CIVIL 765 : Infrastructure Asset Management

Engineering

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Advanced theories and techniques fundamental to the management of infrastructure assets, with a primary focus on Asset Management Plans. Covers the entire spectrum of infrastructure, including roads, water networks and buildings. A major independent project incorporates a literature review and selection, and then critical review, of an Asset Management Plan from industry.

Course Overview

Successful Infrastructure Asset Management brings together principles and skills from a number of disciplines and, therefore, requires an understanding that is wider than typical analytical engineering skills. You will be required to expand your skills and knowledge into areas of management, accounting, economics and communication to be a successful infrastructure asset manager. While a strong
analytical engineering background provides you with good ‘problem solving’ abilities, these skills are now required to be focused at a different level and perspective than more typical engineering problem solving projects. Infrastructure management, as the name suggests, is all about the prudent management of resources and processes to enable you to make good decisions in terms of the management of the
infrastructure. This essentially must take a long-term view of the asset and consider the lifecycle of the different components of the asset. Remember that infrastructure management is a process that does not end in comparison to typical defined projects that have a defined start and finish.

The typical area covered through this course include:
• Strategic asset management planning
• Development of asset management plans
• Level of service and customer’s expectations
• Data requirements for asset management
• Performance monitoring, reporting and management
• Depreciation and valuation of assets
• Optimised decision making
• Resilience and sustainability
• Risk management
• Decision-making techniques

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of highly specialised knowledge in the field of infrastructure asset management. The course is informed by industry best practices, and by the research of the lecturers as well as other leaders in the field (and is therefore at the forefront of knowledge in this area) and, through this, develops a critical awareness of the key issues encountered in practice by infrastructure asset managers and researchers. (Capability 3.1 and 4.1)
  2. Develop and apply the new skills and techniques in infrastructure planning, to existing or emerging problems encountered in the profession. Particular skills required in the asset management field will be developed through this course, such as the investigation into a technical topic within asset management and ways of communicating it. Furthermore, an asset management plan of the student’s choice will be critically reviewed to assess its adherence to requirements. (Capability 3.2, 5.1 and 7.1)
  3. Apply knowledge to demonstrate the ability for independent research, and then to apply the advanced knowledge and skills gained in order to solve problems encountered in practice using actual “real life” asset planning in collaboration with industry and/or as part of a recent research project. (Capability 4.1, 7.1 and 8.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 50% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination
Quizzes 10% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3
Assignments
Final Exam
Quizzes

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 36 hours of lectures, 6 hours of tutorial, 30 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 78 hours of work on assignments and/or exam preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events including group discussions and tutorials.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery.

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.

Āpōpō Guide (Infrastructure asset management professional) -> The guideline is free for Āpōpō members, and student membership is free.

Health & Safety

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

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.

Prior student Feedback has been used to balance the teaching from university specialists and external industry presenters. 

Other Information

Videos will be provided to the class that provides additional learning material. 

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.

Students will require completing the university/library training on academic integrity.

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.