421-401 Techniques of Research and Investigation

Successful completion of all core BE 3rd-year level subjects.

At the conclusion of this subject students should have the skills required to carry out the initial investigation required for a later more detailed research project or design. Topics covered include the research process; sources of information; written and oral presentation of research.

• ability to apply knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals

• ability to communicate effectively, not only with engineers but also with the community at large

• ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution

• expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, capacity to do so

• capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning

• openness to new ideas and unconventional critiques of received wisdom

• profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship

Written report (up to 40 pages inclusive of diagrams and tables) or equivalent (95%) and a generic skills test (5%).