KA4031 - The Construction Industry and its Management

Lectures will introduce the practices and principles of the construction industry and the related professional roles which are key to its function. Seminars will make use of interactive/enquiry-based learning activities as the primary mode of delivery and learning. This will typically involve using case study material and practical exemplars, student presentations, and in-class discussions to enable you to explore the module content and enhance your learning. As you move through the module, you will be encouraged to practice research-based approaches to analyse current practices and problems within the construction industry and propose potential solutions.



A range of authentic learning experiences will provide context to your classroom-based learning. You will learn about the unique features of the industry through contact with professionals from within the field. This contact with the industry will also allow you to create links with potential employers, which will potentially boost future employment prospects.

Extensive use will be made of the eLearning platform [blackboard] to direct you to learning opportunities. This will be in the form of the teaching material and supporting documents such as research papers, current media coverage, interesting web links, and relevant videos. By using lectures and seminars as the delivery mechanism, you will be provided with regular feedback for improvement and a more informal platform to ask the questions necessary to support your successful learning. The guest lectures will enhance your learning by providing a professional context linked to our industry.

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:

Understand the U.K. construction industry structure and management, including professional roles and project constraints.



Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

Interrogate a construction project’s outcomes in the context of the broader organisational requirements and constraints.

Analyse the relationships between professional construction project roles within the complexities of the project environment.



Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

Understand the cultural, corporate, social and ethical responsibilities within the context of managing a successful construction project.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment will be used to allow you to build confidence and highlight any misunderstandings you may have of the theoretical and professional concepts presented in the module. Additional formative feedback shall be delivered to you verbally by academic staff during formally scheduled teaching and individual or group activity-based sessions to help you learn and prepare you for submitting your summative assessment.



Summative Assessment

Summative assessment will be by presentation and then coursework that together will assess your ability to satisfy the module learning outcomes.



You will first be assessed by presentation which allows you to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the construction industry and its management. You will be then assessed using a problem-based approach, allowing you to critically apply your knowledge from the module to a real-world scenario. You will use the University’s eLP [Blackboard] to digitally submit your coursework and receive your feedback using appropriate digital feedback tools

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The construction industry is a complex, dynamic and exciting global industry. It shapes all of our lives by providing the built environment in which we live. This module provides the opportunity to understand; how the industry is structured, why is it economically significant, and what challenges it faces. In addition, the varied and significant professional roles operating within construction project teams are explored in this module, giving consideration to how they are interrelated and to the impact of project constraints upon them.



A range of activities supports your learning in this module, including opportunities to meet industry professionals to enable you to understand the reality of how the industry operates and the extensive use of group working during the seminars to allow you to develop your interpersonal skills. Interactive seminars will allow you to explore in-depth the features of the industry and its structure. The module is situated at level 4 to allow you to build knowledge and understanding before embarking on the sandwich placement year and ultimately prepare for graduate employment.