Course Title: Sustainable Engineering

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Sustainable Engineering

Credit Points: 12.00

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
PROC2074	City Campus	Undergraduate	120H Civil, Environmental & Chemical Engineering	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 1 2013

Course Coordinator: Dr. Liam Ward

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1713

Course Coordinator Email: L.Ward@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Room No: 7.4.03

Course Coordinator Availability: TBA at the First class

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

An important part of this course is the ability to communicate effectively, using both written and oral communication methods.  In order to undertake this course, students are expected to have capabilities consistent with the completion of VCE English at Year 12 level.

Course Description

Sustainable Engineering is a central core course that develops fundamental capabilities essential to other courses within the Chemical Engineering Program. These include teamwork, communication skills, problem solving and decision making, sustainability, project management and personal and professional development. A strong focus of the course is the introduction of problem based learning to the Chemical Engineering Program via “open ended” projects to be carried out in small teams within the course. The projects are designed to develop the generic capabilities mentioned above and provide awareness of the types of problems and problem solving strategies encountered by industries, with a strong focus on creating a sustainable future.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

At the conclusion of this course you should have developed the capability to:

Recognise the importance of Chemical Engineering in today’s society and the roles / responsibilities of a Chemical Engineer within specific industries

Demonstrate generic skills required in the engineering workforce such as good communication, leadership, effective team work, time management and the ability to present oneself both orally and in writing

Recognise the importance od some fundamental concepts associated with chemical engineering (such as sustainability, occupational, health and safety, project management and appropriate computing knowledge) and apply this knowledge to specific areas within chemical engineering

Reflect upon the knowledge gained from this course with respect to the importance of this knowledge and how it can be used as a foundation for future development as an engineer during your time of study as an undergraduate in chemical engineering and later within the workforce.

Apply skills and knowledge gained from this course in other courses and within the workplace

At the conclusion of this course you should be able to:
• Describe the roles and responsibilities of a Chemical Engineer as well as the range of skills required to be one
• Describe the concepts of project management and apply them to an engineering project
• Describe effective teamwork strategies and be able to implement such strategies within a student team, through reflective practice within the group and the engineering project
• Describe sustainability concepts and apply them to an engineering project.
• Be able to translate 3-D objects into 2-D engineering drawings (orthogonal projection)
• Be familiar with basic concepts of unit conversion and mass balances
• Perform an O H and S laboratory risk assessment; describe safe work practices in a chemical engineering laboratory environment.
• Perform an oral presentation with visuals aids; Write an effective engineering report
• Perform a range of computing skills using common applications, such as MS Word and Excel

Overview of Learning Activities

The course has a total equivalent of 5 contact hours per week. 2 hours per week have been allocated for group activities where all students enrolled in the course will be assembled together, while 2 to 4 hours per week have been allocated for tutorial style exercises where the class will be divided into two to three large groups, each group undertaking repeat tutorial sessions. Within these groups, students will work in smaller teams (approx 6 people per team) to work on their project and other related activities. It is anticipated that a large proportion of the time allocated to the project will be conducted outside the scheduled time-frame.
The project will commence from week 4, allowing the first three weeks for group formation, selection of appropriated projects and acquiring basic skills to commence the project. This will run concurrently with the group sessions, which will cover topics that provide students with the fundamental skills required to undertake the project, current first year courses and future courses at second, third and fourth year level. Learning activities are designed to provide students with the generic skills and knowledge required by engineers and fundamental concepts important to the chemical engineering industry. In addition, the activities provide the opportunity for students to develop as adult learners by:
1. Providing relevant course matter and reference material for private study
2. Allowing for team work during tutorial activities and the project
3. Giving students the responsibility for meeting study and assignment deadlines.
In addition to the contact class times for group activities sessions and the Learning Hub set up for this course will provide further information and details relating to the course and allow for students to engage in “on line” interactive discussions using the discussion board / virtual classroom facilities. Detailed spreadsheets of activities and locations, particularly any changes, will be posted regularly on the Learning Hub.

Overview of Learning Resources

Learning resources available for this course, in addition to information presented in the class, will be predominantly the Learning Hub - providing information from the activity sessions and required information for the activities, assessment, etc.

No prescribed texts are set for this course, however reference texts on particular topics will be mentioned in the classes and on the Learning Hub, where appropriate.
Various learning resources such as relevant texts, websites, etc will be provided regularly on the learning hub. These will be linked with the various activities as detailed in the learning program

Overview of Assessment

Assessment is based primarily on activities conducted throughout the semester. Tasks for assessment are a combination of individual work and team work. The assessment tasks are designed to address the important skills and knowledge developed during the course, particularly in terms of the generic engineering skills acquired and fundamental concepts of importance to chemical engineers. There is no formal exam for this course. Assessment grading for all components is based upon the following: Advanced, Competent or Inadequate. In order to enhance writing skills, presentations skills, etc, students will be directed to appropriate websites. It should be emphasised that all of the assessment components to be conducted are directly linked in with the project. Some examples of typical assessment components that may be conducted are a poster, presentation, report and log book.