MECH ENG 4143B - Honours Project Part B

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

The Mechanical Engineering Honours Project is the capstone course for all programmes in the school. Students will undertake a year-long project in groups of one to five, with each group directly supervised by at least one Mechanical Engineering academic staff member. Projects are often run in collaboration with industry sponsors or in conjunction with ongoing research projects within the school. Strong emphasis is placed on engineering design processes; most projects incorporating some aspect of mechanical build into their project, with fabrication overseen by our in-house workshop staff. All projects are required to follow industry standard project management and risk assessment procedures, assessed continuously over the course of the project. Workshops are presented to introduce students to issues surrounding intellectual property and other legal aspects of engineering, business and human resource matters, ethics, and accounting. Students are assessed on the quality of their engineering work and engineering communication, via deliverables including written reports and oral presentations. The honours project runs as two consecutive courses, MECH ENG 4143A in semester 1 then 4143B in semester 2, and can only be undertaken in this order; mid-year entry students cannot be accommodated.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MECH ENG 4143B
    Course Honours Project Part B
    Coordinating Unit School of Mechanical Engineering
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 9
    Contact Up to 48 hours lectures/tutorials, 20 hours individual supervision, 180 hours project
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites MECH ENG 4143A in previous Semester
    Course Description The Mechanical Engineering Honours Project is the capstone course for all programmes in the school. Students will undertake a year-long project in groups of one to five, with each group directly supervised by at least one Mechanical Engineering academic staff member. Projects are often run in collaboration with industry sponsors or in conjunction with ongoing research projects within the school. Strong emphasis is placed on engineering design processes; most projects incorporating some aspect of mechanical build into their project, with fabrication overseen by our in-house workshop staff. All projects are required to follow industry standard project management and risk assessment procedures, assessed continuously over the course of the project. Workshops are presented to introduce students to issues surrounding intellectual property and other legal aspects of engineering, business and human resource matters, ethics, and accounting. Students are assessed on the quality of their engineering work and engineering communication, via deliverables including written reports and oral presentations. The honours project runs as two consecutive courses, MECH ENG 4143A in semester 1 then 4143B in semester 2, and can only be undertaken in this order; mid-year entry students cannot be accommodated.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr William Robertson

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

     
    1 Complete a research/development project with graduate-level engineering skills.
    2 Demonstrate the ability to manage a small group undertaking a project, including professional documentation activities and processes.
    3 Complete market analysis and/or literature review to demonstrate gaps requiring project/research work.
    4 Develop a project plan using best practise project management techniques, including project risk and personnel/equipment safety analyses.
    5 Demonstrate the ability to orally present work in a seminar style to a large group with widely varying degrees of technical knowledge.
    6 Present work at a large exposition, including poster and booth preparation and design.
    7 Write a well-written technical report detailing the project.

     
    The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer.
    The course is designed to develop the following Elements of Competency:

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1-7
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1-7
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1-7
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1-7
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1-7
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1-7
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Weighting (%) Individual/ Group Formative/ Summative
    Due (week)*
    Hurdle criteria Learning outcomes
    Meeting minutes 6 Group Summative Weeks 2-24 1. 2.
    Project charter 7 Group Summative Week 4 1. 2. 3. 4.
    Preliminary report 10 Group Summative Week 12 1. 2. 3. 4. 7.
    Seminar presentation 10 Individual Summative Week 20 1. 2. 3. 5.
    Exposition 10 Group Summative Week 24 1. 2. 6.
    Final report 50 Group Summative Week 24 1. 2. 3. 4. 7.
    Student performance 7 Individual Summative Week 24 1. 2.
    Total 100
    * The specific due date for each assessment task will be available on MyUni.
     
    This assessment breakdown is registered as an exemption to the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy. The exemption is related to the Procedures clause(s): 1. a. i   
     
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
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