Overview
As a student enrolled in Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Co-op Engineering), you will apply skills and knowledge developed in the academic course to engineering practice in an industry-based, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) context. You will identify and plan work placement objectives, document technical work practices and processes to Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competency Standards, and prepare a portfolio detailing your personal and professional growth in an industry-based engineering position. Note that students are required to undertake a minimum of 24 weeks of paid or unpaid work placement that may require relocation of accommodation to suit their employment.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
ENEP11010 Industry Practice Review AND Prerequisite ENEP12007 Engineering Business Fundamentals Prerequisite
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit coordinator self reflection
The unit assessments will be aligned with ENEP11006 Industry Practice 1.
Implement changes recommended from approved UUCP for Term 2, 2019.
- Document work placement position requirements, objectives and plan
- Apply skills and knowledge developed in the academic course to engineering practice within an organisation
- Document engineering work practices and processes in a professional manner
- Critically analyse work tasks and map these to Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competency Standards
- Develop and apply engineering practice skills and knowledge to complement the skills and knowledge developed in the course
- Review and assess personal and professional development achieved during the work placement.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Professional Practice Plans (learning plans) - 10% | ||||||
| 2 - Report - 30% | ||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 60% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Professional Practice Plans (learning plans) - 10% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Report - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 60% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
b.donnelly@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Complete work placement details.
Commence development of placement objectives and descriptions.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Complete work placement objectives.
Commence development of placement planning.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Complete placement planning and document Industry Practice Plan.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Commence assessment against objectives defined and planned in Industry Practice Plan.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue assessment against objectives defined and planned in Industry Practice Plan.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Complete assessment against objectives defined and planned in Industry Practice Plan.
Collate and format initial six weeks of weekly journals.
Complete Work Placement Report.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Prepare work placement samples documentation.
Commence development of Individual Portfolio.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue preparation of work placement samples documentation.
Continue development of Individual Portfolio.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue preparation of work placement samples documentation.
Commence Self Evaluation and Reflection.
Continue development of Individual Portfolio.
Continue work placement and document weekly journals.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Complete preparation of work placement samples documentation.
Conduct Employer Evaluation and obtain sign-off.
Complete Self Evaluation and Reflection.
Complete development of Individual Portfolio.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Your work placement may continue beyond the end of Term 1. Your final portfolio assessment item should be submitted as soon as practicable following completion of your work placement.
1 Professional Practice Plans (learning plans)
The first assessment item involves development of a Practice Plan using the supplied template, consisting of two sections:
- Placement Details
- Placement Objectives and Plan
Placement Details
The first page of the template includes two tables that provide information about your placement organisation and supervisor details. Complete the fields included in these tables.
Placement Objectives and Plan
You are required to specify at least four (4) Placement Objectives and prepare a brief plan for achieving each objective. The requirement to set workplace objectives allows you to maximise your learning while on placement. While your supervisor will be proactive in assisting you to learn from your experience, you also need to take ownership of your learning and discuss with them what you are hoping to achieve on your placement. The placement objectives allow you and your supervisor to have a common understanding of each other’s expectations for the work placement period.
Some objectives will come directly from your supervisor’s requirements regarding the work they need you to perform, but you should also have some objectives that relate to what you want to achieve from the placement: these latter objectives will come from your desire to learn. You should assess the potential knowledge and skills that can be obtained from the work placement and consider setting these as objectives.
Some of your considerations when formulating your objectives should include:
- Your current placement is an opportunity to work in a unique type of industry that you may not experience in future. What skills can you obtain here that you may not get a chance to obtain later in your career?
- What types of skills and knowledge are you passionate about exploring? You may well look back on the placement as an opportunity to obtain certain knowledge and skills, but you didn’t pursue them.
- What skills are needed in this industry or role? What skills and knowledge does your supervisor have? Can you seek to obtain these skills as an objective while you are on placement.
- Discussing your objectives and plans with your supervisor will assist you in “managing upwards” and will ensure you are both working towards a common goal for your placement.
Objective Descriptions
To describe each objective, think about how the objective may be related to one or more of the following aspects:
- Specific to your role with an observable outcome and measurement. For example: ”By 30 March I will be able to successfully apply project planning and estimation practices to develop customer proposals. This objective will be successfully completed if I can independently develop proposals for two customer opportunities.”
- Broad in nature. For example: “By the end of my placement, I will have an understanding of the construction industry whereby I am able to enter into knowledgeable discussions with industry personnel”. Using this as an objective also encourages you to discuss with your supervisor the possibility of your being exposed to various aspects of this industry.
- Transferable skills. These will be relevant to your role, will enable you to improve your knowledge and increase your value when you apply for other positions. Examples include: being able to use a specific design tool; managing an assigned project; applying safety systems and processes, etc.
