Unit information: Technical Project in 2014/15

Unit name	Technical Project
Unit code	EMAT33800
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. Colin Campbell
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Successful completion of stage 2 of any Engineering Mathematics degree programme.
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Engineering Mathematics
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

Description: In the final year, every BEng student has the opportunity to undertake a major individual project. In the final year project you will be able to practice skills taught during the rest of the degree course. However, the project will be more creative than your previous taught courses. It will promote research skills which may be important in your future career. Projects are have supervision across Departments in the Faculty and may include a contribution from industry. While there is supervision by a tutor throughout, the project is largely self-motivated and will often require you to take the initiative.

The project is undertaken during the Autumn and Spring Terms with submission of the final report after the Easter vacation. Project vivas, web page and poster sessions then take place early in the Summer Term.

Aim: Formally the aim of the project is to develop research methodology, analytical and presentational skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On conclusion of the project students should:

1. have reinforced their mathematics and/or computational skills through applying them in a realistic context
2. become more self-reliant, well organised and self-motivated
3. have acquired or practised communication skills, targeted at both specialists and non-specialists
4. have learned how to structure a substantial report

Teaching Information

Students work either singly or in pairs, under the guidance of their project supervisor (who also acts as the student’s personal tutor). There is very rarely any formal teaching as a part of this unit; instead, the student and supervisor together map out the likely course of the project. Contact is nominally 1 hr/week but may exceed this depending on the student’s progress.

Assessment Information

100% coursework: 80% written report (all learning objectives), 10% poster & web page (learning objective 3), 10% viva (learning objectives 1-3)

The assessment methodology is the same as for M.Eng projects (unit EMATM5000), but the expected level of content and mathematical maturity is lower.

Reading and References

Depends on project chosen.