MINE4260

COAL MINE DESIGN AND

FEASIBILITY PROJECT

COURSE OUTLINE

SEMESTER 2, 2014
1 COURSE OUTLINE

CONTENTS
General Course Information ................................................................................................... 1
Course Content...................................................................................................................... 3
Aims, Learning Outcomes & Graduate Attributes ................................................................... 4
Recommended Texts and Resources .................................................................................... 5
Learning Activities .................................................................................................................. 6
Course Assessment ............................................................................................................... 8
Assessment Criteria ............................................................................................................... 9
University Policies ................................................................................................................ 15

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

Course Details

Course Title: MINE4260 Coal Mine Design and Feasibility Project

Semester Offered: Semester 2

Level: Undergraduate

Number of Units/Credits: 6 UOC

Course Convenor:
Rudrajit Mitra. Rm 159K, Old Main Building
Telephone: 9385 5161; email: [email protected]

Contact Hours per Week:

Four contact hours to be utilised for Project-based Learning.

Contact times are scheduled for

Wednesday 9 AM 1 PM: Quad 1027.

Learning Guide: Detailed information related to the course including assessment

requirements can be found in the Learning Guide: Coal Mine Design & Feasibility
Project

Learning & Teaching Management System (LTMS): The Learning & Teaching
Management System (LTMS) used with this course is TELT MOODLE, which can be
accessed at https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php.

For up to date information on lectures and workshops, see the Calendar section in
LTMS.

Support material for this course including, copies of lecture notes, recommended
readings, assignments and results for assignments etc whenever available can be
found in LTMS.

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

 COURSE OUTLINE 2

All correspondence should be undertaken using the email facility within LTMS.
Changes in the lecture schedule, seminars, workshops and assignment dates will be
posted on the Calendar in LTMS.

It is important that students regularly check LTMS for changes in calendar events and
for email messages. It is strongly recommended that students use the mail redirection
facility to forward LTMS emails to their usual email address.

Assessment

Assessments will take the form of Progress Interviews, Final Report and
Presentation.

Note: Course completion requires all assessment items are completed by the student.
Failure to submit can result in non-completion of the Course

Course Description

Advanced level pre-feasibility studies of coal mine project evaluation inclusive of:
reserves, method selection, design, layout and optimisation, geotechnical design,
project risk, mine schedule, economics / finance and sustainability of surface and
underground mines for coal deposits. Project-based learning.

Assumed Knowledge

Student should have sufficient knowledge to apply the principles of resource geology,
mine planning and design, surface and underground mining methods, minerals
economics, equipment selection, mine ventilation, geomechanics to a real mine
project. It is advantageous if they are familiar with at least one mine design software
tool.

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

3 COURSE OUTLINE

COURSE CONTENT

Open cut design and layout

Underground mine layout and design
Introduction of mine scheduling
Production and equipment scheduling
Equipment selection
Cost estimation
Economic evaluation
Ventilation and geotechnical design
Project evaluation
Sustainable development (Risk, social, environmental, mine closure,
legislations, etc.)

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

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AIMS, LEARNING OUTCOMES & GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

Course Aims

The aim of this course is to assist students carry out a pre-feasibility study on a coal
deposit incorporating:

Reserve estimation,
Mining method selection,
Mine design and optimisation,
Development and production planning/scheduling,
Equipment selection,
Geomechanics,
Ventilation,
Cost analysis,
Economic evaluation.

In addition, there may be a number of topics of special focus for a given project such
as environmental factors, environmental impact/design and social responsibility. The
project will be undertaken in the spirit of a pre-feasibility study to determine its
economical viability using standard engineering economic methods of project
evaluation.

