ENGR90034: Creating Innovative Engineering

8× Reflections (750 word limit each), 22.5% (Hurdle)
7× Peer Responses, 13.5% (Hurdle)
Various group progress tasks, 10%
Personal Innovation Plan, 9%
Final Group Report, 35%
Participation (within your group in general, not strictly in lectures), 10%

This is a very unique and challenging subject, which is pretty much compulsory for engineering masters students who have done ESD1 and/or ESD2. Basically you will be allocated into teams based on your project preferences, and need to design a solution to a (real!) sponsor organisation's problem. After pre-research, you eventually go out and interview relevant people (which was a bit easier in the Covid semester as everything was over Zoom or Teams), and over many weeks eventually formulate a solution.
Initially I bushed this subject off as something to get over with, but began to enjoy this subject more as things progressed and the task became clearer. Overall, the phrase "you get out of it what you put into it" is pretty accurate for this subject. That being said, I was lucky to have a good group where most of us gave our best effort, and we actually collaborated (to a much better level than has occured in most my previous group assignments) and built on each other's ideas. I imagine it would have been very hard without this, and I definitely couldn't have done this project by myself.

Reflections occurred most weeks (usually unless other stuff was due) and required you to write about a CIE related experience of significance for you from the week. I found them quite difficult and time consuming, but if you engage with them they can be quite helpful on a personal level. To do well, you needed to really dig deep and look for the core reasons why you felt the way you did.
Once allocated into your teams, you will also be assigned to respond to one of your teammate's reflection each time there's a reflection due (you'll rotate and everyone will eventually respond to everyone). To do well in the response, you needed to add something onto your teammate's response and/or challenge their thinking in a supportive tone. My marks also seemed to increase when I suggested a relevant reading material.

The progress tasks weren't too bad, and seemed to be a good indication of how the team was progressing and/or if changes needed to be made. Putting together the final report wasn't as daunting as it initially seemed, as a lot of it was just rehashing what your team would most likely have been discussing for the past few weeks. Finally, the personal innovation plan allowed to draw on your experiences in the subject and bring in lecture/reading material to create a plan for your future career.

Yes, with screen capture, but there is an 80% attendance hurdle

Peter Cebon, Rowan Doyle, Jillian Kenny (one for each stream)

N/A

4.5 Out of 5

Lots of readings, all of which will be posted to the LMS. Not really helpful for your overall project, but provides many genuinely useful advice/tips/strategies for your future career, and can also help boost your reflection/peer response/personal innovation plan marks.

1× 3 hr lecture per week (plus you'll probably have a whole lot of group meetings and interviews during the semester)

2020, Semester 1 (Online/Covid-19 Semester)

Low H1