Overview
In this unit, you will apply, expand and reflect on your knowledge of professional engineering practice through investigating a real-world engineering project. You will work in a small team guided by a professional engineer or members from the Engineers Without Borders Challenge to develop your project outcomes. You will establish a scope for a team project that describes the requirements and potential issues involved. You will also design and conduct a technical investigation incorporating the engineering method of problem-solving to assess several viable solutions and; look to enhance project outcomes by applying concepts of sustainability and evidence-based decision making. You will also demonstrate an understanding of measurement techniques and data analysis methods in at least one technical area of engineering, and demonstrate professional communication skills by creating a team technical report and presentation. Throughout the unit, you will be compiling an Individual Portfolio to showcase your sustained contributions to the project and to demonstrate a professional attitude for working individually and in your team.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: ENEG11005 Fundamentals of Professional Engineering, ENAG11008 Professional and Sustainable Engineering Practice OR ENEG11001 Engineering Skills 1
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE Data
Criteria for projects are perceived as overly extensive and time-consuming compared to other subjects.
Project criteria should be simplified and streamlined in consultation with the project sponsor where possible to ensure a manageable workload while maintaining learning outcomes.
Feedback from Staff reflection
Students gained valuable industry insights and enhanced their project management skills by working on real-life projects.
Incorporating real-life projects into the curriculum should be continued as this provides practical industry experience and further develops project management competencies.
Feedback from SUTE Data
Online students prefer to have greater access to discipline-specific projects.
Online students have access to EWB projects that provide discipline-specific scenarios. Students should be encouraged to review and combine their areas of interest to suit specific disciplines.
- Establish a scope that describes the requirements and potential issues involved in undertaking an ill-defined real-world engineering project
- Design and conduct a technical investigation incorporating the engineering method of problem-solving to assess several viable solutions
- Analyse and assess an engineering project using a sustainability framework
- Describe measurement techniques and perform data analysis in at least one technical area of engineering
- Articulate and demonstrate effective time, team and project management skills
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:
Introductory
Intermediate
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 15% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 15% | ||||||
| 3 - Group Work - 20% | ||||||
| 4 - Portfolio - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 15% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 15% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Group Work - 20% | |||||||||||
| 4 - Portfolio - 50% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage
- 5th Edition (2019)
- Authors: Jeffrey K. Pinto
- Pearson Education
- ISBN: 9781292269146
If you have issues accessing the eBook at the Library, both paper and eBook can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
- Binding: eBook
If you have issues accessing the eBook at the Library, both paper and eBook can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microsoft Project
- Word; PowerPoint; a concept mapping tool such as Visio or FreeMind; a video recording tool or device for recording presentations for Distance students
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.chowdhury@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 08 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Unit Introduction, and Project Overview.
Team Formation, Project Selection and Management
Chapter
Unit Overview and Project Topics Released
Events and Submissions/Topic
Individual: Select Project, Team and hold Initial Project Meeting
Week 2
Begin Date: 15 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Project Context and Stakeholder Management
Project Management - What's Important
Chapter
Research the Project Topic and Client, Team Charter and Client Interaction
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Initial Project Meeting
Week 3
Begin Date: 22 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Project Due Diligence
Chapter
Project Risks Assessment and Management
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Week 4
Begin Date: 29 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Project Schedule and Scope Management
Chapter
Project Scope Documentation
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Project Scope Document, Schedule, and Risk Assessment Due: Week 4 Friday (2 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 5
Begin Date: 05 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Research Methods
Chapter
In depth research on the project topic
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 12 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Vacation Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Individual: Self- & Peer-Assessment Questionnaire Due.
Week 6
Begin Date: 19 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Portfolio Advice and Project Progress Report
Chapter
Preparing Progress Reports
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Individual: Portfolio progress review
Week 7
Begin Date: 26 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Problem Solving and Sustainability Due Diligence
Chapter
Project and Portfolio Progress Check and Advice
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Project Progress Report Due: Week 7 Friday (30 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8
Begin Date: 02 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Project Cost Estimation, Budgeting and Resource Management
Chapter
Reporting Preliminary Results
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Week 9
Begin Date: 09 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Project Evaluation and Control
Chapter
Project Evaluation and Control and Project Progress
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Week 10
Begin Date: 16 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Project Closeout and Termination
Chapter
Project Final Report
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Individual: Self- & Peer-Assessment Questionnaire Due.