Learning Outcomes

It is intended that students will be able to:

Assess the feasibility of a mining project with consideration to:
o Data analysis and interpretation
o Mine layout
o Development and production planning/scheduling/Staffing,
o Equipment selection,
o Geotechnical, technical, environmental and economical factors
o Ventilation
o Economical factors including mining costs, commodity market, etc.
o Social and environmental impact
o Project risk analysis
o Mine closure/rehabilitation
Demonstrate team skills in the management of a project work
Demonstrate advanced written and oral communication skills

Graduate Attributes

This course will contribute to the development of the following Graduate Attributes:
appropriate technical knowledge
having advanced problem solving, analysis and synthesis skills with the
ability to tolerate ambiguity
ability for engineering design and creativity
being able to think and work individually and in teams
having HSEC consciousness

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

5 COURSE OUTLINE

RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND RESOURCES

Recommended Texts

Howard L. H. 1992. SME Mining Engineering Handbook, Littleton, Colo. Society for
Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Edition 2nd ed.

Reference Texts
Hargraves, A and Martin, C., 1993. Australasian Coal Mining Practice Monograph 12,
2nd Edition, The AusIMM: Melbourne.
Hartman, HL. 2002. Introductory Mining Engineering, 2nd edition. Wiley, New York.
Hustrulid, W. A, Kuchta, M, 2006. Open Pit Mine Planning and Design, volume 1:
Fundamentals, 2nd edition (Taylor and Francis: London).
Hustrulid, WA, and Bullock, R. (Editors), 2001. Underground Mining Methods:
Engineering Fundamentals and International Case Studies. (Society for Mining
Metallurgy & Exploration: Littleton).
Kennedy, BA., Editor, 1990. Surface Mining, 2nd edition, Society for Mining,
Metallurgy, and Exploration, Littleton, Colorado. ISBN 0873351029
Noakes, M and Lanz, T. 1993. Cost Estimation Handbook for the Australian Mining
Industry, Monograph No: 20/ Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
MEA Mine Planning Course Learning Guide
MEA Mining Systems Course Learning Guide
MEA Report Writing Guide
MEA Resource Estimation and Project Evaluation Course Learning Guide
MTEC0008 - LG Geotechnical Factors in the Mine Planning and Design Process.
MTEC0011 - LG The Process of Mine Planning and Design.
MTEC0018 - LG Mine Planning and Scheduling

Online Resources

Selected readings as well as other supporting material (e.g. course outline and
lecture notes will be made available on LTMS.

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LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Learning Activities Summary

Hours
Week

Week
Tasks Content
Starting

1
Course introduction, Course outline, group formation, Introduction to the project,
Jul 28 4
Software training

Mine Design software training (TBC).

Data Familiarisation Geological and coal properties modelling. Define cut-off
2 Aug 4 4 and Mining Strategy stripping, reserve estimation for open cut. Determination of
Lecture design parameters on the basis on given breakeven
stripping ratio.
Open Cut Mine
3
Design of strips, bench heights, angles, mine access and
Aug 11 4 Design and layout
road design.
Lecture
Underground Mine
4 Aug 18 4 Design and Layout Design of mine development and access
Lecture

Progress Interview Progress Interview with every group (15 minutes)

5 Aug 25 4
1 Peer Review

Underground Mine
6 Sep 1 4 Panel and pillar design. Reserve estimation.
Design and Layout
Equipment Equipment selection for both open pit and underground
Selection and mine (Fleet size, capacity, type, etc.)
7 Sep 08 4
Production Production rates and production scheduling for both open
Scheduling Lecture cut and underground mine
Ventilation and
Ventilation design, roof support design, etc.
8 Sep 15 4 Geotechnical
design lecture
Progress Interview Progress Interview with every group (15 minutes)
9 Sep 22 4
2 Peer Review
Sep 29 MID-SEMESTER BREAK
Oct 6 NON-TEACHING WEEK
Economic
Evaluation lecture
Capital and operating costs, production costs, sensitivity
10 Oct 13 4 Cost Estimation and
analysis, NPV, etc.
Economic
Evaluation
Health, Safety,
Risk analysis, subsidence, environmental and social
11 Oct 20 4 Environment and
impacts, mine closure, etc.
Community
12 Oct 27 4 Final Presentations Max 20 minute presentation

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

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Teaching & Learning Methods

1. Project-based learning: This course utilises project-based learning methods.

Students will be given a group project to work on. Students are required to
work in groups, share the project workload, have weekly meetings and
discussions. A formal progress and final report has to be submitted for each
project.

