How the course is structured and assessed
The first thing to say is that we intend this course to be interesting, informative and formative. In this regard we are placing the context of the course on both individual study and group/team activities. You are actively encouraged to work as pairs and teams during your studies, but should prepare all assessment items as individual work. (Where group work is included in a portfolio this should be a clearly identified appendix, with individual work forming the main report body. Group work will be preceded by a front cover showing group membership names.)
How to prepare Portfolio 1, 2 and 3
Each or the three portfolios will be 10A4 pages or 20A4 sides in ‘body’ length, with preceding covers and page index, and following appendices.
Portfolio 1 (Reflection)
The first task is about the development of personal and self-management skills within the context of ‘Engineering for the Whole World”.
Portfolio 2 (Project Plan)
The second portfolio relates to the development of skills and understanding about ‘the engineering method’ in a problem solving and project based environment.
You should include your initial e-Portfolio as an attachment.
Portfolio 3 (Project Portfolio)
The final report incorporates parts of Portfolio 1 and Portfolio 2 plus additional analyses and discussions.
You should include your final e-Portfolio as an attachment.
The Client Brief
The context for this course is ‘Global Change’, and the impact ‘Food Shortage” have on all aspects of engineering activity and endeavour into the immediate future. So we are really looking at the food shortage impacts on engineering considerations between now and the year 2050. The start points to your considerations might be: The history of population numbers and growth, current growth rates and projections, and future trends to the year 2050. How will these trends impact on engineering practice in general, and in a discipline specific way? Lots of questions need to be asked and researched, such as rural – urban change, agricultural imperatives, water supply imperatives, power supply imperatives, mass transportation imperatives, competing land use imperatives, and social, environmental and economic sustainability in all contexts. Where and how will
engineers fit into these considerations, and what competencies, characteristics and abilities will enable and define successful engineers?
So you will need to select an engineering discipline or interest focus (water supply, agriculture, food processing, transportation, etc.), and a geographic location (Africa, Asia, Australia, China, India, for example), and investigate and research population and population growth figures, food demand and supply issues, and solutions to supply requirements. Whilst population figures and growth are global, your project can focus on a region or city on the continent of choice. Your concept design will emerge from viable alternatives which have been compared on appropriate criteria, yielding an optimum solution. The final concept design will need to be broadly quantified and costed in Portfolio 3.
Reference:
“The World Is Headed for a Food Security Crisis. Here's How We Can Avert It”
http://time.com/5216532/global-food-security-richard-deverell/
Assessment Items
Due dates are advised in the online specification, and will be shown on study desk.
Three assessments are shown in the course specification.
Assessment 1: Portfolio 1: Reflection
Portfolio 1 is Reflection on your current achievements in terms of engineering competencies, and personal qualities, attributes, skills and research effectiveness.
Week 1
Stage 1 Professional Competencies are grouped under three headings, and you will address two competencies from each grouping. These groupings are:
- Knowledge and skills base, competencies 1.1 to 1.6 (Choose any two).
- Engineering Application Ability, competencies 2.1 to 2.4 (Choose any two).
- Professional and Personal Attributes 3.1 to 3.6 (Choose any two).
Engineers Australia’s stage 1 competencies for Professional Engineers can be seen at:
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-03/Stage%201%20Competency%20Standards.pdf
Portfolio 1 is also reflection on:
Week 2
- Qualities of a USQ Graduate.
- Engineers Australia’s generic attributes of a graduate.
Week 3
- Your reflection on researched Industry definitions of Hard and Soft skills desired by Industry.
Week 4
- Your research into Food Shortage estimates for your project.
- Reflection on the effectiveness of your team in developing and sharing researched information and data for your project.
Due Date: 25 March 2019
Assessment 2: Portfolio 2: Project Plan Portfolio 2 is development of your Project Plan. Week 5
- This is your demonstration of use of ‘The Engineering Method,’ and ‘Project Management Process’ in defining the problem (Client Brief),
- You will be conducting appropriate research and data collection that will enable alternative solutions to be identified. This work will be described in a reflective and thoughtful manner in Portfolio 2.
Week 6
- Your research into the Client Brief will lead to generation of various viable alternative solutions, and you will document these alternatives.
Week 7
- You will also be drafting an assessment methodology for selection of an optimum solution. Initial thoughts on an appropriate selection methodology will be described in Portfolio 2.
Week 8
- Reflect on the source and appropriateness of your researched information and data, and its completeness.
- Reflect on study team effectiveness in the collection and distribution of researched information and data. Is the team effective, and what could be done to improve that degree of effectiveness?
The Engineering Method and Project Management Process:
This schematic is very helpful in project based courses and situations, providing structure and process for ordering and developing thoughts, and structuring work. I recommend you follow it in all you do.
USA 
India