Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

•       To provide students with an opportunity to self-direct their learning under the supervision of an experienced academic by undertaking a research study project related to a current topic within the research profile of the supervising academic.
•       The student will develop their skills in technical engineering, communication and research through a combination of practical work, software development, independent study and dialogue with supervisors.
•       The mix of practical work and software development depends upon the project topic and will reflect the student’s final year specialism.
•       To enhance the student’s to apply their engineering expertise to investigate a complex problem via:-
o       Production of a technical Report
o       Production of a Poster
o       Presentation based on a Poster
o       Production of a Proposal to include Aims, Objectives, Justifications and Timescales
o       Demonstration/presentation of the project’s product

Outline Of Syllabus

Prior to enrolling on the module students are presented with a catalogue of projects, each linked to an Electrical and Electronic Engineering discipline academic and are given the opportunity to select a prioritised list of preferred projects.
Students are individually assigned a project based on their preferences and academic performance to date. Each project is an individual assignment leading to the design and development of an original system or device and involves multi-disciplinary skills suitable to the project topic. The project supervisor regularly meets with the student and guides their project scope based on continuous assessment of project progress. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to manage the project aims and objectives as well as to set milestones and deliverables in which they will be supported through available project management resources and learning.
Assessment of the project, undertaken by project supervisor and second examiner, is via presentations, demonstrations, and a final report.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

The knowledge outcomes from this project will be multi-faceted, involving not only conceptual and procedural knowledge associated with the project in general, but also strategic involving planning and organisational strategies etc. at personal level.

The mapping of certain AHEPv4 learning outcomes to each intended knowledge outcome is indicated in each point below. By the end of the module a student will be able to:

•       demonstrate how a project proposal/plan defines the scope of the work to be done, sub-tasks, deliverables, milestones and timeframes and recognise and be able to work with the project plan as a living narrative to manage the risks and security of project delivery.

•       demonstrate performative capability and understanding of how an assessed poster presentation combined with engaged dialogue with supervisors and peers in a conference style environment can be used to communicate the progress of the project, referencing a variety of technical, ethical, and societal issues appropriate to its scope. M3, M5, M6, M7, M11, M12, M14, M16 and M17.

•       demonstrate their understanding of the appropriate form and structure of an assessed written technical report comprising a set of appropriate standard sections. Students will be able to recall and critically interpret existing technical resources and will be able to demonstrate competency in selecting and reviewing appropriate sources from their own research through presentation of a formal literature review. The written report will demonstrate the student’s ability to describe and evidence undertaking of a design process whereby they build on their own research and underpinning technical knowledge to achieve the goals of the project plan. Students will be able factually present results/data from their project outcomes (e.g. practical measurements, simulation model behaviour etc.) using appropriate methods for a technical report and will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the results through written discussion compromising technical interpretation and critical analysis. Students will be cognisant of the limitations of their work and understand the context of their achievements within the broader technical, ethical and societal scope of the project and be able to suggest improvements and future work. The report will capture the student’s understanding of the proposal/plan as described above. M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M12, M13, M16 and M17.

•       Understand how a practical demonstration of the project can be used to demonstrate their technical competency in the design, operation, and testing of a system or device, critical analysis of the performance thereof and ability to engage in discussion on the limitations and potential expansions of their work. M5, M9, M10, M12, M13, and M17.

Intended Skill Outcomes

The mapping of certain AHEPv4 learning outcomes to each intended skill outcome is indicated in each point below. By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

•       appropriately plan and undertake a technical body of work (the project) consisting of research, design, realisation and testing phases with appropriate milestones and deliverables demonstrating an awareness of and ability to mitigate against project and security risks M9, M10.
•       demonstrate an ability to contextualise the technical, societal and ethical scope of the project within the broader framework of the technical area appropriate to the project. M7, M8.
•       employ technical literature research and critical analysis skills in the development and production of a critical literature review appropriate to the scope of the project. M4
•       select appropriate tools and technologies to assist in the design and test/measurement of a system/device. M3

•       employ appropriate skills in the use of lab equipment and/or software packages contributing to the project outcomes. (M12, M13)
•       evaluate results and measurements from a system/device or simulation and demonstrate ability to highlight and diagnose spurious data or non-compliant behaviour (M2, M3, M4, M5)
•       plan their own activity organising research, design, realisation, testing and reporting (writing) into a tasking structure, record progress and modify the plans as required. Students will be able to appropriately record and communicate progress and reflect on achievements within the context of the project’s sustainability, ethical and societal impact (M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M16, M18)
•       use a broad spectrum of digital tools appropriate to accomplish the sub-task/deliverable mapped to the project plan. (M2, M12, M13, M16, M17)
•       demonstrate proficiency in relevant practical skills (where appropriate to the project scope) construction of electronic/electrical/mechanical assemblies, programmable devices, rapid prototyping, user interfaces, safety systems etc. Where the project is simulation-based students will demonstrate competence in operating the appropriate software(s). (M2, M12, M13, M16, M17)
•       appropriately communicate their progress and findings formally and informally through a technical written report, a living project plan, meetings with supervisors and other advisors (e.g. technicians) and academic-style presentations and demonstrations. (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M14, M17, M18)
•       recognise the social/environment impact of the activity and work in a responsible manner in the development of the project solution. (M8, M9, M10, M11)

