Introduction to Engineering Problem Solving

Word limit: 3,000 words. This is an Individual Assessment and attracts 20% of
the total marks for this course. This represents approximately 30 to 35 hours of
individual student effort and the standard of the submission should reflect this.
Tasks should be completed with reference to the Reflective Writing Guide and the
Assessment Criteria, which are both available on StudyDesk.
Your task:

Part 1
Explain how working on the EWB project has compared to your expectations
at the beginning of semester (e.g. skills learned, knowledge, processes
used, etc). Explain the reasons for the similarity or difference between your
position now and what you wrote about what you expected to learn in Portfolio

Part 2
You will need to explain this similarity or difference by critically reflecting
on your experiences during the semester so far, including which experiences
were important and why, how they impacted on the situation and what
questions or implications they raise for future learning or professional life. You
will need to use excerpts from discussions to support your arguments.

Part 3
At the start of semester you were asked to think about motivations for
studying at university and barriers you thought you might encounter.
o Reflect and write on your experience of studying engineering this
semester.

Thought starters:
• What have you enjoyed about this semester of studying engineering?
• What have you found most difficult this semester?
• Is studying engineering turning out to be like you expected it to be
(so far)?
• Do you think studying at uni. Is likely to get harder or easier next
semester? Why?
• Are you glad that you are studying engineering?
o Describe your biggest problem(s) this semester and what actions you took
or strategies you used to deal with it. (These are not limited to situations
which arose just in this course)
Thought starters:
• Your biggest problem this semester might not have been directly
related to your studies!
• Was the problem academic, inter-personal, social/emotional or
personal management?
• Did you have any difficulty understanding what you were expected to
do or why you were expected to do something?
• With hindsight, can you think of a more effective way to manage this
problem if it occurs again?
• Are you likely to change your approach as a result of what you now
know?