| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Iain Collings
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
COMP1000 and ENGG1050 and ENGG2050
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
CIVL2301 or (COMP2250 or COMP2270) or COMP2010 or ELEC2040 or ELEC2042 or MTRN2060 or ELEC2070 or ELEC2005 or MECH2003
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
The 4th SPINE unit aimed to develop professional, transferable and employability skills. The Unit consists of a series of online modules and integrated project-based learning activities. Students will be exposed to real engineering projects and be apply and integrate their learnt technical skills in resolving a real-world inspired engineering problem. The working environment will facilitate the development of transferable skills such as effective team working skills and various form of technical communication skills. Students are expected to apply systems thinking and design thinking in developing an innovative and practical engineering solution for the given problem. They will be expected to work alongside fellow senior students. Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
More details on each assessment component will be available on the iLearn page at the relevant time.
Grading and passing requirements for unit
In order to pass this unit, a student must obtain a mark of 50 or more the unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P/ CR/ D/ HD).
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day an assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern.
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype Demonstration | 30% | No | 19/09/2025 |
| Final Project | 50% | No | 07/11/2025 |
| Portfolio | 20% | No | 07/11/2025 |
Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 19/09/2025
Weighting: 30%
Working collectively as a team of engineers, students are to design, conceive, document, implement and communicate a prototype solution to a real-world inspired engineering problem. The work will require teams to peer evaluate. More information on iLearn.
Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 07/11/2025
Weighting: 50%
Working collectively as a team of engineers, students are to design, conceive, document, implement and communicate a detailed plan to a real-world inspired engineering problem. The work will have multiple subcomponents and milestones and will require teams to peer evaluate. More information on iLearn.
Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 07/11/2025
Weighting: 20%
Continued professional development. A core part of the SPINE unit where students are to continually improve on their Portfolio development.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
SGTAs will start in Week 1. You will need to be assigned to a group in week 1.
The text book is: B. S. Blanchard & W. J. Fabrycky, Systems Engineering and Analysis, Pearson, 5th edition, 2014. It is expected that all students will have access to a copy of the text book.
Communication with Teaching Staff:
To ensure a consistent experience with communication with teaching staff all unit based communication will be through either the public "Peer Assisted Learning Forum", or through the private "Important Private Message to Uni Contacts". Email should be avoided for unit related messages.
In week 1 students will form their groups. Due dates for all assessment tasks can be found on iLearn.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
This year there are fewer assessment items. Details above.
Unit information based on version 2025.05 of the Handbook