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Team engineering

This team project module develops the essential professional engineering skill of working with others. There are two residential schools; you’ll form a small project team at the first school. Projects will tackle contemporary issues requiring a broad range of engineering knowledge and skills, exchange of ideas, creativity, design inputs and analysis within a cooperative environment. Your team will work together, meeting regularly online and using a shared virtual workspace under guidance from your tutor to produce a ‘solution’. Your team will present its work in progress to the rest of the cohort and tutor assessors at the second school, and in the remaining weeks, you’ll submit a written report.

Vocational relevance

This module is the culmination of work towards your Master of Engineering (M04) or Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering (E22) – and completes the academic base under UK-SPEC for professional recognition as a Chartered Engineer.

Qualifications

T885 is a compulsory module in our:

Module

Module code
T885
Credits

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
30
Study level
Across the UK, there are two parallel frameworks for higher education qualifications, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These define a hierarchy of levels and describe the achievement expected at each level. The information provided shows how OU postgraduate modules correspond to these frameworks.
OU Postgraduate
SCQF 11
FHEQ 7
Study method
Distance learning
Module cost
See Module registration
Entry requirements

Find out more about entry requirements.

Module details Entry requirements Module registration Study materials

What you will study

This module provides an opportunity for you to explore an engineering problem in depth, working as part of a small team. Your team will choose its problem from a number of options, each with a particular engineering focus but all involving a broad range of engineering knowledge and skills – from design through structural and control engineering to sustainability. A central aspect will be the contribution of your engineering practice within the team and the need apply skills such as analytical design and engineering analysis.

You will attend two compulsory residential weekends that run over three days, from Friday to Sunday. At the first one, which takes place at the very start of the module, you will learn about functioning effectively as a team and get to know each other by confronting a variety of practical and intellectual challenges. You will join with fellow students to form a team of four or five. Your team will select their project from those on offer and refine the project by developing an appropriate aim and SMART objectives.

After the first weekend and working at a distance from the other team members, you will individually and jointly pursue agreed lines of enquiry on your engineering project. Your progress through the project is recorded in your team wiki, in online records of team meetings and in team and individual reports, submitted as tutor-marked assignments.

All the teams will report back at the second weekend some 20 weeks later. This will give you a chance to engage in discussions with other students and staff members before developing a plan for your final project report, which is your end-of-module assessment (EMA). This is submitted several weeks later.

This is not a content-focused module. Instead, you and your team will be responsible for gathering together the information you need to pursue your project. You will be supplied with a project brief and with background material about group working and project management. You will have access to a full range of information resources through the internet and online or conventional libraries. You will keep in touch with your tutor and work collaboratively with your fellow team members through frequent, regular online meetings and your team wiki.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Throughout your module studies, you’ll get help and support from your assigned module tutor. They’ll help you by:

  • Marking your assignments (TMAs) and providing detailed feedback for you to improve.
  • Guiding you to additional learning resources.
  • Providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content.
  • Facilitating online discussions between your fellow students, in the dedicated module and tutor group forums.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box.

Two of the assignments will be joint submissions from your team, and two are personal accounts of your achievements and your contribution to the work of your team. The end-of-module assessment also consists of a group and individual project reports together with an assessed presentation and technical summary document from the second school.

Residential weekends

This module has two residential weekends.

The module starts with the first ‘team forming’ weekend; attendance is compulsory. If you don’t attend, you’ll be unable to continue with the module (you would need to withdraw and register on the next start).

A crucial part of the module assessment takes place at the second weekend – your team’s presentation of its progress so far. So, it’s important for you and your team that you attend. You’ll not automatically fail the module if, for good reason, you cannot be there in person. In any case, you must contribute your share of effort to your team’s presentation over the weekend.

The residential weekend dates for the September 2025 start are as follows:

  • School 1: Friday 12–Sunday 14 September.
  • School 2: Friday 6–Sunday 8 February.

The residential weekend dates for the January 2026 start are as follows:

  • School 1: Friday 23–Sunday 25 January.
  • School 2: Friday 12–Sunday 14 June.

Course work includes

4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
End-of-module assessment

Future availability

Team engineering (T885) starts twice a year – in January and September.

This page describes the module that will start in September 2025 and January 2026.

We expect it to start for the last time in September 2030.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

Entry requirements

You must be studying towards one of the qualifications listed below and have completed the required modules.

You may register on T885 while still studying the last required 30-credit module. However, we’ll cancel your registration if you have not passed it before T885 starts.

Once you’ve reserved a place, we’ll check you meet these entry requirements. We’ll contact you if we need to discuss anything. If you don’t meet these entry requirements, we must cancel your reservation/registration.

If you’re unclear whether you meet the entry requirements, talk to an adviser.

You cannot study this module on its own or as part of any other qualification.

Register

Start End England fee Register
12 Sep 2025 Jun 2026 £2370.00

Registration closes 14/08/25 (places subject to availability)

Register
23 Jan 2026 Oct 2026 £2370.00

Registration closes 04/12/25 (places subject to availability)

Register
This module is expected to start for the last time in September 2030.

Future availability

Team engineering (T885) starts twice a year – in January and September.

This page describes the module that will start in September 2025 and January 2026.

We expect it to start for the last time in September 2030.

Additional costs

Study costs

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

Residential weekends

This module has two residential weekends. There’s no additional cost for the weekends, but you must pay for travel.

Ways to pay for this module

We know there’s a lot to think about when choosing to study, not least how much it’s going to cost and how you can pay.

That’s why we keep our fees as low as possible and offer a range of flexible payment and funding options, including a postgraduate loan, if you study this module as part of an eligible qualification. To find out more, see Fees and funding.

Study materials

What's included

You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:

  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • assignment details and submission section
  • access to online team rooms.

Computing requirements

  • Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer. It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
  • Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
  • Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
  • Operating systems – Windows 11 or latest supported macOS. Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 as of 14 October 2025.
  • Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
  • Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended. Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.

If you have a disability

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.

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