School of Electronics and Computer Science:
ELEC1032 Engineering Challenges

Basic Information

School
Known as	ELEC1032.
Session and Semester	Semester One, 2011 - 2012
Credit	10 Credit Points
Unit Leader	Dr Geoff Merrett
Teachers	Prof Alun S Vaughan Prof James S Wilkinson Prof Michael Kraft Dr Paul H Chappell Prof Sheng Chen [hidden]
Moderators	[hidden]
Study	100 Nominal Hours (Lectures, Labs, Coursework and Private Study)
Assessment	100% Coursework
Coursework	2 Assignments - Group Design Exercise (50%), Technical Report (50%)
Teaching	Lectures, Labs and Online Resources
Referral	On referral, this unit will be assessed 100% by examination.
Syllabus Approved

Description

Aims

There are two aspects to this module, 'soft skills' and engineering challenges.

• Key Skills: to provide students with the key skills necessary to become a professional engineer. These include an appreciation of professional behaviour and academic integrity, techniques for experimental design, statistical analysis, record keeping, finding information, technical writing, teamworking and health and safety.
• Engineering Challenges: to provide students with an appreciation of real-world challenges in engineering, and inspire them in their choice of degree.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Engineering challenges that an engineering graduate may work on, and be able to communicate these to others.

Intellectual Skills

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Apply knowledge of experimental measurements and engineering statistics to obtain and analyse results

Practical Skills

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Design and conduct safe and rigorous scientific experiments, documenting your work using a logbook

General Transferable (key) Skills

Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Research any topic using a range of resources including books and technical papers
• Write high quality technical documents which comply with the University's regulations on academic integrity
• Work as an effective part of a team, identifying your strengths and weaknesses

Topics Covered

• Team working and Profiling
• Finding Information
• Keeping Records
• Experimental Design
• Engineering Statistics
• PCB's and OrCAD
• Hardware debugging and fault finding
• Health, Safety and Environmental Legislation
• Technical Writing
• Academic Integrity
• Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation
• Inspirational Lectures on Engineering Challenges:
  • Global Warming
  • Environmental Sensor Networks
  • Renewable Energy Supplies – Solar Energy
  • Security and Gait Biometrics
  • Nanoscale Electronics
  • TBA

Teaching and learning activities

Teaching methods include

• Physical Lectures
• Online Lectures
• Laboratory Exercises
• Online Resources

Learning activities include

• Activities and Discussions in Lectures
• Background and Directed Reading
• Hands-on Experience through Courseworks and Lab Sessions

Methods of assessment

Assessment method	Number	% contribution to final mark
Design, Build and Test an Electric Motor [cwork]	1	50
Technical Report on an Engineering Challenge [cwork]	2	50

Feedback and student support during module study

Informal, oral feedback will be given during:

• physical lectures
• laboratory sessions
• the assessment session for the first coursework

Formal feedback will be given:

• on submitted assignments within three weeks of submission.

Resources

Background Resources

• Holman, J.P., Experimental Methods for Engineers (7th Edition), McGraw-Hill, 2001. [relevant to 'Engineering Statistics' lecture]
• Pearsall, T.E., The Elements of Technical Writing (3rd Edition), Longman, 2010. [relevant to 'Technical Writing' lecture] [Library] [Shops]
• Emden, J.v., Effective Communication for Science and Technology, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. [relevant to 'Technical Writing' lecture] [Library] [Shops]

Taught to

ELEC1032

Pt I BEng Electrical Engineering (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electrical Engineering (Compulsory)
Pt I BEng Electronic Engineering (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Computer Systems (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Nanotechnology (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Optical Communications (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Power Systems (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Mobile and Secure Systems (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electronic Engineering with Wireless Communications (Compulsory)
Pt I BEng Electromechanical Engineering (Compulsory)
Pt I MEng Electromechanical Engineering (Compulsory)
ECS Socrates Students (Optional)

Students who are not registered on an ECS approved programme may take this module subject to meeting its pre-requisites and the availability of resources. To confirm this, please can you contact the module leader (as listed above) in the first instance. They will then refer you on to the appropriate director of studies for formal approval of your selection.

Change Log

2011-08-05 14:19:28.680 - gvm
2011-08-05 14:18:18.187 - gvm
2011-08-05 14:14:48.043 - gvm
2011-08-05 13:41:10.490 - gvm
2011-08-05 10:19:48.693 - gvm
2011-08-05 09:44:35.267 - gvm
2011-08-05 08:42:17.437 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:50:59.860 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:50:23.900 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:48:17.580 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:29:47.297 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:28:44.607 - gvm
2011-08-04 18:06:12.060 - gvm
2011-04-04 18:59:50.753 - Roll script