Programme Specification AER-2015: Aerospace Engineering LU Foundation Degree in Engineering awarded by Lancaster University (FHEQ Level 5) LU Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Top-up) awarded by Lancaster University (FHEQ Level 6) Programme Status: Approved Version: 1
Introduction This programme specification provides a summary of the main features of the Aerospace Engineering programme and the learning outcomes that you as a student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate on successful completion of the programme. Further detailed information related to this programme and the College can be found in the following resources: Programme Handbook B&FC Student Handbook B&FC Admissions Policy Work based and placement learning handbook (for foundation degrees) Student guide to assessment and feedback Key Programme Information Programme Code Programme Title AER-2015 Aerospace Engineering Teaching Institution Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) Accreditation UCAS Code Language of Study Version 1 Approval Status Programme Overview Blackpool and The Fylde College None English Approved Approval Date 27 April 2017 JACS Code Programme Leader Programme Awards Jamie Smith Award Award Type Level Awarding Body LU Foundation Degree in Engineering LU Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Top-up) Foundation Degree (240 credits) Honours Top-up Degree (120 credits) Level 5 Lancaster University Level 6 Lancaster University Blackpool and the Fylde College remains committed to providing a highly responsive curriculum that is employment and future-focused and will enable students to develop the essential knowledge and skills that will prepare them for future success in work and life. The Aerospace Engineering Foundation Degree and Aerospace Engineering BEng (Hons) programmes are unique in the education sector as these programmes are developed in partnership with industry leaders BAE Systems, creating an industry relevant degree education that will continue to be developed and partnered through close industry consultation, ensuring that these programmes continue to be industry specific and high quality. These programmes explore the complex world of aerospace engineering from a holistic perspective, creating the engineers of the future. Your skills will be developed in systems engineering approaches, Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 2 of 10
technical competences covering, aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, airframe, software, design, engineering and project management and aircraft principles. You will also develop an appreciation of the through life complexities of the aerospace business including how to support environmental and operational changes to aircraft platforms once they are delivered to the customer. As an Aerospace Engineering student, you will be inspired by cutting edge aerospace technologies and challenges and have access to our extensive facilities for aerodynamics, materials testing, simulation and control and engine test cell. Our industry partnered Aerospace Engineering degree programme combines aerospace, mechanical, materials and systems engineering, providing you with the academic expertise, practical training and sector recognition you will need to succeed in this technologically advanced industry. We will aim to make your learning experience as enjoyable and engaging as possible. Our facilities need to support the project work that you will undertake as part of your study. Our newly developed Advanced Technology Centre will house state of the art facilities that will be available to you throughout this programme, ensuring that you have every opportunity to achieve your full potential as an aerospace engineer. You will benefit from contact with specialists in areas including computational fluid dynamics modelling of complex processes, using state-of-the-art computer systems, aerodynamic experiments and testing, adhesive bonding and the development of new materials for structural components. Admission Criteria The normal entry criteria for the Foundation Degree is: 5 GCSE s at Grade C or above, (or equivalent Level 2 qualifications), including English, Mathematics and a Science subject PLUS a minimum of 48 UCAS points (excluding functional skills) from one of the following. 2 GCE A2 levels (or equivalent), to include mathematics and a technology, engineering or science based subject. A National Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma (or equivalent) in a science or technology-based subject, including passes in mathematics. If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of at least 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills is also required. In addition a placement with a relevant aerospace employer is required as part of the Foundation degree Programme. You will be supported in engaging with suitable employers in order to secure appropriate placements during Level 4 of the programme. Note: Mature candidates and applicants who have alternative equivalent qualifications or can demonstrate relevant industrial experience will be interviewed on an individual basis to determine suitability for the programme. You will be able to progress to the Level 6 (BEng Hons Aerospace Engineering) on successful completion of the FDEng Aerospace Engineering. Career Options and Progression Opportunities Employed students will be predominantly from aerospace engineering companies such as BAE Systems or their supply chain. Full time students may have the opportunity to engage with these large and medium size employers through the excellent existing partnerships that could provide high quality employment opportunities for students. Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 3 of 10
