Group Design Project
Module aims
The Group Design Project provides you with the opportunity to learn how to function and contribute creatively in a large multi-disciplinary team, simulating the industrial approach to engineering design and teamwork. With five different challenging projects on offer each year, you must develop innovative solutions towards the complete design of a vehicle or system. In the process you will need to expand on your prior knowledge and research new ideas, while appreciating the constraints imposed in a multi-disciplinary design environment.
Learning outcomes
On successfully completing this module, you should be able to:
1. review market trends, gaps and legal/regulatory constraints to propose creative solutions to the design brief;
2. integrate knowledge and understanding developed over the course of the programme and apply it towards the preliminary design of an aerospace related product;
3. obtain and process information from a wide range of sources and analyse it critically;
4. apply quality management principles and tools to plan, monitor, and assure the integrity, traceability, and integration of engineering design work within a complex team project.
5. collaborate effectively within a large, diverse and multidisciplinary design team, being aware of the impact their decisions have on the wider project and the work of their teammates;
6. communicate their work in varied oral and written forms to both a technical and non-technical audience.
Module syllabus
Varies annually based on projects offered, student selections, and project and role allocation.
Teaching methods
You will complete the project as a member of a team of 20-25 colleagues, under the supervision of multiple members of academic staff. You will spend the majority of your time in group and self-directed study, reviewing literature, utilising theoretical, computational or experimental methods to complete your project objectives. Your will be supported through the project by weekly review meetings with your supervisors, where you will present your progress, discuss your findings and receive feedback.
Assessments
- You will be formatively assessed throughout the project in weekly progress meetings, where each team member will be required to present their progress in tackling individual and team objectives at least twice.
- You are summatively assessed through a 1.5 hour group presentation, followed by a Q&A. Your team will further deliver a 5 minute pitch to all students, staff and the industrial judging board and forms the basis for the awards of 'Best Pitch', 'Most Innovative Solution' and 'Best Teamwork'.
- You will be assessed by the academic supervision team on a variety of criteria, such as your engagement with the project and quality of contribution, in relation to your execution (carry-out) of the project.
- Your individual contribution to the project will be assessed through a written technical report (12 pages max), detailing your review of literature, your chosen approach to the problem, methodology and findings.
Where the group work learning outcomes have been demonstrated, a resubmission of the report will be offered. Alternatively, due to the collaborative nature of group work, reassessment for this module must occur in session in the following academic year.
| Assessment type
|
Assessment description
|
Weighting
|
Pass mark
|
| Coursework
|
Individual Design Report
|
50%
|
40%
|
| Practical
|
Group Oral Presentation
|
15%
|
40%
|
| Practical
|
Carry-out
|
35%
|
40%
|
You will receive developmental feedback on both your presentation skills and progress in written and/or oral form during and immediately following the weekly progress meetings. Further feedback on your individual progress can be obtained from your individual supervisor on request.
Oral feedback on each team's final group presentation will be offered by the academic supervision team and members of the industrial judging panel.
Short written feedback on your design report will be made available.