2. Question/Answer sessions: Project work will be supported with weekly/bi-

weekly Q/A sessions. All students are to attend these sessions.

3. Group work: Each project will have a number of topics of emphasis. Each
member of the group can elect to work on a topic of the project but all
members must report their work to the group on weekly basis. A peer review
will have to be submitted by each team, indicating the proportion of each
individual group member's contribution to the project. Some marks will be
taken from the underperforming students to others. If a student makes no
contribution to the project, he/she will receive zero for that project.

4. Effective Communication: One of the most powerful drivers of learning is

effective communication of what has been learned. Even as a professional
engineer, it is not sufficient to return to a client and simply present them with a
number, saying, "Here is your answer." Assessment in this course will largely
be determined in how well results are communicated. There are a number of
opportunities for effective communication in this course: formal presentations
and final reports. The process of writing reports, brainstorming within a design
team, peer assessment, preparation and presentation of report both in front of
an audience and in report form, forces a clarity of thinking, defending and
revising a design and analysing the risks inherent in a project.

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

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COURSE ASSESSMENT

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

Group report
Assess the feasibility of a coal mine
Progress Interview
project
Presentations

Group report
Demonstrate team skills in the
Progress Interview
management of a project work
Presentations

Demonstrate advanced written and data Group report

presentation skills Presentations

Assessment Summary

Assessment Due Weighting

Progress Interview 1 Wk 5 10%

Progress Interview 2 Wk 9 15%

Wednesday, Oct
Final Presentation 25%
17, 2014
Monday, Nov 3,
Final Report 2014 50%
by 9 AM
TOTAL 100%

Electronic copies due by the Monday 9 AM. The submission box will close
at this time. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.
Only electronic copies (MS Word format) will be evaluated.
See the section on Group Work - Peer Assessment in the section on
University Policies for further details on the requirements and process of peer
assessment in group project work.

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

9 COURSE OUTLINE

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The following information is provided to aid in understanding of the assessment of the

various assignments in the Course. Note: these are guidelines only and are subject to the
change.

Progress Interview 1 and 2

As per the course requirement,

All the members of the team must be present (0 mark will be awarded to any member of
the team who is not present),
Interview will be conducted in the lab where the students need to show the progress of
the project on the computer,
Students will be expected to demonstrate ability to use software for the purposes of the
design,
Students are required to give a one-page write-up on the workload distribution for the
project till date
This process will take about 15-20 minutes.

Presentations

Each group needs to provide the Course Convenor a copy of their Final Presentation before
the start of the seminar in the morning. All students are required to attend and take part in
the presentations for the whole seminar session. Absence from these presentations will only
be allowed because of medical or extenuating circumstances. This will require documented
evidence, e.g. Medical Certificate, etc. Final presentation will be 20 minutes long and be
worth 25% of the overall mark.

The room is equipped with projection facilities and students may use PowerPoint if they wish.
However, it is the individuals responsibility to ensure that the presentation is functioning
beforehand. Computer problems will not be allowed to delay the proceedings!

The following criteria will be used for assessing the progress interviews, final presentation
and the final report:

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

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Coal Project Progress Interview 1 (10%)

Criteria Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor -

Demonstrated comprehensive Demonstrated sound Demonstrated some Demonstrated limited or

Demonstrated an adequate
knowledge of the assumptions, knowledge of the assumptions, knowledge of the no knowledge of the
knowledge of the assumptions,
resource and reserve resource and reserve assumptions, resource and assumptions, resource No meeting is held.
Project Work resource and reserve estimation,
estimation, and mining estimation, and mining reserve estimation, and and reserve estimation,
(30%) and mining strategy.
strategy. strategy. mining strategy. and mining strategy..