Progression from the Foundation Degree to BEng Hons has been identified as best practice by industry for all competent Aerospace Engineers with the potential to further study at post graduate level with Lancaster University. Progression opportunities are set against the business requirements prevailing at the time. Local and regional strategic priorities such as the developing enterprise zones at both Warton and Samlesbury BAE Systems sites will provide on-going opportunities for full and part time students to enter the industry and succeed as aerospace engineers. Programme Aims Foundation Degree Aerospace Engineering: - To provide the opportunity for students to gain skills, knowledge and confidence to apply proven aerospace engineering principles, technological techniques, applications and methods in the workplace. - To explore new developments in the aerospace field of aircraft design, propulsion, avionics, systems and advanced technologies to enable students to become proficient engineers with a robust foundation and framework in this specialist field of engineering. - To acquire knowledge, analyse and evaluate new developments in the sector as they emerge and to apply these appropriately to their chosen specialist field. - To provide students with the opportunity to gain transferable knowledge and skills to enable them to engage fully into research, development and construction of aerospace systems. BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering: - To produce professional engineers who have the capacity to work at high levels within the aerospace sector, producing sustainable outcomes for the success of the industry and to take responsibility for lifelong learning for successful career development. - To provide students with the opportunity to gain a critical and informed awareness of contemporary issues, legislation, problems and opportunities afforded by a focus upon aerospace engineers in recognition of the impact of the demands of industry. - To provide academic, technical and personal development through a variety of learning experiences, in particular, the development of communication skills and capability of critical analysis, problem solving, the presentation and justification of rational argument and alternative courses of action. - To facilitate the opportunity to pursue the level of study which will enable students to critically review, consolidate and extend a systematic and coherent body of knowledge, by utilising specialised skills across an area of study; be able to critically evaluate concepts and evidence from a range of sources; transfer and apply diagnostic and creative skills and exercise significant judgement in a range of situations; accepting accountability for determining and achieving personal and/or group outcomes. Programme Learning Outcomes Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 4 of 10
Level 5 Upon successful completion of this level, students will be able to: 1. Analyse essential facts, concepts, theories and fundamentals of aerospace engineering disciplines underpinned by scientific and mathematical principles. 2. Apply knowledge and skills to the wider multidisciplinary aerospace engineering context and its underlying principles. 3. Evaluate the social, environmental, ethical, economic and commercial considerations that affect aerospace engineering decisions and judgement. 4. Use and apply quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of aerospace engineering problems. 5. Provide solutions to identified engineering problems in order to formulate creative designs, products and services. 6. Use and apply industry standard engineering skills through laboratory and workshop activities in design, analysis and control. 7. Problem solve, communicate and work collaboratively with others and independently to develop innovative ideas and new ways of thinking to support the development of business practices and knowledge. 8. Use general IT facilities and information retrieval skills to develop planning and teamwork which support lifelong learning and continuing professional development. 9. Effectively work in teams, managing tasks and resources to meet changing technical and managerial needs which support continuous quality improvement. Level 6 Upon successful completion of this level, students will be able to: 10. Critically apply specialist engineering principles and knowledge to extend technological capability and knowledge base through new applications and techniques. 11. Interrogate engineering problems using a sound evidence base to contribute to improved effectiveness of engineering products, systems and services supporting through life sustainability. 12. Independently plan, manage and execute a technically and theoretically informed extended enquiry, which analyses engineering problems, proposes engineering solutions, broadly deepens knowledge and skills base and critically evaluates outcomes. 13. Critically analyse and evaluate complex aerospace systems and their interdependencies through the application of systems thinking via analysis of the wider engineering context. 14. Design, develop and implement procedures to undertake engineering tasks, identify problems and develop solutions through critical evaluation. 15. Use effective interpersonal skills to communicate technical and non-technical information to a variety of audiences. 16. Apply ethical principles to sustainable professional practices in an aerospace engineering context which recognise obligations to society, the profession and the environment. Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 5 of 10
Programme Structure Pathway Module Level Credits Coursework Practical Written Exam Stage 1 Stage exit award: LU Certificate of Higher Education (Awarded by Lancaster University) All AER402: Mechanical Engineering Science AER403: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science AER404: Analytical Methods for Engineers AER405: Aircraft and Aerospace Principles BFC402-E: Academic and Digital Literacy (Science) ENG405: Computer Aided Design Stage 2 Stage exit award: LU Foundation Degree in Engineering (Awarded by Lancaster University) All AER501: Materials Engineering AER502: Further Engineering Science AER503: Major Project AER504: Engineering Management within the Workplace AER505: Aircraft Propulsion AER506: Aerodynamic Principles and Aircraft Design Stage 3 Stage exit award: LU Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Awarded by Lancaster University) All AER601: Avionics AER602: Dissertation AER603: Flight Systems AER604: Systems Engineering and Systems Thinking AER605: Controls and Simulation (Elective) AER606: Advanced Airframe Engineering (Elective) 4 20 50% 50% 4 20 50% 50% 4 20 40% 60% 4 20 50% 50% 4 20 50% 50% 4 20 100% 5 20 50% 50% 5 20 40% 60% 5 20 75% 25% 5 20 100% 5 20 50% 50% 5 20 50% 50% 6 20 70% 30% 6 40 100% 6 20 40% 60% 6 20 80% 20% 6 20 40% 60% 6 20 40% 60% Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 6 of 10
