Module overview
This module provides an introduction to intensive group project work in collaboration with an industrial or academic customer. Students work in groups of at least four people on a project typically based on an idea from an industrial partner, or from an academic research project looking to transfer technology to industry or build a demonstrator/proof of concept.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Make effective use of available resources (human, economic and time)
- Work as part of a team to manage your project, by planning and allocating tasks, and by coordinating your activities with those of your team mates
- Present and explain joint technical work, both in written form and in formal group and individual presentations
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Solve unfamiliar problems and address challenges encountered during the course of your project
- Understand and analyse an engineering problem and design a solution based on sound financial, economic, legal, social, ethical and environmental considerations
- Acquire specialist knowledge through critical study of the relevant research literature
- Relate your project to current activities in research and development, and identify any potential novel contributions that might arise from your project
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Liaise with customers in order to determine the scope and requirements of your project, and the criteria for judging its success
- Generate innovative designs for products, systems, components or processes to fulfill new needs
- Apply engineering techniques, taking account of a range of commercial, legal, ethical, environmental, sustainability and industrial constraints
- Assess the limitations of particular cases when solving engineering problems, and reflect on and critically evaluate the effectiveness of your chosen approach
- Apply design processes and methodologies and adapt them in unfamiliar situations
- Apply mathematical and computer-based models for solving problems in engineering
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- A range of subject areas that are relevant to your project, including some from outside engineering, and their application to your project
- Design processes, methodologies, specialist tools and techniques used to design, analyse, implement and verify systems in your area of engineering
Syllabus
n/a
Learning and Teaching
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 12 |
| Completion of assessment task | 300 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 18 |
| Project supervision | 12 |
| Follow-up work | 18 |
| Wider reading or practice | 90 |
| Total study time | 450 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Resource type. As this is a capstone project, students may refer back to and use any relevant course resources from earlier modules.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Group Report
The largest element of the assessment is the group report, which gives the group the opportunity to report on their planning; their allocation of responsibilities; their design, implementation and testing, including any innovative solution; their relationship with their industrial "customer"; and to justify their chosen approach in the light of legal, social, environmental, and economic constraints and impacts. The group report must indicate clearly the individual contributions of all partners and should contain at most 3000 words (9 pages) per group member. A typical group consisting of five people would consequently produce a report of about 45 pages. The group report is submitted in week 14 and counts for 60% of the total module mark (at the discretion of the examiners).
20% of the marks from the group report derive from the writing and presentation of the report, and the remaining 80% derive from the technical contribution made by the project, including the team work aspect. The 'team work aspect' will also take into account delivery of the 'customer' requirements as well as effective project management.
Group Presentations and Poster
The presentations give the group an opportunity to describe what they are planning to accomplish (first presentation, week 1), a progress presentation (second presentation, week 4), and what they have achieved (final presentation, week 15). The group also create a poster, summarising their project. Such poster and the final presentation in week 15 are assessed and together contribute 5% towards the final mark for the GDP.
The design work also comprises a summary of the individual contribution, articulated in two components:
a) Individual Reflection and Impact Assessment Report
Each student will produce a critical appraisal of the group project, and an evaluation of the achievements of the group, how well everyone worked together, and the effectiveness of the planning and development process. The report should be up to 1500 words (4 pages) long, to be submitted in week 17. The individual reflection contributes 10% towards the final mark for the GDP.
Such report is oriented towards an analysis of the context in which the project is situated. It should demonstrate the student’s understanding of technology exploitation, and awareness of the legal and security issues associated with it. It should include a “design impact” section in which an analysis is made of the business, social and environmental impact of the project, and the legal and health and safety issues arising from the group work. The report should also address the strategies used for effective communication across cultures, and the measures used to manage and resolve disputes.
In compiling such report, the student should consider, besides the specific project, also evidence and material provided by external speakers (if applicable), state-of-the-art research and development activities, and the possibility for enhancing current knowledge and practice.
b) Individual Design Report
This report aims at giving specific information about the individual contribution that the group member submitting it provided towards the achievement of the project aims and final product, including the rationale for any design or implementation decisions they were responsible for, and details about the management responsibilities that the student has undertaken.
The report is based on a series of records of individual work (“design journal entries”) submitted by each group member using a specifically designed interface, with prescribed format, visible to each member of the group during the whole project. Such submission process is aimed at:
* stimulating reflection on how best to communicate the individual contribution and ideas,
* helping the supervisor to keep track of progress and form a basis for discussion during review meetings,
* aiding each group to self-manage the allocation of work at each stage of the project, by making each member accountable to the others.
The individual design report contributes 25% towards the final mark of the GDP and should consist of about 2500 words (7 pages).
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Individual reflection | 10% |
| Group report | 60% |
| Individual report | 25% |
| Group Presentations and Report | 5% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework assignment(s) | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal