Teaching and assessment
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Teaching format
Our courses are highly intensive. Your timetabled activities each week will include:
- Lectures
- Practical work (including projects every year)
- Workshops and tutorials
- Computer laboratories
- Supervisions
You'll also be expected to spend time studying independently. As you progress through the course you'll take on more independent study, guiding your own learning and developing your project management skills.
An academic member of staff will help guide you through your final-year individual project, ensuring that you are able to combine the knowledge and skills you have learned throughout the course to successfully undertake an engineering project tailored to your interests and career goals.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
Facilities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtTsM6R1R0
You can find detailed descriptions of our facilities on our website, including laboratory space, recording studios, clean room and computing classrooms.
Teaching location
You will be based in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology on Campus West.
Most of your contact hours will be in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, with some additional teaching on Campus West.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
Assessment and feedback
Your assignments will be designed for you to creatively apply what you've learned, and to produce novel solutions. We use a variety of assessment styles, including exams, coursework and practical engineering tasks. You'll encounter all of them during your course, but the exact balance will depend on the modules you choose:
- Closed-book and open-book exams
- Short technical reports
- Electronic portfolios, including programming exercises, video reports or blogs
- Presentations and demonstrations
- Major technical reports
You'll receive written feedback on work you hand in to help you understand your grade and develop your skills. For your final-year individual project you'll produce a written report, have a viva (a presentation and question/answer session) and also show your project on our demo day, which our external advisory board attend.
There are two progression points during the foundation year: one at the end of Term 1 and another at the end of the academic year. Foundation Year students complete coursework assessments and take exams in Maths and Physics in December (last week of Term 1) which must be successfully passed in order to progress to the Spring term (Term 2). At the end of Summer Term (Term 3) progression on to one of our BEng courses depends on successful completion of the foundation year, including coursework assessments and exams. Those who complete the foundation year and achieve a score of at least 60 per cent in all the Foundation Year Mathematics examinations are also eligible to transfer directly onto one of our MEng programmes. If you would like further information about this, please get in touch.
