subject to approval by the School and the Division of Academic and Student Engagement. Students wishing to explore experience in these Industry Settings should first consult with the course coordinator and internships coordinator before making contact with potential Hosts.

Contact:
Students shall be required to carry out a total of 150 hours of professional experience within three-month period, if done during a regular semester, or over six weeks if done over the end-of-year summer holiday period. Students shall also attend three workshops during semester with course colleagues to discuss and share experiences related to their professional practice.

Arrangement and management process:
Internships can be sourced and arranged through the university, via on-going public sector programs or bilaterally with employers by students and with the university’s approval. Students will enter into a tripartite internship agreement with the Host and the University. This will ensure the student remains covered under the University’s insurance policy. It will also confirm other relevant details regarding the internship, including, but not limited to, the start date, end date, working days, hours of work, duties and daily responsibilities.

Eligibility:
Students shall have completed, as a minimum, the first year of the Master’s in Construction Management degree or equivalent. Students may also be required to hold a valid and current South Australian construction industry White Card.

Workload

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

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

The University expects full-time students (ie. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote at least 48 hours per week to their studies. Accordingly, students undertaking this 3 unit course are expected to devote 12 hours per week to contact activities and self-guided studies.

Based on this framework here are some figures that might assist workload management:

For a 3 unit course:
Total workload hours: 12 Hrs per week x 13 weeks = 156 Hrs
Total contact hours: 3 Hrs per week x 12 weeks = 36 Hrs
Total self-guided study: 156 Hrs – 36 Hrs = 120 Hrs

These 120 hours should be used towards preparation of weekly tasks and for completion of the various assignments associated with the course, including development of various skills required to complete the same. Please organise your time wisely.

This is a 3 unit course. Recommended study commitments are meant to be hours of full time study, not just sitting thinking about the subject! The communication skills developed by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

Learning Activities Summary

The course requires the students to complete their internship 2 days a week over 12 weeks, this works out to be about 180 hours in total. All students that are successfully secured internship will be enrolled by Faculty Internship Team into this course. Students can apply for internships secured by the University that will be posted to the CareerHub website, or source internship by themselves. Regardless, the host organization needs to perform business related to the construction industry. The duties and responsibilities during the internship experience will also need to be endorsed by the University to fulfil the requirement of this course.

During the internship period, students are required to:
1. keep a record of their internship duration
2. keep a record of their duties and responsibilities
3. provide some reflections

There will be three workshops that are designed to assist students to better understand the construction industry such as:
1. prequalification systems
2. market segments
3. professional ethics
4. career paths
5. Related professional bodies and membership
6. other related sectors

Students are required to not only keep a record of what they have done during internship experience, but also provide reflections on what they have learned, e.g. for their career development and future improvement of industry practices.

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

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

Assessment Summary

Assessment shall be carried out through a combination of a reflective journal, a Host evaluation and each student making a presentation to course colleagues at one of the three dedicated workshops on campus held during semester as follows:

Assessment	Weighting	Format	Delivery
Presentation	40%	PPT presentation	Week 9
Reflective journal	60%	Written report	Week 12
Host evaluation	NGP	Completed form	Week 12
Total	100%

Students shall make three separate submissions of the reflective journal to the internships coordinator, with interim submissions in weeks two and seven and the final in week 12. Assessment will be based on the aggregated three submissions.

The Host evaluation will be undertaken on the Division of Academic and Student Engagement’s standard evaluation form. While the evaluation will be non-graded, it will form an integral part of assessment.

Assessment Detail

Reflection presentation
Each student is required to prepare as follows:
o A Powerpoint file.
o Rehearse the presentation such that you can be sure that its duration is no longer than 10 minutes in total, the contents you wish to deliver and the key messages

The contents of your presentation should include:
o Introduction of yourself, your background, your ambitions in construction management, where you did (or are doing) your internship
o Some background on the construction industry and where your host is active within the market
o Key projects and tasks you have performed while on the internship
o What you have learned during your internship and how it has influenced your career ambitions
o What is the most interesting element of industry that you did not fully appreciate before your internship
o What are your next steps

In addition to covering all of the above, higher marks will be awarded to students that:
o Ensure the experiences cited are clearly linked to the course learning objectives
o Do not exceed the allotted time for their presentation
o Meet the deadline for submitting the PPT file
o Respond adequately to questions asked subsequent to the presentation
o It is expected that students, in sharing information about their internship, will respect the confidentiality obligations contained in their internship agreement with the host.

Reflective journal
The reflective journal shall be no longer than 2,000 words not including any appendices and feature entries made by the student at least weekly (but preferably more frequently). The reflective journal should be a report that also includes a summary, an introduction and a conclusion.

The contents of your journal should include:
o Introduction of yourself, your background, your ambitions in construction management, where you did (or are doing) your internship
o Some background on the construction industry and where your host is active within the market
o Key projects and tasks you have performed while on the internship
o What you have learned during your internship and how it has influenced your career ambitions
o What is the most interesting element of industry that you did not fully appreciate before your internship
o What are your next steps

In addition to covering all of the above, higher marks will be awarded to students that:
o Ensure the experiences cited are clearly linked to the course learning objectives
o Do not exceed the word limit
o Meet the deadline for submitting the report (in Word file format to allow assessment of word count)

It is expected that students, in sharing information about their internship, will respect the confidentiality obligations contained in their internship agreement with the host.

Submission

All assignments must be submitted through MyUni site. Note that NO LATE submissions will be accepted unless it is due to illness and other accepted circumstances as explained in the School's Student Handbook.

Submissions (General):
All submissions must include Student Name and Student ID Number. Submissions without Student Name or ID Number will not be considered for marking, and will receive zero marks in accordance with the guidelines.

In addition, all assignments need to have an Assignment Cover Sheet which must be signed and dated by the student before submission. Please attach the cover sheet in front of the document, to the top left hand corner.

Please adhere to submission deadlines and follow instructions provided.

Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course without prior approval from the Course Coordinator.

On occasion, the lecturer/tutor may wish to retain students’ work for future reference and the relevant student will be informed at such a time.

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 .

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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