- An undergraduate course
in
Engineering, Technology and Design.
Engineering in action
- On this page
This residential-school course (held at the University of Bath in July and August) offers essential practical experience for students continuing in engineering. It adopts the theme of the engineer as a provider of solutions to the technological needs of society and concentrates on the production, analysis, and modelling of engineered components and systems. By its end, you will have a deeper understanding of the interactions between design, manufacture and service performance, usually by optimisation of materials properties. This should be instructive in guiding your further study areas. Where feasible, computer-based techniques are included to support the modelling, design, and selection processes. Early registration is recommended if you have a preferred date.
Modules at Level 2 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 | TXR220 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 8 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| Residential school | |
Register for the course
What you will study
This one-week residential school course will help you develop a range of practical and intellectual skills relevant to the world of engineering. Four day-long ‘laboratory’ activities and a group project are coupled with an optional evening programme focusing on both this course and your future studies.
The activities – these will evolve over the lifetime of the course:
- designing, optimising, constructing and testing a load-bearing beam using a combination of skin and core materials
- investigating the short- and long-term deterioration of materials and how these affect the design and construction of engineering systems
- designing, constructing and testing a spring-powered vehicle and optimising its performance for acceleration and terminal velocity on a purpose-built test track
- designing, assembling and testing an electromechanical system and optimising its performance for a range of speed and torque combinations
- investigating how a small product has been made and the ways in which its design affects what can be done with it at the end of its functional life; then, using information from the internet and other sources, redesigning part of the product to improve its end-of-life performance and finishing with a short presentation of your recommendations.
By the end of the course you should be able to:
- explain the relationship between materials, dimensions and loading parameters in a statically determinate structure
- apply models of certain short- and long-term failure mechanisms in engineering materials to predict the performance of components made from a range of materials
- relate the dynamic behaviour of a self-propelled vehicle to the design of its propulsion system
- explain the relationships between voltage and current, rotational speed and torque in an electromechanical system
- criticise the quality and reliability of data obtained from given experiments in terms of their usefulness in a stated context
- prepare a written report and give a short oral presentation to a given audience about an activity or process.
Vocational relevance
The course is particularly relevant to those working or planning to work in the world of structural and manufacturing engineering.
Entry
This is a Level 2 course and you need a good knowledge of the subject area, obtained either from Level 1 study with the OU or from equivalent work at another university.
The course has been designed to complement other Level 2 courses in Technology and Engineering: mechanics, materials, design (T207) is particularly relevant.
A short preparatory booklet is provided that outlines the engineering principles being explored in each activity. To gain the most benefit from the preparatory period and the residential school you should already have the following knowledge and skills:
- familiarity with the concepts of mass, force, velocity, acceleration, stress, strain, modulus, voltage, current, resistance, work, atoms, electrons and ions
- ability to rearrange simple algebraic equations
- understanding of the purpose of differentiation and integration.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Outside the UK
Preparatory work for this course can be done outside the UK. However, it is essential that travel to a UK-based site for the short residential period is possible.
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
Every effort has been made to optimise access at the site of the residential activity. In addition, the practical work is carried out in small teams, allowing work to be shared according to aptitude and ability. 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. After you have registered you will receive detailed information about the residential school site and the facilities available to help with the academic programme. 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 publications Meeting Your Needs and Meeting Your Residential School 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
Preparatory booklet and CD-ROM; Residential School Handbook and other printed materials and Assignment Books. The residential school week includes full-board, accommodation and tuition at the host venue.
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
Before the residential school you will have access to an online forum for the course where you can discuss your preparation for the school with other students and get help from the course team. Specialist tutors will guide you through the activities at the residential site, assist with optional evening tutorial sessions and help you prepare for the final course assignment. 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 must submit your interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA) and end-of-module assessment (EMA) online.
The iCMA before the residential school will help you gauge how well prepared you are. The EMA, completed after the school, will involve writing about different aspects of the various residential school activities and writing a summary of achievements with respect to the learning outcomes of the course. You will also be assessed on your satisfactory participation in the residential school activities.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in May 2012. We expect it to be available at the same time once a year and the last starting date to be in 2013.
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 | TXR220 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 8 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| Residential school | |
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