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The underpinning purpose of the individual project is to demonstrate the student’s engineering professionalism in their chosen area of focus. To that end the project is designed to promote adaption of the factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge acquired from a wide range of modules to a specific problem and to enhance their strategic knowledge by undertaking a project for which they are wholly responsible. Furthermore, the project aims to expose the student to realistic challenges preparatory to those they may expect to encounter in their careers and as such the broader context of the project is considered in the societal, ethical and environmental impact of their work.

The project catalogue, containing projects designed by academics in their own area of research, from which students prioritise choices, promotes work in a technical area which is active in current research and therefore relevant to the current technology landscape. The freedom allowed to the student to select a project gives them agency to pursue a project which they will be able to be engaged with and which they believe will ultimately be useful to their career by being technically relevant.

The generation of the project plan, which is initially formatively assessed and ultimately summative assessed as part of the final written submission is designed to be a living document which is revised regularly by the student under the guidance of their supervisor. This gives the student experience of both generating and working within a formal project structure with the accountability and assessment of progress.

The research mythologies for the literature review and design phases of the project will to a large extent be a function of the technical scope of the project, however, in each case the student will be directed in good practice by their academic supervisor who is an expert in the chosen area. The regular supervisor meetings offer an opportunity for the student to access this expertise and for them to discuss areas of difficulty or potential as they see fit. Students are expected to take ownership of their projects and develop a professional working maturity in their attitude to their work, however, the meetings also offer the supervisor insight into the student’s progress and they can intervene where lack of progress or where the technical aspects of the project are outside the beyond the student’s capability.

Finally, students receive guidance in the preparation of their assessed work through the VLE, interactions with their supervisor and formal taught sessions (e.g. on good research practice). A series of thorough rubrics are published to establish the assessment criteria for all assessments clearly for students and supervisors. The assessments are designed to function as exemplar submissions that students may expect to experience in future careers either beyond university or within further study/research.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Project Proposal (formative):
This will provide an opportunity to gauge the student’s understanding of the project. The student will be required to explain the project with reference to its current place in industry/society and its impact on shareholders. They will need to break down the project into aims and measurable objectives, showing a grasp of the scope of the project and provide a Gannt chart to show they have considered the timeframe of work for the project and how it can be done in the window allowed. The project is open-ended and can develop along different lines depending on where the student’s work takes them and forms a body of work towards the achievement of the initial project’s title and scope.

First demonstration (formative):
This is an informal demonstration of the project in its early stages, allowing the student to show presentation skills and describe their work so far. Questions from the assessor will allow the student to check their understanding of their work and guide their thinking as the project progresses.
The project is open-ended and can develop along different lines depending on where the student’s work takes them and forms

Poster:
This takes place in early semester 2 and is a snapshot of the technical work done to date. The poster is explained by the student to the second examiner and marks awarded for technical content, visual impact & response to questions. The rationale is to make the student crystallise their work so far into a relatively small block of content, to sort and prioritise the work done so far and place in context of the project as it progresses. This is to focus the student and provide an opportunity to reflect on the work done so far and “course-correct” depending on the outcome of the presentation. The presentation aspect of the assessment requires the student to consider how their work is viewed by others and develop their own skills of oration and descriptive powers. M3, M5, M6, M7, M11, M12, M14, M16 M17

Technical report:
his is a 6000-word report written in a proscribed format and requires to student to concisely describe their project. This is a formal piece of work that reflects their work on the project. It requires them to “own” their project and show their level of skill and knowledge in describing their outcomes. They are required to research their specific area, showing their library skills and their ability to rate various sources and place their work in the wider context. They are required to assess their own results, reflecting on how they could be made differently and discussing reasons for this, thus showing an understanding of their work. The report must also demonstrate the project management aspects of the task building on the organic project plan document and should include reflective reference to personal performance against the plan. M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M12, M13, M16, M17, M18


Final Demonstration:
The student is required to show their project to both assessors. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the project as it works and field questions from assessors. This will require the student to show an understanding of their project and the technologies that have been used to do the project. It also will allow the student to demonstrate their presentation/oral/descriptive skills. These instances of assessment will cover a wide range of subject specific, core and cognitive skills and are intended to test the student’s abilities including written, practical, and personal. M5, M9, M10, M12, M13, M17

General Notes

N/A