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Engineering: professions, practice and skills 2

Qualification dates
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This module extends personal and professional development planning, enabling you to gain the skills you need to achieve professional engineering status. You’ll develop these skills in practical engineering activities delivered via home experiment kits and a one-day online project school. With the support of experienced tutors, you’ll work independently and in a small team to explore real-world engineering phenomena and undertake analysis and design work. You’ll continue to explore the world of professional engineering as you further develop and practise key skills needed in your workplace and for study.

What you will study

In this OU level 2 module, you’ll have the opportunity to develop the skills to support you in attaining your chosen qualification in engineering. The collection, use and manipulation of data will be examined together with developing these into meaningful results that can be successfully communicated.

You’ll also gain invaluable practical skills: measuring; data analysis; research and information evaluation; modelling; presenting; designing; and decision making. Working both on your own and in a small online team, you’ll develop these skills through home experiments and a one-day online project school. You’ll define your learning needs and plan ways of meeting them with the support of experienced tutors.

To pass the module, you must take part satisfactorily in the practical engineering component. You’ll have a selection of dates in June and July to choose from for attending the online project school. If you have any concerns about the practical engineering aspects of this module, contact your Student Support Team to discuss your options.

You will learn

On successful completion of the module you will be able to:

  • demonstrate knowledge, understanding and critical analysis of methods applied to the collection and use of data in a scientific and engineering context
  • by use of appropriate technical vocabulary, assess the acquired knowledge in the broader context of engineering practice
  • demonstrate critical evaluation and assessment of technical and numerical information, utilising analytical methods as necessary with the aim of making clear communication of your own investigations utilising external sources where needed
  • further develop the management of your learning in terms of analytical, practical, and professional skills, and assessing your learning development so far to formulate and demonstrate the planning of your future learning needs to achieve your goals
  • demonstrate critical analysis skills in the collection and use of data as part of investigative work together with presentation of results in the most appropriate format to communicate meaningful conclusions both as an individual practitioner and in a team working environment
  • use examples from your own experience, previous study and practical work to extend your portfolio of personal and professional development in the context of engineering practice and professional recognition.

Entry requirements

This module is not available for standalone study. You must first register for either the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Q65) or Master of Engineering (M04).

To study this module, normally you should have also completed the OU level 1 module Engineering: professions, practice and skills 1 (T176).

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.

What's included

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

  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • notes to accompany the practical engineering activities
  • audio and video content
  • assessment details and submission section
  • online tutorial access.

You’ll also be provided with a home experiment pack.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11). Any macOS is unsuitable with this module.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.

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.

Module tutors also run online tutorials throughout the module. Where possible, recordings of online tutorials will be made available to students. While these tutorials won’t be compulsory for you to complete the module, you’re strongly encouraged to take part.

Assessment

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying T276 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Future availability

Engineering: professions, practice and skills 2 (T276) starts once a year – in January/February.

This page describes the module that will start in February 2025.

We expect it to start for the last time in February 2026.

Course work includes:

2 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA)
End-of-module assessment

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