Diploma in Civil Engineering

The Diploma in Civil Engineering is designed to meet the necessary knowledge, understanding, abilities and skills required for further learning towards becoming a competent practising professional engineering technician.

This qualification provides preparation for careers in engineering and areas that potentially benefit from engineering skills, for achieving technical proficiency and competency to contribute to the economy and national development.

The primary purpose of this vocationally oriented diploma is to develop focused knowledge and skills as well as experience in a work-related context, it will further equip learners with the knowledge base, theory, skills and methodology within the civil engineering discipline as a foundation for further training and experience towards becoming a competent engineering technician.

The qualification further provides learners with the fundamental and discipline-specific knowledge, cognitive and conceptual tools; and practical techniques to allow them to pursue further studies in higher education. The knowledge emphasises general principles and their application. The completion of this qualification indicates that the learner has attained higher education knowledge and practical competence in Engineering and is capable of applying such knowledge and competence in a civil engineering occupation within the workplace environment or to further develop academically.

The qualification design reflects the new standard for engineering technicians as required by the Engineering Council of South Africa (referred to as the ECSA hereafter) based on the new HEQF (ECSA document, E-02-PN revision 5 from 1st of September; Qualification Standard for Diploma in Engineering: NQF Level 6).

Professional Engineering Technicians apply established and newly developed engineering technology to solve well-defined problems and develop components, systems, services, and processes.

The qualification aims to expand the educational choices to all new engineering learners and artisans, supervisors, and inspectors in the country, providing access towards entrepreneurs, technicians, technologists, engineers, and researchers, while allowing transfer between institutions (in accordance with ECSA requirements and the reviewed HEQSF document, of January 2013). This qualification plans to address the current engineering skill shortage by allowing workers in the field to upgrade their qualifications via contact or distance self-study.

This qualification is designed to meet the educational requirement towards registration as a Candidate or Professional Engineering Technician with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Perform procedural design and synthesis of components, systems, engineering works, products, or processes.
• Demonstrate competence in designing and conducting investigations and experiments.
• Demonstrate competence to use appropriate engineering methods, skills, and tools, including those based on information technology.
• Demonstrate competence to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with engineering audiences and the community at large.
• Demonstrate critical awareness of the sustainability and impact of engineering activity on the social, industrial and physical environment.
• Demonstrate competence to work effectively as an individual, in teams and multidisciplinary environments.

Rationale

The introduction of the Diploma in Civil Engineering formed part of the institution's Qualification Expansion Plan, based on the identified niche that this qualification presents in the engineering education sector.

To effectively service the South African industry, this qualification will ensure to produce graduates that will be sufficiently grounded in engineering science fundamentals and suitably trained in basic and advanced engineering technologies.

This qualification responds to the national and global needs for skilled artisans, technicians, technologists, and engineers and is deemed essential to enter the arena of providing engineering education through a strategic and innovative approach in its offering of new engineering qualifications.

This qualification is a higher educational qualification enhanced by work-integrated learning, as outlined in the Revised Higher Education Qualifications Sub framework (HEQSF) (2013).

The engineering skills shortage has an extensive negative impact on South Africa as a developing nation.

This qualification is designed to meet the educational requirement towards registration as a Candidate or Professional Engineering Technician with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Levels 5 and 6 totalling 373 Credits.

Compulsory Modules NQF Level 5, totalling 140 Credits

• Engineering Mathematics, 14 Credits.
• Engineering Physics, 14 Credits.
• Communication for Engineering Professionals, 7 Credits.
• Engineering Computing 1, 7 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Materials, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Drawing 1, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Construction Methods, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Management 1, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Surveying 1, 14 Credits.
• Introduction to Civil Engineering Documentation, 14 Credits.
• Civil Project, 14 Credits.

