| Unit name | Major Project 2 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EEMEM0023 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Wilcox |
| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
The project you will undertake in this unit is the culmination of your programme of studies: it will allow you to showcase the competencies you have acquired as an engineer in your chosen area. You will build on the taught component of your degree to apply these competencies to scope, plan, and execute a project that addresses a challenging open-ended problem. You will use your skills and knowledge to identify the engineering challenge of the problem and propose a range of possible solutions. You will narrow this solution space by making evidence-based choices and communicate your findings in ways appropriate to a range of audiences. This experience prepares you for carrying out challenging, open-ended projects with time and resource constraints in your future career.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a mandatory unit on your programme of studies. You must pass this unit before you can be awarded the MEng degree. You will draw on the knowledge and techniques you have acquired throughout your degree programme. Transferable skills training will be provided within the unit, but you will be expected to teach yourself any specialist skills needed to deliver the project under the guidance of your supervisor.
An overview of content
In this unit you will develop the skills required to address real, open-ended problems, to plan work, and to effectively communicate results. Projects may involve the scientific study of certain phenomena or be product-orientated with a design emphasis. You will be assigned to a supervisor based on your preferences for the thematic area of your project, but the exact topic and scope of the project will be defined by you with guidance from your supervisor. You will evaluate academic literature and/or current best practice to establish the state-of-the-art. You will develop your project objectives and a plan to achieve these within the available timescale. To deliver the project you will be expected to draw on skills and techniques that you have been taught over the course of your degree, and to teach yourself new techniques as necessary.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
After completing this unit successfully, you will have the confidence to scope and tackle an open-ended engineering challenge that you have not encountered before. You will know how to identify and critically analyse relevant information and how to select a methodology appropriate for addressing the task at hand. You will be able to break the project down into smaller tasks and to create and follow a plan for its delivery. Although your supervisor will have provided guidance, delivery of a successful project with have required you to demonstrate originality and self-direction. At the end of the unit, you will show that you can effectively communicate the context, motivation, methodology, and outcomes of your project and that you can defend your findings to familiar and unfamiliar audiences.
Learning Outcomes
Having completed this unit, you will be able to:
This is an open-ended major project unit. You will shape and scope your project with advice from your supervisor, who will ensure that it is suitable academically and viable within the available resources and timescale. Some projects may be directly linked to industry. Your day-to-day work on the project will be largely self-directed and inquiry-based. Your supervisor will provide guidance and suggestions, but it will be up to you to drive the project forward, explore possibilities, make decisions, develop solutions, and draw conclusions. You will apply skills and techniques you have been taught in your degree, but you will also be expected to identify, learn, and apply new techniques relevant to your project.
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 on your progress will be provided during regular meetings with your project supervisor. Drop-in sessions will provide general support, as well as independent specialist advice from domain experts. You will formally review progress with your supervisor approximately halfway through the project. Your supervisor will provide feedback on your final submission.
A few weeks after you have been assigned to a supervisor, you will submit a written document describing your proposed project, the objectives, and a work plan that you will follow to deliver the remainder of the project.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The project is assessed by a collection of evidence, including a written report, presentation material, project management documentation, and a post-submission individual interview. There is a single submission deadline for all summative material. The single submission together with the individual interview has 100% weighting and will be used to assess attainment against all learning objectives for the unit.
Attendance at the post-submission interview is a must-do component to be awarded credit for the unit. If you are unable to attend the interview at the first scheduled opportunity, a second opportunity will be provided.
When assessment does not go to plan
Re-assessment takes the same form as the original summative assessment.
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. EEMEM0023).
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.
