MTE4201 Materials in a complex world 3: Impact in society
Faculty of Engineering
MTE4201 Materials in a complex world 3: Impact in society is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2023 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2025 entry.
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Requisites
Before MTE4201
Corequisites
Pass these before, or take them in the same semester.
After MTE4201
No unit lists MTE4201 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PREREQUISITE: You must have completed 30 credit points of level 3 or 4 MTE-coded units.
Overview
In this unit, we will move beyond the role of the engineer as a designer, and examine the role of an engineer as a strategist within a technical organisation and within society as a whole. Project management aspects covered in this unit will include enterprise & entrepreneurship, economics
and markets, materials flow, the carbon economy, regulation and social responsibility. You will participate in a complex real-world engineering project and interact with key stakeholders in an area of significance for the role of materials engineering in society. The interrelationship between innovation and invention and the generation and nature of intellectual property within a business context will be covered.
The unit will include a major team-based project, addressing a problem in the broad area of materials sustainability. You will apply the knowledge gained in class to propose and justify strategic actions that could be taken by your team. You will be expected to integrate technical and non-technical concepts into your team’s major project. At the end of the unit, your team will produce a strategic plan to address the problem, which will form a key part of your professional portfolio upon graduation.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Individual tasks25%
- Project literature review20%
- Project strategic plan40%
- Project interview15%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Plan a long-term technical innovation process that appropriately accounts for societal, health, safety, legal and IP, cultural, workforce, ethical and environmental factors, and relevant industry standards.
- 2
Research and synthesise recent findings in fields of study relevant to a current societal problem.
- 3
Engage in a professional manner with teammates and with experts and/or interested external parties in areas relevant to a topic of study.
- 4
Appraise and negotiate design specifications and potential project scope in response to stakeholder needs.
- 5
Demonstrate fundamental skills in business, quality management, risk management, entrepreneurship and creative problem solving applied to a materials engineering context.
- 6
Holistically appraise a proposed course of action based on professional and societal standards of sustainable and socially responsible engineering.
- 7
Reflect on performance within a team project, and on the roles of materials engineering and other fields of expertise in addressing contemporary issues.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops12 hours
- Practical activities24 hours
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-4 hours of scheduled learning activities and 8-9 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.
The unit will be based heavily around a team project.
Where it fits
MTE4201 is part of 1 area of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Andrew Rodda
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Andrew Rodda
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MTE4201?
None, but you must take MTE3201 before or alongside it.
When is MTE4201 offered?
In 2023, MTE4201 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is MTE4201?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does MTE4201 have an exam?
No. MTE4201 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include MTE4201?
MTE4201 is part of Materials engineering.