30 25 24 20 19 15 14 7 6 1 0

Provided no technical
Provided a comprehensive Provided some study on Provided a limited or no study on design of
Provided a limited study on technical design of progressive pits/strips,
study on design of progressive design of progressive
design of progressive pits/strips, progressive pits/strips, haul haul roads and waste
pits/strips, haul roads and pits/strips, haul roads and
haul roads and waste dump, roads and waste dump, dump, estimation of
waste dump, estimation of waste dump, estimation of
estimation of reserves, waste and estimation of reserves, waste reserves, waste and
Open Cut Design reserves, waste and stripping reserves, waste and stripping
stripping ratios for each and stripping ratios for each stripping ratios for each No technical study.
(40%) ratios for each block/strip and ratios for each block/strip and
block/strip and final limits. block/strip and final limits. block/strip and final
final limits. final limits.
limits.
Provided a limited surface
Provided a surface Provided an acceptable Provided a limited or no
infrastructure design.
infrastructure design. surface infrastructure design. surface infrastructure. Provided a limited or no
surface infrastructure.

30 25 24 20 19 15 14 7 6 1 0

Clear presentation, presented Reasonable presentation that

Clear presentation, slight lack Presentation difficult to follow Poorly presented with
with confidence and ensured the audience were
of confidence, structure slightly due to erratic structure. little or no structure.
Verbal Discussion and enthusiasm, well structured so informed of the topic, some No meeting is held.
erratic. Clear answers for all Unsatisfactory answers for all Poor answers for all the
Answers for the questions that it flowed. Good answers for structure used. Reasonable
the questions the questions questions
(30%) all the questions answers for all the questions

40 36 35 28 27 20 19 10 9 1 0

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

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Coal Project Progress Interview 2 (15%)

Criteria Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor -

Provided a comprehensive Provided a limited or no

Provided some technical Provided a limited technical Provided no technical
technical justification for the technical justification for the
justification for the selected justification for the selected justification for the selected
selected mining method, mine selected mining method, mine No mining method and mine
mining method, mine access, mining method, mine access, mining method, mine access,
access, mine design, reserve access, mine design, reserve access type selected.
Underground mine design, reserve estimation mine design, reserve estimation mine design, reserve estimation
estimation and an appropriate estimation and an appropriate
Design and an appropriate mine layout. and an appropriate mine layout. and an appropriate mine layout.
mine layout. mine layout.
(40%)

40 34 33 27 26 20 19 12 11 1 0

Equipment
Selection & Provided a comprehensive Provided some technical Provided a limited technical Provided a limited or no Provided no technical
Production technical justification for the justification for the equipments justification for the equipments technical justification for the justification for the equipments No technical study.
Scheduling equipments and scheduling. and scheduling. and scheduling. equipments and scheduling. and scheduling.
(30%)

30 25 24 20 19 15 14 7 6 1 0

Reasonable discussion that

Clear discussion, presented with Clear discussion, slight lack of Poor discussion with little or no
ensured the audience were Discussion difficult to follow due
confidence and enthusiasm, well confidence, structure slightly structure.
informed of the topic, some to erratic structure.
structured so that it flowed. erratic.
Verbal structure used.
Poor answers for all the No meeting is held.
Discussion and Unsatisfactory answers for all
Good answers for all the Clear answers for all the questions
Answers for the Reasonable answers for all the the questions
questions questions
questions questions
(30%)

30 25 24 20 19 15 14 7 6 1 0

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

 COURSE OUTLINE 12

Group Project Assessment Criteria for Final Presentation (25%)

This marking criteria may or may not be used by the Board members in the Final Presentation.

