| Unit name | AVDASI 2 – Group Design, Build and Test |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CADE20005 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Graham |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Engineering Science (or equivalent), Engineering by Investigation (or equivalent), AVDASI 1 (or equivalent) |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
Structures and Materials (or equivalent), Fundamentals of Aerodynamics (or equivalent), Dynamics and Control of Linear Systems or equivalent) |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
This unit provides students with a practical hands-on experience of a multidisciplinary task to design, build and test an unmanned aerospace vehicle. The project is the opportunity for students to apply their technical knowledge from core units to a complex engineering task, and to develop practical skills such as manufacture and testing. Professional engineering practice is embedded throughout the project, including project planning, management and technical communication. The students are also introduced to aspects of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through self-reflection on individual and team performance.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on fundamental knowledge from first-year Engineering Science, as well as skills such as basic electronics and programming, and applies these to the design of an aerospace vehicle. Furthermore, the unit provides practical context to the technical disciplines (e.g. Aerodynamics, Structures and Materials) taught concurrently. In turn, the professional engineering skills developed in this unit (e.g. project planning, teamwork, communication) are used by the students for projects in later years.
An overview of content
The unit provides students with an experience of working within a large engineering project, and integrating multiple different disciplines into a technical design intended to meet customer performance requirements. Students focus on specialist domains (e.g. structural analysis, CAD, avionics, aerodynamics) and will be provided with dedicated resources and seminars for their specialisms. The project encourages iterative conceptual design, as well as experimental testing of prototypes. Students will be trained in specific manufacturing tasks (e.g. soldering, drilling) depending on individual specialisms, and will prepare and execute a test campaign to validate the functional performance of their design. Students will bring together all aspects of the design, build and test process into a technical report. The teaching of professional engineering skills is embedded and integrated within the project: seminars provide theoretical background to topics such as teamwork, project planning, presentation skills and risk management, which are subsequently applied by the students to the project itself. Continuous Professional Development is encouraged through a reflective self-assessment of individual and team performance.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will have gained first-hand experience in applying technical domain knowledge to a complex engineering task, and will have applied professional engineering skills, such as teamwork and project management, which are essential to the success of any engineering project. Further, they will have practised self-reflection, as part of Continuing Professional Development.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities, which include lectures, seminars, and training workshops.
Students will work in substantially-sized teams, who will be expected to coordinate via meetings and collaboration tools, whilst making significant use of self-directed time in dedicated Design, Build and Test (DBT) labs. Teams will be further sub-divided into disciplinary working groups who will specialise in an area of the DBT activity.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
A range of formative tasks provide students and teams with feedback on progress; these include weekly workshops with guided exercises, submissions of project documentation at prescribed ‘Project Gates’, inspections and tests of early prototypes, and technical presentations. As part of this unit, students will complete and receive feedback on an Industrial Liaison Office mentoring scheme assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
[60%] – Team technical report (ILO 1,2,4,5) AHEP 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
[15%] – Team Final Design Review (FDR) presentation (ILO 2,3,5) AHEP 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
[25%] – Individual reflective portfolio (ILO 2,3) AHEP 6, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18
The Team technical report Team FDR presentation will contain a peer evaluation component, leading to individualised marks.
Other activities for the award of credit in a unit:
Students are required to engage with collaborative learning activities, to be able to evidence their contribution to collaborative team working practice (ILO 1-3). Engagement with collaborative learning activities is evidenced through a variety of methods, including regular attendance and engagement at team meetings, lab-based manufacturing, cooperating with fellow students, and meetings with academic staff as required. Engagement is tracked throughout the project through peer evaluation and ‘project gates’ to enable students to be supported in their engagement.
When assessment does not go to plan
Collaborative teamwork is an essential component of AVDASI 2, and the unit cannot be undertaken individually. In exceptional circumstances, provided a student has substantially contributed to the team and can evidence this, an individual reassessment could be offered which involves a submission that reflects on the project and demonstrates any outstanding ILOs.
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. CADE20005).
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.
