Course Title: International Development - Fiji

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: International Development - Fiji

Credit Points: 24

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
BUIL1251	City Campus	Undergraduate	325H Property, Constr & Proj Mgt	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2013

Course Coordinator: Vince Raso

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1740

Course Coordinator Email:vince.raso@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 8.8.79

Course Coordinator Availability: By Appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

NIL

Course Description

The International Development program identifies issues related to developing nations and enhances the skill and knowledge required to work within an economical sustainable development. Students will learn in authentic, workplace learning contexts opportunities through your direct engagement and collaboration with key project management and Property development professionals, to demonstrate cultural immersion of learning so students can gain a deeper understanding of the various legal and social / cultural aspects of the land tenure and land administrative systems and their importance in property development.
 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop the following program capabilities:

• Display an understanding of the issues relating to the social, cultural, environmental, and economical sustainable property development practices in a developing country.
• Display knowledge and develop the critical analyse required to understand the social, economic, environmental, and cultural impacts of property development in third-world countries.
• Gain the discipline knowledge and technical expertise to synthesise knowledge and assess the approaches taken to analyse and manage project risk for foreign developers
• Adopt a strategic view for sustainable practices and develop a social awareness of the ethical issues faced in developing nations.
• Ability to problem solve and display an understanding of the social and economic issues relating to housing affordability in a developing country.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
Apply new knowledge and skills to determine the drivers of international development and have the knowledge to critically analyse the way in which developing nations undertake development decisions and the roles that built environment professionals (property & valuation, construction and project managers, land surveyors) play in such markets

 

 This course will be delivered using the following means:

• Pre travel lectures and workshops
• International lectures at University of the South Pacific (USP)
• Onsite training and coaching
• Site visits

The lectures are directed by the course coordinators and provide students with a variety of approaches to property, valuation, construction and project management.
The workshop and international lectures are used to investigate and research problems so that students can make informed decisions about a property development at an international level
 

Overview of Learning Activities

Select appropriate media and method to communicate with diverse stakeholders and respect confidentiality and security of shared information

• Apply negotiation skills in the workplace situations for Professional Practice and professional development
• Identify, analyse and critically evaluate diverse information and articulate and justify a position on defined issues
• Adopt a strategic view where problems are part of a larger system and where feasible solutions address the goals and aspirations of multiple stakeholders
• Demonstrate knowledge of the different and significant assets within the construction industry to Identify and describe the diverse features and functions of buildings, structures and project implementation within developing countries.
   

Overview of Learning Resources

To support your learning, learning resources for this course include a wide range of texts, relevant articles and associated materials accessible via the Internet inclusive of Lecture Notes RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. The Blackboard website will include relate information on OHS, Communications, Building, site management and behaviour

Overview of Assessment

 
 The Fiji Study tour has been designed to immerse you into a live classroom to learn about the social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainable issues facing developing small island countries. The assessment and activities that you will be undertaking are designed to enhance your understanding of the schools disciplines and your ability to apply to a new international locale:
This course has several assessment components as listed below.
Building of Cyclone Resistance Housing. You will be involved in the planning, site layout, and physical construction of cyclone resistant housing for some of the most disadvantage part of the local society. In addition to the actual project construction, you will prepare a report about your experience on the building site, and suggestions for improving current processes, procedures, planning, communications, safety, and construction. This may be done as a small group (2-3 persons)
During this study tour you will attend and participate in lectures and workshops presented by prominent internationally recognised professors or industry experts that will cover various topics related to social and cultural land issues, marine environment, natural resources, housing and squatter settlements, development studies, and land management. Your assessment will be to produce a short discussion paper about some aspect of how cultural, social, and or environmental sustainability is affected by the reality of economic sustainability in developing small island countries. You will be expected to do some outside reading / research as part of this individual assessment.
During this course you will do a site visit to a rural property and learn about how these rural communities exist and survive. A related assessment will include you complete a field and site inspection, prepare a technical type analysis (e.g. valuation or site land survey). In consultation with course coordinator, this can be done as a small group (2-3) assignment.
This course is about the journey into an interactive real life classroom located in a small island developing South Pacific country. Throughout the study tour, you will have regular and frequent contact with locals in all sectors of society, and you learn many new things and even potentially exposure you to a much different world than your own. Thus, one of the key assessments is a reflective journal to be completed soon after we return from the trip. This is not a diary of what you did – but should be a daily account that reflects (how it made you feel or think) on what you saw and did that day, people you met, and things learnt. Then it should conclude with a deep reflection of what you expected to see / learn on the trip versus what you actually got out of the trip. In past tours, we found this was a very powerful assessment that helps you truly reflect on your learning experience.