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Trans:it Engineering - Guidance Materials for Tutors

This Section of the trans:it Support Materials is an additional module that was introduced to help those students who wish to enter, or have entered, a course related to engineering or construction.  There are a number of additional subjects that students in these areas find more challenging.  This section aims to promote engineering as a rewarding career choice and to provide help in a number of key subject areas.

NB This page contains many hyperlinks to other websites, rather than show lengthy support materials.  Some links are very long and you may prefer to use this document on-line to provide the direct links to the other sites.

Contents of this section

Unit 1:  The Engineering Profession

This unit provides some of the many reasons for considering engineering as a worthwhile career.  It describes the sort of people who might benefit, the career structure, the professional bodies and the different roles that engineers can undertake. There are a number of 'Teaching Tips' to promote discussion around the choice of engineering as a career and the value of the skills that engineers acquire.

Unit 2: Maths for Engineers

One of the most challenging subjects for those who are starting to study for an engineering course is maths.  This unit aims to provide links to a number of websites that have been established to help with the subject.  It also provides links to sites where students can assess their ability in different maths topics, with further links to provide support in the weaker areas. Tutors may be able to help their students by showing some of the web-based video clips in tutorials, depending on the group's needs.

Unit 3: Underpinning Science

The scientific knowledge requirement for those studying an engineering subject depends on that subject. Electrical engineers will need to know about certain physics concepts, while chemical engineers will need to have a sound knowledge of chemistry.  This unit provides links to websites where students can gain the basic principles of science in preparation for their particular courses.

Unit 4: SI and Imperial Units and Correct Usage

This unit provides information on the different units of measurement that are in use. While SI units are now the most common in this country, Imperial Units are still sometimes used and they are still the standard in the USA. Students will need to know the correct units and the way that they are written down, as well as how to convert between one measure and another.

Unit 5: Materials and their Properties

All engineers will need to know something about the properties of materials so that they can be used for manufacture, construction and containment. This unit provides an introduction to materials and their properties and provides links to appropriate websites where the student can find out more about material sciencee.

Unit 6: Project Management

This unit provides a brief introduction to project management.  It includes PRINCE2 as an example of a commonly-used process, examples of charts that are used and provides links to further information. There is scope for tutors to support their students by setting exercises for the group to show some of the factors that need to be taken into account in managing projects.

Unit 7: Control System

This unit introduces simple control systems that engineers will come across, including the difference between open and closed loop. It describes how control can be implemented with some of their advantages.

Unit 8: Engineering Extras

In addition to the subjects that have been dealt with in previous Units, there are a number of other issues that engineering students have listed where additional support may be required.  This section provides further help in some of those areas.

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