https://courseoutline.auckland.ac.nz/dco/course/CHEMMAT/751B/1245

CHEMMAT 751A/B : Research Project

Engineering

2024 Semester One (1243) / Semester Two (1245) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Students are required to submit a report on independent investigation carried out on a topic assigned by the Head of Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. The work shall be supervised by a member of staff.

Course Overview

The Part 4 (Final Year) research projects provide an opportunity for students to work largely on their own initiative but under supervision, on a topic approved by their Department. Work takes place over a complete academic year, requiring students to enrol in both 700A and 700B versions of the paper. Students will work in pairs under the direction and continuing guidance of a supervisory team.
The research project requires independent thought and action. The project can also be seen within a professional context where our students, as engineers, investigate a specific and open problem in some depth, to produce both a solution informed by sound analysis and practice. It is expected that students will need to draw upon a good level of theoretical knowledge and the skills they have acquired so far in the degree. In some areas they will need to extend their knowledge and expertise. Some projects focus primarily on laboratory work and can involve substantial liaison with local industry, while others may be more analytical or computational in nature.
Work on the project commences at the start of Semester 1 and continues until the end of Semester 2, with the expectation that students will spend on average about 8 hours per week on their project throughout this period. It is important that all projects start at the same time so that no student group gains an advantage. For the same reasons, projects that develop from work experience, or that have a lead-in requirement, are to be avoided.
The research will start with the preparation of the research objectives and scope of the project and a literature review to identify what has been done previously and look at alternative approaches to the problem. This will lead into the detailed work on a solution, which may require some or all of:
i) the design of equipment to carry out specific tasks,
ii) to investigate phenomena or the behaviour of complex systems
iii) computer analysis, modelling, and/or simulation of the engineering systems,
It is important that there is a research component to the project so that the students can develop their research skills.
The outcome of the project is an independent written project report that includes a literature review, a description of the research and its findings, and a statement of research contribution. Further supporting technical material is provided as a compendium.

Course Requirements

Restriction: CHEMMAT 441, 442 To complete this course students must enrol in CHEMMAT 751 A and B

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Retrieve, assess, and evaluate existing research outcomes and technologies relevant to the field of research. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the related work, including an in-depth knowledge of the literature, the important authors, the related terminology, and the research findings (theories, models, structures, designs, principles etc.) (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1 and 8.2)
  2. Classify, summarise, explain, and critique the basic findings of the literature review and identify gaps in the current knowledge. Demonstrate an ability to extract and list the key issues from the literature review in order to conclude to the required problem statements and research questions. Demonstrate the ability to synthesis an exemplary problem statement, propose research questions, and formulate research hypotheses. (Capability 3.1, 4.1, 4.2 and 6.1)
  3. Demonstrate clearly their knowledge of the underlying theory, methods, and procedures. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the required experiments and/or simulations and how they actually relate to the research questions or hypotheses. Demonstrate an understanding of the experimental design or numerical study, giving consideration to statistical significance and quality of collected data. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
  4. Correctly use the theory and research methods and efficiently conduct the required experiments and/or simulations. Demonstrate the ability to use data to extract appropriate models, cluster data into relevant groups, extract major and minor components, perform statistical analysis, organise data into appropriate tables, graphs, and diagrams, interpret data and compare them with previously published data, address the validity or inappropriateness of the data (discussing possible limitations), critique and recommend future improvements for the experimental design and the research direction. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
  5. Design, develop, evaluate, and experimentally validate appropriate solutions for the selected research questions. Demonstrate proficiency related to hardware and software co-design (where applicable). (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
  6. Demonstrate their proficiency in engineering / technical writing by being able to generate a technical research report summarising the research findings and to create a research compendium containing all the required supplementary information. (Capability 6.1)
  7. Deliver a public presentation and an exhibit to industry members of the research project findings (Capability 6.1)
  8. Provide knowledgeable and logical explanations and expert opinion in relation to the research findings. Demonstrate the ability to add, at a satisfactory level, to the existing knowledge, articulating the importance of the work, in relation to solving a larger, ‘real-world’ problem. (Capability 4.1, 4.2, 6.1 and 8.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Portfolio 100% Individual Coursework
100%
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Portfolio

Workload Expectations

Prior to the commencement of the research work students should complete a checklist that has a number of tasks, such as research lab induction and ethics approval (if needed). Students are expected to spend at least 8 hours a week on their project throughout the academic year and they are expected to keep a log-book. The academics should ensure that the workload for the project fits within this time frame. The first project component will focus on the objectives, project scope, and literature review and it should give an idea as to whether the project goals are achievable in the available time.

The mid-year technical report will also give the opportunity to the supervisors to provide meaningful and constructive feedback on the preliminary results and the technical work prior to the submission of the final report. The work within the project scope should be appropriately divided. In cases where it is not possible to assign separate roles, students will do the work jointly but must prepare individual reports in the form of a research paper.  

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Health & Safety

Health & Safety induction, Lab authorisation, following standard operation procedures (SOPs)
Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Students were generally satisfied with the course structure and approach, suggesting a few improvements during the 2023 SET evaluation.

Positive aspects of the learning experience from the course in 2023 focused on three major areas:

  1. Students appreciated the structured approach to the course, highlighting the usefulness of frequent workshops and milestone submissions for managing their year-long projects, as well as the openness and effectiveness of the coordinators and supervisors in addressing questions.
  2. The poster day was particularly well-received and is recommended for inclusion in future iterations of the course.
  3. The individual research projects were engaging and provided valuable insights into more advanced R&D work.

Suggestions for course improvements in 2023 centered on two areas:

  1. A unified course homepage for Semesters 1 and 2 was suggested to organize instructions and assignments better.
  2. More frequent feedback from supervisors and a more distributed marking scheme for milestone submissions were also recommended.

Planned improvements for the coming year (2024):

  • The 751 coordinator team will ensure that project supervisors provide prompt feedback on milestone submissions and clarify to students how these submissions are considered in their project assessments.


Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.