Compulsory Modules NQF Level 6 totalling, 233 Credits

• Differential and Integral Calculus, 7 Credits.
• Statistics & Probability, 7 Credits.
• Financial Management for Engineers, 7 Credits.
• Data Analytics, 7 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Management 2, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Drawing 2, 7 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Surveying 2, 7 Credits.
• Structural Analysis 1, 14 Credits.
• Structural Analysis 2, 14 Credits.
• Water Engineering 1, 14 Credits.
• Transportation Engineering 1, 14 Credits.
• Geotechnical Engineering 1, 14 Credits.
• Structural Steel Design, 14 Credits.
• Water Engineering 2, 14 Credits.
• Transportation Engineering 2, 7 Credits.
• Geotechnical Engineering 2, 14 Credits.
• Reinforced Concrete Design, 14 Credits.
• Civil Engineering Project (Capstone), 14 Credits.
• Work Integrated Learning, 30 Credits.

1. Identify, formulate, analyse and solve well-defined engineering problems.
2. Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural sciences, engineering fundamentals and an engineering speciality to solve well-defined engineering problems.
3. Perform procedural design and synthesis of components, systems, engineering works, products, or processes.
4. Demonstrate competence to design and conduct investigations and experiments.
5. Demonstrate competence to use appropriate engineering methods, skills, and tools, including those based on information technology.
6. Demonstrate competence to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with engineering audiences and the community at large.
7. Demonstrate critical awareness of the sustainability and impact of engineering activity on the social, industrial, and physical environment.
8. Demonstrate competence to work effectively as an individual, in teams and multidisciplinary environments.

Associated Assessment Criteria

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1.

• Analyse and define criteria to solve a problem with an acceptable solution.
• Identify relevant information, and engineering knowledge and apply skills to solve problems.
• Consider and formulate various approaches that would lead to workable solutions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2.

• Apply the appropriate mix of mathematics, statistics, natural science, and engineering science knowledge at a fundamental level to bear the solution of well-defined engineering problems.
• Illustrate an understanding of and analyse engineering materials, components, systems, or processes.
• Present concepts and ideas in a logical and methodical manner.
• Conduct reasoning towards the application of engineering materials, components, and systems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3.

• Formulate the design problem to satisfy user needs, applicable standards, codes of practice and legislation.
• Plan and manage design processes to focus on important issues and recognise and deal with constraints.
• Evaluate knowledge, information, and resources to apply appropriate principles and design tools to provide a workable solution.
• Apply procedures to evaluate and assess the selected design in terms of the impact and benefits.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4.

• Plan and conduct investigations within an appropriate discipline.
• Search and evaluate the available literature and material for suitability to the investigation.
• Select and appropriately use relevant equipment or software for the investigation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5.

• Apply relevant computer packages for computation, modelling, simulation, and information handling.
• Correctly apply computers, networks, and information infrastructures for accessing and processing engineering methods.
• Apply appropriate engineering methods, skills, and tools, including those based on information technology to attain the required results.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 6.

• Present appropriate structure, style, and language of written and oral communication for communication to the target audience.
• Apply appropriate and effective graphics to enhance the meaning of the text.
• Apply visual materials to enhance oral communications.
• Present information in a format that can be used by others involved in the engineering activity.
• Deliver oral communication with the intended meaning being apparent.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 7.

• Illustrate the impact of technology in terms of the benefits and limitations to society.
• Analyse the engineering activity in terms of the impact on occupational and public health and safety.
• Consider the methods to minimize or mitigate impacts on the physical environment.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 8.

• Explain the principles of planning, organising, leading, and controlling.
• Consider contributions to team activities and support the output of the team as a whole.
• Illustrate an ability to lead, organise and manage projects.

The majority of modules (except the project modules) in this qualification have two assessment components as follows

Formative Assessment

Learning and assessment are integrated. This form of assessment includes

• Assignments based on the learning material.
• Progress reports for practicals conducted and competencies applied.

The process is continuous and focuses on small sections of the work. The final mark for the Formative assessments must be a minimum of 50%.

Summative assessment

• Examination (both written and oral).
• Equivalent assessments such as a portfolio of a section or a project are used.

The summative assessment examines the learner's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge. The final mark for the summative assessments must be a minimum of 50%.

Assessors should assess and give credit for the evidence of learning that has already been acquired through formal, informal, and non-formal learning and experience.