MEC6410 - Research practices - 2019

0 points, SCA Band 2, 0.000 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Engineering

Organisational Unit

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Chris Davies

Coordinator(s)

Dr Prabhakar Ranganathan

Unit guides

Offered

Clayton

  • Second semester 2019 (On-campus)

Prerequisites

For students enrolled in a PhD in mechanical, aerospace or mechatronics only.

Co-requisites

ERU0005 or ERU0013

Prohibitions

MEC5410

Synopsis

This unit addresses the scientific method in relation to engineering research including formal logic, how to formulate a hypothesis; experimental design and analysis; presentation of a scientific argument; the philosophy of research and the intellectual tradition. The unit will explore research in industry, and the commercialisation pathway.

Outcomes

At the successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Analyse scientific communications to identify research questions, discern inductive arguments leading to hypotheses and deductive arguments leading to valid experimental tests.
  2. Generate a research proposal by applying the hypothetico-deductive framework to a research problem.
  3. Reflect on the prevalent sociological perspectives of science and their consequences for the economics, politics and management of scientific research.

Assessment

NOTE: From 1 July 2019, the duration of all exams is changing to combine reading and writing time. The new exam duration for this unit is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Continuous assessment: 70%

Final Examination (2 hours): 30%

Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit.

Workload requirements

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 120 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average two or three hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, invited seminars, peer directed learning, online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study