Renewable Energy Engineering with Foundation Year

This is a 4-year undergraduate degree programme with a fully embedded Foundation year. During the Foundation year, students will develop their academic skills and subject knowledge at Exeter on the Streatham campus. In the following year, students will join the first year of a BEng in Renewable Energy Engineering degree programme on Penryn campus, subject to successful completion of the Foundation year.

The BEng in Renewable Energy Engineering offers you a unique opportunity to gain grounded and critical Engineering skills but with a focus on clean energy systems and industries (solar, wind, marine, biomass etc).  You will emerge as fully skilled and qualified engineers, having had access to a unique programme, linking world-class and active research in clean energy to the teaching modules on offer. The spectacular study location of Cornwall offers coasts, harbours, topography and environment particularly suited to the practical application of clean energy expertise.

The Foundation year of the ‘BEng in Renewable Energy Engineering with Foundation Year’ programme aims to help you meet the academic requirements for progression to the first, and subsequent, stages of your degree programme. It is also designed to help you to develop the necessary study skills and approaches to learning required for successful undergraduate study as well as to introduce you to the culture of academic study in a UK Higher Education institution.

The BEng degree programme is designed to deliver all of the required learning outcomes as set out in UK-SPEC for a bachelors degree, and hence contributes towards graduates becoming professionally qualified engineers in the UK, with international recognition.  This programme is accredited as: 1. fully satisfying the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and 2. partially satisfying the educational base for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). A programme of accredited further learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng. Graduates may apply for IEng or CEng registration through membership of an appropriate Professional Engineering Institution following an assessment of their subsequent professional development and experience.

The UK SPEC output standards statement also serves as Subject Benchmark Statement for Engineering (QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Engineering 2006).

This programme aims to produce graduates who can practice professionally in energy engineering roles with a renewable energy focus.  This is dependent upon appropriate training: broad engineering principles, applied and environmental sciences, project management and energy policy; and exposure to the renewable energy industry.  This programme aims to provide core knowledge and understanding across all these areas, but also, through the options you select, the programme will provide you with the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge and understanding in specific areas of the discipline.  Whilst enrolling upon this programme, you may regard it as a vocational degree, however, the scientific, engineering and socio-economic training received will facilitate careers in many fields outside the energy sector.  In addition, the programme aims to develop the transferable skills frequently sought by potential employers, such as those associated with verbal and written communication and teamwork.

This programme aims to develop:

- a pragmatic and rational outlook to design and problem solving that encourages and capitalises on the use of creativity and innovation, properly founded on engineering and scientific principles.

- an ability to formulate the practical steps required for a concept to become a reality.

- levels of numeracy and computer literacy commensurate with full command of state-of-the-art design and analysis tools.

- cost, value and quality consciousness and understanding of business.

- full commitment to social, cultural and environmental issues and a responsibility to deal with these both ethically and professionally.

Through this programme, the College will provide you with: learning opportunities to match your abilities and aspirations, personal academic support and pastoral support through your university career, appropriate methods of teaching and assessment and a programme of study that you will find demanding, interesting and intellectually stimulating, while allowing you to enjoy other aspects of university life.  The College will also seek to promote the role of industry and engineering institutions and the benefits that they can provide to you by promoting student membership of and active participation within said engineering institutions, and particularly the Energy Institute.

Through this, the programme aims to enable you to become:

a) confident in performing mathematical skills for more advanced studies by bringing students to a level of knowledge and competence equivalent to the pre-requisite for a first year degree in mathematics.

b) flexible and autonomous renewable energy specialist graduates equipped to adopt key roles within multi-disciplinary industrial teams, research and development groups, legislating and financing organisations.

c) sought after for your leadership contributions, capacity for analytical and original thought and discipline specific expertise. This includes a holistic understanding of the context within which you work, ability and innate desire to support the work of others and take full responsibility, demonstrating self-motivation for you own personal and professional development..

d) socially and personally responsible, reflective and accurate decision makers and problem solvers, whether working individually or as part of a group.

e) academically qualified to become chartered engineers within the appropriate engineering industry at the earliest opportunity.

f) aware of the environmental, economic, social and sustainability issues that are an integral part of the professional engineer's role in society.

