1. Programme BSc Broadcast Technology
PROJECT BRIEF
Engineering Project 100% of a 30 credit
Project Title Project Value
unit
Unit Title Engineering Project Unit Code BTC302
Level 3; Terms 1, 2 & 3 Assignment PRO
Level/Term
Code
Submission Wednesday 26th May 2010 29th September 2009
Date of Issue
Date
Unit Leader James Uren
James Uren
Project Leader
Martin Uren
and Other Staff
John Palmer
Broadcast engineers will often be called upon to plan, develop and manage
an engineering project, and will be expected to be able to work
independently, gathering relevant expertise and delivering to a negotiated
deadline.
This unit seeks to simulate this sector experience through a multi-
disciplinary project wherein students engage individually in new learning in
relation to technology, set themselves challenges, and develop themselves
through initiating and developing an individually negotiated engineering
Unit
project.
Introduction
Students will decide on their own “problem” in negotiation with a member of
staff. This decision will be enshrined in a learning agreement, with individual
contractual obligations. Learning outcomes and assessment criteria will also
be negotiated.
This unit may have some inter-relationship with the student’s choice of
dissertation subject in BTC306 Dissertation (namely it may spring from this
enquiry, or be associated with it, but must not duplicate research material).
Project Brief
This project will enable students to plan, develop and manage an
engineering project. Students will work individually, gathering relevant
expertise and delivering the project to a negotiated deadline.
Working individually, you will design an innovative product or service for the
broadcast industry. You will first produce a short proposal in the first two
weeks of term that defines the aims and scope of the project. This has to
be agreed by your project tutor. You will then research and develop the
project and write an interim report. This report will be due towards the end
of the term 1 and should cover the following points:
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2. Programme BSc Broadcast Technology
• Outline of the proposed innovation.
• Market research.
• Feasibility study.
• Budget.
• Schedule of aims and objectives.
• Possible extensions/reductions to project.
• A Gantt chart.
You will then design and develop a prototype of the product or software
service.
In term 3 you will present the prototype to industry professionals at a poster
exhibition.
You will also write up the project in the form of a formal project report. The
report should cover the following points:
• Product design
• Prototype development.
• Testing.
• Evaluation.
• Future of the product or service.
Learning on this unit is gained through a combination of:
• Lectures;
Teaching and • Seminars;
Learning
• Tutorials;
Strategies and
• Self-directed study.
E-Learning
For project updates you are required to regularly check your emails and unit
specific content in Moodle.
Learning
Outcomes Although these are open for negotiation students should ensure that their
individual new learning is clearly articulated. The following are the “default”
learning outcomes, which will underpin all projects and any further
negotiated learning outcomes:
Knowledge and Understanding
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Reflect on the challenges a broadcast engineering project has
presented and critically evaluate the relative success against the
proposed outcomes; (LO1)
2. Present and discuss a broadcast engineering project in systematic
detail, demonstrating sufficient subject area knowledge and
conceptual understanding to answer questions and articulate
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3. Programme BSc Broadcast Technology
intention and approach. (LO2)
Skills
By the end of the project the students will be able to:
3. Initiate proposals/specification and programme plans; (LO3)
4. Research and develop a broadcast engineering project from a
number of possible broadcast engineering concepts (this may involve
developing feasibility studies); (LO4)
5. Project manage a project to schedule, to a client’s satisfaction and
within budget, demonstrating decision-making in complex and
unpredictable contexts; (LO5)
6. Apply existing broadcast engineering methods and techniques to an
engineering project, to extend knowledge and understanding and
develop new, project specific engineering skills. (LO6)
Assessment
Criteria To be individually negotiated. The following are the “default” assessment
criteria:
Students will be assessed on:
Project Proposal and Interim Project Report
• Depth of definition and explanation of the problem and scope of the
broadcast engineering project in a proposal/specification and
programme plan; (LO3)
• Ability to identify outcomes and performance indicators suited to a
defined broadcast engineering project; (LO1)
• Weight of evidence of appropriate research and development for at
least two broadcast engineering concepts. (LO4)
Final Project Report
• Level of ability to project manage the project, to near professional
degrees of client satisfaction and budget compliance; (LO5)
• Level of ability to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract
concepts, and data to make judgements and frame appropriate
questions to achieve a solution; (LO1, LO2)
• Degree of application of methods and techniques to review, initiate
and carry out a broadcast engineering project; (LO6)
• Degree of systematic application of learning and reflection on the
challenges the project has presented. (LO1, LO2)
Presentation
• Degree of higher levels of communication skills utilised in presenting
a project to a Panel; (LO2)
• Degree of awareness of industrial and commercial constraints; (LO4,
LO5)
• Coherence of decision-making processes within broadcast
engineering context; (LO5)
• Degree of appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of
knowledge. (LO1, LO2, LO5, LO6)
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4. Programme BSc Broadcast Technology
Assessable Elements Percentage of Final Grade
Project Proposal Formative
Interim Project Report 25% 75%
Final Project Report 50%
Presentation 25%
Students should submit:
• An individual one-page project proposal
This must be submitted on-line by
16.00h on Friday 9th October 2009
• An individual written interim report of about 2000 words
Assessable This must be submitted on-line by
Elements and
Submission 16.00h on Friday 27th November 2009
Requirements
Students should prepare a poster and give a short presentation, then
answer questions:
Tuesday 18th May 2010
Students should submit:
• An individual written final report of 4000 – 6000 words, not
including software listing or appendices.
This must be submitted on-line by
16.00h on Wednesday 26th May 2010
It is your responsibility to meet these deadlines.
Tuesday 29 September 2009: Issue Project Brief
Friday 9 October: Online submission of Project Proposal
Friday 27 November: Online submission of Interim Report
Key Dates Tuesday 18 May: Assessed oral presentation.
Tuesday 26 May: Online submission of Final Report
Students must refer to the detailed timetable for times regarding sessions
and lectures.
Extensions If you have any other unforeseen and serious difficulties during this unit you
and Mitigating may apply for an extension, or mitigating circumstances. Full details of how
Circumstances to do this are available from the Registry intranet site at
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5. Programme BSc Broadcast Technology
http://intranet.rave.ac.uk/registry/docs/MITCIRCSFAQ.pdf
All projects at Ravensbourne College are assessed against the College
Grading and
Grading Descriptors. (http://intranet.rave.ac.uk/quality/a_to_z.htm)
Marking
All references must be written in the Harvard style of referencing. Refer to
the LRC Booklet ‘How to … Reference your work’.
Blair, R. (2002) Digital Techniques in Broadcasting Transmission, Focal.
Eisner, H. (2002) Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering
Management, John Wiley and Sons.
Tozer, E. (2004) Broadcast Engineer’s Reference Book, Focal.
Uren, M. (2001) Illustrated Dictionary of Moving Image Technology, Focal.
Reading List
Williams, E. (2006) NAB Engineering Handbook, Focal.
http://www.edasolutions.com/Groups/Tech/BroadcastCalcs.htm
EDA, Incorporated Broadcast Engineering – online Broadcast Engineering
related calculators.
Students will also be provided with additional individual reading list and
references dependent on their specific project requirements.
All references must be written in the Harvard style of referencing. Refer to
the LRC Booklet ‘How to … Reference your work’.
Learning Support is available through Student Services and includes –
English as a second language, academic writing support and dyslexia
support.
For more information on the type of support you can access, either visit the
Student Services Team, or see the Support for Learning brochure which
can be downloaded from –
Learning
http://intranet.rave.ac.uk/support/Support4Learning.htm
Support
Alternative assessment arrangements may be made or additional learning
support arranged for students with disabilities or medical conditions which
would impair their performance in meeting the above requirements and who
have registered in advance with Student Support. This must be discussed
and agreed in advance with the Subject Leader and will be reported to the
Board of Examiners.
Students who fail this project, or parts thereof, will be required to complete a
resubmission project which demonstrates that they have achieved the
learning outcomes.
Re-Submission
Requirements Students should be aware that resubmissions are capped at an E grade
unless the mitigating circumstances panel uphold the evidenced application.
The deadline for re-submission is TBC.
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