- Professional skills. Finally, placement objectives may involve improvements your current professional skillset, such as written and verbal communications with customers, technical report writing, leadership in small teams, time management skills etc.
Planned Tasks
Once you have decided on an objective, outline the steps that are required to accomplish the objective. These should be defined as a series of tasks, and you should consider the sequence and time for completing each task. Note that input and advice from your supervisor will be valuable when formulating your plans. For example, if you were planning for an objective related to your role as above, your tasks may include:
- Understand customer proposal process from receipt of enquiry through to provision of proposal: 2 weeks.
- Research previous, similar-sized customer proposals in order to learn the estimation techniques used: 3 weeks.
- Consult with workshop staff to understand requirements and lead times for component orders and assembly: 4 weeks.
- Perform an independent estimate up to the point of peer design review and proposal sign-off: 2 weeks.
When you have defined your objectives, tasks and timeframes, you will be able to complete your overall plan in the month timeline table.
Week 3 Friday (27 Mar 2020) 10:00 pm AEST
Week 5 Friday (10 Apr 2020)
Information regarding placement organisation and supervisor details is complete as per the supplied template.
A minimum of four (4) placement objectives have been detailed.
Each objective description is related to one or more of:
- Specific and measurable outcome
- Broad in nature.
- Transferable skills.
- Professional skills
A minimum of one objective relates to work required to be performed by the placement organisation.
A minimum of one objective is specified as a personal achievement from the placement.
For each objective, a set of tasks to achieve the objective are outlined, considering the sequence and time for completion.
- Document work placement position requirements, objectives and plan
- Communication
- Information Technology Competence
2 Report
The second assessment item involves submission of a Work Placement Report using the supplied template. This report will consist of two sections:
- Progress Report
- Weekly Journals (6 weeks)
Progress Report
Your progress report should evaluate how you are proceeding in achieving the objectives that you defined and planned in your Industry Practice Plan. You should commence the report with the inclusion of your Placement Objectives and Plan from your Industry Practice Plan item, followed by an assessment of your progress against plan for each objective.
Note that we are looking here for you to provide an honest and accurate assessment of your progress toward achieving your objectives. As with any position, students will often encounter issues on their work placement that impacts their ability to achieve their objectives, or perhaps your objectives may have changed.
Your report will include a Summary, briefly outlining your overall progress, followed by a progress assessment for each objective. Each objective’s assessment should include:
- Applicability: Is this objective still application to what you want to achieve from the placement and is it within the scope of your work placement position. If the objective is no longer relevant, provide a revised, or replacement objective that you will work toward.
- Progress: Provide an assessment of your progress toward achieving this objective. This should be described in terms of actual progress against planned progress, and a forecast of when the objective is planned to be completed.
- Issues: Outline any issues you have encountered in your progress toward achieving this objective. Common issues experienced by students include time management, lack of technical skills, lack of confidence, performance management, communications, and unfamiliar systems and processes.
Weekly Journals
For the second section of your Work Placement Report, you should include your initial six (6) weeks of weekly journals, using the supplied template. Note that you are required to complete 24 weeks of journals for the Individual Portfolio.
The weekly journal is a record of what work you have undertaken and is a vehicle for reflective thought. It provides you with a reason to discuss your week with your supervisor and can be used as the tool to help you manage your attainment of your placement objectives. There are three sections in the journal:
1. Activities and Experiences
The first section develops the routine of regularly recording what you have done for the week. As an engineer, you will be expected to have this discipline. This section should be a fairly direct summary of activities for the week. In a reflective concept of “what, so what, what now”, this is the “what” element. Emphasis should be made of those activities that are new or which relate to Placement Objectives.
You are required to map each of your activities to the relevant Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competencies. Note your activity may be relevant to one or more competencies. Please refer to the Stage 2 Competency Standards document.
2. Reflections
The second section develops the practice of reflecting on your work to help you to become a reflective engineer who reviews their work and looks for improvement. This is the “so what” and “what now” element of reflection. Examples might include:
- how being involved in the activity might influence the your career goals
- how things could be done better - opportunities for improvement or savings
- any successes you have had, and satisfaction with your efforts.
3. Learning Experience Rating
The third section requires you to rate your learning experience for the week so you can discuss this with your supervisor. Note that the supervisor’s signature is required. The signature is not just for verification of your journal. The requirement of a signature provides you with an opportunity to discuss your week with your supervisor. It gives you the opportunity to manage your placement, where you can take the opportunity to discuss your progress towards your placement objectives. Ensure your journals are signed on a regular basis and take this opportunity to communicate with your supervisor.
Week 10 Friday (22 May 2020) 10:00 pm AEST
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2020)
Report contains a summary which is consistent with the objective progress reporting.
Progress against each objective contains an assessment of applicability, assessment of progress, and issues.
Six (6) weekly journals are included.
