ELEC ENG 7057 - Engineering Communication & Critical Thinking
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2019
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code ELEC ENG 7057 Course Engineering Communication & Critical Thinking Coordinating Unit School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assessment Assignments Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Ms Catherine Irving
Lecturer: Mr Alf Grasso
Email: alfio.grasso@adelaide.edu.au
Office: Ingkarni Wardl level 3 room 3.58
Lecturer: Ms Catherine Irving
Email: catherine.irving@adelaide.edu.au
Office: Ingkarni Wardl level 3 room 3.45Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1 Understand the role of high level communication skills in professional engineering and research practice. 2 Understand the effects of cultural background on communication idioms. 3 Communicate effectively in English in multi-cultural professional contexts. 4 Present, effectively, complex engineering information in a seminar format to both technical and non-technical audiences. 5 Create engineering documents that effectively communicate complex technical information, as part of a professional engineering process 6 Analyse and critically evaluate information obtained from diverse sources. 7 Plan engineering solutions that take into account environmental and societal impact. 8 Initiate and make original and informed contributions to group discussions. 9 Contribute productively to the work of teams undertaking a professional engineering process. 10 Contribute to and, when necessary, lead engineering team meetings.
The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer.
The course is designed to develop the following Elements of Competency: 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6
University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Deep discipline knowledge
- informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
- acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
- accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
4, 5, 6, 7 Critical thinking and problem solving
- steeped in research methods and rigor
- based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
- demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
6, 7, 8 Teamwork and communication skills
- developed from, with, and via the SGDE
- honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
- encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 Career and leadership readiness
- technology savvy
- professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
- forward thinking and well informed
- tested and validated by work based experiences
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 Intercultural and ethical competency
- adept at operating in other cultures
- comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
- able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
- demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
- open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
- able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
2, 8, 9, 10 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
References
Students are expected to own and use a dictionary and a grammar book suitable for their level. If you do not already have these, some options follow. Check for more recent editions.
Dictionaries
Macquarie Dictionary, 2005, Yallop, C (ed), 4th edn, Macquarie Library, North Ryde, N.S.W
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005, 7th edn, OUP, Oxford.
Grammar Books
Alexander, LG 1990, Longman English grammar practice, Longman, Harlow.
Hewings, M 2005, Advanced grammar in use, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Murphy, R. 2007, Essential grammar in use, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press Melbourne.
Murphy, R 2004, English grammar in use, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press, Sydney.
Peters, P 1995, The Cambridge Australian English style guide, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Raimes, A 1990, Grammar troublespots: an editing guide for students, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Swan, M 2005, Practical English Usage, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Recommended Resources
Beer, D & McMurrey, D 2005, A guide to writing as an engineer, 2nd edn, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken.
Cargill, M & O'Connor, P 2009, Writing scientific research articles: strategy and steps, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, UK.
Copi, IM & Cohen, C 1998, Introduction to logic, 10th edn, Prentice-Hall International, London.
Eunson, B 2005 or 2006, Communicating in the 21st Century, John Wiley and Sons, Milton.
Girle, RA 2008, Introduction to logic, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Rosedale.
Hart, H 2005, Introduction to engineering communication, Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River.
Huckin, T & Olsen, LA 1991, Technical writing and professional communication for nonnative speakers of English, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.
Ingre, D 2008, Engineering communication: a practical guide to workplace communications for engineers, Thompson, Toronto.
Mohan, T, McGregor, H, Saunders, S & Archee, R 2008, Communicating as professionals,Thomson, Southbank.
Munson, R and Black, A 2007, The Elements of reasoning, 5th edn, Thomson, Belmont.
Penrose, AM & Katz, SB 2004, Writing in the sciences: exploring conventions of scientific discourse, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, New York.
Rudinow, J & Barry, VE 1994, Invitation to critical thinking, 3rd edn, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Fort Worth.
Swales, J & Feak, C 1994, Academic writing for graduate students, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
Weissberg, R & Buker, S 1990 Writing up research, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.Online Learning
An extensive range of resources are available through MyUni. Students are expected to check their email and MyUni dailyfor information, announcements, resources and learning tasks. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Project Classes and Workshop Classes (classes) and lectures are the primary means of delivery in this task-based course.To learn successfully in this course students need to interact with each other in English in classes and listen to and absorb material in lectures. Thus, students are required to attend and actively participate in both classes and lectures. Through discussion, negotiation and other formative tasks during classes, students will have the opportunity to develop and hone their English language and critical thinking skills. Written and oral assessment tasks will provide opportunities for students to expand and refine their communication skills in English.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
Contact time per week:
Lecture: 1 hour
Project class: 2 hours
Workshop: 2 hours
Students are expected to spend a minimum of four hours per week actively following up material and tasks presented in lectures, project classes, workshops and online through MyUni.Learning Activities Summary
Content:
This course consists of a series of lectures and workshops.The teaching topics will be drawn from the following:
Professional competencies of engineers and the role of communication
Complex systems in everyday language
Presenting a business case
System requirements and synthetic languages
Formal engineering reviews
Sustainability
Teamwork skills, peer review and reflective practice
Critical thinking and argument development
Professional writing
Academic writing
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Weighting (%) Individual/ Group Formative/ Summative Due (week)* Hurdle criteria Learning outcomes Feasibility study 20 Individual Formative/Summative Weeks 3, 7 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 8. Business case 15 Individual Summative Weeks 4,5,6 1. 2. 3. 4. 6. 7. Reflection 10 Individual Formative/Summative As on MyUni 1. 2. 3. 9. Engineering report 20 Group Summative Week 8 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Engineering review 15 Group Summative Week 9,10 1. 2. 3. 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. Sustainability Position Paper 15 Group Summative Week 13 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Quizzes 5 Individual Formative/Summative 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. Total 100
This assessment breakdown is registered as an exemption to the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy. The exemption is related to the Procedures clause(s): 1. a. iAssessment Related Requirements
The assessment regime is intended to be broadly representative of the professional work environment. For this reason, and because students will work in teams, students are expected to attend all classes and workshops.
Assessment Detail
Details of assessment tasks will be provided during the course. There will be a mix of group and individual assessment.Submission
Written assignments are submitted electronically. Selected assignments must be submitted electronically to the Turnitin plagiarism software. Late submissions are not accepted without the prior approval of the Course Co-ordinator. By submitting an assignment via MyUni students are agreeing to the following statement:
'I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work, except where there is clear acknowledgement and reference to the work of others. I have read the University of Adelaide's Academic Honesty Policy. I give permission for any assessed assignments to be reproduced and submitted to other academic staff for the purposes of assessment and to be copied, submitted and retained in a form suitable for electronic checking of plagiarism.'Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student feedback in Semester 1 2019 indicated that some students considered more instruction and time were needed to develop presentation skills to enable them to present at Masters level. In Semester 2 2019 we are addressing this issue by rearranging the course timetable to give more time to presentation skill development, with the aim of achieving the Engineers Australia Stage 1 competency standard upon graduation from the Master of Engineering program.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.