Course Title: Advanced Accident Investigation
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Advanced Accident Investigation
Credit Points: 12.00
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Jose Silva
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 8019
Course Coordinator Email: jose.silva@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 57.03.29
Course Coordinator Availability: by appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None. It is assumed students have completed OENG1201 (Investigation Readiness) and OENG1202 (Accident Investigation Fundamentals) prior attending this course and/or they have basic knowledge on accident investigation techniques in the aviation, rail and marine sectors.
Course Description
In this course you will learn advanced aspects of complex accident investigations involving aviation, rail and marine transport systems. Throughout this course, you will be exposed to a range of theoretical concepts and practical tools which cover the technical applications of an investigation process from a multidisciplinary and holistic perspective to allow you to deepen your competencies and skills as a Transport Safety Investigator (TSI).
You will advance your knowledge around fundamental on-site applications relating to site and wreckage evidence collection, as well as survivability and crashworthiness considerations resulting from the accident investigation process.
You will learn how to collect and analyse evidence to investigate the failure of structural parts, propulsion, steering, traction and braking systems impacting the integrity and/or performance of vehicles.
The course will also include specialize knowledge on in-flight breakups, wheel-rail interface and ship groundings.
This course includes a Work Integrated Learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a simulated moot court session and where feedback from industry and/or community is integral to your experience.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for the Graduate Diploma in Transport Safety Investigation:
- Describe, investigate and analyse complex systems and associated issues (using systems thinking and modelling techniques)
- Explain legal, social, economic, ethical and environmental interests, values, requirements and expectations of key stakeholders
- Identify and assess risks (including OH&S) as well as the economic, social and environmental impacts of industry activities
- Demonstrate the consequences of intended action or inaction and understand how the consequences are managed collectively by your organisation, project or team
- Discuss and apply advanced theory-based understanding of engineering fundamentals and specialist bodies of knowledge in the selected discipline area to predict the effect of industry activities
- Apply underpinning natural, physical and applied sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer and information sciences
- Initiate, plan, lead or manage industry activities
- Understand the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of contemporary industry practice in the specific discipline
- Demonstrate effective team membership and team leadership
- Communicate in a variety of different ways to collaborate with other people, including accurate listening, reading and comprehension, based on dialogue when appropriate, taking into account the knowledge, expectations, requirements, interests, terminology and language of the intended audience
- Apply a personal sense of responsibility for your work
- Demonstrate orderly management of self, and professional conduct
On completion of this course you should be able to:
1. Apply investigation techniques to collect, analyse and present expert evidence related with failure of structural parts, propulsion, steering, traction and braking systems of transport vehicles (air, marine and rail);
2. Evaluate and apply investigation principles and techniques applicable to more complex scenarios including in-flight breakup, wheel-rail interface and ship groundings.
3. Implement techniques to collect, interpret and present expert evidence, including in-court hearings.
4. Correlate evidence collected at the crash site with the crashworthiness/survivability requirements expected from contemporary transport systems
Overview of Learning Activities
The primary learning mode will be face-to-face lectures, supported by in-class activities, assignments, and progressive assessment (e.g., quizzes/tests). You will be expected to do a range of self-learning activities (e.g., watching recorded presentations, reading literature) which will be made available online through the course Learning Management System as a preparation for the face-to-face lectures, thus allowing more time for group discussions, and analysis of selected cases. As a complementary form of acquisition of knowledge in the different topics, you will be exposed to practical activities replicating real industry scenarios by resorting to selected case-studies and/or techniques/procedures identical to those used in a real working context.
Course notes and other supporting material will be provided on the course Learning Management System, which is accessed through myRMIT. This can include lecture material, tutorials and references.
This course includes a Work Integrated Learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/or community is integral to your experience. Examples include:
- industry presentations and panels
- simulations and role plays using industry case studies and processes
Overview of Learning Resources
All course-related resources will be provided to you through the Learning Management System (LMS), which is accessed through myRMIT. These will include course notes, and other learning materials generated by the lecturer(s), references, and approved links to useful material on external web-sites. The intent is to support flexible and student-directed learning as much as possible. Whilst the primary teaching method is through face-to-face lectures, where possible, all course materials (inclusive of lecture slides, lecture recordings (when available), case studies, tutorials, assignments, related readings and some assessment items) will be made available to students via the course LMS.
There are no prescribed texts for this subject due to its broad and multi-disciplinary nature. Links to online articles, e-Reserve or eBooks will be provided via the LMS.
Overview of Assessment
Assessment Task 1: Quiz #1 (This assessment is a timed and timetabled assessment that students must attend on campus except for international students who are outside Australia)
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1 and 2
Assessment Task 2: Quiz #2 (This assessment is a timed and timetabled assessment that students must attend on campus except for international students who are outside Australia)
Weighting 25%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2 and 3
Assessment Task 3: Assignment with video/presentation and reflective report submission
Weighting 25%
This assessment task supports CLO 3
Assessment Task 4: Assignment with report submission
Weighting 35%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4