You will have also benefited from employability skills acquired through participation in industrial visits, field trips and the work placements between Stage 2 and Stage 3.

Your BEng Renewable Energy Engineering with Foundation Year programme is a 4 year programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into 4 ‘Stages’. Each Stage is normally equivalent to an academic year. The programme is also divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work. 

For the foundation stage, you will be located at the Streatham Campus, and then based at the  Penryn Campus of the University of Exeter for the remaining duration of your study.

In Stage 3, all bar two of  the taught modules are delivered and assessed back-to-back over a 2 week period.  For each of these modules, the first week comprises of a lecturer led programme of lectures, tutorials, seminars, laboratories etc.  The second week comprises a consolidation programme with integrated assessment using coursework devises.  Students will be issued the module materials in advance of delivery of the module such that any examination-like assessment methods, such as an end of module test, will be based on these materials.  The two other modules are taught over the whole term with any examination component in the end of Term 1 examination period.

Field trips are associated with stages 1,2 and 3 of the progreamme, with a compulsory assessed field trip in Stage 3.  These have been designed as an essential component of the programme to provide exponsure to practial case studies.  The compulsory Stage 3 field trip typically runs in May but may be run over the Easter Vacation.

During the Summer vacation between Stage 2 and 3 students may undertake a work placement.  To comply with the assessment requirements of the 10 credit work placement module the placement should be of a duration of no less than 6 weeks.  Students are primarily responsible for securing and organising the placement, with assistance from the College.  Wherever possible, students should take advantage of the additional support and kudos offered by operating the placements as part of the STEP programme, Unlocking Cornish Potential or the Graduate Placement Scheme.  A report of the work placement is prepared, submitted and assessed as part of the Stage 3 curriculum.

If you have mobility or health disabilities that prevent you from undertaking intensive fieldwork and/or practical engineering exercises, reasonable adjustments and/or alternative assessment can be considered in agreement with the Director of Education.

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme. Details of the modules currently offered may be obtained from the College web site

https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/

You may take Option Modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. Descriptions of the individual modules are given in full on the College web site.

Credit

The programme consists of 480 credits with 120 credits taken at each stage. Normally not more than 75 credits would be allowed in any one term. In total, students normally take no more than 150 credits at level 4 and must take at least 90 credits at level 6.

The pass mark for award of credit in an individual module is 40% for modules taken at NQF Levels 4, 5 and 6.

Progression

At stage zero of the programme, you can progress to stage 1 of the BEng programme once  an average of at least 55% has been achieved over the 120 credits of assessments for this stage including the marks of any failed and condoned modules.

At subsequent stages, there are no condonable modules. All modules must achieve the pass mark to contribute credits, and to permit progression to the next stage or to classification of the award.

Assessment and Awards

Assessment at stage 0 and 1 do not contribute to the summative classification of the award. The award will normally be based on the degree mark formed from the credit-weighted average marks for stages 2 and 3 combined in the ratio 1:2 respectively.

Exit Awards

At stage 0 of the programme, if you have achieved 120 credits with an overall of at least 40% and less than 55% at Level 3, you may be awarded a Foundation year Certificate as an exit award, and if you achieve 120 credits with an overall of 55% or above, you will progress to stage 1 of the BEng programme.

If you do not complete the subsequent stages 1-3 of the programme, you may be able to exit with a lower qualification. If you have achieved a maximum of 120 credits at level 4 and a minimum of 90 credits at level 4 you may be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE). If you have achieved a maximum of 150 credits at level 4 and a minimum of 90 credits at level 5 you may be awarded a Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE)’

Classification

The marking of modules and the classification of awards broadly corresponds to the following percentage marks:

Undergraduate Degrees                                        

Class I    70% +                                                     

Class II   Division I 60-69%                                     

Class II   Division II 50-59%                                     

Class III  40-49%

Full details of assessment regulations for UG programmes can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA) on the University of Exeter website.  Generic marking criteria are also published here.