Each weekly journal is word processed, professionally presented, and contains:
- A professional recording of tasks and activities completed for the week, mapped to Stage 2 Competencies.
- Reflection on the work activities, including challenges, improvements and influences.
- Completed learning experience rating
- Supervisor sign-off.
- Apply skills and knowledge developed in the academic course to engineering practice within an organisation
- Document engineering work practices and processes in a professional manner
- Critically analyse work tasks and map these to Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competency Standards
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
3 Portfolio
The third and final assessment item involves submission of a Portfolio consisting of the six (6) elements outlined below. Each element should be clearly identified within your portfolio as a separate section.
1. Placement Details
2. Placement Objectives and Plan
3. Weekly Journals
4. Placement Work Samples
5. Employer Evaluation
6. Self-Evaluation and Reflection
Your portfolio is also required to be professionally presented and include an Introduction, Table of Contents and Summary.
1. Placement Details
Include the two tables that provide information about your placement organisation and supervisor details from your Industry Practice Plan.
2. Placement Objectives and Plan
You are required to specify at least four (4) Placement Objectives. You may include here the Placement Objectives and Plan section from your Industry Practice Plan. However, if your objectives have changed since you submitted your Industry Practice Plan, include your revised objectives in this section. Revise the Industry Practice Plan instructions on the unit’s Moodle site, if required.
3. Weekly Journals
You should include your initial six (6) weeks of weekly journals included in your Work Placement Report. Note that you are required to complete 24 weeks of journals, so an additional eighteen (18) weekly journals are required for your portfolio. Revise the Work Placement Report instructions on the Moodle site, if required. Note each weekly journal is required to be word processed, professionally presented and signed by your supervisor.
4. Work Placement Samples
You are required to provide explanations and examples of work undertaken during your placement period. This may consist of engineering reports, drawings, photographs or other relevant documentation that demonstrates development of your skills and knowledge, professional practice, and achievement of your placement objectives. The work samples should be aligned with the activities that have been documented in your Weekly Journals.
Note that you must obtain permission from your supervisor in order to utilise company information as part of your assessment submission.
5. Employer Evaluation
An evaluation form is to be completed by your supervisor in order to assess your overall performance over the course of your work placement. The Employer Evaluation is typically undertaken by your supervisor in consultation with yourself and is required to be signed off.
You should ensure that you schedule a time with your supervisor prior to completion of your work placement in order to complete the evaluation. The supervisor’s evaluation will be valuable for you to self-evaluate and reflect on your industry work experience in the following section.
6. Self-Evaluation and Reflection
You are required to provide a self-evaluation and reflection on your work placement experience. Your self-evaluation should consider the following aspects of your work experience:
Placement Objectives
Were your initial work placement objectives relevant and achievable? Were you able to put in place a feasible plan to achieve those objectives, and did anything change during your work placement that required a revision of your objectives or your plan.
Skills and Knowledge:
Reviewing your weekly journals and progress report, what new aspects of engineering were you exposed to, and did you learn new skills and knowledge. Note this may encompass not only technical skills and knowledge, but professional and social aspects of your work experience.
Challenges
Outline two instances during your placement where you felt that you were challenged by the work assigned to you, or perhaps a situation that was unfamiliar to you, or put you out of your comfort zone. How did you respond, and what did you learn – would you do something differently the next time around to improve your performance.
Growth
Summarise your reflection by assessing how the experience has impacted your technical, professional and social development. Did your employer’s evaluation provide you with feedback that caused a positive or negative reaction? Did the work placement provide you with feedback on how you may like to pursue your specialisation or your career? How did you feel your experience allowed you to develop as an engineer.
Exam Week Friday (19 June 2020) 10:00 pm AEST
Portfolio is professionally presented with an Introduction, Table of Contents and Summary. The required six sections are included in the portfolio.
Twenty-four (24) weekly journals are included.
Each weekly journal is word processed and contains:
- A professional recording of tasks and activities completed for the week.
- Reflection on the work activities, including challenges, improvements and influences.
- Completed learning experience rating
- Supervisor sign-off.
Work placement samples are included and relevant to to activities and tasks documented in Weekly Journals.
Employer evaluation form is completed and signed off.
Self-Evaluation and Reflection section is complete and includes reference to:
- Assessment on achievement of Placement Objectives
- Skills and Knowledge assessment, addressing technical, professional and social aspects
- Two (2) work placement challenges are documented, described and self-assessed.
- Summary of personal growth encompassing technical, professional and social development.
- Apply skills and knowledge developed in the academic course to engineering practice within an organisation
- Document engineering work practices and processes in a professional manner
- Critically analyse work tasks and map these to Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competency Standards
- Develop and apply engineering practice skills and knowledge to complement the skills and knowledge developed in the course
- Review and assess personal and professional development achieved during the work placement.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