Week 11
Begin Date: 23 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Project Presentations and Feedback
Chapter
Student Project Presentations
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Project Practice Presentations
Project Final Report Due: Week 11 Friday (27 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12
Begin Date: 30 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Unit Reflection and Advice on Assessment 4 (Evidences of Individual Learning Achievements)
Chapter
Assessment 4 Preparation
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Project Final Presentation at the Engineering Showcase (Wednesday in Week 12, from midday onwards). All team members must present (virtual or in-person) at the showcase.
Individual: Progress Review of Assessment 4 (Evidences of Individual Learning Achievements)
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 07 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 14 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
A Scope Document is particularly important in the engineering workplace. It clearly states what will be done by who and by when, and importantly, what will not be done. It becomes a work contract and must be followed to ensure payment of services and to uphold one's reputation and prospects for future work. Scope documents can take many forms. In this case, it also includes a project schedule and a risk Assessment. Resources for this assignment are provided on Moodle, in lectures and workshops. Students will need to seek feedback from the lecturer at the draft stage of the document. There is no strict word limit, either minimum or maximum. Students should write succinctly and avoid padding the report with discussions that are unnecessary.
Week 4 Friday (2 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 6 Friday (23 Aug 2024)
A marking rubric is provided on Moodle that includes indicators of attainment at the ‘Sound’, ‘Good’ and ‘Excellent’ levels for each element of the project scope, schedule, and risk assessment.
- Establish a scope that describes the requirements and potential issues involved in undertaking an ill-defined real-world engineering project
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
A progress report will allow the student teams to seek clarification of the work performed and to give the stakeholders confidence in the team's capabilities to produce what was agreed in the scope. With any project, it is important to continually check that the project team has correctly interpreted all expectations and is continuing to work towards them in the most efficient way. The progress report is also an opportunity for either party to propose changes to the scope, based on progress to date, now that all parties have a greater understanding of the work involved. Early discovery of taking the wrong approach can prevent a lot of wasted time but limited progress will also limit any feedback. Progress Reports can take many forms. In this case, the requirements will be provided on Moodle.
Week 7 Friday (30 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (13 Sept 2024)
A marking rubric is provided on Moodle that includes indicators of attainment at the ‘Sound’, ‘Good’ and ‘Excellent’ levels for each element of the project scope, schedule, and risk assessment.
- Design and conduct a technical investigation incorporating the engineering method of problem-solving to assess several viable solutions
- Analyse and assess an engineering project using a sustainability framework
- Describe measurement techniques and perform data analysis in at least one technical area of engineering
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Group Work
Students are required to prepare a technical report as a team using the report template provided on Moodle. Resources for this assignment are provided on Moodle, in lectures and workshops. Students will need to seek feedback from the lecturer at the draft stage of the report. There is no strict word limit, either minimum or maximum. Student teams should aim to prepare a report which explains the decision-making processes, designs, and results of the chosen project. Students should write succinctly and avoid padding the report with discussions that are unnecessary.
Week 11 Friday (27 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (11 Oct 2024)
This is a Team Project and initially, team submission will be assessed and a grade will be given for each team based on the marking rubric is provided on Moodle that includes indicators of attainment at the ‘Sound’, ‘Good’ and ‘Excellent’ levels for each element of the report. Then grade of individual team member will be determined based on their contribution and performance. Team members will need to indicate their individual contribution in the final report. It may be possible that individual grade could be higher than the team mark, but capped at the maximum mark for the assessment. Details of the project indicators of attainment will be provided on Moodle.
Example: Individual contributions of 3 students in Team A are given below. Team A received 36 marks (out of 40) for their project.
S1 - 30%; S2 - 33%; S3 - 37% (Total 100% contribution)
Based on the contribution, individual marks are given as follow.
S1 = 36 x (30/33.3) = 32.4 (out of 40)
S2 = 36 x (33/33.3) = 35.6 (out of 40)
S3 = 36 x (37/33.3) = 40.0 (out of 40)
- Analyse and assess an engineering project using a sustainability framework
- Describe measurement techniques and perform data analysis in at least one technical area of engineering
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
4 Portfolio
Students are required to prepare an electronic portfolio of individual works as evidence of achieving the relevant unit learning outcomes while completing the team project. Students must use the provided template to prepare the Portfolio that shall only contain individual work. The Portfolio must include the following compulsory sections in the order listed. Additional instructions for preparing the Portfolio will be provided on Moodle.
Grade Nomination: A self-assessment of a student's individual level of learning achievement (‘Sound’, ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’) against each criterion listed in the Portfolio Marking Rubric should be included. A student needs to substantiate all claims by including working electronic bookmarks (document hyperlinks) to the specific entries in the Portfolio that contains unambiguous evidence of meeting the marking rubric criteria. The proof will come from entries in the sections of the Portfolio described below (Workbook, Reflective Journal, and Self and Peer-Assessment Results). Incomplete Grade Nominations or inactive bookmarks will lead to an 'unacceptable' grade for the relevant criteria of the marking rubric. Moodle will contain an example of a suitable Grade Nomination.
Workbook: The workbook can be typed, handwritten then scanned or a combination of both but must be neat, chronological, and legible. It should contain all the individual work for the team project in separate entries with headings and the date, such as: ‘July 20 – Project Scope’. These entries will show when a student worked on each element of the project and how individual ideas and capabilities have developed through the unit. A student should not go back and edit old entries as this may prohibit demonstrating skills development. The workbook cannot be completed retrospectively and should include at least two entries each week while working on the team project, however, can easily contain many more entries each week. Entries should demonstrate a variety of technical skills like researching, brainstorming, creating mind maps, flowcharts, explaining methodologies, creating schedules, obtaining and analysing data, producing and discussing results, figures, charts, conclusions, or any other work for the team project. It is a good practice to add entries to the Workbook first and then share a copy with the teammates to ensure you retain all your original work.
Reflective Journal: As with the workbook, a student may type, handwrite then scan or use a combination of both but it must be neat, chronological, and legible. The Reflective Journal contains a student's thoughts about how the student and the team are progressing with the project and what the student have learnt and experienced either directly by doing the work individually or indirectly through observing others. Again, like the Workbook, at least two entries should be made each week while working on the project, but you could prepare many more reflections each week. Entries must have headings with the date and a title, such as: ‘August 20 – Why scoping is important for the successful outcome of the project'. Entries should focus on a single thought or reflective topic and conclude with a plan to apply what you have learned. Reflective entries can demonstrate a variety of achievements like understanding how and when a student has learnt something by identifying effective ways to communicate and work with peers, and comprehending the relevance of a student's individual learnings to his / her future engineering career. A student should not go back and edit old entries as this may prohibit demonstrating skill development. A student cannot complete the Reflective Journal retrospectively. Refer to the Reflective Writing Guide on Moodle for an example entry.
A student can expect that the lecturer will ask to see the Workbook and Reflective Journal at any time during the team project to ensure a student is progressing suitably towards achieving the associated unit learning outcomes. A student should also be aware that a student must commence the Portfolio several weeks before the due date to complete this assignment successfully, ideally, as soon as the student starts the project.
Self- and Peer-Assessment: Students are required to complete an anonymous Self- and Peer Assessment (SPA) questionnaire towards the end of the team project. SPAs provide de-identified formative feedback to individual students about aspects of teamwork that are perceived by peers in the team. If a student disagrees with SPA feedback, then the student's thoughts should be articulated through an entry in the Reflective Journal and sent to the lecturer for consideration. Guidelines for completing SPAs will be provided on Moodle. SPAs are accessible through Moodle.
Viva Voce: Students may be contacted during the exam weeks by the lecturer to answer questions that clarify unclear learning claims or evidence in the Portfolio. Notify your lecturer when submitting the Portfolio if you will be unavailable during this period.
Review/Exam Week Tuesday (8 Oct 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (18 Oct 2024)
Prior to finalisation of grades
A marking rubric is provided on Moodle that includes indicators of attainment at the ‘Sound’, ‘Good’ and ‘Excellent’ levels for all Portfolio tasks.
- Establish a scope that describes the requirements and potential issues involved in undertaking an ill-defined real-world engineering project
- Design and conduct a technical investigation incorporating the engineering method of problem-solving to assess several viable solutions
- Articulate and demonstrate effective time, team and project management skills
- Provide evidence of a professional capacity to communicate, work and learn individually and in a team.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
