KB7013 - Highway and Railway Engineering

The module will include a range of learning materials such as presentations, notes, tutorial questions for you to answer, and other resources such as short video clips will be used to assist your understanding of some of some of the more difficult ideas and theories, spreadsheets and specific software-related files. All these resources will be arranged in a convenient learning journey, giving you a clear expectation of the material to be studied and tasks to be completed on a week-by-week basis. You will be expected to complete the appropriate tasks in your weekly journey before either attending classes or taking part in online sessions. You will take part in lectures to develop your understanding of the material and in seminars to support your understanding of the theory. You will participate in face to face and/or online workshops, to discuss the module material and coursework tasks with your tutors and with other students. You will participate in group work in laboratory classes to further cement your understanding of highway materials. Where possible, your learning will be supplemented with field work and external visits to observe highways and railways in practice. There may be occasions within the semester where normal teaching will be suspended to allow your learning to be supplemented by a range of activities such as design workshops, guest presentations, professional body events, site visits and field work.

You will be supported by staff in seminars and workshops, and in practical sessions, giving you ample opportunity to ask questions to clarify and deepen your understanding of the module material, as well as to seek specific help, for example with assessment tasks. At other times, you will have regular access to University academic staff online, including the use of discussion boards and chat rooms in the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE). This will allow you to access support regularly at convenient times.

The module and the wider programme teams will also provide a supportive approach, enabling you to quickly and easily access and speak to any member of staff as required.

The University Library and other student services also offer a variety of academic skills training both online and face to face, which you can access as needed.

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:
1. Demonstrate understanding of the design of highway and railway infrastructure assets


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Critically evaluate the suitability of different materials for use in highway and railway construction and maintenance
3. Specify appropriate maintenance regimes for the long-term management of highway and railway infrastructure


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Critically evaluate options for sustainable transport

The summative assessment will be through two individual coursework assignments each of 3000 word equivalent length and each worth 50% of the module marks.

Coursework 1 will focus on the planning and design of highway and/or railway infrastructure and will cover MLOs 1 and 4.

Coursework 2 will focus on the maintenance of highway and/or railway infrastructure and will cover MLOs 2 and 3.

You will have the opportunity to complete practice assessments which do not count towards your final mark, but test and check you understanding of key subjects. Accordingly, during seminars, you will solve problems and engage in discussion. The intention is to present an open learning forum where you are safely challenged to explore the boundaries of creativity within the subject area. Verbal formative feedback will be provided by your tutor during seminar sessions.

Students will be given feedback on the summative assessments which they can feed forward into their career upon graduation.

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This module will equip you with engineering judgement and understanding to support your employability. Successfully completing the module will provide you with the engineering judgement to defend the overall design, specification, maintenance, and asset management of highway and railway infrastructure. You will evaluate geometric highway design parameters, and apply the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges’ standards and guidance documentation to produce safe highway scheme designs. You will be able to appraise specifications of materials and designs for flexible and rigid pavements and judge procedures for highway maintenance and asset management. You will gain an understanding of the components and arrangement of railway permanent way and design alignments to RSSB standards and you will learn to select appropriate materials for permanent way design and specify appropriate maintenance tasks and regimes. You will also gain an understanding of how structural and geotechnical considerations encountered in earlier study interface with highway and railway design. The subjects covered by the module are informed by current academic and industry research. The latest technology will be used to deliver this module; all resources will be available online and video clips will be used to assist your understanding of some of the more difficult ideas and theories. There will be opportunity throughout the delivery of the module to attend face-to-face or online seminars, where you can practice solving typical design problems and gain feedback from your module tutors. This feedback will help prepare you for the module’s formally marked coursework.