Criteria Mark Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor -

Provided a good overview of
Provided a general overview Provided a limited overview of
Provided a comprehensive the presentation and Provided little or no overview Provided no
of the presentation and the presentation and
overview of the presentation objective[s] of the project. of the presentation and limited background to
Introduction 10% objectives of the project but objectives of the project but
and objective[s] of the project. Some points not clearly or no objectives of the project. presentation.
lacks clarity lacks clarity.
presented.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Content Quality (Pre- Demonstrated some

feasibility of the coal Demonstrated comprehensive Demonstrated sound Demonstrated an adequate Demonstrated limited or no
knowledge of carrying out a
project including knowledge of carrying out a knowledge of carrying out a knowledge of carrying out a knowledge of carrying out a
full pre-feasibility project for a
reserve estimation, full pre-feasibility project for a full pre-feasibility project for a full pre-feasibility project for a full pre-feasibility project for a Content missing.
given coal deposit with major
mine design and layout, 50% given coal deposit. given coal deposit with minor given coal deposit. with some given coal deposit.
errors.
equipment selection, errors. errors.
economical evaluation
and sustainable
development)
50 45 44 35 34 25 24 15 14 1 0

The analysis of the work The analysis of the work The analysis of the work The analysis of the work
conducted highlights your The analysis of the work
conducted demonstrates conducted demonstrates conducted demonstrates no
comprehension and shows conducted demonstrates
some comprehension limited comprehension. comprehension. Invalid
insight into the significance of good comprehension. Good
Reasonable conclusions, Unreasonable conclusions, conclusions, barely Conclusion missing.
the results. Concise and conclusions, appropriate and
Conclusion 10% appropriate and valid barely appropriate and valid appropriate and valid
appropriate conclusions, valid response to questions.
response to questions. response to questions. response to questions.
excellent and valid response
to questions.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Slides easy to read with Slides easy to read with Slides legible but with some
appropriate sized graphs, appropriate sized graphs, errors in formatting, wording, Slides inappropriate with Slides totally
sizing etc. Slides difficult to read.
Visual Aids Quality 10% wording etc and no errors on wording etc and only minor major mistakes. illegible.
slides. errors

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Clear presentation, presented Reasonable presentation that Poorly presented with little or
Clear presentation, slight lack
with confidence and ensured the audience was Presentation difficult to follow no structure. Inaudible
of confidence, structure
Verbal Presentation 20% enthusiasm, well structured informed of the topic, some due to erratic structure. presentation.
slightly erratic.
so that it flowed structure used.

20 18 17 14 13 10 9 5 4 1 0

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

Project Final Report Assessment Criteria (50%)

