Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module will introduce students to personal and career development, and to provide a link between their study programme and practice in Geospatial Engineering in the “real world”. Most notably, it will develop a wide range of study skills valuable to the students for future work, both in and beyond their university career. The module will prepare students for their Stage 3 dissertation project, and set the context of their research and the associated study skills acquired within the practice of Geospatial Engineering. In addition, career development in Geospatial Engineering will also be covered, notably through external speakers and site visits.

Outline Of Syllabus

The nature of research, project and dissertation planning, and proposal writing.
The Geospatial profession and its organisation.
Communications skills: writing, referencing, poster creation.
Library skills, data search, referencing.
Finding a research topic.
Personal career development: job search planning.
Career development: engaging with the industry (external speakers, site visits).

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students will: understand the nature of the Geospatial industry; know how to plan a research project; and recognise the links between their university degree programme, their research project, and the discipline as practised.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module students will: communicate orally, in written form and through posters; be aware of career development and reflective practice; develop a coherent and effective research proposal; use the Library facilities efficiently for research.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The primary purpose of this module is to ensure the students are able to consider the nature of the individual research project which forms the centrepiece of their Stage 3 course. To that end the major end-of-module deliverable is a project proposal. Formal sessions, in the classroom, the computer lab and the library address research skills, and provide a wider view of the nature of research activity in the UK in general. In addition, the module demonstrates the wide-ranging nature of developments (including research) in contemporary Geospatial Engineering by a series of invited talks from external speakers. Further seminars develop personal career management and reflective skills, and also allow students to practise oral communication. Group activity in developing individual research project ideas addresses a number of research and study skills. Presentation of the project idea as a poster develops poster communication skills as well as allowing feedback from the targeted project supervisor and other staff/students. This picture of contemporary research, activity, and employment in Geospatial Engineering is enhanced by number of industry speaker presentations and site visits. These introduce students to contemporary practice in various branches of the Geospatial industry. Students must write an individual report on these experiences.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

As the aim of this module is to encourage an increasingly independent approach to a wide range of activities, the assessed exercises will be varied. The written submissions will ensure skills in communication in written form are mastered; the report will cover skills in occupational awareness and career development, as well as further communication skills; the information sources exercise will promote library, research and presentation skills; the proposal writing overtly embraces research skills of many types; and the writing exercise will enhance student experience and usage of library resources. The oral and poster presentation will promote oral and interpersonal communication skills.

If failing marks (<40) are awarded for any of the essential components, the module cannot be passed or compensated until satisfactory versions of these have been submitted (by dates specified by the module leader). Following such resubmission, the original component marks will stand.

General Notes

N/A