KL7027 - Mechanical Aerospace Engineering team project

The module will be delivered via a combination of several introductory lectures and many more group meetings as well as regular progress review meetings with supervisors. The introductory lectures will focus on providing you with advice and guidance on general aspects of project management and required project reporting.

The module requires a significant proportion of self-directed independent learning within the framework of the team project plan and supervisor’s guidance and formative feedback. Overall, learning will be through the input from lectures and supervision and your active development, execution and monitoring of the project plan.

Supervision of the project involves regular meetings of the team with the project supervisor. These meetings allow you to receive guidance and formative feedback in order to steer the team to successful completion of the project. These meetings also provide you with an opportunity to develop your verbal communication skills. The electronic learning platform (eLP) will provide a comprehensive resource for integrated learning incorporating learning materials and reading lists that will facilitate directed and self-directed learning.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

MLO1 Propose and develop original solutions to a comple problem in aerospace-related mechanical engineering reflecting societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate. These solutions will account for relevant health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

MLO2 Critically assess and then select and apply appropriate , computational and analytical methods to simulate the complex problem in aerospace-related mechanical engineering chosen by the team.

MLO3 Thoroughly account for integrated, or systems approach, within the individual’s part of the work to the entirety of the complex problem selected by the team.

MLO4 Conduct risk management assessments to identify, evaluate and mitigate both health and safety related hazards and risks as well as the project risks

MLO5 Select and apply appropriate materials, equipment, engineering technologies and processes, recognising their limitations

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

MLO6 Adopt an inclusive approach to engineering practice and recognise the responsibilities, benefits and importance of supporting equality, diversity and inclusion

MLO7 Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader of a team

MLO8 Plan and record self-learning and development as the foundation for lifelong learning and continuous professional development

Formative feedback will be provided at the regular team meetings with the project supervisor. The summative assessment will be given using the mark-up tools for electronic submission available in the eLP (e.g. BlackBoard)

The summative assessments will be based on three pieces:

Component 1 (20% of the total mark) is the project planning document with an overview of the selected problem and proposed methods to address it. It will containing a risk assessment for health and safety related hazards as well as the project risks. It will briefly present the team but focus on the individual’s role within the team. This component is answering MLO2, MLO4, MLO6.

Component 2 (50% of the total mark), assessing MLO1, MLO3, and MLO5 is the team project technical report with the details of the developed solution and containing a thorough and comprehensive assessment of societal, economic, legislative and environmental issues arising from the problem and its solution.

Component 3 (30% of the total mark), assessing MLO7 and MLO8 is the individual assessment of the achieved progress, technical details and justification of the student’s own work within the team and the skills audit with identification of the needs for further improvement.

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In this team project module you will carry out an extended research and design exercise in an aerospace-related topic of mechanical engineering; it develops your ability to work independently and as a team member, it brings your new competences, increases your professional confidence, and promotes your team-work and communication skills. As a part of a team, you will develop an original solution to a problem one may face in industrial practice and your solution will reflect not only technical issues but also those arising from commercial, societal, and ecological considerations. Your design will account for relevant health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards. You will select and critically assess technical literature with the guidance on how to source it and assess the appropriateness of information is provided to you by your project supervisor. You will investigate cutting-edge research at the forefront of the field and provide critical analysis to select and apply analytical, computational, and practical approaches in the absence of complete data recognising the limitations of the techniques you employ. This team project is focused on a research led learning incorporating enquiry-based activities. The module also aims to develop both verbal and written communication skills.

In interaction with other team members, you will assess the exsiting approaches, identify what is relevant to your chosen project, and then apply selected theoretical and analytical techniques to solve “a real-life applied complex problem” of industrial relevance. The project will provide practical experience of drawing up a project planning documents defining aims, objectives and identifying an envisaged endpoint and technical solutions to achieve the latter.