Mechanical Engineering (Extended Degree) BEng (Hons) (i2i International Soccer Academy)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

This module will allow you to explore what it means to be a professional engineer and the various options and opportunities open to you as a developing professional who may be contributing to the furtherment of mechanical engineering in the very near future. Exploring aspects such as the various subject areas and developing themes within mechanical engineering that may allow you to tailor your career aspirations as you graduate, as well as looking at alternative career options, this module will assist you to reflect upon your development to date and consider where you may ultimately wish to direct your career and some of the things that you might do to try and get there. Consideration will be given to the nature, types and sizes of organisations, their various stakeholders, and the different roles engineering has within different organisations. Through contemplation of prospective roles within such organisations and how you may direct your individual professional development, you will develop a roadmap to help you progress your future career based upon the development of core professional values and competencies.

Vibration and control will combine and build upon knowledge, understanding, and practical application within the subject of dynamics to tackle complex engineering problems. You will investigate how the field of control theory is used to measure and regulate vibrating mechanical systems through the selection and application of appropriate equipment. Advanced techniques and tools will be blended with the methodologies practised in previous years of your programme to facilitate investigation into complex mechanics-based problems where independence and creativity are encouraged to explore and critically evaluate potential solutions to more open-ended challenges. Analytical, computational, and experimental techniques will also be considered and applied to reach substantiated conclusions.

The mechanics of continuous systems will unify your knowledge, understanding, and practical abilities within the subject of mechanics to tackle complex engineering problems. Advanced techniques and tools will be blended with the methodologies practised at previous levels to facilitate investigation into complex mechanics-based problems where independence and creativity is essential to explore and critically evaluate potential solutions to more open-ended challenges. Analytical, computational, and experimental techniques will be considered, applied and judged to reach substantiated conclusions related to increasingly complex problems including greater degrees of freedom and integration of multiple system components.

This module allows you to develop and evaluate approaches to the application of fundamental engineering principles associated with fluids and energy in the context of real-world systems that include an environmental perspective. The module will investigate global concerns relating to the availability of energy sources, their sustainability and use, and how technologies relating to these aspects may be utilised and integrated into solutions that may be more acceptable and efficient in terms of societal impact and use of resources. Conventional energy systems and emerging technologies will be used to form the basis of discussion and exploration within the module supported by practical applied investigations associated with the performance of these systems.

This module introduces and explores the various aspects and technologies of industrial automation systems, such as robotic devices, and the appropriate mechanical engineering considerations associated with their design, selection and use. The module will establish competence in the application of automation systems and component selection and their integration that is integral to the specification and operation of such systems in a range of different scenarios. The module will develop the ability to select and use such systems safely and in ways that may be related to organisational aims such as quality, efficiency and output and consider relevant technical areas such as fixed and flexible automation systems, machine control (including programming) and sensor characterisation, selection and integration.

This module allows you to develop your design skills and knowledge through their application to addressing acknowledged global design challenges and problems. It will involve the consideration, selection and application of suitable design methodologies, approaches and techniques that are appropriate to the design problem posed. Problems within the module will be identified as having a significant impact on society (in a global context) that would benefit from the derivation of engineering design solutions within the remit of mechanical engineering subject areas. Key activities based upon design thinking and approaches, sound problem research and its translation into design requirements, through the implementation of scientific and engineering principles will be used to solve complex design problems within an environment that represents an authentic engineering design team and communication of the design results. Professional engineering considerations, such as sustainability and economics, will be some of the factors integral to the process of deriving a solution. They will necessitate a systematic and considered approach to the problem which will be supported by evidenced practical demonstration of design outcome suitability.

You will learn about and demonstrate how to apply the knowledge and skills developed earlier and concurrently in your degree programme whilst also extending your independent learning through a deep investigation of a topic, which may be of your own choice. You will develop your ability to plan, direct, progress and take responsibility for your large scale investigative project. You may be involved in the choice of the topic of your investigation and be able to lead the direction of the investigation under the guidance of a supervisor. Your investigation will be technical in nature, draw upon a broad range of existing engineering knowledge and practice, apply advanced engineering techniques and analysis, draw your verifiable conclusions supported by your findings and enable you to communicate your outcomes and conclusions in a professional manner.