41202 Professional Engineering Communication
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Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): (78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Degree owned by FEIT OR 78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Honours Embedded Degree owned by FEIT OR 78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree owned by FEIT OR 78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree owned by FEIT OR 78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree co-owned by FEIT OR 78 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree co-owned by FEIT)) AND ( 41201 Ver 1 Designing Sustainable Engineering Projects OR (41200 Engineering Project Appraisal AND 99223 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning)
Description
This subject is focused on developing students' professional communication and critical thinking skills, understanding of the professional responsibilities of engineers (for example risk in projects) and how these apply to planning and managing engineering projects. In practice, professional engineers communicate using a range of mediums and document types to negotiate different aspects of project planning, execution and management, with a variety of audiences and stakeholders. In this subject, students engage with a variety of these communication forms to prepare for professional practice. In particular, the context in this subject for developing these professional skills is the tendering process.
Students build on their experiences of engineering projects in Introduction to Engineering Projects and Designing Sustainable Engineering Projects, and expand on this to better understand the complexities of contemporary engineering practice. It also expands the scope of project evaluation introduced in Engineering Project Appraisal by highlighting the importance of communication with real people and their different interests, motivations, assumptions, and values in a business context. This also foreshadows the broader cross-cultural complexity which are explored further in Collaboration in Complex Projects with its Indigenous engineering theme.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Communicate to a professional standard to different stakeholders with regard to context and purpose. (E.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Relate the Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and other dimensions of professional obligations to engineering projects. (B.1) |
| 3. | Interpret financial documents to appraise viability of engineering proposals. (D.1) |
| 4. | Apply critical thinking skills to propose and justify engineering decisions in a complex project. (C.1) |
| 5. | Applying theory of project management to engineering projects. (D.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs and cultural perspectives, establish priorities and goals, and identify constraints, uncertainties and risks (social, ethical, cultural, legislative, environmental, economics etc.) to define the system requirements. (B.1)
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design and decision-making methodologies to develop components, systems and processes to meet specified requirements. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline fundamentals, software, tools and techniques to evaluate, implement and operate systems. (D.1)
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.5. Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline.
- 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
- 2.4. Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects.
- 3.1. Ethical conduct and professional accountability.
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject develops students’ understanding of the range of professional engineering communication contexts and requirements. Students develop their skills of interpreting, analysing and presenting information to different audiences.
This subject builds on students’ project experience and expands the scope of project evaluation introduced in Engineering Project Appraisal by presenting with them authentic engineering project proposal documents in various forms and providing opportunity for them to analyse these through the lenses of business & finance, ethics & professional responsibility, and project management. Students will develop and apply critical thinking skills in evaluating these artefacts of professional engineering communication.
Students will be given opportunities to compare and contrast these documents with other communication artefacts produced through the lifecycle of an engineering project and in engineering practice more broadly.
Content (topics)
Project Management
- Project planning including budgeting and scheduling
- Risk identification and management
- Uncertainty in projects and contingency planning
- Understanding various engineering project management approaches and where these are applicable.
Business & Finance
- Financial reporting in engineering documents (e.g. project budgets)
- Business cases
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
- Engineers Australia Code of Ethics, in theory and practice
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Executive summaries
| Intent: | Demonstrate ability to extract relevant information and communicate concepts to identified stakeholders in an appropriate format |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 300 words |
Assessment task 2: Proposal Critique
| Intent: | Demonstrate critical thinking through critiquing and ranking project proposals. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | 1500 words |
Assessment task 3: Recommendation to the Board
| Intent: | Demonstrate versatility in communication by presenting their evaluation and recommendation to the ‘Board’. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 45% |
| Length: | 250 words (i.e. “a 1-pager”) + 7-minute presentation (with 3 minutes Q&A) per group |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.