DA5044 - Construction Economics

Most of your learning on this degree apprenticeship module will be in your workplace. You will gain a theoretical understanding of the topics through live (online or face-to-face) university sessions and online resources such as recorded lectures, videocasts, podcasts, electronic books, journal articles and websites. Your involvement in quantity surveying tasks will enable you to put the theory into context, thereby cementing your understanding. You will agree with your Workplace Mentor a Module Learning Plan (MLP) designed to achieve the Module Learning Outcomes via a series of directed workplace learning activities, such as shadowing a colleague, visiting a site or producing a poster.

The lectures will cover theories and concepts that will enable you to tackle a series of guided exercises. You will work on these during seminars and hands-on sessions, including use of the latest industry-standard software. Opportunities will also be provided for you to develop your understanding through peer and tutor interaction in discussion groups and research rich debates during live classroom or synchronous online seminars and workshops. You will be encouraged to draw on your own professional experiences to share best practice and contribute to debates.

Modules on your programme will typically span 11 weeks, with scheduled or directed activities each week, and one piece of summative assessment submitted in week 12 or 13. This may also be supplemented with up to one day of face-to-face interaction, if appropriate, at Northumbria University or a regional hub. In total the module will include around 11 hours of live ‘Seminars’ (synchronous classroom and online delivery via Blackboard Collaborate), 7 hours of recorded ‘Lectures’ (asynchronous online delivery via Blackboard or Blackboard Collaborate), 2 hours of ‘Tutorials’ (1-to-1 support from Workplace Mentor and Workplace Coach), and 40 hours of workplace learning activities. The remaining hours in the Notional Student Workload for the module are attributed to independent learning, with the estimated ratio of tutor-guided to student independent learning at 2:3 for a Level 5 module. This is indicative and will vary between modules.

Your module tutor(s) will deliver an online module induction session and lead live sessions that enable you to interact with your tutor and peers. They will provide and direct you to essential and recommended online resources available via the University’s eLearning Portal and University Library. Outside of live sessions, they will provide advice and respond to questions via the eLearning Portal.

Your Workplace Mentor will support you in developing your Module Learning Plan. You will be provided with a guidance document that outlines the principles of workplace learning and provides examples of a large and diverse range of potential workplace learning activities. You may also discuss your Module Learning Plan with your Workplace Coach.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
MLO1: Prepare an early stage estimate, approximate quantities estimate, elemental cost plan and cost checking in accordance with client requirements.
MLO2: Appraise building cost based on building morphology and cost modelling techniques.
MLO3: Recognise the building information model to integrate cost information and construction programming to a typical construction project.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
MLO4: Apply programming of construction work and assess risks associate with project programming.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
MLO5: Demonstrate the capacity for independent, evidence based thinking and decision making

You will be formatively assessed by the completion of the workplace learning activities identified in your Module Learning Plan. You will receive informal, often verbal, formative feedback from your Workplace Mentor, and sometimes from other colleagues and your Workplace Coach. You will also have the opportunity for formative feedback from your module tutor(s), particularly during Assessment Guidance sessions.

Your summative assessment will provide you with the opportunity to translate your workplace learning into a coherent output that demonstrates that you have achieved the module learning outcomes.

This will be in the form of online open book exam (24-hour access, nominal 2 hours to complete) that assesses all of the module learning outcomes, including estimating, cost modelling, and project programming.

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This module is an integral part of your Degree Apprenticeship programme, designed in collaboration with employers to meet the requirements of the Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship Standard and provide a solid skills base for career progression and professional qualification.

You will learn preparation of cost estimates using preliminary estimating techniques, order of cost estimate and cost plan. Further, you will explore how to conduct cost checking integration of contemporary software packages compatible with BIM technology and tools. Moreover, you will discover programming of construction work, management of risk in programming of work and modern software packages in construction programming.

You will gain theoretical understanding through university sessions and online resources but as a Degree Apprentice, you will do most of your learning in the context of your quantity surveying role via a series of workplace learning activities agreed with your Workplace Mentor.