Engineers develop practical and professional skills at work in ways that aren’t always formally recognised. If you’re currently in engineering-related employment, this module allows you to gain academic credit for learning at work by completing work-based activities designed to help improve your work performance and plan your professional development. You’ll need someone in your workplace, typically your line manager, to authenticate, though not assess, some of your coursework.
What you will study
This module allows you to integrate learning experiences from your engineering workplace into a university module. It is essential to your engineering foundation degree studies, including accredited learning at work.
Studying this module will enable you to:
develop your ability to learn from your work
apply your understanding and knowledge of engineering theory and practice within your workplace
build your skills in understanding how your organisation functions
evaluate and develop your personal and professional skills
build your personal and career development plans
enhance your employability.
Over the duration of the module, you will become a reflective practitioner, allowing you to deepen your understanding of your engineering workplace practice. You’ll learn how to evaluate your work and prepare and present evidence of your professional competence.
You will achieve this by working through activities and assignments with support from your module tutor and work colleagues. Guidance comes from module books and worksheets, which we will send you along with other study materials. Additional support is provided by a website and online forums.
Entry requirements
You are responsible for obtaining permission to use your workplace as a basis for your studies prior to registering for this module.
To successfully complete this module you must:
be in an engineering-related occupation1
have permission to carry out work-based learning tasks in your workplace
have a suitable person within your workplace who will confirm that the coursework you submit is based on your practice within that workplace.
We will send you further detailed information when you have registered.
1Volunteering in an engineering-related role may be acceptable.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
marking your assignments and offering detailed feedback to help you improve
providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content
guiding you to additional learning resources
facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated forums.
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Assessment
Course work includes:
4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
End-of-module assessment
Three TMAs are for assessment; one is used to return a form relating to your workplace.
What's included
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
a week-by-week study planner
course-specific module materials
audio and video content
assessment details and submission section
online tutorial access
access to student forums.
Additionally, the website includes:
alternative format module books.
We also provide physical:
module books.
Computing requirements
Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer with at least 8 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor (2.4 GHz minimum speed). 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.
Operating systems – Windows 11 or the latest supported macOS.
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended; Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
Software – Any additional software will be provided or is generally available for free.
If you have a disability
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying T198 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Future availability
Engineering at work (T198) starts once a year – in February.
It will next start in February 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2027.