Engineering project brief

1. Section 3
Unit Title Engineering Project
Unit Code BTC302
Programme BSc (Hons) Broadcast Technology
Credits 30 Level 3 Unit Status Mandatory
Contact Time 60 Access to Resources 100 Independent Study 140
Broadcast engineers will often be called upon to plan, develop and
manage an engineering project, and will be expected to be able to
work independently, gathering relevant expertise and delivering to a
negotiated deadline.
This unit seeks to simulate this sector experience through a multi-
disciplinary project wherein students engage individually in new
learning in relation to technology, set themselves challenges, and
develop themselves through initiating and developing an individually
negotiated engineering project.
Introduction
Students will decide on their own “problem” in negotiation with a
member of staff. This decision will be enshrined in a learning
agreement, with individual contractual obligations. Learning
outcomes and assessment criteria will also be negotiated.
This unit may have some inter-relationship with the student’s choice
of dissertation subject in BTC306 Dissertation (namely it may spring
from this enquiry, or be associated with it, but must not duplicate
research material).
Topics covered in this unit are likely to include:
Indicative
• Project initiation and planning;
Curriculum
• Project development;
Outline
• Project management;
• Project presentation.
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2. Section 3
Although these are open for negotiation students should ensure that
their individual new learning is clearly articulated. The following are
the “default” learning outcomes, which will underpin all projects and
any further negotiated learning outcomes:
Knowledge and Understanding
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Reflect on the challenges a broadcast engineering project
has presented and critically evaluate the relative success
against the proposed outcomes; (LO1)
2. Present and discuss a broadcast engineering project in
systematic detail, demonstrating sufficient subject area
knowledge and conceptual understanding to answer
Unit Learning questions and articulate intention and approach. (LO2)
Outcomes
Skills
By the end of the project the students will be able to:
3. Initiate proposals/specification and programme plans; (LO3)
4. Research and develop a broadcast engineering project from
a number of possible broadcast engineering concepts (this
may involve developing feasibility studies); (LO4)
5. Project manage a project to schedule, to a client’s
satisfaction and within budget, demonstrating decision-
making in complex and unpredictable contexts; (LO5)
6. Apply existing broadcast engineering methods and
techniques to an engineering project, to extend knowledge
and understanding and develop new, project specific
engineering skills. (LO6)
Learning on this unit is gained through a combination of:
Teaching and
• Lectures;
Learning
• Seminars;
Strategies
• Tutorials;
• Self-directed study.
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3. Section 3
Assessment of this unit comprises formative coursework and a
summative written report and oral presentation of the final project.
Formative Assessment
Submitting a Project Proposal and Interim Project Report of about
2000 words.
Summative Assessment
Submitting a Final Project Report of 4000-6000 words and a
Assessable presentation to a Panel will form the summative elements at the
Elements completion of the unit.
The final assessment is an aggregate of project report marks and
presentation.
Assessable Elements Percentage of Final Grade
Interim Project Report 25% 75%
Final Project Report 50%
Presentation 25%
Assessment
Criteria To be individually negotiated. The following are the “default”
assessment criteria:
Students will be assessed on:
Project Proposal and Interim Project Report
• Depth of definition and explanation of the problem and scope
of the broadcast engineering project in a
proposal/specification and programme plan; (LO3)
• Ability to identify outcomes and performance indicators suited
to a defined broadcast engineering project; (LO1)
• Weight of evidence of appropriate research and development
for at least two broadcast engineering concepts. (LO4)
Final Project Report
• Level of ability to project manage the project, to near
professional degrees of client satisfaction and budget
compliance; (LO5)
• Level of ability to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions,
abstract concepts, and data to make judgements and frame
appropriate questions to achieve a solution; (LO1, LO2)
• Degree of application of methods and techniques to review,
initiate and carry out a broadcast engineering project; (LO6)
• Degree of systematic application of learning and reflection on
the challenges the project has presented. (LO1, LO2)
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4. Section 3
Presentation
• Degree of higher levels of communication skills utilised in
presenting a project to a Panel; (LO2)
• Degree of awareness of industrial and commercial
constraints; (LO4, LO5)
• Coherence of decision-making processes within broadcast
engineering context; (LO5)
• Degree of appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and
limits of knowledge. (LO1, LO2, LO5, LO6)
Blair, R. (2002) Digital Techniques in Broadcasting Transmission,
Focal.
Eisner, H. (2002) Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering
Management, John Wiley and Sons.
Tozer, E. (2004) Broadcast Engineer’s Reference Book, Focal.
Uren, M. (2001) Illustrated Dictionary of Moving Image Technology,
Indicative
Focal.
Reading List
Williams, E. (2006) NAB Engineering Handbook, Focal.
http://www.edasolutions.com/Groups/Tech/BroadcastCalcs.htm
EDA, Incorporated Broadcast Engineering – online Broadcast
Engineering related calculators.
Students will also be provided with additional individual reading list
and references dependent on their specific project requirements.
Faculty of Communication Media Definitive Document: 21 July 2006