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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Postgrad (School of Engineering)

Postgraduate Course: Engineering Research Methods with Grand Challenge (MSc) (20 credits) (PGEE11196)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course aims to equip students with essential skills for engineering research and comprises three parts:
Research Methods: through lectures delivered in the first 10 weeks, students will study essential topics for the completion of a research project such as literature surveying, project planning & reporting, time management, Gantt charts, plagiarism & Intellectual Property issues, presentation of research outcomes etc.
Engineering Modelling Techniques: working in the computer laboratory, during the first 10 weeks students will gain experience in using software tools such as Matlab/Simulink for general and specialist engineering modelling (power and energy).
Grand Challenge Project: During week 2, students are given a ¿grand challenge¿ and are asked to do a literature review, identify a specific problem with the assistance of the course staff and propose/design solutions to the problem. The project requires them to use skills and tools they learned in this course. While the projects are individual, the students form forums where they discuss aspects of the challenge and exchange ideas.
The main deliverable (and 80% of the coursework assessment) is an 8-page report formatted as an IEEE journal paper to be submitted in week 11. The project concludes with a research seminar during week 11, where the students present their findings either through a poster or through an oral presentation, which counts for the remaining 20% of assessment.
Course description Indicative list of topics covered in the lectures:
Literature surveys: methods and sources of information
Quantitative & qualitative methods in research
Project planning & Gantt charts
Project management & reporting
Time management
Plagiarism & Intellectual Property
Scientific writing
Presenting research outcomes

Laboratory topics:
Mathematical modelling using Matlab
Simulink for specialist engineering modelling
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. be able to research the literature databases to find, assimilate, formulate and communicate new information from diverse sources;
  2. gain technical understanding of research in the field of electrical power engineering through an in-depth study of a particular problem;
  3. gain experience in team working, project planning and leadership skills in ways which show clear awareness of his/her own and others' roles and responsibilities;
  4. have an understanding of research in a wider societal context and an ability to prepare technical reports and present technical information to specialist and non-specialist audience;
  5. be able to use specialist software tools to carry out engineering research.
Reading List
D. V. Thiel, ¿Research Methods for Engineers¿, Cambridge University Press, 2014, ISBN: 9781139542326
G. Tomas, ¿How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students 3rd ed.¿, SAGE Publications, 2017, ISBN: 147394886X
An Interactive Introduction to Matlab. Online: https://matlab.eng.ed.ac.uk/ , University of Edinburgh
S. Eshkabilov, ¿Beginning MATLAB and Simulink¿, Apress, 2019, e-book ISBN: 978-1-4842-5061-7
V. M Perelmuter, ¿Renewable Energy Systems Simulation With Simulink and SimPowerSystems¿, CRC Press, 2016 ISBN: 9781498765985
Power system Analysis (3rd ed.), Hadi Saadat, PSA Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-0984543809
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsResearch Methods,Project planning,Project Management,Computer Modelling,Matlab,Simulink
Contacts
Course organiserDr Aristides Kiprakis
Tel: (0131 6)50 5586
Email: Aristides.Kiprakis@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Jo Aitkenhead
Tel: (0131 6)50 5532
Email: Jo.Aitkenhead@ed.ac.uk
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