Undergraduate Course: Tools for Engineering Design 2 (CIVE08020)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course introduces students to a wide range of skills that are required in civil engineering design, and that make part of the engineers' toolbox. It provides students with experience of solving and communicating solutions to open-ended engineering problems that require compromise between competing criteria and priorities. It develops competence and confidence in communication skills including sketching, engineering drawings and oral presentation. It also introduces engineering tools such as basic CAD and spreadsheet skills via self-directed learning. |
| Course description |
Engineers design things. The 'things' that Civil, Structural and Environmental engineers design include buildings, flood prevention schemes, bridge repairs, highway maintenance strategies, or 100 year city strategies. We do not always design new things; very often we need to come up with ways to maintain or strengthen our existing infrastructure. Engineering is fundamentally creative, and Tools for Engineering Design 2 helps develop the skills needed for Engineering Design.
A key aspect of design is that there are no single correct answers. It is relatively straightforward to come up with a solution that works; the challenge for a good designer is to come up with the 'best' solution. That is not straightforward: some solutions might be impractical or unsafe to build, some might use materials that cannot be found locally, some will be very expensive or poor aesthetically. Designers often work with incomplete information, a Client who changes their mind part way through the project, or contradicting requirements. Iteration is always needed to find the 'best' design solution.
Tools for Engineering Design 2 helps students develop a 'toolbox' of strategies for tackling open-ended design problems. The course introduces the challenges of iterative design through a series of short group projects and tasks. The projects gradually build students' awareness of and confidence in tackling conceptual design problems, a thread that is picked up in the third year course 'Conceptual Design for Civil Engineers 3' and elsewhere in the degree programme.
The course covers:
- What is design?
- Communication (drawings, group work, meetings, discussion)
- Self-led learning (CAD, spreadsheets, drawing)
- Calculations in design
- Design and build project
- New build project
- Upgrade project
- Compilation of a portfolio of the above work
As well as learning about the design process, students learn specific skills required by a designer: how drawings are used at different stages of design; calculations and spreadsheets; and the basics of computer aided drawing (CAD).
The course is taught through project work within the timetabled hours, with discussion and critique of the various projects providing feedback to develop students' design skills.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Civil Engineering 1 (CIVE08001)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None, but visiting students should note that this is a course on Civil Engineering design. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 33,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
54 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework, largely based upon group work and requires attendance during timetabled hours.
Project 1 20%
Project 2 20%
Final portfolio of work 60% |
| Feedback |
Group and class feedback takes place within discussion sessions in the timetabled hours. Written feedback on a group's work will also be provided upon one formative project and the final portfolio work. Verbal feedback will be given upon each group's design project submissions, and each group will be asked to keep a written record of this feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Have experience of the challenges of creative open-ended design, including iteration, compromise, conflict, uncertainty, optimisation, choice, team-work and communication.
- Identify the drivers that govern a design problem and create conceptual design techniques to develop solutions that best satisfy these competing demands.
- Apply engineering tools to tackle complex design problems, typical of those found in civil engineering design.
- Communicate using different styles of basic drawings (sketches, technical drawings, CAD) and verbal communication (within or outwith the design team).
- Develop self-learning skills and the ability to apply these skills in sensible, self-critical way, including conducting and recording engineering calculations and software.
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Reading List
Expedition Workshed website, http://expeditionworkshed.org
The Hitchhiker's Guide to AutoCAD Basics, from https://knowledge.autodesk.com
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/drawing-gym/
From the course Learn site:
Ibell T. (2016) ¿Virtual by design¿, The Structural Engineer, 94 (3), 88¿89
Wise C.M. (2008). ¿The call of the wild: the next 100 years¿, The Structural Engineer, 86(14), pp. 146¿153
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course requires attendance at and participation in all of the weekly project sessions. Non-attendance without good reason will result in an individual student's mark being reduced for group design work. |
| Keywords | Engineering design,Iterative,creative design,Civil engineering projects,Engineering drawings |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Rush
Tel: (0131 6)50 6023
Email: D.Rush@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Craig Hovell
Tel: (0131 6)51 7080
Email: c.hovell@ed.ac.uk |
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