Section 1: How the course is structured and assessed
ENG5001 – How the course is structured
The first thing to say is that we intend this course to be interesting, informative and formative. In this regard we are basing the context of the course on both individual study and group activities. You are actively encouraged to work as pairs and teams during your studies, but should prepare all assessment items as individual work. (Where group work is included in a portfolio this should be a clearly identified appendix, with individual work forming the main report body. Group work will be preceded by a front cover showing group membership names.)
As you will see from the Specification synopsis, the first course theme relates to the development of personal and self-management skills.
The second relates to the development of skills and understanding about ‘the engineering method’ in a problem solving and project based environment.
The context for this course is the Engineers Without Boarders project. This requires that you each act in the role of Consultant and Client. As Client you will issue required documents such as Invitations to propose for work (a project), and as Consultant you will write a response to the Client. These communications will continue from ‘Invitation to Propose’ through to ‘project completion and acceptance’ by the Client. In this context you will need to define a list of stakeholders, these being all organisations, groups or individuals who may have an interest in your project, and with whom you would communicate during a ‘real’ project. This will provide you with a portfolio of professional correspondence over the project life. Your correspondence sequence and content will demonstrate grammatically correct and precise technical English.
Assessment items
Due dates are advised in the online specification, and will be duplicated on study desk.
Three assessment items are shown in the course specification.
The first is Reflection on your current achievements in terms of Engineers Australia’s stage 1 competencies for Professional Engineers. Full details of these competencies may be seen at:
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Education/Program%20 Accreditation/110318%20Stage%201%20Professional%20Engineer.pdf
Stage 1 Professional Competencies are grouped under three headings, and you will address two competencies from each grouping. These groupings are:
1. Knowledge and Skill base, competencies 1.1 to 1.6 Due date: Monday week 5 (Choose any two)
2. Engineering Application Ability, competencies 2.1 to 2.4 Due date: Monday week 9 (Choose any two)
3. Professional and Personal Attributes 3.1 to 3.6 Due date: Friday week 13 (Choose any two)
You will also be researching the EWB project information, selecting a EWB Project, and studying readings on study desk.
Additional requirements are shown in Assessment 1, over page.
? The second is development of your Project Plan. This is your Learning pathway plan. You will identify those courses you will be undertaking on the MEngSci programme. You will reflect on why you have chosen each of these courses, and explain how the course contents form a Learning Pathway to your chosen objective.
? Your research into the EWB Project will lead to generation of various viable alternative solutions, and you will document these alternatives. You will also be drafting an assessment methodology for selection of an optimum solution.
? Additional requirements are shown in Assessment 2, over page.
The third assessment is the Project Portfolio, and relates to the Engineers Without Boarders projects you have been researching and studying. In teams you will have selected a project, and will use this project as the vehicle to demonstrate your learning, knowledge and competencies, in a life like project environment.
It is not intended that you go beyond concept or preliminary design considerations, but that you demonstrate your engineering considerations in written form and sequence throughout the project life. The timescale from Invitation to propose for work, and submission of a final report will be from the start of semester to the due date for the final portfolio submission.
Assessment 1
Description Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 1 – Reflection-existing competencies 25 Friday, week 4
Reflection-existing competencies
Portfolio 1 reflection: requirements From the weekly schedule – week 1:
1. Reflect on and self-assess your current achievements of Engineers Australia’s Stage 1 Professional Competencies. Choose two competencies from section 1, and write a reflective assessment of how you rate yourself against these competencies.
(Note: You can look at the EA web site and download your own copy of these competencies.)
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/shado/Education/Program%20 Accreditation/110318%20Stage%201%20Professional%20Engineer.pdf
So choose 2 competencies table 1 and write a reflective and thoughtful description of how you rate yourself on these competencies.
You will need to write a brief description of each claimed competency, explaining the circumstances and situation, your roles, and how the experience leads you to believe you achieved a certain level of competency in what you are claiming. You will need to describe how you intend raising your competency throughout the MEngSci programme. ? Read and reflect on readings ‘Qualities of a USQ graduate’, and write a short summary of how you do, or do not yet, satisfy these qualities.
? You will need to have studied the EWB site and information, and to have made an initial project selection. Base this selection on your own perceived strengths. You should then be identifying (by discussions with colleagues and via study desk) those other team skills that will be required for successful project completion, and initiating team structuring activities with others.
2. List your skills and knowledge about projects from the past. (Written description for inclusion in portfolio.)
3. Start drafting a learning study plan for inclusion in your portfolio. This may take the form of a Gantt Chart, showing intended activities and activity sequences, finishing at PPT1, 2 and 3 due dates. Describe each activity.
4. Reflect on professional engineering and study in Australia, and how your study plan (From 3) will instil skills and abilities required by EA and USQ.
From the weekly schedule – week 2:
5. Reflect on the EWB projects. Which interests you and do you wish to participate in?
6. Teamwork skills (communication: what skills are required to work effectively in a team?) Consider your role in the EWB team. What secondary roles could you fulfil? Consider those other roles you require in the team to succeed.
