ENG6410 Research practice in engineering
Faculty of Engineering
ENG6410 Research practice in engineering is a level 6, 0-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 0
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1, Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ENG6410
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ENG6410
No unit lists ENG6410 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in the Engineering PHD program or with permission from the Faculty of Engineering
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
The goal of the unit is to introduce researchers to the practice of research. It is founded on perspectives from the Philosophy of Science (PoS) which addresses questions of what science is and what it means to be a scientist. The unit firstly introduces the structure of scientific arguments and aims to demonstrate how a knowledge of this structure can enable critical thinking and scientific communication. The unit also aims to make researchers aware of the complex social process that modern science is and introduce them to aspects such as research funding, planning and budgeting research projects, research metrics, technology development and commercialisation, intellectual property and patents, current socio-political views of science and scientists, etc.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Online |
| Second semester | Clayton | Online |
Assessment
- In-class presentationPresentation20%
- Grant proposalWritten30%
- Review of grant proposalWritten15%
- RejoinderWritten15%
- Short pitch presentationPresentation20%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Critically review scientific arguments to identify research questions, discern inductive arguments leading to hypotheses and deductive arguments leading to valid experimental tests.
- 2
Generate a research proposal by applying the hypothetico-deductive framework to a research problem, formulating a research plan, assessing material and human resources required for the research, justifying a research budget.
- 3
Appreciate prevalent sociological perspectives of science and reflect on their consequences for publicly-funded scientific research, such as research quality assessment and metrics.
- 4
Appreciate the steps involved in developing and commercialising technology and the value of scientific skills in this process.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Workshops will involve activities to help explain the application of the Scientific Method to analyse the logical structure of research proposals and reports.
Recorded lectures will explain concepts in logical and critical thinking and the philosophy of science.
Workshop activities and assignments will be team-based to enable students to learn concepts deeply through discussion and explanation to each other.
Assignments will require the submission of a research proposal, including administrative details, drafting a budget, preparing mock track record statements etc.; they will also review each other's proposals and submit rejoinders.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Merrilee Salmon, "Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking", Cengage Learning, 2012.
Technology resources
You have to regularly check e-mail and Moodle for announcements.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Warren Batchelor
- Professor Udo Bach
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Udo Bach
- Professor Warren Batchelor
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ENG6410?
ENG6410 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ENG6410 offered?
In 2026, ENG6410 runs in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Clayton, with an online option.
How much work is ENG6410?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ENG6410 have an exam?
No. ENG6410 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.