Course Options All Level 4 and Level 5 modules on the programme are compulsory within the FDEng. There are two 20 credit optional modules on the BEng at Level 6: AER605 - Controls and Simulation AER606 Advanced Airframe Engineering One of these two optional modules must be taken at Level 6 to satisfy the 120 credit criteria. The final award will be: BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering with either optional module taken. The selection of optional modules will be subject to, and dictated by student numbers and employer preference related to business need. The programme manager will consult with the relevant stakeholders to ensure module selection and omission is favourable for student progression and employer responsive provision. Programme Delivery: Learning and Teaching The strategy for teaching, learning and assessment ensures that during the foundation degree the you will be developed appropriately in the correct operational context and will be able to demonstrate the cognitive/intellectual and key/transferable skills expected at level 4 and then at level 5, thus preparing them appropriately through teaching, learning and assessment experiences for level 6. The strategy across the programme is informed by Bigg s Constructive Alignment, the Community of Inquiry model and Anderson & Krathwohl s (2001) revision of Bloom s Taxonomy and more recent investigation and case studies into effective teaching, learning and assessment of engineering students. Both the Foundation Degree and the BEng (Hons) Top-Up follow a social constructivist ethos and a holistically focused systems thinking methodology. The overall programme design will allow you to become independent aerospace engineer with a broad base of knowledge of the sector and the skills to perform at a high standard within employment. In line with the QAA Foundation Degree and Engineering subject benchmarks (UK-SPEC), the delivery of the course will encompass a range of strategies which include but are not limited to; lectures / presentations, practical work in the workshop, practical analysis on industry recognised software, seminars, projects, work placements and tutorials. All delivery methods will be supported by access to electronic information through, the college s Moodle VLE and the Learning Resource Centre. Teaching and learning will involve independent study and group work and a combination of both. Whilst didactic instruction still has a presence to ensure factual, procedural or conceptual knowledge is delivered and understood, most learning occurs through a dialogic mode allowing there to be a sense of the co-construction of knowledge amongst lecturer and students. That said, to ensure increased autonomy at level 6, student centered activities requiring independent research and judgment, are also provided and supported on programme. You are provided with the opportunity to develop skills of enquiry through analytical research and evaluation tasks which are relevant to aerospace engineering and scaffold from the simple to the complex, as they progress through the programme. Both formative and summative assessments will require you to demonstrate advanced study skills and to use them in the critical analysis and synthesis of information from a variety of sources. Various modes of assessment will be used in different modules to ensure all aspects of Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 7 of 10
learning are assessed and that students are engaged in different forms of assessment, covering their diversity of preferred learning approaches and relevant to the Aerospace engineering discipline. The programme and module learning outcomes will inform the selection of valid assessment instruments for both formative and summative assessment. You will experience a range of formative assessment activities which will provide feedback and feed forward opportunities which will support their development of confidence, knowledge, skill and aptitudes for learning. Formative assessments will include self and peer assessment, short written and verbal tasks, group work, practical observations and question and answer activities both simple and more complex. Formative assessment is characterized by dialogue discussion and an open and transparent approach to development. Modes of assessment (formative and summative) will be drawn from the following: Essays will allow the students to explore the theoretical context. Individual reports encourage independent study through a structured framework. Seen and unseen written assessments and examinations. Presentations to develop communication skills. Short exercises involving engineering data analysis. Workshop/ Lab work will ensure knowledge is consolidated through practical application, enquiry, critical thinking and problem solving. Portfolio work develops appropriate methodologies and reflective practice. They will facilitate critical self and peer evaluation, enabling students to chart their own developmental progress both academically and professionally. Tasks will be aimed at the assessment of specific engineering skills (e.g. research skills, statistical presentation skills). As part of the assessment strategy, all staff are encouraged to consider innovative assessments but have also been instructed in the key factors to ensure successful assessment design (i.e. In all cases the assessments (both formative and summative) adopt the principles of clarity, reliability, validity, authenticity and fairness). Individual summative coursework assessments totaling 2000-3000 words or equivalent (excluding the dissertation) will be carried out per module, with assessments consisting of a combination of elements such as assessed workshop/ lab work, coursework and/or exam. As per constructive alignment (Biggs 1997), assessments are selected by the module tutor to ensure suitability in meeting learning outcomes with the assessments over the module, structured to ensure formative feedback can be given. The academic rigour and topic suitability of all assessments is checked through application of the appropriate college and university assessment policies and procedures. Work based learning is heavily integrated into the FDEng Aerospace Engineering programme, promoting and emphasising the professional ethics and technical ability of an aerospace engineer across a broad and complex spectrum of systems, processes and techniques, whilst also engaging in creativity and innovative thought processes. Students entering this foundation degree could be fully employed with a relevant employer from aerospace or the aerospace supply chain or will obtain a work placement as part of the foundation degree programme. The pathway to obtaining employer placement and stakeholder sponsorship must be agreed between tutor and student before admission. The activities that fall within the work based learning remit will be monitored and assessed as per the formal processes dictated by the aims, outcomes and assessment strategies of the programme. You will be required to complete the Engineering Management in the Work Place module. This Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 8 of 10
