Unit information: Engineering Project Skills in 2025/26

Unit name	Engineering Project Skills
Unit code	EEMEM0016
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Liu
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

The "Engineering Project Skills" unit is a cornerstone of your engineering education, equipping you with crucial skills to excel in the fast-paced, innovative world of engineering. In this unit, you'll master the art of transforming complex ideas into reality. You'll learn to navigate the intricacies of project management, from meticulous planning and execution to effective team collaboration and communication. These skills are not just academic necessities; they are the tools that will set you apart in your professional journey, enabling you to lead, innovate, and deliver impactful engineering solutions. Whether you're aspiring to spearhead groundbreaking projects or contribute to collaborative endeavours, this unit offers the foundational skills essential for your success. It's an investment in your future, shaping you into an engineering leader who can turn challenges into opportunities, drive progress, and make a significant impact in the technological world.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study

This unit is mandatory on your programme of studies. Focusing on engineering project skills, it is integral to the programme as it bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. It enhances students' abilities to manage and deliver complex engineering projects, a critical component of their professional development. By emphasising skills such as project planning, execution, and teamwork, the unit complements the more technical aspects of the programme, preparing students for real-world engineering challenges. It fosters a holistic understanding of project management in engineering contexts, ensuring that graduates are well-equipped for leadership roles in their future careers.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This unit takes a comprehensive approach and encompasses a broad spectrum of topics essential for successful management and delivery of an engineering project. The unit encourages reflective practices, enabling students to learn from their project experiences and to apply this knowledge to their continuous professional improvement. The unit places emphasis on transferable skills, including:

• Project planning, such as defining the scope and objectives of a project;
• Leadership skills, including appreciation of team dynamics, and an ability to contribute constructively and effectively as a member of a diverse group;
• Risk management, including how to identify risks, and how to capture likelihood, severity and mitigation strategies on a risk register;
• Resource allocation and budgeting to ensure optimal utilisation of resources;
• Quality control;
• Reading skills, including the ability to identify and critically analyse relevant engineering literature;
• Writing skills, including report writing, referencing and avoiding plagiarism
• Communication skills, including the ability to verbally report findings in a form suitable for the target audience.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

In this unit, you will engage in a group project. You will gain experience on applying engineering project management skills in a practical, real-world context. You will learn how to work in a team to analyse, specify the details, plan and manage an engineering project.

Learning Outcomes

Having completed this unit, you will be able to:

1. Identify relevant engineering literature, analyse it critically and report your findings verbally
2. Identify project risks and record them in a risk register
3. Identify and record research ethics-related considerations in the context of an engineering project
4. Carry out risk assessments relating to an engineering project work
5. Apply project management principles in the context of a specific engineering project.

How you will learn

This unit will incorporate lectures, asynchronous/independent learning activities and interactive workshops: Engaging and interactive lectures will be delivered to introduce key concepts and theories related to engineering project management, monitoring, conduct, planning, teamwork, and communications. These lectures will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and practices involved in successful engineering projects. To supplement the theoretical knowledge gained from lectures, students will engage with a variety of asynchronous resources, including but not limited to: Reading Material, videos, and online interactive quizzes providing opportunities for self-reflection and improvement.

How you will be assessed

Tasks Which Help You Learn and Prepare You for Summative Tasks (Formative):

You will be assigned an academic supervisor at the start of the unit. Formative feedback will be provided during regular meetings with your project supervisor. You will also have the opportunity to attend drop-in sessions and get feedback on draft versions of your report.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

You will submit a single written report as a group. The report will document the work you did as a group, as well as each group member’s individual contribution. The written report will assess all LOs and it will carry a 100% weight. Each group member will receive an individual mark for the report.

When assessment does not go to plan

Reassessment takes the same form as the original summative assessment.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EEMEM0016).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.