| Unit name | AVDASI 4 - Group Design Project |
|---|---|
| Unit code | AENGM0060 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Rendall |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Successful completion of Year 3 of Aerospace Engineering degree. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| 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?
The AVDASI 4 Group Design Project provides students with first-hand experience of working in an engineering team, and enables students to exercise and consolidate their design, engineering and management skills in the context of a complete aerospace vehicle design study. The design briefs for spacecraft, rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft are developed in collaboration with industrial partners, to provide challenging and current projects. Over the course of the project the students will interpret top-level design requirements, develop technical solutions, perform concept trade-offs, and use increasingly refined calculations to iteratively advance their design. The project demands effective teamwork to manage the complex interaction of subsystems and coordinate the design iterations. This unit enables students to put their aerospace engineering knowledge and skills into practise on a challenging design project, preparing them for their future careers.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The AVDASI 4 Group Design Project is the capstone project for the MEng Aerospace Engineering programme. The unit enables students to apply their knowledge and skills developed throughout the programme to solve a challenging design brief in a multi-disciplinary engineering team.
An overview of content
Students will gain first-hand experience of working in an engineering team, by completing a conceptual design study for a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotorcraft or spacecraft. The design briefs are developed in collaboration with industrial partners, to provide challenging and current projects. The students work in teams, where each group member will take ownership of a technical discipline, but where collaborative effort is essential to ensure successful integration of different subsystems to achieve an effective design. Students will use analysis methods and tools taught throughout the aerospace programme, complemented by self-directed learning to advance their specialist knowledge in individual specialisms. The results are presented in the form of technical reports and presentations, with industry specialists providing feedback and guidance.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will have gained valuable experience of working in a multi-disciplinary engineering team, to design a complex engineering system in response to customer requirements. The students will also have gained an appreciation of the complexity of integrating different subsystems, and the importance of effective teamwork and management.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to
Students will undertake the project in groups. A weekly meeting will be timetabled with an academic advisor, but students must arrange additional meetings as required. Technical seminars and workshops will be offered for selected topics and analysis tools. Students are expected to undertake a substantial amount of self-study in their specialist discipline, to complement their technical knowledge from units and seminars taught in the programme.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Feedback is provided at weekly group meetings with an academic advisor. Internal reviews prepare for the Preliminary and Final Design Review presentations. The PDR (Preliminary Design Review) presentation is a formative assessment, and an opportunity to gain feedback from the industrial partners on technical decisions and presentation style.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
[20%] – Preliminary Engineering Design Report (PEDR) (ILO 1 – 5)
[20%] – Final Design Review (FDR) presentation (ILO 1 – 5)
[40%] – Final Engineering Design Report (FEDR) (ILO 1 – 6)
[20%] – Individual technical component (ILO 1, 2, 3, 5, 6)
The PEDR, FDR and FEDR are group submissions. The PEDR and FEDR group assessments will contain a peer evaluation component, leading to individualised marks.
When assessment does not go to plan
Collaborative teamwork is an essential component of AVDASI 4, and the unit cannot be undertaken individually. In exceptional circumstances, provided a student has substantially contributed to the group design up to the PEDR phase as evidenced by attending group meetings and contributing to PDR and PEDR, a reassessment could be offered which involves additional technical analysis on at least two interdependent subsystems, and which are assessed via an addendum to the group FEDR report, an individual presentation on the additional analysis, and an oral examination.
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. AENGM0060).
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 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.
