• Semester 1 (External)
• Semester 2 (External)
• Semester 12 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit is the first of several that are intended to enable students
to  acquire  engineering and professional practice skills. Engineering
practice skills, such as the ability to perform practical and  project
work, innovation, problem identification and solution, and engineering
judgement,  will  be  developed  as students  progress  through  their
courses  through  activities  such  as  laboratory  and  field   work,
engineering design and project work. Students will generally  work  in
teams to assist with the building of group interaction skills such  as
negotiation  and  interactive  thinking.  The  development  of   other
professional  practice skills, such as written and oral communication,
is also encouraged in the engineering practice units.

In  this introductory unit, distance education students will undertake
practical   work  primarily  in  the  areas  of  instrumentation   and
measurement, engineering materials, and drafting and design; and  will
be required to prepare a comprehensive report and to present a seminar
on one aspect of this work. Students will be introduced to the library
and computing facilities of the University and are expected to utilise
these  resources in the compilation of their reports and  seminars.  A
series  of  keynote addresses will be staged to assist  students  with
their task. Topics will include the "Presentation and Analysis of Test
Data", "Materials - An Overview", "Errors and Uncertainty", "Effective
Communication - Report Writing and Seminar Presentation" and "Using  a
Computer to Compile Reports".

On  campus students will also undertake practical work in the areas of
instrumentation and measurement, engineering materials,  and  drafting
and design, and will be required to prepare practical work reports and
to  present seminars. For these students, the practical work  will  be
performed throughout the semester.