Please see the Teaching and Quality Assurance Manual for further guidance.

Academic and personal tutors. It is University policy that all Colleges should have in place a system of academic and personal tutors. The role of academic tutors is to support you on individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with academic advice and support for the duration of the programme and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.

Computing and library facilities. Students have access to good computing and library facilities on the Penryn campus. Computer-based exercises and web-based learning materials are a feature of the programme, which can be accessed via the internet. IT Services provide a range of central services, including open and training clusters of PCs (available on a 24/7 basis) within the Centre. Wireless network access is available from all rooms in the hall of residence on site. On the Penryn campus in Cornwall, the Learning Resource Centre contains a library of 70,000 volumes and some specialist collections. In addition, students have full access to the central University of Exeter library, including the electronic library resources.

Online study resources available through the University’s virtual learning environment, ELE, provide materials for modules that you are registered for, in addition to useful subject and IT resources. Generic study support resources, library and research skills, past exam papers, and the 'Academic Honesty and Plagiarism' module are also available through ELE (http://vle.exeter.ac.uk)

Engineering Teaching Laboratory (ETL). The ETL supports teaching in Energy Engineering is located on the top floor of the Du Maurier building at the Penryn campus. This has been designed to provide experimental rigs and demonstration space dedicated to support modules for the Engineering programmes at the Penryn campus including the Energy Engineering programmes. Undergraduate experiments on working fluids, power hydraulics, digital electronics, instrumentation, control, and electrical machines will be supported from this laboratory. Access to these facilities will be available to Energy Engineering undergraduates, particularly for projects.

Renewable Energy Field Station. The department has recently won funding for the provision of a subject specific field station for the RE programmes.  It is intended that larger scale pilot or prototype equipment that cannot be accommodated within the ETL will be located at the field station. The new facility will be located on the Penryn Campus and will provide a opportunity for students to get hands on experience studying the performance of Renewable Energy equipment in the real environment as well as energy efficiency analysis of the building itself. The aspiration is for the building to complete during the second quarter of 2016 and the Field Station would be fully integrated into the 2017 teaching activities.

Personal Development Planning The tutor assists their tutees by making use of the University’s computerised system of Personal Development Planning (e-PDP). PDP is a facility aiming to support students through their studies, to record their personal development with the aim of acting both as a record and as a tool to emphasise personal achievements. It is intended to provide added value to students alongside the tutorial system. All candidates are encouraged to participate in specially provided personal skills training provision (e.g. the group and team skills training offered during induction week to registering students).

Student/Staff Liaison Committee enables students & staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision.

All applications are considered individually on merit. The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.

Studetns must satisfy the general admissions requirements of the University of Exeter.

Admissions criteria, in relation to academic qualifications are set by the Engineering Council in UK-SPEC.  Applicants are normally invited to attend an Admissions Day, which will include the opportunity to talk with and question members of the academic staff.

Students must satisfy the entrance requirements for this programme.  These are published in full in the University of Exeter Undergraduate Prospectus (see http://www.ex.ac.uk/undergraduate/).  In addition to candidates offering GCE AS and A2, those offering International Baccalaureate and appropriate VCE A-Levels will also be considered, as well as mature candidates with evidence of appropriate alternative qualifications.  Direct entry to stage 2 of the programmes will also be considered for students who have successfully completed study equivalent to the core material in the first stage of the programme.

Overseas students without English as a first language must show proficiency in English and have an appropriate qualification (eg IELTS, TOEFL or equivalent).

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice.  See the University's TQA Manual for details.

Certain programmes are subject to accreditation and/or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).

The BEng Renewable Energy Engineering is accredited by the Energy Institute as: 1. fully satisfying the academic requirement for an Incorporated Engineer (IEng). 2. partially satisfying the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).  A programme of accredited further learning will be required to complete the educational base for CEng. See www.energyinst.org for further information.

Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

Accreditation is awarded for a maximum of 5 years under each assessment exercise. The dates applicable to the current accreditation of this degree programme can be viewed on the Engineering Council list of accredited degrees: www.engc.org.uk .