Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableWater sensitive outcomes for infill development: final report(Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, 2021)Australian cities have experienced significant growth recently, a trend that is expected to continue. One response from governments has been to promote ‘infill development’, which increases urban density, but also has significant adverse effects on urban water cycles, resource use efficiency, and the amenity and liveability of urban areas.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSuccess, Retention and Completion of Care Leaver Students in Australian Higher Education(Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Curtin University, 2022)International evidence confirms that care leavers (those who have left foster, kinship or residential care) often record poorer completion rates and graduate outcomes than other university students (Courtney, 2016). Recent research from both the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) confirms that lower completion rates and outcomes are the result of multiple factors, including intersectional inequality. Care leavers, for example, are more likely to declare a disability, hail from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, and record low grades in secondary school, all of which are correlated with lower university completion (Sebba, Berridge, Luke, Fletcher, Bell, Strand, Thomas, Sinclair & O’Higgins, 2015). Despite quantitative analysis of course selections, completions and outcomes in the US, UK, and elsewhere, equivalent work has not yet been conducted in Australia. In the absence of government collection of data, the primary source of quantitative, longitudinal data on care leavers in Australian higher education has resided with La Trobe University and Federation University Australia. Since 2016, as part of their collaborative Higher Education for Care Leavers Strategy (“the Strategy”), both universities have been systematically identifying care leaver students enrolled across the two institutions. The Strategy draws on the evidence compiled in Out of Care, into University (Harvey, McNamara, Andrewartha & Luckman, 2015), the subsequent report, Recruiting and supporting care leavers in Australian higher education (Harvey, Campbell, Andrewartha, Wilson & Goodwin-Burns, 2017) and related research by the investigators at both universities (e.g., Wilson, Harvey & Mendes, 2019). Focussed on all aspects of the student lifecycle, from pre-access though to access, attainment, and outcomes, the Strategy has also resulted in the first longitudinal data set on care leavers in Australian higher education. Drawing on these data, this report examines the access, geo-demographic profile, course selection, success, retention, and completion rates of care leavers across the two universities. In doing so, we provide the first clear picture of the journey of these previously ‘invisible’ students. Data analysis is complemented by interviews with care leaver students and graduates to explore challenges around completion, employment, and broader graduate outcomes.
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ItemGTALK Report Series: Safer Cities in Asia: Pathum Thani, Thailand(Women in Transport Leadership Knowledge Network (WITL), The University of Melbourne, 2022)
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ItemGTALK Report Series: Safer Cities in Asia: Metro Manila, Philippines(Women in Transport Leadership Knowledge Network (WITL), The University of Melbourne, 2021)
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ItemGTALK Report Series: Safer Cities in Asia: Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam(Women in Transport Leadership Knowledge Network (WITL), The University of Melbourne, 2022)
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ItemInvestigating the Treatment of Target Adjustment Events in Alliance Projects( 2020-12-03)Largescale, complex, engineering infrastructure projects often, but not always, end up costing more, and taking longer to deliver than that anticipated, planned for and authorised. However, research studies into delivery choices for these types of projects provide evidence that while many traditionally procured projects do fail to meet expectations, alliancing projects in Australia tend to deliver at or below their target outturn cost (TOC) and time as well as substantially meeting other project key result areas. This raises the question about why are alliance projects seemingly better at meeting expectations? Is the process for delivering a project as alliances more effective than traditional approaches such as design and construct or design-bid-build? Are alliancing project cost, time and other key result areas more accurately framed and planned? Could there be a mixture of more effective planning/estimating together with the delivery approach for alliance projects than their traditional counterparts? If so, how can this explanation be best visualised and explained? The key to explaining this phenomenon appears to be focussed around the mechanisms for arriving at a realistic and reasonably achievable TOC and then an ability to deliver the project to that target. A realistic and reasonably achievable target is central but so are the inter-team competencies, capabilities and commitment to deliver the promised result. Also, any realistic and reasonably achievable target is subject to unanticipated events that need to be catered for in a way that prevents opportunistic behaviour by either the project owner or delivery team. The Target Adjustment Event (TAE) process in alliancing does this in a reasonable and effective manner. Currently, the TAE process is ignored in the academic literature. This study is focussed on how some complex Australian engineering infrastructure projects are delivered through an alliancing process. It draws upon a body of research into alliancing projects and integrated project delivery approaches, undertaken over the past 20 plus years, and insights gained from interviews with five practitioner experts in this field who have had decades of experience of alliancing projects. More specifically, the insights are centred on how a realistic and reasonably achievable target (cost, time and other key result areas) and risk/uncertainty contingency is derived, and how the alliance process supports delivering the promise. It also explains the TAE process. The study explores the process of developing the TOC of Australian alliancing infrastructure projects. The central difference between an alliance approach and more traditional forms of project delivery is that alliancing enhances the ability of project delivery participants (including the project owner and facilities operator) to more comprehensively understand the project scope and requirements. This results in a more realistic TOC and an agreed well understood approach for dealing with unanticipated events, This study draws upon extensive alliancing practitioner experience, five experts were interviewed, and prior research into the alliancing approach spanning two decades. In summary, research results suggest that: 1. effective engineering construction cost/time outcomes result from: initial robust critical thinking about the project’s purpose; the project owner’s, and project delivery team’s, competence and expertise and their ability to successfully shape the project journey from plan to execution; developing a reasonable and effective TAE criteria and process to deal with unforeseeable surprises (critical thinking and analysis is a crucial feature); 2. this project journey is best undertaken by an integrated collaborative collection of teams that act as a united entity, through shared collective action with a well understood result in mind (concerted, purposeful collective action based on mutual understanding of what constitutes project success); 3. project participants skilfully develop a carefully considered contingency cost reserve that they effectively manage through project delivery (realistic and reasonable reserves); 4. both the project owner and delivery team rely on an effective support system and they demonstrate resilience to unexpected events by deploying effective coping mechanisms. Ideally, the project owner and the AT demonstrate strong resolve and ability to achieve successful project delivery (genuine organisational support); and 5. project key result area success is possible if either the project owner or delivery team is strong and is willing to, and can, raise the strength of a weaker partner. When both parties are weak then an alliancing approach tends to lead to a business-as-usual result (technical project delivery capability, expertise and leadership commitment strength). This report also provides insights and suggestions about the knowledge, skills, attributes and experience that are required to successfully deliver complex infrastructure projects using a collaborative integrated project delivery approach.
