MECH0016 Design and Professional Skills II

Module Overview

This module offers students a variety of authentic engineering problems and experiences in order to promote professional values and behaviour, and to locate Mechanical Engineering theory in a realistic context.

The module comprises four professional design projects (scenarios) designed to complement and, where appropriate, extend the learning opportunities afforded by the modules running throughout Year 2.

Students are posed authentic engineering challenges intended to explore different aspects of the design cycle and to simulate real-world, professional practice.

The scenarios will be supplemented by materials, classes and/or online materials provided by the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and external sources as appropriate.

Each scenario will consider combination of a wider range of issues than in Year 1 including legal aspects,  management, systems and ethics.

Topics Covered

The topics selected for the scenarios will be related to material taught in the lectures and in other Year 2 modules.  Where educationally appropriate, they will be linked to activities such as the annual IMechE design challenges (timetable constraints permitting).

Topics covered in the lectures include:

• Risk and reliability
• Legal issues
• Advanced writing
• Manufacturing and design

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Calculate and manage risk and reliability issues
• Assess legal obligations and correctly apportion liability
• Use available tools, from hand-sketching to computer-aided design and analysis, to produce detailed engineering designs
• Plan and safely perform a range of basic operations on laboratory or workshop machinery (according to the assigned task)
• Interpret relevant data gathered from practical activities and published sources in order to inform the assigned task
• Present individual or group work in the form of a report which conforms to specified requirements of structure and formatting

Method of Instruction

This module is taught through:

• Lectures
• Self-study and group work
• Workshop and/or laboratory-based activities