RCD3601/101/0/2022

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2022

Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Design

III (Theory)
RCD3601

Year module

Department of Civil Engineering

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

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 CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 3
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 3
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 4
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 4
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 4
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 4
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 4
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 4
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 4
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 4
5.4 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ................................................................................................... 5
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 5
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme @ Unisa ................................................................................. 5
7 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 6
8 PRACTICAL WORK ..................................................................................................................... 7
9 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 7
9.1 Assessment criteria....................................................................................................................... 7
9.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 7
9.3 Assignment due dates .................................................................................................................. 7
9.4 Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 7
9.5 The assignment ............................................................................................................................ 8
9.6 Other assessment methods .......................................................................................................... 8
9.7 The examination ........................................................................................................................... 8
10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .......................................................................................................... 8
10.1 Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................................... 8
10.2 Cheating ....................................................................................................................................... 8
10.3 More information about plagiarism can be downloaded on the link below ..................................... 9
11 STUDENT WITH DISABILITY ...................................................................................................... 9
12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 9
13 SOURCES CONSULTED ............................................................................................................. 9
14 IN CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 9
15 ADDENDUM ................................................................................................................................. 9
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 RCD3601/101/0/2022

Dear Student

1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Design III -Theory (RCD3601) module. This
tutorial letter serves as a guideline to this course. It provides you with the general administrative
information as well as specific information about the module.
You will receive more information relating to this module through myUnisa portal during the year.
A tutorial letter is our way of communicating with you about teaching, learning and assessments.
Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete the
learning activities for this module. Visit the website for RCD3601 on myUnisa frequently. The
website for your module is RCD3601-22-Y.

2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to enable students develop competencies and skills for structural
design of reinforced concrete and masonry components. Students completing this module will
be equipped with the knowledge and skills to analyse and design reinforced concrete and
masonry structural components (reinforced concrete slabs, beams columns, stairs, foundations,
retaining walls and un-reinforced masonry walls and columns). This will be achieved through
application of empirical rules and design procedures of components to meet requirements within
applicable standards and codes of practices.

2.2 Outcomes

Develop the art of professional and technical communication and apply empirical rules and
engineering knowledge to structural design of reinforced concrete and masonry components
(reinforced concrete slabs, beams columns, stairs, foundations, retaining walls and unreinforced
masonry walls and columns).

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter based on five pillars and eight dimensions. In response
to this charter, we have placed curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda.
Curriculum transformation includes the following pillars: student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical
renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion
of African epistemologies and philosophies. These pillars and their principles will be integrated at both
programme and module levels as a phased-in approach. You will notice a marked change in the teaching
and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with how the content is conceptualised in your
modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.

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4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS
4.1 Lecturer(s)

The primary lecturer for this module is Mr N Matshili

Department: Civil Engineering

Telephone:

E-mail: matshn@Unisa.ac.za

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Civil Engineering as follows:

Telephone number: 011 471 2048/3132/2627

E-mail: civil&chemical@unisa.ac.za
4.3 University

To contact the University follow the instructions in the brochure Study @ Unisa. Remember to
have your student number available whenever you contact the University.
Whenever you contact a lecturer, please include your student number and module code to enable
the lecturer to help you more effectively.

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

N/A

5.2 Recommended book(s)

Reinforced concrete – Design to SANS 10100, PARROTT G, SAICE .ISBN:9781919858142

SANS 10100-1 (SABS 0100), The Structural use of concrete – Part 1: Design, SABS .ISBN:
0626056071
SANS 10160-1, Basis of structural and actions for buildings and industrial structures – Part 1:
Basis of structural design, SABS. ISBN: 978-0-626-26428-4
SANS 10160-2, Basis of structural and actions for buildings and industrial structures – Part 2:
Self-weight and imposed loads, SABS. ISBN: 978-0-626-24759-1
SANS 10160-3, Basis of structural and actions for buildings and industrial structures – Part 3:
Wind actions, SABS. ISBN: 978-0-626-26430-7
Structural concrete masonry design guide, Crofts, F.S.ISBN: 0958410666
SANS 10164 -1. The structural use of masonry Part 1: Unreinforced masonry walling.
SABS.ISBN: 0626082951

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

E-reserves can be downloaded from the Library catalogue. More information is available at:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request

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5.4 Library services and resources information

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources:

• For brief information, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed Library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• For research support and services (eg Personal Librarians and literature search
services), go to http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Research-support

The Library has created numerous Library guides: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• Request and find library material/download recommended material:

http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request
• Postgraduate information services: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad
• Finding and using library resources and tools:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• Frequently asked questions about the library:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
• Services to students living with disabilities:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/disability

Important contact information:

• Ask a Librarian: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask
• Technical problems accessing library online services: Lib-help@unisa.ac.za
• General library related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• For queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa website is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

The website has all the tips and information you need to succeed at Unisa.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme @ Unisa

For many students, the transition from school education to tertiary education is beset with anxiety.
This is also true for first-time students to Unisa. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-learning
institution. Unlike face-to-face/contact institutions, Unisa is somewhat different. It is a mega
university, and all our programmes are offered through a blended learning mode or fully online
learning mode. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support so that you can seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey with little difficulty and few barriers. In this regard we offer a specialised student support
programme to students entering Unisa for the first time. We refer to this programme as Unisa’s
First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme. The FYE is designed to provide you with prompt and
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helpful information about services that the institution offers and how you can access information.
The following FYE programmes are currently offered:

• FYE website: All the guides and resources you need to navigate through your first year at
Unisa can be accessed using the following link: www.unisa.ac.za/FYE

• FYE e-mails: You will receive regular e-mails to help you stay focused and motivated.