Criteria Mark Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor -

Provided a comprehensive Provided an acceptable Provided a limited summary of Provided a limited or poor Provided a poor summary of
No parameters
Executive summary of the project parameters summary of the project the project parameters and summary of the project the project parameters and
5% and outcomes.
Summary and outcomes. parameters and outcomes. outcomes. parameters and outcomes. outcomes.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Provided a satisfactory Provided a very limited
Provided a short summary of
Provided a good summary of the summary of the work done in summary of the work done in Provided no work
Provided a detailed mine design the work done in semester I on
Mine design and mine design and layout of the semester I on design and semester I on design and done in semester
25% and layout of the given deposit. design and optimisation of the
layout given deposit. optimisation of the given optimisation of the given I.
given deposit.
deposit. deposit.
25 23 22 20 19 15 14 8 7 1 0
No technical
Provided a partially to
Provided a comprehensive study Provided a sound study on Provided a limited study on Provided a poor study on study on
completely wrong production
Production on production scheduling for the production scheduling for the production scheduling for the production scheduling for the scheduling and
5% scheduling for the given coal
Scheduling given coal deposit. given coal deposit. given coal deposit. given coal deposit. optimisation
deposit.
provided.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Selected sub-optimal size and Selected sub-optimal size and Selected inappropriate size Selected inappropriate size
Selected an optimal size and
quantity of each type of quantity of each type of and quantity of each type of and quantity of each type of
quantity of each type of equipment
equipment for the required equipment for the required equipment for the required equipment for the required No equipment
for the required production rate
Equipment production rate taking into production rate taking into production rate taking into production rate. Did not take selection
5% taking into account technical,
Selection account some technical, account limited or no technical, account limited or no technical, into account technical, provided.
economical, environmental and
economical, environmental and economical, environmental economical, environmental economical, environmental
OHS factors.
OHS factors. and OHS factors. and OHS factors. and OHS factors.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Provided comprehensive cost
Provided comprehensive cost
estimates in terms of capital, Provided sound cost estimates
estimates in terms of capital,
operating and total production in terms of capital, operating Provided some cost estimates Provided a limited cost Provided no cost
Project operating and total production
25% costs including an NPV estimate and total production costs. No but with major errors. estimates with major errors. analysis.
Evaluation costs including an NPV estimate
and a sensitivity analysis with sensitivity analysis provided.
and a sensitivity analysis.
minor errors.
25 23 22 20 19 15 14 8 7 1 0
Included most ventilation issues
Included all ventilation issues in Included some ventilation Included a limited number of Included a few ventilation
in the design and provided an No ventilation
the design and provided a detailed issues in the design and ventilation issues in the design issues in the design and
Ventilation acceptable ventilation design issues were
5% ventilation design calculation along provided a ventilation design and provided a basic provided no ventilation design
Design calculation along with all considered.
with all ventilation requirements. calculation. ventilation design calculation. calculation.
ventilation requirements.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Included a limited number of
Included most geotechnical Included some geotechnical Included a few geotechnical
Included all geotechnical issues in geotechnical issues in the Not considered
issues in the design and issues in the design and issues in the design and
Geotechnical the design and provided a detailed design and provided a very geotechnical
5% provided an acceptable slope provided a limited slope and provided no slope and support
Design slope and support design. basic slope and support issues.
and support design. support design. design.
design.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Provided a comprehensive Provided a good overview of Provided a brief overview of Provided a limited overview of Provided a very brief overview
No study
overview of environmental and environmental and social issues environmental and social environmental and social of environmental and social
provided on
Sustainable social issues during mine life and during mine life and after site issues during mine life and issues during mine life and issues during mine life and
10% sustainable
Development after site closure including a closure including a detailed risk after site closure including a after site closure with a very after site closure with no risk
development.
detailed risk assessment. assessment. basic risk assessment. basic risk assessment. assessment.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Conclusions 5% The analysis of the work The analysis of the work The analysis of the work The analysis of the work The analysis of the work No conclusions
 COURSE OUTLINE 14

Criteria Mark Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor -

conducted highlights your conducted demonstrates some conducted demonstrates conducted demonstrates conducted demonstrates lack drawn from the
comprehension and shows insight comprehension. The report limited comprehension. The limited or no comprehension. of comprehension. The report analysis.
into the significance of the results. concludes with a summary of report concludes with some The report concludes with a concludes with a poor
The report concludes with a clear outcomes. summary of outcomes. poor summary of outcomes. summary of outcomes.
concise summary of the outcomes
and includes qualification.
5 4 3 2 1 0
Very good logical structure,
Acceptable structure and Structure and physical layout Structure and physical layout Structure and physical layout
physical layout and attention to
physical layout; Some detract; a few inaccuracies or detract; many inaccuracies or detract; many inaccuracies
detail. The work is presented in an
inaccuracies or lack of detail in minor lack of detail in considerable lack of detail in and complete lack of detail in No report
Layout and accurate and coherent fashion.
presentation of work. Neat, presentation of work. A few presentation of work. Several presentation of work. submitted.
standard of 10% Scientific and technical style. No or
some spelling mistakes or spelling mistakes or spelling mistakes or Numerous spelling mistakes or Very poor layout
Report few spelling mistakes or
grammatical errors. Some errors grammatical errors. A few grammatical errors. Several grammatical errors. Several
grammatical errors. Appropriate
in referencing. errors in referencing. errors in referencing. errors in referencing.
referencing.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT

 UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Assignment Submissions

All assignments submitted for assessment in this course must be made in accordance with
the School Policy on Assignment Submissions, hereafter in this subsection termed the
Policy. Details of the Policy can be found in the School Policies section of the School
webpage at http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-engineering/assignment-
submission-policy.
Students are required to read the latest version of the Policy and be aware of the various
requirements including submission requirements and academic integrity. Failure to adhere to
the requirement and/or submit an assignment that is fully compliant with the Policy may
result in forfeiture by the student of all marks for that assignment.
An Assignment Coversheet must be attached to each assignment submitted for assessment
whether the assignment is submitted in electronic or hardcopy form. The coversheet
identifies the student, assignment, course and contains a declaration of academic integrity
see later section on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism. Assignments not containing a fully
completed copy of the official coversheet for the assignment will be deemed non-compliant
and not marked resulting in the student will be awarded zero marks for the assignment.
By default all assignments for courses in the School must be submitted as an electronic
document. The submission requirements for electronic submissions are detailed in the
Policy.
In the case where a hardcopy submission of an assignment has been permitted in the
assignment briefing document then the submission requirements for hardcopy submissions
as detailed in the Policy must be followed. The student must attach to the front of the
assignment a completed and signed copy of the Assignment Coversheet.
Students are advised to retain a copy of every assignment submitted for assessment
for their own record either in hardcopy or electronic form. From time to time assignments
may be mislaid and a student can be asked to re-submit.

Group Work Peer Assessment

Group work is a key Graduate Attribute in the Mining Engineering program. As such it is
integrated into the assessment activities of many courses to determine whether a student
has satisfactorily attained one or more of the Learning Outcomes.
An important indicator of a students performance and of their contribution to the groups
overall performance is reflected in the results of a formalised system of peer review. The
Course Convenor uses these results and other factors in their determination of an individual
students result for the assignment.

For further details see Peer Assessment in the School Policies section at
http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-engineering/peer-assessment.
Students should be aware that participation in the peer review process is compulsory and
that failure to do so can result in withholding of marks and/or zero marks being allotted to the
student for that assignment.
 COURSE OUTLINE 16

Late Submission of an Assignment

In the normal course of events late submission of an assignment will automatically
result in a zero mark being awarded to the student/project team for the assignment.
The onus is on the student to ensure each course assignment is submitted on-time during
normal business hours and no later than the required time on the due date as stated in the
relevant assignment briefing document.
For further details see Late Submissions in the School Policies section on the School
webpage at http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-engineering/late-submissions. See
also the later section on Adverse Performance Special Consideration.

Course Results

For details on assessment policy, assessment process and an explanation of course results,
see the Assessment Policy section at http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-
engineering/university-policies-and-school-guidelines.

In some instances a students results for a course may be withheld as indicated by:
WD this usually indicates that the student has not completed all assessment
components.
WC this indicates the student has applied for Special Consideration and results have
not been finalised due to illness or misadventure.

In these cases of withheld course results, the student must contact the Course Convenor as
soon as practicable but no later than five (5) days after release of the course result.

If contact has not been made and/or course assessment has not been finalised by
commencement of the following academic semester then this temporary grade will be
automatically changed to a final grade of NC (course not completed).

Adverse Performance Special Consideration

In cases of illness or other extenuating circumstances that may have adversely impacted on
a students performance in a course, it is recommended the student apply to Student Central
for Special Consideration.
It is incumbent on the student to contact the Course Convenor immediately following
lodgement and acceptance of the Special Consideration preferably in person and no later
than one week from lodgement. Failure to make contact can result in forfeiture for any
consideration and subsequent finalisation of the mark for the assignment and/or course.
Only following acceptance and official notification from the University, will any decision be
made by the Course Convenor as to an appropriate response based the circumstances
outlined by the student.
For further information, see Special Consideration policy at
https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/atoz/SpecialConsideration.html.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

The University has certain expectations in terms of academic behaviour related to study and
research. This is expressed in the University Policy on Academic Misconduct. Students
should be aware of and understand this Policy. Links to this and other University and School

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17 COURSE OUTLINE

Policies can be found at http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-engineering/university-

policies-and-school-guidelines.

