Units
Advanced Design and Professional Practice
Unit code: ENB345
Contact hours: 4 per week
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
Detailed design and realisation of typical electronic subsystems used in all areas of electrical and electronic systems engineering. The unit enhances the student's ability in solving complex engineering problems. The design builds on the theoretical knowledge gained in other units. The student is required to write a detailed technical report and also give an oral presentation on her/his design.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
As a professional engineer, your work on complex and challenging projects requires you to extend skills in design, communication, technical problem solving and project management. In this third year unit, you will apply many of the technical concepts and professional skills you have learnt up to this point to a new problem. You will also further develop your skills as you create and build an innovative design.
Aims
This unit aims to extend your design skills, professional skills and technical knowledge in the context of teamwork on a challenging project. Design communication skills will be developed through teamwork, regular presentation, written reports and studio-style critique. Professional skills developed include those in problem exploration, solution generation, problem scoping, teamwork, time management, flexible problem solving, critical thinking, information retrieval, report writing and presentation.
Objectives
On completion of this unit you should be able to:
- Design, build and critically evaluate a prototype system to appropriate standards/criteria.
- Write clear reports, retrieve and reference relevant information, think critically and present your project in a clear and compelling way.
- Demonstrate extended knowledge and skills on an agreed technical topic.
- Demonstrate professionalism in teamwork, project management, ethical conduct, marketing and financial matters.
Content
The content of this unit is:
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Total No. Hours: 4
Lecture/Presentation Hours: 2
Supported Teamwork Hours/Supervisor consultation: 2
Lectures will introduce key aspects of design, teamwork, project management and professional skills. A hands-on session on database/patent searching will support development of the literature review.
Learning and teaching in this unit is mainly through weekly guidance and feedback on project work via:
1. attendance at the lecture/presentation and interim critique sessions
2. meeting in the supported teamwork sessions
3. meeting with your project supervisor
4. using resources and the study guide on the unit website and
5. your own group's research and design project work.
Documentation:
- Log Book - Keep track of the evolving design and report weekly progress via a log book with sign-off and feedback from your supervisor.
- Presentations - Contribute to team presentations on your project to the whole class for peer and lecturer assessment, critique and discussion. In this way, you will get to share and improve on your own and your peers project work and communication/presentation skills.
- Project Summary, Literature Review, Final Report - These written documents provide a clear articulation of the project at three key stages. They will prepare you to write high quality documents for your major project in final year. Supplementary documentation through video and web is also encouraged where appropriate.
Assessment
Assessment will based on:
1) Project summary and literature review;
2) Interim Presentations - individual contributions to the group interim presentations which are critiqued and assessed by both peers and lecturer;
3a) Demonstration and presentation of your group's final design.
3b) Project Report - areas assessed include research on your topic, fluency and flexibility of idea generation, critical thinking and evaluation, design innovation, technical application, communication and report writing skills;
3c) Log Book - the contributions of the individual to the design project as demonstrated through weekly progress of the individual log book;
Assessment items 1, 3a and 3b are undertaken as teamwork and will be graded as such. Items 2 and 3c are individual components of teamwork. Teamwork will be supported and discussed in class sessions. Peer team member assessment will also be used. If your team is not functioning effectively you are encouraged to seek advice and resolve difficulties early on. We will support you to do this.Oral feedback is provided to your group throughout semester
1. during your weekly meetings with your supervisor
2. through summary feedback in the lectures
3. through oral and written feedback on your interim project presentations from peers and the lecturer/tutor team.
Assessment name:
Project Framing
Description:
Project concept exploration, project scoping document and literature review.
Relates to objectives:
1, 2, 3 and 4
Weight:
25%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group with Individual Component
Due date:
Week 5
Assessment name:
Interim Presentation & Crit
Description:
You will be required to present updates on your project to the class as a group for critique and discussion (with individual oral presentation of a specific section) using power point or other similar software, visual aids, videos, props etc. Assessment (5% by the lecturer & 10% by the peer students in the class).
Relates to objectives:
1, 2, 3 and 4
Weight:
15%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Weeks 6 & 9
Assessment name:
Final Project Report
Description:
This assessment task has three distinct parts.
(a) Final Design Demonstration and Presentation: Demonstrate your final built prototype
(b) Final Written Report: Submit a final report on your project. This includes: Design Report; Approach to Topic and Development; and Technical Explanation of Design Project - refer to study guide for details/criteria.
(c) Log Book: Log regular meetings and progress in your individual Log Book.
Log Books contain all working notes pertaining to a project such as thoughts, sketches, contact details, to-do lists, notes from conversations, part specs etc. Entries in Log Books are due weekly until end of semester. Peer to peer tips will be used to encourage good practices.
(Log Book checking in weeks 3 and 8 is designed for provision of interim feedback.)
Relates to objectives:
1, 2, 3 and 4
Weight:
60%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group with Individual Component
Due date:
Weeks 3, 8 & 13
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
No text required.
ENB345 Blackboard site, Study Guide and Learning Resources.
The unit relies on your own and your group's research of current literature relevant to the project undertaken with assistance in database selection and searching from the Engineering Liaison librarian.
Risk assessment statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
In this unit you will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. As such, there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of the unit.
Depending on the project topic, students may require to undertake practical sessions in the laboratory. The Faculty's occupational health and safety policies and procedures will apply to these sessions.
In any laboratory environment, students are advised of the requirements of safe and responsible behaviour and will be required to wear appropriate protective items (e.g. closed shoes or steel capped shoes).
Students who do not follow legitimate instructions or who endanger the safety of others or do not act in accordance with the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety Act, will be required to leave the laboratories.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 07-Jun-2012
