2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

MECH3890 Individual Engineering Project

40 creditsClass Size: 250

Module manager: Dr M Mengoni
Email: M.Mengoni@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Module replaces

MECH 3800 Professional SkillsMECH 3810 Individual Project

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The Individual Engineering Project gives third year students the opportunity to choose a project area in which they can carry out research and make use of many concepts that they have learnt from their core engineering science and design modules.Students will conduct a significant project that will require them to make use of professional skills, including project planning, risks and management. Delivery of a final project report will give students the opportunity to apply critical analysis and detailed research in addition to developing their communication skills.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- be competent in creating a project plan and appreciate the constraints and time resources in managing small projects;
- be able to identify the risks associated with a project, predict their likelihood and assess their potential impact;
- be capable of describing ethical standards and principles and relate them to professional engineering ethics, responsibility and accountability;
- be able to describe the application of standards and codes of practice in engineering with special emphasis on health and safety;
- appreciate where to locate literature pertinent to their engineering project and position their work against it;
- demonstrate an understanding of how intellectual property can be protected using copyright, design registration and patents;
- have had experience in approaching an engineering problem in a systematic and rigorous manner;
- be able to apply logical reasoning based on a firm knowledge of engineering science and design, gained in earlier years;
- have developed powers of critical assessment and analysis;
- have developed effective communication skills.

Learning outcomes
At the end of this module, students will have learnt how to:
- apply engineering reasoning and problem solving;
- perform systems thinking;
- demonstrate professional skills and attitudes;
- utilise project and risk management;
- employ detailed research skills.

Syllabus

Covering two terms, the engineering project comprises some or all of the following elements: analysis, design, experimentation or computation. Hence, experience is gained of the type of detailed engineering project work commonly encountered in industry.
Each student carries out an individual engineering project, although two or more projects will usually have a common theme identified by a project area and may be part of a major investigation, under the supervision of an individual member of the academic staff.
During the first term, students are required to present a scope and plan document, which is to clearly identify the scope of their engineering project based on a literature search and project planning. The subject of the project will be appropriate to the student's particular programme of study. For MEng candidates, the project should provide an introduction to the level 4 project, MECH5030M.
Descriptions of engineering project areas are posted in week 0; students make 5 choices.
Lectures will include aspects of health and safety, risk management, project management, intellectual property, standards and codes of practice, engineering ethics, literature searching and reviewing, critical thinking.
There will be optional lectures that include how to make use of high performance computing for projects that are simulation based.

This module will include a number of lectures/seminars on ethical issues related to the themes of this module and overall programme of study.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	12	1.00	12.00
Tutorial	20	1.00	20.00
Private study hours			368.00
Total Contact hours			32.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			400.00

Private study

Students will use all of their private study time to employ the skills that are required to undertake an engineering project, including research the literature, learning how to use new software and/or experimental equipment, to execute the engineering project. A final individual report is required for assessment, which informs an oral examination at the end of the second semester. Students are expected to use 50 hours of private study to complete the written report.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students are required to attend weekly supervision meetings with their allocated supervisor. Attendance is monitored and is compulsory. Supervisors of individual engineering projects can raise any concerns in student progress with the module leader.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Ethics Essay	10.00
Report	Engineering Project Report	70.00
Report	Project Scope and Plan Report	10.00
Viva	Individual Project Viva	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 21/02/2018

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