MTE4201 - Materials in a complex world 3: Impact in society

Overview

In this unit, we will move beyond the role of the engineer as a designer, and examine the role of an engineer as a strategist within a technical organisation and within society as a whole. Project management aspects covered in this unit will include enterprise & entrepreneurship, economicsand markets, materials … For more content click the Read More button below. The unit will include a major team-based project, addressing a problem in the broad area of materials sustainability. You will apply the knowledge gained in class to propose and justify strategic actions that could be taken by your team. You will be expected to integrate technical and non-technical concepts into your team’s major project. At the end of the unit, your team will produce a strategic plan to address the problem, which will form a key part of your professional portfolio upon graduation.

In this unit, we will move beyond the role of the engineer as a designer, and examine the role of an engineer as a strategist within a technical organisation and within society as a whole. Project management aspects covered in this unit will include enterprise & entrepreneurship, economics
and markets, materials flow, the carbon economy, regulation and social responsibility. You will participate in a complex real-world engineering project and interact with key stakeholders in an area of significance for the role of materials engineering in society. The interrelationship between innovation and invention and the generation and nature of intellectual property within a business context will be covered.

The unit will include a major team-based project, addressing a problem in the broad area of materials sustainability. You will apply the knowledge gained in class to propose and justify strategic actions that could be taken by your team. You will be expected to integrate technical and non-technical concepts into your team’s major project. At the end of the unit, your team will produce a strategic plan to address the problem, which will form a key part of your professional portfolio upon graduation.

Requisites

Corequisite

Rules

Enrolment Rule

Notes

Replace MTE4201 with one Professional Practice domain unit from Semester 2, 2024.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

Plan a long-term technical innovation process that appropriately accounts for societal, health, safety, legal and IP, cultural, workforce, ethical and environmental factors, and relevant industry standards.

Research and synthesise recent findings in fields of study relevant to a current societal problem.

Engage in a professional manner with teammates and with experts and/or interested external parties in areas relevant to a topic of study.

Appraise and negotiate design specifications and potential project scope in response to stakeholder needs.

Demonstrate fundamental skills in business, quality management, risk management, entrepreneurship and creative problem solving applied to a materials engineering context.

Holistically appraise a proposed course of action based on professional and societal standards of sustainable and socially responsible engineering.

Reflect on performance within a team project, and on the roles of materials engineering and other fields of expertise in addressing contemporary issues.

Teaching approach

Problem-based learning

Assessment summary

Continuous assessment: 100%

Assessment

1 - Individual tasks

2 - Project literature review

3 - Project strategic plan

4 - Project interview

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for this unit. Check the supplementary assessments page for details about exemptions.

Workload requirements

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-4 hours of scheduled learning activities and 8-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.

Other unit costs

The following items are mandatory for practical aspects of the unit and should be purchased as you will be reusing them throughout your course.

Protective clothing and equipment at your own cost:
• Laboratory coat - approximately $35 to $50
• Safety glasses - approximately $8, or prescription safety glasses (if required) - approximately $350
• Laboratory-appropriate enclosed footwear (non-porous material, equipped with non-absorbent, slip-resistant soles)

Costs are indicative only.

Availability in areas of study

E3001 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Specialisation: Materials engineering