Unit information: Research Project in 2019/20

Unit name	Research Project
Unit code	MENG30010
Credit points	40
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Liu
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

The Research Project provides an opportunity for students to develop the skills required to solve real, open-ended problems, to plan and organise work, and effectively communicate results. In addition, the study will allow students to focus on a particular area and implement some of the knowledge gained during their engineering degree. The projects are wide-ranging and can be multidisciplinary. Projects may be scientific and involve the study of certain phenomena, or perhaps technology or product-orientated with a design emphasis, or maybe on a topic related to systems and management.

Aims:

The aim of the project is to enable the student to develop the skills necessary to tackle substantial, extended problems. Students should be able to: demonstrate that they can develop their knowledge and skills when tackling a new problem; develop the means (e.g. new apparatus or computer code) by which a problem may be tackled; make substantial progress when faced with a technical challenge within the resources available to them; plan, organise and pace their work and co-ordinate it with that of other members of the University and present their work clearly.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Plan and execute a project and work to a budget
2. Synthesise, interpret and apply research literature and experimental data
3. Write a structured technical report
4. Advance knowledge in the subject area of the project
5. Develop research, technical and practical skills in an area relevant to the project
6. Carry out assessments relating to health and safety
7. Describe and explain the commercial, economic and social context of engineering processes

Teaching Information

Each student is allocated an academic supervisor at the beginning of the teaching block. He or she is responsible for advising the student on how they might progress with the project. The content and methods of the project are negotiated between the student and the supervisor. A project specification that will be a broad outline of the aim, objectives and methods of the project should be completed within the first three weeks. This form must be signed by both the supervisor and the student. Over the course of the teaching block it is recommended that the student and his or her supervisor should meet regularly to assess progress and plan future work.

It is expected that a draft copy of the technical report be produced (timeline to be agreed with the project supervisor), so that the supervisor can give detailed feedback on its content.

Projects may be paired so that two students will be studying different aspects of the same problem. Students are encouraged to support one another, but they will be assessed individually, and they must ensure that they produce distinct bodies of work at the end of the project. Supervisors will advise students on this.

Assessment Information

Summative assessment done via Coursework - the assessment is based on a written report (maximum 15 pages) – ILO 1-7. The report will be assessed by an independent assessor and account for 75% or the final mark. The supervisor will award 25% of the mark based on the student’s overall performance throughout the project.

Formative feedback will be provided by the supervisor throughout the teaching block.

Reading and References

Specified by project supervisor