• FYE broadcasts: You will receive e-mails with links to broadcasts on various topics related to
your first-year studies (eg videos on how to submit assignments online).

• FYE mailbox: For assistance with queries related to your first year of study, send an e-mail to
fye@unisa.ac.za

7 STUDY PLAN
What does it mean to study fully online?
Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at
Unisa.

• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to be
delivered online on myUnisa.
• All of your assignments must be submitted online. This means that you do all your
activities and submit all your assignments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT post
your assignments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All of the communication between you and the University happens online. Lecturers will
communicate to you by e-mail, sms and using the Announcements, the Discussion Forums
and the Questions and Answers tools. You can also use all of these ways to ask questions
and contact your lecturers.
The myUnisa tools you will use
The main tool that we will use is the Lessons tool. The content and assessments of your module
will be provided in this tool. At times you will be directed to join discussions with fellow students
and complete activities and assessments before you can continue with the content of the module.
It is very important that you log in to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least
once a week to do the following:

• Check for new announcements. You can also set your myLife e-mail account to receive the
announcement e-mails on your cell phone.
• Do the Discussion Forum activities. When you do the activities for each learning unit, we
want you to share your answers with the other students in your group. You can read the
instructions and even prepare your answers offline, but you will need to go online to post your
messages. We have also provided the Social Cafe where you can socialise with the other
students in the module.
• Do other online activities. For some of the learning unit activities you might need to post
something on the Blog tool, take a quiz or complete a survey under the Self-Assessment
tool. Do not skip these activities because they will help you complete the assignments and
the activities for the module.
We hope that by giving you extra ways to study the material and practise all of the activities, this
system will help you succeed in the online module. To get the most out of the online module you
MUST go online regularly to complete the activities and assignments on time.
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8 PRACTICAL WORK
No practical work for this module

9 ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

Assignments are seen as part of the learning material for this module. As you do the assignments,
study the reading texts, consult other resources, discuss the work with fellow students or e-tutors
or do research, you are actively engaged in learning. Looking at the assessment criteria given for
each assignment will help you to understand what is required of you more clearly.
9.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit 7 assessments.

• All information on when and where to submit your assignments will be made available to you
via the myUnisa site for your module.

• Due dates for assignments, as well as the actual assignments will be available on the myUnisa
site for this module.

• Your assessments will comprise a combination of Assignments, minor tests and major tests.

• The assignment weighting for the module is 10%.

• The tests will be a timed take-home test.

• The major tests will be proctored.

• The tests [2 minor tests (10% each) + 2 major tests (35% each)] will count 90% towards
the final module mark.
9.3 Assignment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the landing page of myUnisa for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assignments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates for the
submission of the assignments.

9.4 Submission of assignments

• Modules offered by Unisa are either blended (meaning that we use a combination of printed
and online material to engage with you) or online (all information is available via the internet).
In all cases of online engagement, we use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

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• From 2022, the myUnisa virtual campus will be offered via a new learning management
system. This is an online system that is used to administer, document and deliver educational
material to you and support engagement with you.

• Look out for information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how
to access the virtual myUnisa module site.

• Information on the tools that will be available to engage with the lecturer and fellow students
to support your learning will also be communicated via various platforms.

• The University undertakes to communicate as clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure optimum advantage in the use of the new learning management system.

• Additional information on the use of the myUnisa site for the module, as well as features to
engage and communicate with your lecturer and other students will also be made available
via the online site for the module.

• Therefore, log on to the myUnisa site for your module to gain more information on where to
complete and/or upload your assignments and how to communicate with your lecturer.

9.5 The assignment

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete 7 number of assessments for this module.

9.6 Other assessment methods

N/A

9.7 The examination

There is no summative examination for this module. The 7 assessments will contribute towards
the year mark. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your lecturer and e-tutors
(where relevant) and for communication from the University.

10 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft which involves several dishonest academic activities, such as the
following:

• Cutting and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including or using incorrect references.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying from another student

during an assessment or allowing a student to copy from you.

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• Using social media (eg WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate

assessment information.
Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files.
• Buying completed answers from “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 More information about plagiarism can be downloaded on the link below
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11 STUDENT WITH DISABILITY

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Student with Disability ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with new and returning students with disabilities.

• If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time
for assessments, you are invited to contact Mr N Matshili, matshn@unisa.ac.za

12 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

N/A

13 SOURCES CONSULTED
UNISA

14 IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.
We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material and trust that you
will complete the module successfully.
Enjoy the journey!
Mr N Matshili– lecturer for RCD3601
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

15 ADDENDUM
N/A