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Overview

Course Prescription

An appreciation of the engineering design process as applied to computer systems. Design skills are enhanced through engineering projects which typically include elements of: computer hardware/software design, system design and control, sensing, actuation and interfacing. Professional issues introduced in ENGGEN 204 and 303 (health and safety, ethics, sustainability, cultural diversity/awareness, communication, leadership, teamwork, financial awareness) are reinforced and developed.

Course Overview

The course focuses on a small team of students engaging to solve a problem that does not have a unique solution. The problem is loosely defined and the team will be expected to evaluate several solutions by both analysis and lab based empirical verification. The teams will be given an incomplete kit, to which they will be expected to make additions that they think are necessary to solve the problem(s). These additions include building electronic circuits, interfacing these to a microcontroller as well as writing low and high level code (usually in C).
The theoretical knowledge required is largely based on prior courses. The lecture content is focused on the kit, the technology and the requirements. The content-rich lectures will be delivered in the first few weeks after which we have discussions/QA sessions during the lecture periods.  
This is a laboratory intensive course and hence there are regular (weekly) laboratory sessions averaging at 5 hrs hrs/week - during which TA support will be available for some of the time. There are regular tutorial or Q/A sessions every week. 
The expected workload is 150 hours across the semester: 20hrs for lectures, 60 hrs for lab based project work, 20 hrs for group meetings, 20 hrs for tutorials, 10 hours for assessments and 20 hrs for reflection and analysis of the experimental findings. 

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect a weekly average of 1 lecture (1hr), 1 tutorial (hr), 2-3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4-5 hours of work on design related laboratory work and/or preparation for various assessments. In practice, the lecturing load is 'top-heavy' and most of the lectures are given in the first 2-3 weeks.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. 
Attendance on campus is required for the test.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including 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.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Ken Hurst. Engineering Design Principles. Arnold, 1999.
Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. Peopleware: productive projects and teams. Dorset House Pub. Co., 1987. [In the library. Great ideas about team work.]
Clive L. Dunn. Engineering Design: A Synthesis of Views. 1994. Cambridge. [In the library. Useful and thoughtful book about the design process.]
Kim R. Fowler. Electronic Instrument Design. Architecting for the life cycle. Oxford University Press. 1996. [An excellent book with good material relevant to electronics design. Should also be available in the bookstore.]
Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill. The Art of Electronics. 2nd ed. Cambridge. 1989. [A good practical electronics book. Available in the library.]
Heather Silyn-Roberts. Writing for Science. 1996. Addison Longman. [In the library. Reference for report writing, by our own colleague in the School.]
 

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy. To enable this, you will be required to complete the standard MDLS Health and Safety requirements and strictly abide by any new requirements that eventuate. 

In addition, you are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

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.

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.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations 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.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Additional Information on Assessment

Deadlines are strict and late submission will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

A passing mark is 50% or higher, according to University policy.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type1234

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester 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. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Although pedagogic objectives are well thought out, we need to find a balance with student perception. All student feedback is taken seriously and changes should be expected to find a better balance.

Based on the feedback from 2024, there were no serious issues with the course or the course delivery. This could be because we tend to be proactive during the course and adapt or address issues as they arise. Hence students are expected to engage with the lecturers and the TA's with an open and fair attitude. 

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.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

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.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work 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. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

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.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.