- An undergraduate course
in
Engineering, Technology and Design.
The engineering project
- On this page
This course is the compulsory project module of the BEng (Hons). It gives you an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have already acquired in your Level 3 engineering studies, by completing an individual engineering project. You’ll choose the theme from a selection of broad project headings: electronic materials, engineering small worlds, environmental monitoring, fluid mechanics, innovation and design, managing complexity, materials failure, radio frequency engineering, solid mechanics and structural integrity. You’ll develop the project topic, execute it and then write it up. A tutor will advise and guide you, but you’ll be expected to produce your work independently, without close supervision.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | T450 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
Register for the course
What you will study
You will have studied one of the pre-requisite courses below before starting this course.
About 80 per cent of your study time will be spent on developing your project, and about 20 per cent on learning how to carry out a project in general. Understanding how projects develop and being able to explain how your project developed are two key skills that are central to the course and to its learning outcomes. The choice of project area is left up to you, but it clearly makes sense to pick the one whose subject matter is covered by whichever of the compulsory prerequisite Level 3 courses that you have previously studied. It will be your responsibility to ensure the project has a satisfactory amount of engineering, but you will receive guidance from your tutor and the internal examiner.
The assignments have been structured to guide you through the execution of the project. As you are expected to develop a self-reflective approach, you will be required to keep a project log throughout the course and to use it for an assessed critical review of your work. You will need a computer with internet access, so that you can communicate with your tutor and use online library sources.
The course provides you with opportunities to develop and demonstrate the following learning outcomes.
Knowledge and understanding:
- a familiarity with principles and conventions of project management and execution
- an understanding of and ability to apply the relevant principles (e.g. from the related Level 3 course) within the context of the body of knowledge appropriate to an honours degree level project
- the ability to integrate engineering knowledge across traditional boundaries.
Cognitive skills:
- to identify and refine objectives and content for your project within the constraints of a given broad project topic
- to gather, analyse, evaluate and use relevant material to complete the project
- to appraise the project results and draw well-grounded conclusions based on the evidence assembled.
Key skills:
- to organise yourself and your work appropriately
- to produce a written report of 4000-5000 words on your specialist topic
- to develop a self-awareness of the skills and activities needed to carry out a project by listing, describing, and practically demonstrating them.
Practical and/or professional skills:
- the course is specifically designed to equip you with the project-related skills which will contribute to your formation and development as a professional engineer.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably with the OU.
We strongly recommend that you take The Engineering Project in the last year of your studies for the BEng (Hons) – ideally, you should have completed, or be in the process of completing, your 90 credits at Level 3 from modules specified for that degree. You can take T450 only if you have studied one of the Level 3 modules below (or are studying it when you apply to register for the project).
Electronic materials
- Engineering small worlds: micro and nano technologies (T356) (or the discontinued T354)
Environmental monitoring
- Environmental monitoring, modelling and control (T308) (or the discontinued T303)
Failure of stressed materials
- Structural integrity: designing against failure (T357) (or the discontinued T331 and T353)
Fluid mechanics
- Mathematical methods and fluid mechanics (MST326) from 2010 (or the discontinued T331 and MST322)
Innovation and design
- Innovation: designing for a sustainable future (T307) (or the discontinued T302)
Managing complexity
- the discontinued T306
Radio frequency engineering
- the discontinued T327
Solid mechanics
- Structural integrity: designing against failure (T357) (or the discontinued T331 and T353)
Or
Structural integrity
- Structural integrity: designing against failure (T357) (or the discontinued T331 and T353)
It is not currently anticipated that any further courses will be available before 2012.
When you register you will receive an options form on which you indicate your project theme. It is important that you return your choice well before the course start date. This will allow us to allocate to you the most appropriate tutor in terms of subject expertise and location.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
It would be beneficial to refresh your knowledge of the relevant Level 3 course.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
CD-ROMs, supplementary printed materials and website.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course. It includes online activities – you can only access using a web browser with Flash and Java – and some course software provided on disk.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer running Windows since 2006 you should have no problems completing the computer-based activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you have an Apple Mac or Linux computer – please note that you can only use it for this course by running Windows on it using Boot Camp or a similar dual-boot system.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will be allocated to a tutor who will offer support through email, telephone and/or mail: there is no provision for face-to face tutorials although there may be some introductory project day schools. Please check with your national or regional centre or the course student forums.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
The first TMA will be reviewed by an Internal Examiner. The purpose of the review is to provide feedback on the engineering intent of your project proposal.
The end-of-module assessment (EMA) includes your project report. The EMA is to be submitted by mid-September. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you will be required to complete all the components. You will be given more detailed information about the assessment strategy when you begin the course.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course starting in February 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
Student Reviews
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | T450 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
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