module will provide you with the opportunity to contextualise their studies and significantly reflect on their developments in a work based environment, triangulating their knowledge through the context of the workplace and interface with professional engineers. Module leaders will give guidance throughout the course as to the most appropriate work experience required during any period of study, engaging with the employer to ensure the work environment synergises with the module content, curriculum delivery and assessment. The College s work placement strategy ensures you are appropriately managed in placement and co-ordinated to ensure appropriate support is provided to develop your key personal, technical and professional attitudes and competencies. Flexible and Blended Learning Development The diverse nature of the aerospace industry in relation to location and accessibility which includes Through life service of aircraft requires aerospace engineers to spend extended periods of time on RAF bases in the UK and beyond. This necessitates a flexible delivery approach that will accommodate this work practice. The standard virtual learning approach has been enhanced through the advantages of WEB2.0 technologies to provide an equivalence of delivery practice for all students participating on the programme. This approach is fully integrated into all learning activities to ensure students have 24/7 access to learning, tutorial support, group discussion and interaction, assessment development and completion. The blended teaching approach ensures full parity with that of the classroom experience and accommodates the diverse work schedules of aerospace engineering students through the use of online social spaces like Google+ Hangout. These sessions are formed as semi- structured discussions to allow for the co-construction of meaning guided by the lecturer. Students are requested to attend a formal class/ tutorial face to face at least once per month to ensure learning is consolidated and understanding is fully explored through discussion and debate. The blended learning approach for the FD BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering will be implemented in accordance with the Project Management Blended model as used successfully with BAE students for the past three years. The Project Management team are notably integrated into the Aerospace Engineering team, providing module support, module delivery, industry knowledge, corporate interface and blended learning leadership and governance. One-to-one tutorials will be given via online social learning platforms such as Google+ Hangout to ensure the students and lecturer can gauge their progress both on the course and connected to their PPDP targets. The students will also receive details for Higher Education Learning Mentors (HELM)s support should they wish to seek assistance with referencing, proof-reading and other academic literacy skills. Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 9 of 10
Programme Delivery: Assessment Both formative and summative assessments will require you to demonstrate advanced study skills and to use them in the critical analysis and synthesis of information from a variety of sources. Various modes of assessment will be used in different modules to ensure the key aspects of learning are assessed and that you are engaged in different forms of assessment, covering their diversity of preferred learning approaches and relevant to the Aerospace engineering discipline. You will experience a range of formative assessment activities which will provide feedback and feed forward opportunities which will support the development of your confidence, knowledge, skill and aptitudes for learning. Formative assessments will include self and peer assessment, short written and verbal tasks, group work, practical observations and question and answer activities both simple and more complex. Formative assessment is characterised by dialogue discussion and an open and transparent approach to development. You will be assessed by examination and coursework consisting of case studies, reports or presentations, or a combination of all three, depending on the unique nature of the module being delivered. Coursework assessments totaling 4000 words or equivalent (excluding the dissertation) will be carried out per module. Programme Delivery: Work Based and Placement Learning Work based learning is heavily integrated into the FDEng Aerospace Engineering programme, promoting and emphasising the professional ethics and technical ability of an aerospace engineer across a broad and complex spectrum of systems, processes and techniques. You will be entering this foundation degree either: fully employed with a relevant aerospace employer, or, ready to carry out a work placement within an aerospace company whilst on programme (at the desired time within the level 5 delivery window). You will be required to complete the Engineering Management in the Work Place module. This module will provide you with the opportunity to contextualise your studies and significantly reflect on your developments in a work based environment, triangulating your knowledge through the context of the workplace and interface with professional engineers. If you do not already have a work placement upon commencement of the programme, you will be encouraged to approach relevant employers to gain one prior to commencement of level 5 study. Your tutors will guide and support you through the process via focussed tutorial sessions and one-to-one support. Module leaders will give guidance throughout the course as to the most appropriate work experience required during any period of study, engaging with the employer to ensure the work environment synergises with the module content, curriculum delivery and assessment. The College s work placement strategy ensures that your work placement is appropriately managed and co-ordinated to ensure appropriate support is provided to develop your key personal, technical and professional attitudes and competencies. Blackpool and The Fylde College Page 10 of 10