Unit Overview
- Description
In this unit, students will work with leading agricultural machinery and technology developers on real industry problems. Students work in teams, typically with 5 members, and are supervised by an academic and industry mentor. Teams are responsible for managing their project as well as reporting against milestones and preparing the necessary design documentation. The academic objectives of the project are to lead students through a systematic engineering design and synthesis process and to better prepare them for professional practice as agricultural engineers. The focus of this unit is on teamwork skills and the design process in an authentic experiential setting.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
Availability Location Mode First year of offer Not available in 2026 UWA (Perth) On-campus - Outcomes
Students are able to (1) apply engineering synthesis and design processes relevant to an authentic industry based agricultural engineering/technology problem; (2) identify the requirements and associated resources to assess the scope, dimensions, scale of effort and indicative costs of a complex engineering project; (3) apply technical knowledge, appropriate tools and problem solving skills to achieve an outcome to satisfy user requirements; (4) apply project management tools and processes and demonstrate ethical conduct and professional accountability to the planning and execution of a design project with industry; (5) locate and apply relevant standards, regulations, and technical literature; and (6) communicate clearly, effectively and appropriately using written, oral and visual means.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) project proposal; (2) design presentations; and (3) design reporting (moderated). Further information is available in the unit outline.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Associate Professor Andrew Guzzomi
- Unit rules
- Contact hours
- In-person contact hours per week:
2 hour lecture (recorded)
2 hour practical workshop
(approximately 12 work hours per week including contact hours, assessment time and self study) - Recommended
texts -
Dieter, G. E. and Schmidt, L. C. Engineering Design, 5th edn: McGraw Hill 2013
Wright, D. C. Design and Analysis of Machine Elements, latest edn: UWA School of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.