CIVIL 733 : Coastal Engineering Dynamics

Engineering

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Waves, wave theories, surf zone processes, sediment transport, dynamics of coastal systems.

Course Overview

The objective of this course is to provide students with a fundamental knowledge of the dynamics of the coastal zone affecting engineering design. The course will introduce waves, water levels and currents and the coastal processes that these drive, with an application to coastal hazards and management. The course will focus on coastal dynamics in a New Zealand context, though it will also draw on internationally recognized literature and guidance and will be orientated towards applying students' fundamental knowledge within an engineering design framework. By the end of the course, the students will have an overview of the processes occurring within the coastal zone and how this affects the selection of appropriate design conditions. 

Course Requirements

Restriction: CIVIL 431

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand the mechanics of waves in deep water, and the transformations they undergo as they approach the coast. (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 4.1)
  2. Describe the key hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes affecting the coastal zone. (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 4.1)
  3. Apply knowledge of coastal processes to determine the mechanisms and impacts of various coastal hazards. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 6.1)
  4. Evaluate options for management of the coastal zone in the context of climate change and sea level rise. (Capability 3.2, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)
  5. Derive design conditions for the purpose of engineering design. (Capability 5.1 and 7.1)
  6. Understand the options available for modelling in the coastal zone, and their relative advantages and disadvantages. (Capability 3.2 and 4.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Take-home Assignment 15% Individual Coursework
Project 25% Group & Individual Coursework
Laboratories 10% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Final Exam
Take-home Assignment
Project
Laboratories

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

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 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 5 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation. 

Note that in some weeks the assignment work will include a laboratory session. The laboratory sessions are intended to reinforce the conceptual learning within the course, and to provide students with hands-on experience in data acquisition and analysis. Each laboratory session will include a short laboratory report, which will be submitted after the lab as an individual assessment item. 

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will be available as recordings. However, the laboratory sessions must be completed in person. 
The course will not include live online events.
The take-home assignment (which replaces previous years' tests) will be delivered online.
The final presentations for the project must be delivered on campus. 
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes 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 most valuable general resource for this course is the Coastal Engineering Manual, published by the U.S. Army Core of Engineers: https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/USACE-Publications/Engineer-Manuals/u43544q/636F617374616C20656E67696E656572696E67206D616E75616C/ 

Health & Safety

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook. Laboratory sessions in the multi-disciplinary learning spaces (MDLS) will require you passing a H&S online assessment in Canvas and wearing closed-toe footwear. 

Health and Safety considerations relating to the field trip will be communicated to the class at the start of the semester. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching 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.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Academic staff on this course also encourage students to provide informal feedback on teaching and learning as desired. We are constantly using student feedback to improve our delivery of the course. Note that the SET feedback threshold was not reached in 2023, so we can only respond to feedback from the 2022 course. 

Examples of specific feedback from students that we will use in our planning for next year:
  • In response to very positive feedback on the field trip and guest lectures, we'll keep these parts of the course in 2024. 
  • Students requested earlier posting of lecture material and assessment information (including project rubrics). We posted these earlier in 2023 and will continue to do so in 2024.

Other Information

This course will include a field trip to give students an appreciation of coastal processes in the context of a New Zealand beach. Although not mandatory, this field trip is strongly recommended as it will inform aspects of the lecture content and project work undertaken within the course. Consent forms and Health and Safety documentation will be provided to students at the start of the course. Laboratory sessions, where appropriate, will also help to enhance students' understanding of wave mechanics and coastal processes. 

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.

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.

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 http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework 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 https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

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.

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 https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course 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.