Professional Studies and Skills Development 2 - 2019 entry

This course continues the study initiated in ECM1101 to propel you into the next level of your professional skills development. Within the first half of the module you will attend compulsory lectures that will prepare you for searching and securing a placement (or internship if you do not wish to undertake work experience for credit). You will be taught valuable skills such as networking and psychometric testing that will provide you with the knowledge base to allow you to create a professional Linked in page to secure valuable work experience should you wish via the EMP3001 Commercial and Industrial Placement module, or Year in Industry programme.

You will review the National Academy of Engineering ‘Grand Challenges for Engineering’ to select an independent project. Students can work on a similar subject area with a team but each individual student will be responsible for planning, conducting and writing their own independent project report. In the Independent project part of this course, there are no formal lectures, other than the introduction to the course.

During the independent project students will utilise the Stage Gate Innovation Process to filter out the best products, services, components, materials or techniques from initial brainstorming sessions. Students will document the research and development of the selected idea using images, CAD drawings, 3D modelling, 3D Printing, mechanical/civil prototypes, testing and programming to support their independent project report and showcase experimentation and development. The final report will illustrate concisely the journey through the Stage Gate Innovation Process, sources of information and final project deliverables.

The module also includes mechanical, electronic and civil engineering prototyping workshops conducted in a group setting to encourage teams to apply engineering principles to the solution of practical problems. These workshops provide useful experience of project team work, real engineering design, and practical construction skills.

The principal aim of this module is to enable you to develop a wide range of transferable skills, as well as practical design skills, essential to all engineers. The task you choose will improve your independent learning skills, while the project report you create will strengthen your written communication skills. The module also includes mechanical, electronic and civil engineering Design Activities (EDAs) involving the application of engineering principles to the solution of practical problems. These EDAs provide useful experience of project team working, real engineering design, practical construction skills, self-organisation and report writing. In addition the module also delivers additional skill sessions to support you in applying and securing work experience to put all these skills developed into practice, in a real-world environment.

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

This module contributes to learning outcomes:  SM1p, SM1m, SM2p, SM2m, EA1p, EA1m, EA3p, EA3m, D4p, D4m, D6p, D6m, ET5p, ET4m, ET5p, ET5m, EP3p, EP3m, EP4p, EP4m, G1p-G4p, G1m-G4m:

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online:

http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/studentinfo/subjects/engineering/accreditation/

The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:  EA1p, EA1m, EA3p, EA3m, D4p, D4m, ET4p, ET4m, ET5p, ET5m, EP3p, EP3m, EP4p, EP4m, G1p-G4p, G1m-G4m

1 independently study a specific topic in depth or undertake an independent design and manufacture task;

2 analyse and solve an engineering problem in groups specific to the group discipline;


3 independently complete an individual CAD exercise;

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: SM1p, SM1m, SM2p, SM2m, EA3p, EA3m, D6p, D6m, G2p, G2m, G3p, G3m

4 understand the core mechanical engineering theoretical concepts covered in the module;

5 incorporate theoretical analysis into the design process;

6 use CAD to communicate an engineering design;

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge: SM1p, SM1m, SM2p, SM2m, G6p, D6m, G1p-G3p, G1m-G3m

7 write concise technical reports;

8 monitor your own progress;

9 set realistic targets;

10 modify your targets and learning strategies appropriately;

11 provide constructive feedback to teaching staff;

12 employability/entrepreneurship skills such as CV writing, networking via Linked In and planning your personal development.

There is a wide range of group study tasks, which may involve:

- individual assignments for in depth study; design and prototyping exercise; mini projects; self study of computer software packages;

- identifying suitable employers and work experience opportunities, articulating your skills to an employer (technical and transferable skills), self enrolment in bespoke career support;

- careers consultant appointments, assessment centres etc.

In the EDAs, you are taken through a cycle of design, theoretical prediction, construction and testing:

- mechanical EDA: truss systems and the use of free body diagrams and CAD;

- electronics EDA: building and testing a useful device. You have a free choice for your design, depending on the components available. Recent examples have included devices capable of detecting sound, light, or a predefined sequence of light pulses and temperature;

- civil EDA: design, fabrication and load testing of a model girder for a railway bridge and CAD.

If a module is normally assessed entirely by coursework, all referred/deferred assessments will normally be by assignment.

If a module is normally assessed by examination or examination plus coursework, referred and deferred assessment will normally be by examination. For referrals, only the examination will count, a mark of 40% being awarded if the examination is passed. For deferrals, candidates will be awarded the higher of the deferred examination mark or the deferred examination mark combined with the original coursework mark.

Basic reading:

ELE: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Web based and Electronic Resources:

https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/subjecthandbooks/archaeology/written_assignments/

https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/subjecthandbooks/archaeology/referencing/

https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/subjecthandbooks/archaeology/illustrations/

Other Resources:

Reading list for this module: