Unit Outline

Engineering Project A and Engineering Project B will normally be taken consecutively in the final two semesters of the degree. Each student is required to undertake a substantial high level two-semester project within their engineering discipline, which may involve aspects of research and development work, engineering design, literature survey, experimental work, theoretical work, computational studies, simulation, prototype testing and implementation. Industry linked projects are encouraged. Masters projects are required to have a significant research component to develop skills required for a research higher degree (PhD). Projects will synthesise and extend knowledge gained in other units. Each student is assigned an individual supervisor from the academic staff of the school, but where appropriate may also have school or industry based co-supervisors. All students will be expected to attend seminars in semester 1 that will help them in their research, and to attend presentations given by other project students. Seminar topics will include, for example, using the library databases. In addition, students are required to attend 6 weeks of lectures on project management and self-management and 6 weeks on research methods. Students are required to provide planning and costing details for their projects, to meet regularly with their supervisor, and to meet several assessable milestones throughout the project, including a public presentation of their plan and draft thesis at the end of the semester.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Critically evaluate the efficacy of methodological approaches currently used to conduct research in a professional engineering context
2	Formulate a research question articulating a problem or issue of relevance to a professional practice context in engineering
3	Devise a research approach for a professional practice research project which is conceptually and methodologically appropriate for the desired area of inquiry
4	Develop a project plan for a professional practice research project using an appropriate project management methodology

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	Completion of a minimum of 6 Level 700 units

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Marking of the project plan and reflective diary are now done by one person to improve consistency.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
ASSESSMENT TASK 1:	Project Plan	Week 3	10 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
ASSESSMENT TASK 2:	Reflective Journal	Week 10	5 %	LO3
ASSESSMENT TASK 3:	Draft Thesis/Progress Report	Week 13	75 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
ASSESSMENT TASK 4:	Progress Oral Presentation	Week 13	10 %	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Project Plan

TASK DESCRIPTION:

Project Plan: Provide background, aims and scope, methods, expected major milestones, and resources required for the research being undertaken. Consider and identify any requirements for WH&S, ethics, IP and data storage.

TASK LENGTH:

Strict maximum 4 pages (excluding references and appendices)

DUE DATE:

Week 3

WEIGHT:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME


1	Propose methods for successfully achieving the project aims considering the project risks and contingencies	LO3
2	Provide the milestones that will be used to measure the project progress	LO4
3	Comply with the writing and documentation requirements stated in the detailed task description	LO4
4	Articulate the motivation for, significance of and innovation within the project	LO2
5	Define the project aims or research question	LO2
6	Show a working knowledge of WH&S, IP and research ethics requirements	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Reflective Journal

TASK DESCRIPTION:

Reflective Journal: Chronicle the meetings and other communication you had with your supervisor and other stakeholders in your project. Provide a reflective summary on the roles of each stakeholder or other persons affiliated with your research, and the questions discussed, goals set, etc. during your communications with them.

TASK LENGTH:

2-3 page reflection, supported by diary (approx. ½ page per meeting)

DUE DATE:

Week 10

WEIGHT:

5 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME


1	Proactively participate in and at times lead or manage a diverse team to achieve outcomes	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Draft Thesis/Progress Report

TASK DESCRIPTION:

Draft Thesis/Progress Report: Prepare and submit draft thesis to date, supported by a brief explanatory and progress report. Submission of this draft is the pre-requisite for entry into ENG702

TASK LENGTH:

Draft thesis of approx 5,000–7,500 words or 50% of the length of the final thesis including an abstract and table of contents (not included in word count). Progress report 2–4 pages + appendices.

DUE DATE:

Week 13

WEIGHT:

75 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME


1	Critically reflect on progress and use this to inform a review of the plan for completion of the project	LO4
2	Find and critically discuss comprehensive and up-to-date research literature closely relevant to the project	LO1, LO2
3	Consider WH&S and ethics requirements and complete documentation if required	LO3
4	Progress towards completion of the project aims through completion of substantial sections of the thesis and significant milestones, including design or detailed plan of physical or virtual experiments, pilot study or acquisition of preliminary data.	LO2, LO3
5	Provide evidence of writing and document preparation at a standard, style and format appropriate for an engineering honours thesis.	LO1

Assessment Task 4: Progress Oral Presentation

TASK DESCRIPTION:

Progress Oral Presentation: Present a 15 minute oral presentation on the thesis work to date in the form of a pre-recorded video. The presentation should be aimed at a general engineering audience, and should include background to the problem, motivation for the project, details of the approach to be taken, any preliminary results that are available, and a plan for completion.

TASK LENGTH:

15 minutes

DUE DATE:

Week 13

WEIGHT:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME


1	Communicate technical information using appropriate media effectively to engage and inform the audience, taking into consideration their likely background	LO1
2	Convey the technical details relevant to the project and a systematic approach to the project planning and execution and progress monitoring	LO1, LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late Penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required resources

Required Reading Materials

Required reading is project-dependent and some may be provided by your supervisor. You will be expected to search databases and journals to find other more targeted relevant reading specific to your topic.