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ItemIntroducing peer review assessment to improve student engagement in learning and assessment activities - Part 1: Pilot Study(The University of Melbourne, 2022-12-08)In this summary paper, we report on findings from the pilot phase of the ‘Introducing peer review assessment to improve student engagement on learning and assessment activities’ project, conducted in subject ABPL90327 during semester 2 2022 at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (ABP). Our literature review of best practice in peer review assessment design revealed strong support for the effectiveness of several design features including peer review assessment as formative assessment; elevating and clearly articulating the importance and value of peer review assessment to students; providing assessor training and careful task scaffolding; allowing for multiple iterations of peer review assessment and flexibility in design; providing opportunities for collaborative peer review assessment and closing the feedback loop; integrating peer review assessment with self-assessment; and supporting teachers with the required resources, policies and cultural changes. The evidence regarding other design features (for example, anonymity, peer marking, formality and weighting) is mixed and is likely highly dependent on contextual factors. Students demonstrated high levels of participation and engagement in the peer review assessment process and provided generally positive feedback about their experiences of doing peer review assessment. Student survey and focus group data show that students value giving and receiving peer feedback. Students displayed a clear preference for doing fully anonymous peer review assessment and receiving training on how to give good feedback prior to undertaking peer review assessment activities. The students felt that the FeedbackFruits platform allowed for an efficient and effective process. There was no clear consensus on what constitutes an appropriate weighting for the peer review assessment task. Based on our review of the literature, and student survey and focus group data, we propose several implications and recommendations for implementing peer review assessment processes in 2023 and beyond including: providing training and scaffolding to meet student needs; testing the effectiveness of collaborative peer review assessment and peer review assessment in group settings; and enabling assessees to close the feedback loop through providing them with incentives to use and evaluate the quality and usefulness of the feedback they receive. We propose a program of further research in semester 1 2023 to test these recommendations and validate the pilot findings with larger student cohorts. We also propose to test several design decisions in semester 1 2023 to determine which set of design considerations best meets the needs of the cohort within the specific institutional, teaching and learning context of the Master of Construction Management (M-CM) program at the University of Melbourne. The outputs and findings of this pilot project can help support educators in making informed decisions about how to design peer review assessment processes that meet their students’ learning needs; provide a revised foundation for higher education researchers to build upon when examining how to increase uptake of effective peer review assessment processes; and help instructors within the M-CM program, and potentially across other programs within ABP, design and implement effective peer review assessment processes that align with the specific institutional teaching and learning context.
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ItemPreparing for Building Equality: Insights for Success(The University of Melbourne, 2022)The report was commissioned by the Victorian Government so they could develop their Building Equality strategy. This strategy was to be a research led strategy and will be announced later in 2022. This report has took a holistic approach to understanding women’s experiences in construction by beginning in early adolescence when forming vocational interests and concluding in late career. the comprehensive literature review identified career barriers and enablers by career stages. It then reviewed nearly 400 national and international programs aimed at increasing the number of women into non traditional careers and assisting in their retention. The programs were thematically analysed by career stage. 6 exemplar programs were selected and analysed using program theory. Finally, CEOs,/Directors of construction companies were interviewed and focus groups held with women and women's organizations to discuss career barriers. This comprehensive report investigated past literature, current best practice and local barriers to provide a framework for a new government strategy.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProject 5: A weekend for every worker: Final report(UNSW Sydney, 2021)Project 5 examined whether changing construction workers’ schedules to include a full weekend would make a positive difference to their wellbeing in a sector characterised by long and unpredictable working hours, which have an impact on physical and mental health. An economic analysis was included to determine the costs or savings of shifting to a five-day work week. This full report presents the findings of surveys and interviews with the workers who participated, the next of kin who participated, and construction industry stakeholders who were interviewed for their views on the five-day work week. Project 5 also inquired into the effects of construction sector conditions on the community more broadly, by interviewing the next of kin of construction workers about how working hours and conditions impacted family life. Project 5 contributes a much-needed contemporary case study of how a work schedule modification can change work-life balance and the flow-on effects to wellbeing, not only for workers but for their partners.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProject 5: A weekend for Every Worker: Executive Summary(UNSW Sydney, 2022)In Australia, it is standard practice for construction workers to work at least a half-day on Saturdays, meaning they miss out on leisure activities with their family and friends who work in other industries. This study, known as Project 5, examined whether giving a group of construction workers access to the regular weekend of Saturday and Sunday would improve their wellbeing. Project 5 also inquired into the effects of construction sector conditions on the community more broadly, by interviewing the next of kin of construction workers about how working hours and conditions impacted family life. An economic analysis was included to determine the costs or savings of shifting to a five-day work week.