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Team engineering

Team engineering aims to develop the essential professional engineering skill of working with others. There are two schools: you’ll work as part of a small project team, formed at the first school. Projects offered will tackle contemporary issues requiring a broad range of engineering knowledge and skills, exchange of ideas, use of creativity, design inputs and analysis within a cooperative environment. You’ll work together in a team to produce a ‘solution’, meeting regularly online and using a shared virtual workspace, under guidance from your tutor. Your team’s results will be presented and assessed at the second school and through submission of a written report.

Vocational relevance

This module will be the culmination of work towards your Master of Engineering (M04) or Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering (E22) – and complete 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 schools 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 video conference records of team meetings and in team and individual reports, submitted as tutor-marked assignments.

All the teams will report back at the second school 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 poster from the second school.

Residential schools

This module has two residential schools.

To pass the module, you must attend the first school.

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

The residential school dates for the September 2023 start are as follows:

  • School 1: Friday 8–Sunday 10 September.
  • School 2: Friday 2–Sunday 4 February.

The residential school dates for the January 2024 start are as follows:

  • School 1: Friday 19–Sunday 21 January.
  • School 2: Friday 7–Sunday 9 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 2023 and January 2024.

We expect it to start for the last time in September 2027.

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 completed 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
19 Jan 2024 Oct 2024 £2148.00

Registration closes 07/12/23 (places subject to availability)

Register
This module is expected to start for the last time in September 2027.

Future availability

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

This page describes the module that will start in September 2023 and January 2024.

We expect it to start for the last time in September 2027.

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 schools

This module has two residential schools. There’s no additional cost for these, but you must pay for your 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

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS (11 'Big Sur' or higher).

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.

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.

If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Disability support website to find more about what we offer.

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