Group Project (MEng) - 2019 entry

Working in an engineering environment requires excellent teamworking skills, and by developing the attributes you will need to become an effective and cooperative member of the group will make you a valued employee. This module aims to provide experience of working as part of a project team in a situation close to one that might be found in an industrial or commercial setting.

Using formal project planning methods to plan and manage the progress of a substantial (600 hours work) engineering group project, you will gain an appreciation for the challenges faced by every project manager. This is an opportunity to bring together many of the engineering skills you have already learned at university.

The module aims to provide you with experience of working as part of a project team in a situation close to one that might be found in an industrial or commercial setting. It will give you the chance to apply the knowledge and skills you obtain from taught modules and independent learning to a real engineering situation at a professional level and as part of a team effort. Furthermore, you will get the opportunity to integrate knowledge gained in several areas of the degree course. Finally, the module will encourage the use of initiative, imagination and creativity applied in the context of a team effort.

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).

The group projects may be design or research oriented with different mixtures of experimental or analytical work, therefore mapping to intended learning outcomes (ILOs) depends on the emphasis of the individual component of the project to design, experimental and analytical work. Students will demonstrate which ILOs the individual components of their group project addresses.

ILOs G1m, G3m, G4m apply to all projects.

Engineering analysis ILOs EA3m and EA4m apply to all projects.

Engineering analysis ILOs EA1m, EA4m, EA5m and EA6m apply to all projects while EA2m and EA3m apply (but not exclusively) to projects of an analytical nature.

Design ILOs D2m, D6m apply to all projects while D1m, D3m, D4m, D5m, D7m, and D8m apply to projects of a design nature where a physical system (machine, artefact) is created or evolved.

Economic, legal, social, ethical and environmental ILOs ET4m, ET5m and ET6m may apply depending on the individual project.

Engineering practice ILOs EP4m, EP8m, EP9m and EP11m apply to all projects while EP2m, EP3m and EP6m apply (but not exclusively) particularly to projects with a high degree of practical and experimental work.

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online: http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/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: EP11m, G1m, G3m, G4m

1 demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the subject area of the project, at the forefront of the chosen discipline;

2 plan and manage, using formal project planning methods, the progress of a substantial (600 hours work) engineering group project.

 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: EA1m-EA6m (for research-oriented projects), D1m-D8m (for design-oriented projects), EP1m-EP10m (for specific types of project)

3 demonstrate an analytical, systematic and creative approach to problem solving;

4 select and apply appropriate mathematical methods, scientific principles or computer based methods for the modelling and analysis of an engineering problem and apply them creatively and realistically in a practical application;

5 create a complete design, product or service to meet a customer need, starting from negotiation of specifications, to a professional standard, showing creativity and justifying all decisions;

6 take a holistic approach to design and problem solving (cost, life cycle, sustainability issues, etc.);

7 assess and manage all relevant risks;

8 take personal responsibility for acting in a professional and ethical manner;

9 select and use appropriate ICT based tools for analysis, design and communication of designs;

10 select and use laboratory instrumentation appropriately and correctly;

11 construct prototypes or experimental apparatus to design specifications;

12 work safely in laboratory, workshop environments etc., promote safe practice, and (where appropriate) conduct your own risk assessment(s).

 

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and  Knowledge: ET1m-ET6m, G1m, G3m, G4m

13 demonstrate extensive experience of working in a team from a major (600-hour) group project;

14 adopt different roles within a team including leadership;

15 demonstrate an ability to work constructively and supportively with others, taking and giving constructive feedback, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of others and helping them to contribute to a team effort;

16 take part in formal, professional style, project management meetings, in roles including those of chair and secretary;

17 develop written communication skills to the extent of producing substantial formal reports of various types and length which conform to specified formats and communicate the outcomes of 600 hours of work effectively and accurately;

18 contribute to formal team presentations of a professional standard;

19 manage resources and time with little need for advice;

20 learn independently, acquiring skills at the forefront of current knowledge unaided, identifying your personal development needs and goals, reflecting on your performance and managing your personal development;

21 obtain and process information from a wide range of sources, which may have been conflicting, analyse it critically and apply this information in an a practical engineering application;

22 sort, manipulate and present data in a way that facilitate effective analysis and decision making;

23 work safely in laboratory, workshop environments etc., and promote safe practice.

As agreed with academic supervisors and industrial sponsor/customer. In two parts:
 

- broad knowledge and understanding in one specific subject area relevant to the project, at the forefront of the chosen discipline, acquired individually in the first term;
 

- completion of a group project, producing a product, design or service to an agreed specification, normally for a genuine industrial sponsor/customer starting from the first term parallel to the first part.

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 50% 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.

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk

Web based and electronic resources: As per project

Other resources:

McMillan, K, Weyers,J  "How to Write Essays and Assignments" , Pearson Education Skills Set (2009), ISBN: 978-0273726951 (set)

McMillan,K, Weyers,J  "How to Write Dissertations and Project Reports" , Pearson Education (2009), ISBN: 978-0273726937 (set)

Bowden,J  "Writing a report: how to prepare, write and present effective reports" 8th, How To Books Ltd (2008), ISBN: 978-1845282936

Reading list for this module: