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 - 2025
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 - 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 | |
| 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
Module/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
Module/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
Module/Topic
Project Due Diligence
Chapter
Project Risks Assessment and Management
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting. Progress Review of Assessment 1 (Project Scope Document, Schedule, and Risk Assessment)
Module/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 (8 Aug 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Research Methods
Chapter
In depth research on the project topic
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Module/Topic
Vacation Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Individual: Self- & Peer-Assessment Questionnaire Due.
Module/Topic
Guidance on Project Progress Reporting and Documentation of Individual Learning Outcomes
Chapter
Preparing Progress Reports
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Module/Topic
Problem Solving and Sustainability Due Diligence in Project Development
Chapter
Project and Portfolio Progress Check and Advice
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting. Progress Review of Assessment 2 (Project Progress Report)
Module/Topic
Project Cost Estimation, Budgeting and Resource Management
Chapter
Reporting Preliminary Results
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Project Progress Report Due: Week 8 Friday (12 Sept 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Project Evaluation and Control
Chapter
Project Evaluation and Control and Project Progress
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting
Individual: Progress Review of Assessment 4 (Evidences of Individual Learning Achievements)
Module/Topic
Project Closeout and Termination
Chapter
Project Final Report
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Hold Project Meeting. Progress Review of Assessment 3 (Project Final Report)
Individual: Self- & Peer-Assessment Questionnaire Due.
Module/Topic
Project Presentations and Feedback
Chapter
Student Project Presentations
Events and Submissions/Topic
Team: Project Practice Presentations
Project Final Report Due: Week 11 Friday (3 Oct 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Unit Reflection and Guidance on Assessment 4: Evidencing 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 (either virtually or in person) at the showcase. This assessment is exempt from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the specified date and time.
Individual: Progress Review of Assessment 4 (Evidences of Individual Learning Achievements)
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
GUIDELINES FOR AI TOOL USAGE FOR STUDENTS:
Al may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. You may use AI-assisted automatic speech recognition to transcribe notes, AI tools to convert notes into outlines, and AI tools to brainstorm or suggest improvements to already created work. Image generation technologies might be used to generate starting points for designs or tools used to explore possibilities for producing software. You must then use the AI-generated ideas as the starting point and apply your skills and knowledge to refine and improve the initial ideas for the final submission. No GenAI-created content without changes should be included in the assessment submissions. You do not need to cite the AI-generated content, as it has been substantially changed in the final submission. However, you need to briefly describe how AI tools were used during the planning, research and initial idea-generation stage of the assessment.
1 Written Assessment
A Scope Document is essential in engineering practice. It defines what tasks will be completed, by whom, and by when, as well as what tasks are outside the project scope. It serves as a contractual agreement, guiding project delivery and ensuring professional accountability, including payment and future opportunities. While Scope Documents can vary in format, this assessment version includes both a project schedule and a risk assessment. Supporting resources are available on Moodle. You must seek feedback from your lecturer on the draft. There is no set word limit, but you are expected to write clearly and concisely, avoiding any unnecessary content.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 4 Friday (8 Aug 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 6 Friday (29 Aug 2025)
It is expected that assessment item will be returned in 2 weeks from the due date.
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 helps your team confirm that the work completed aligns with stakeholder expectations and provides assurance that your team can deliver the outcomes defined in the Scope Document. Regular reporting is essential to ensure your team’s interpretation of the project remains accurate and that work is progressing efficiently. The progress report also provides an opportunity for you or the stakeholders to propose scope adjustments based on current progress and improved understanding of the project. Identifying misalignment early can prevent wasted effort; however, meaningful feedback depends on the quality and extent of progress made. The specific requirements for the report will be available on Moodle.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 8 Friday (12 Sept 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (26 Sept 2025)
It is expected that assessment item will be returned in 2 weeks from the due date.
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
You are required to prepare a technical report as a team using the template provided on Moodle. Supporting resources are available on Moodle. Your team must seek feedback from the lecturer on a draft version of the report. There is no fixed word limit. The report should clearly present your decision-making processes, design work, and project outcomes. Write clearly and concisely, and avoid including any unnecessary content.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 11 Friday (3 Oct 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (17 Oct 2025)
It is expected that assessment item will be returned in 2 weeks from the due date.
This is a team project. The initial assessment will be based on the team’s submission, using the marking rubric provided on Moodle. The rubric outlines indicators of attainment at the ‘Sound’, ‘Good’, and ‘Excellent’ levels for each report element. Individual grades will then be determined based on each member’s contribution and performance. You must clearly state your individual contributions in the final report. In some cases, an individual’s grade may be higher than the team’s grade, but cannot exceed the maximum possible mark for the assessment. Details of the project indicators of attainment are available on Moodle.
Example: The individual contributions of the three students in Team A are listed 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 follows.
- 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
You are required to prepare an electronic Portfolio that showcases your individual work as evidence of meeting the unit learning outcomes while completing the team project. You must use the provided template and ensure the Portfolio contains only your own work. The Portfolio must include the following sections in the order listed. Further guidance will be available on Moodle.
Grade Nomination:
You will complete a self-assessment of your learning achievements by rating yourself as ‘Sound’, ‘Good’, or ‘Excellent’ against each criterion in the Portfolio Marking Rubric. You must support your ratings by including active hyperlinks to the specific entries in your Portfolio that clearly demonstrate evidence of meeting the criteria. These links should refer to your Workbook, Reflective Journal, and Self- and Peer-Assessment Results. If you submit an incomplete Grade Nomination or any broken links, it may result in an 'unacceptable' grade for those criteria. Moodle includes an example of an appropriate Grade Nomination.
Workbook:
Your Workbook should be typed, neat, legible, and arranged in chronological order. You need to record all your individual contributions to the team project in dated entries with clear headings, such as: ‘Project Scope (Date)’ as per the marking rubric. This will show when you worked on different aspects of the project and how your ideas and skills developed over time. Your Workbook should not be done retrospectively and should contain entries while the project is active. Entries should demonstrate a range of technical skills, including research, brainstorming, mind mapping, flowcharts, methodologies, timelines, data analysis, results, and discussions, as outlined in the marking criteria. Start by documenting your work in your Workbook before sharing any version with teammates to ensure you retain full evidence of your original contributions.
Reflective Journal:
This section, like the Workbook, should be typed, neat, legible, and in chronological order. Your Reflective Journal is where you record your reflections on your personal and team progress, lessons learned, and insights gained from both your direct work and your observations of others. Each entry should be dated and titled, for example: ‘Why scoping is important for the successful outcome of the project (Date)’. Focus each entry on a single topic as per the marking rubric and end with a plan for how you will apply what you have learned. Your reflections can cover a range of outcomes, such as recognising when and how you have learned something, understanding effective peer communication, and relating your learning to your future engineering career. Do not write these entries retrospectively. Refer to the Reflective Writing Guide on Moodle for sample entries. Be prepared for the lecturer to request your Workbook and Reflective Journal at any point during the project to check your progress. Start your Portfolio early, ideally when the project begins and work on it consistently throughout the term.
Self and Peer Assessment (SPA):
You must complete the given anonymous Self- and Peer-Assessment survey. The SPA gives de-identified feedback on teamwork based on your peers’ perceptions. If you disagree with the feedback, you should write a response in your Reflective Journal. You can access the SPA through Moodle.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Review/Exam Week Tuesday (14 Oct 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
It is expected that assessment item will be returned prior to the finalisation of the 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?
