MECH ENG 7056 - Systems Engineering 1

North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2024

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach to enable the realisation of successful systems. It involves considering the complete problem context and system lifecycle; defining the customer needs and functionality early; codifying the requirements; and performing design synthesis and validation accordingly. This course introduces the fundamental concepts and techniques of systems engineering and demonstrates how they can be applied to solve problems. It covers the key processes for engineering systems from the technical, technical management, agreement and organisation-enabling domains. Participants will learn from practicing certified systems engineering professionals and will have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and processes introduced through group discussion, individual assignments and team projects.

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Course Details

Course Code	MECH ENG 7056
Course	Systems Engineering 1
Coordinating Unit	Mechanical Engineering
Term	Summer
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Delivered in Intensive mode
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Assumed Knowledge	It is assumed that students have a general technical knowledge obtained by a Bachelor of Engineering degree or equivalent, and some relevant work experience.
Assessment	Project, Assignment

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr David Harvey

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Explain the importance of systems thinking, problem context, the systems engineering lifecycle and key systems engineering activity areas
2	Recognise the need to define the problem to be solved as the first step in engineering design, with particular reference to the intended system use
3	Plan and execute a systems engineering approach to a group design project
4	Analyse a given problem and develop an appropriate problem specification
5	Define, compare and select from alternative system designs
6	Develop, refine and describe the selected system design
7	Identify and explain how the design can be verified against system requirements and validated against the problem statement
8	Demonstrate professional skills including effective team participation, oral communication and written communication

The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Entry to Practice Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer. The course develops the following EA Elements of Competency to levels of introductory (A), intermediate (B), advanced (C):

1.1	1.2	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
—	—	C	C	C	C	B	C	C	C	C	C	C	C	C	C

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)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1 - 7
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1, 3 - 7
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	3 - 8
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	3, 8
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	2, 4, 8
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	3, 8

Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is delivered in intensive mode, 9am to 5pm each day in two blocks. The first block is two consecutive days, then there is a short break before the second block of three consecutive days. The intensive sessions consist of a mixture of theory and practice focused lecture content, active participation system design workshops, and industry guest speakers.

The course is structured around different types of assessments:
• Engagement and active participation assessments for the lecture and workshop content
• A group systems design project mostly completed during the intensive teaching period, starting with an unstructured problem and working through to the high-level definition of a solution. This has oral presentation and report deliverables.
• A similar individual systems design project completed after the intensive teaching period, which has a report deliverable.

This is a hands-on, participation focused course and students will need to plan their schedule around attendance at the in-person or remote sessions depending on their circumstances. We try to ensure that lunch and breaks are taken at common times to allow occasional work or other learning commitments, but would advise a strong focus on the course for the five timetabled teaching days.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

It is expected that students will spend:
• Approximately 38 hours on structured teaching activities during the intensive delivery period
• Additional time of approximately 120 hours overall from work prior to the first intensive session, between the two intensive sessions, and after completion of the course delivery to prepare for the course, participate in the course, and to complete the group and individual assessments

Learning Activities Summary
Day 1
- Module 0 - Welcome and Introduction
- Module 1 - Introduction to Systems Engineering
- Module 2 - Stakeholder Identification and Needs Analysis
- Workshop 0 - Introduction to Workshops and team formation
- Module 3 - Requirements Engineering
- Workshop 1 - Needs Elicitation & Requirements Analysis
Day 2
- Module 4 - Outline of the SE Conceptual Design Process
- Module 5 - Model-Based System Engineering Intro
- Workshop 2 - Model-Based Systems Engineering Hands-on
- Module 6 - Systems Engineering Management
- Workshop 3 - Project Management Planning
Day 3
- Module 7 - Functional Analysis
- Workshop 4 - Functional Analysis
- Module 8 - System Design: Synthesis
- Workshop 5 - Synthesis
Day 4
- Module 9 - Integration and Test Planning
- Module 10 - Trade Studies
- Workshop 6 - Solution Selection and Verification Strategy
- Module 11 - Specialty Disciplines
- Workshop 7 - Oral Presentation Development
Day 5
- Module 12 - System of Systems Engineering
- Module 13 - Soft Systems Approaches
- Workshop 8 - Design Refinement and Oral Presentation Preparation
- Module 14 - SE Lessons and value
- Module 15 - Wrap-up

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	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
5 x Online Systems Engineering Module Tests (one per day of the course)	Individual	10%	1, 2, 4, and 7
Active Learning Assessments During Workshops / Lectures	Individual	5%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
Group Systems Design Project (during course) - Presentation	Group	15%	2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8
Group Systems Design Project - Design Report	Group, peer assessment weighting	30%	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
Individual Systems Design Project - Design Report	Individual	40%	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8

Assessment Detail

On-line systems engineering module tests (Weighting 10%): Quizzes to see what students understand from the lecture and tutorial content presented each day.
Active learning assessments during workshops (Weighting 5%): Assessments measuring student engagement and participation in workshops throughout the intensive course delivery.
Group systems project presentation (Weighting 15%): Students will complete a group design project during the intensive course delivery. One output of this design work is a presentation at the end of the course delivery, covering work on the project up to this point.
Group project design report (Weighting 30%): Students will complete a group design project during the intensive course delivery. One output of this design work is a short document that explains the design process and key outcomes of problem definition and solution exploration. This is completed and due after the course delivery.
Individual project design report (Weighting 40%): Students will complete an individual design project after the intensive course delivery. The key output from this design work is a short document that explains the design process and key outcomes of problem definition and solution exploration.

Submission

Work will be submitted mostly through MyUni through quiz and assignment submission options. Other work will be demonstrated through active participation within course teaching sessions.

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.

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 Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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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.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator