Hung Nguyen, Engineering
Project work done in Laboratory context. Students (in groups of 2-3) choose one project out of 12 examples.If students are from the industry and have a particular example they may request to work on this.
"Each project is a reduced-scale model of actual industrial processes and the one project is done through the whole semester."
Linked very tightly to subject objectives - modelling, analysis, design, validation and implementation,
"Firstly they have to work out how it works, then go on to modelling, then calibrate, getting all the information to validate the model."
"They have to work out, given the context, what they can do - what is the best way to control it."
Formal assessment in three areas:
- Seminar (mid-way through subject) - students share ideas about own projects (5%).
- Seminar (towards end of semester) - presentation of result (5%) and demonstration (10%).
- Formal Report (30%)
"Some assessment is based on the questions asked by their peers and how well the group answers them - so in a sense it's peer assessment."
Group mark for Seminar and Individual mark for the Report. Receives feedback every year and modifies if necessary
"Over the years we've increased the amount of information to give more help, depending on the project. - it would be impossible to design 12 projects with the same degree of difficulty."
Students not assessed continuously.
"I feel this would put them under too much pressure."
Informally during laboratory work - additionally lecturer can be contacted any time. Integration of lab work with assignments.
"takes them beyond the textbooks."
Appreciate the way theory and practice are linked. Other universities are not doing lab work thoroughly.
"Some students from other universities realise how much they learned when doing lab work concurrently."
Projects need a strong connection with whatever the industry is. Develop good interactions skills.
"you must learn how to communicate with the students."