7. Problems and appropriate solution techniques. Read the Engineering method readings. Consider socio/cultural aspects, and record these for your portfolio.
Read the problem solving cycle resource, and consider how this may help in your EWB project.
Try to follow the Engineering methods and Problem Solving Cycle steps in all you do. You will be recording alternative solutions to your project in Portfolio Parts 2 and 3.
8. Make Posts to the forum to help set up a team. You will be trying to self-select 2 or 3 others to form an effective team. From the weekly schedule – week 3:
9. Discuss the importance of Life Long Learning, and Continuous Professional Development (EA requirements) How do these activities enhance your professionalism and career?
10. Research and discuss a major engineering project within Australia. How does this project differ from your selected EWB project? Document these differences.
From the weekly schedule – week 4:
11. You will consider those communications that would occur if this were a real project. The Client – Consultant relationship and communications sequence is extremely important. The team should have defined a stakeholder list, and the required flow of communication between these parties and the team. You will be creating an ongoing sequence of communications that will form the majority of your portfolios.
Each of you must adopt ‘Two Hats”. You will each write a letter of invitation outlining the work requiring to be done on your project. This would be a Client or Clients (consultants) Representative function. You will then don a second hat, and respond to a team members letter of Invitation. In this exercise you should be demonstrating an appreciation of location, population and consequential demand for your project. You cannot specify a power supply project without knowing the demand, and demand into the future, for example. So start looking at Council Tenders, and Letters of Invitation in the weekend Australian Newspaper, amongst other sources, to establish content and format.
All written communications, and how you develop your project, including demand, should be discussed in your team forums on study desk. (If I cannot see it then it did not happen!)
12. Draft letter of invitation from your client, and your response (To a team members LOI) should be complete by this point. It is important that both documents contain sufficient technical and information on the scope of the project to be meaningful. Avoid the temptation to generalise.
Portfolio Submission:
Present your work as a professional report.
Your Individual work forms the report body.
Appendices may contain team member work for sequence clarity.
Assessment 2
Description Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 2 – Development of your project plan 25 Monday, week 9
Development of your project plan. This is your learning pathway plan.
(Note: Additional assessable work is required for assessment 2, drawn from course objectives and topics. These will be shown on study desk.)
Portfolio part 2 requirements
Choose 2 EA competencies from table 2 and write a reflective and thoughtful description of how you rate yourself on these competencies.
From the weekly schedule – week 5:
1. Critique both the Letter of Invitation and Letter of Response from PPT1. (With the benefit of hind sight how could these letters have been improved to better support EWB objectives, and your individual learning outcomes?)
2. Having selected your EWB Project you will have been carrying out research into the Project area and alternative solutions. Detail your findings from this research, perhaps relating these findings to EWB Objectives such as:
? Aligns with EWB Goals and Values.
? Project (Draft Alternatives) are innovative, low cost, small scale, affordable, and appropriate.
? Draft designs take into account Culture, local norms and religion.
? Draft designs are sustainable, use local materials, skills, and community knowledge.
? Draft designs should be durable, consider the Natural Environment, including disaster mitigation, climate change and sustainable land management.
From the weekly schedule – week 6:
3. Explain how you are using both the Engineering Method and the Problem Solving Cycle to develop project alternatives and outcomes.
4. Describe and explain your researched information and findings on:
? social sustainability
? economic sustainability
? environmental sustainability.
These considerations will apply to each alternative being considered.
From the weekly schedule – week 7:
5. Describe and explain how your project alternatives recognises Culture in Engineering design.
From the weekly schedule – week 8:
6. You will detail your developed alternative designs and viable solutions.
7. You will describe your considerations and methodology for selecting the most appropriate solution to your project.
8. Produce a detailed programme of works for your PPT3 – Final Project Design and Documentation.
Assessment 3
Description Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 3 – The project portfolio 50 Friday, week 14
The project portfolio
(Note: Additional assessable work is required for assessment 3, drawn from course objectives and topics. These will be shown on study desk.)
Portfolio part 3 requirements
Choose 2 EA competencies from table 3 and write a reflective and thoughtful description of how you rate yourself on these competencies.
From the weekly schedule – weeks 9–13:
? Engineers Without Boarders – The Projects:
You will demonstrate (via written communications and records) your application of the Engineering Method and Problem Solving Cycle.
These activities, problems and solutions, should be reflected on and documented for your portfolio.
1. Comprehensively describe the optimum solution you have chosen for your project.
Include the location, lay-out, demand/supply balance, financial considerations, and give a detailed specification and quantification for materials and labour required.
You will present final reflective evaluations on:
? social sustainability
? economic sustainability
? environmental sustainability.
You can consider this item to be ‘The final project presentation’ to the Client.
2. The future of engineering.
Document and discuss three main themes that you consider vital to engineers when considering the future of engineering, and your place in that future.
3. Explain how this course and the EWB project have contributed to your professionalism as an engineer.
4. Describe the main learning outcomes that this course and the EWB project have generated for you over the semester. Have any of these learning outcomes been a surprise to you?