Plagiarism is one form of Academic Misconduct. It is the presentation of the thoughts or work
of another as ones own 1. Examples include:
direct duplication of the thoughts or work of another, including by copying work, or
knowingly permitting it to be copied. This includes copying material, ideas or concepts
from a book, article, report or other written document (whether published or
unpublished), composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or
software, web site, Internet, other electronic resource, or another persons assignment
without appropriate acknowledgement;
paraphrasing another persons work with very minor changes keeping the meaning,
form and/or progression of ideas of the original;
piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole;
presenting an assessment item as independent work when it has been produced in
whole or part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor;
and,
claiming credit for a proportion a work contributed to a group assessment item that is
greater than that actually contributed 2.

Submitting an assessment item that has already been submitted for academic credit
elsewhere may also be considered plagiarism.

The inclusion of the thoughts or work of another with attribution appropriate to the academic
discipline does not amount to plagiarism.

Students are reminded of their Rights and Responsibilities in respect of plagiarism, as set out
in the University Undergraduate and Postgraduate Handbooks, and are encouraged to seek
advice from academic staff whenever necessary to ensure they avoid plagiarism in all its
forms.

The Learning Centre website is the central University on-line resource for staff and student
information on plagiarism and academic honesty. It can be viewed at
<www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism>.

The Learning Centre also provides substantial educational written materials, workshops, and
tutorials to aid students, for example, in:
correct referencing practices;
paraphrasing, summarising, essay writing, and time management;
appropriate use of and attribution for, a range of materials including text, images,
formulae and concepts.

Individual assistance is available on request from The Learning Centre.

Students are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and
one of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management. Students should allow
sufficient time for research, drafting, and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all
assessment items.

1
Based on that proposed to the University of Newcastle by the St James Ethics Centre. Used with kind permission from the
University of Newcastle.
2
Adapted with kind permission from the University of Melbourne.

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 COURSE OUTLINE 18

Continual Course Improvement

Periodically the process of course evaluation is undertaken. One aspect of this evaluation is
feedback from students gathered by various means including:
UNSW's Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI) which is an
anonymous, on-line survey system.
MEA Course Assessment

Student feedback is taken seriously, and continual improvements are made to the course
based in part on such feedback.

Significant changes that are made to a course as a result of such student feedback will be
communicated to students by the Course Convenor at commencement of semester when the
course is next run.

Correspondence and Email Messages

University policy states that official correspondence with a student will be made using the
university provided email address and that it expects students will regularly check their
official university email account. The School assists in this by providing free access to
computing facilities and the internet.

In line with this policy, messages will be sent to students through their LTMS account.
Students can retrieve messages from the mailbox in each LTMS course account.

Administrative Matters

Students should ensure they are familiar with the various policies related to expectations of
students. Links to the Policies can be found on the School web page at
http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-engineering/university-policies-and-school-
guidelines.

Equity and diversity: those students who have a disability that requires some adjustment in
their teaching or learning environment are encouraged to discuss their study needs with the
course convener prior to, or at the commencement of, their course, or with the Equity Officer
(Disability) in the Equity and Diversity Unit (<www.equity.unsw.edu.au/disabil.htm>). Issues
to be discussed may include access to materials, signers or note-takers, the provision of
services and additional exam and assessment arrangements. Early notification is essential to
enable any necessary adjustments to be made. Information on designing courses and course
outlines that take into account the needs of students with disabilities can be found at
www.secretariat.unsw.edu.au/acboardcom/minutes/coe/disabilityguidelines.pdf.

Document Management:
Filename: CourseOutline_MINE4260_2014
Date last update: 18-Jul-14
Changes made by: Rudrajit Mitra
Revision number: 1

MINE4260 COAL MINE DESIGN AND FEASIBILITY PROJECT