BE103 - Engineering Practice

Credit Points: 15 credit points

Workload: 48 hours

Prerequisite: N/A

Co-requisite: N/A

Aims & Objectives

This is a core unit out of a total of 24 units in the Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Telecommunications) BEngTech (Tel). This unit addresses the appropriate BEngTech (Tel) course learning outcomes and complements other courses in a related field by developing students’ specialised knowledge in professional practice including ethical and social issues. For further information on the course please refer to: http://www.mit.edu.au/study-with-us/programs/bachelor-engineering-technology-telecommunications.
This unit provides students with insights into the ethical and social issues associated with developing and maintaining information technology and engineering. Through this unit students are expected to develop and appreciate the consequences of managing systems and networks from ethical and social perspectives. Case studies and projects will be based on telecommunication and networks. Students will work in a studio-based learning environment to discuss and understand the application of ethical standards, legal issues, professional practices and principles in business environments. Additionally, students are required to participate actively in laboratory sessions/tutorials each week.
This Unit includes the following topics:

  • Professionalism and Business
  • Managing Yourself, Leaders and Managers
  • Professional Communication
  • Professional Research
  • Writing and Presentation Skills
  • Professional Ethics
  • Legal, Social and Cultural Issues
  • Project Management, Accounting and IT Governance

Learning Outcomes

4.1 Course Learning Outcomes
The Course learning outcomes applicable to this unit are listed on the Melbourne Institute of Technology’s website: www.mit.edu.au
4.2 Unit Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students are expected to be able to:
a. Identify potential ethical, social, and legal issues arising from ICT developments;
b. Prepare written and oral presentations on ethical, social, and legal issues pertaining to ICT;
c. Participate in team discussions on professional and ethical issues of ICT;
d. Interpret professional codes of practice as developed by industry bodies;
e. Discuss an ICT solution in accordance with professional standards and codes of practice;
f. Identify, describe and discuss situations where ethical, social, and legal issues may occur;
g. Explain ICT solutions so that ethical standards are achieved and maintained and society benefits;
h. Develop skills of reflective practice using a popular journal, e.g., online blogs.

Weekly Topics

This unit will cover the content below:

Week Topics
1 Professionalism and Business
2 Managing Yourself, Leaders and Managers
3 Professional Communication
4 Professional research
5 Writing professionally: process and style
6 Writing professionally: process and style
7 Oral reports and presentations
8 Professional Ethics
9 Legal, Social and Cultural Issues
10 Project Management, Accounting & IT Governance
11 ICT and Engineering standards
12 Review/Revision

Assessment

Assessment Task Release Date Due Date A B Learning Outcomes Assessed
Class Participation and Contribution Each week in Lab Each week in Lab 10%   a-h
Individual Formative Assignment 1 Week 1 Week 3 08/04/2022 5%   a
In-Class Test During the lab session Week 6   10% a,b,g
Assignment 2 (Groups of 2-3 students) Week 6 Week 11 03/06/2022 25%   a-h
Final Examination (2 hours)       50% a-h
TOTALS     40% 60%  

Task Type: Type A: unsupervised, Type B: supervised.

Class Participation and Contribution
This unit has class participation and student contribution as an assessment. The assessment task and marking rubric will follow the Guidelines on Assessing Class Participation (https://www.mit.edu.au/about-us/governance/institute-rules-policies-and-plans/policies-procedures-and-guidelines/Guidelines_on_Assessing_Class_Participation). Further details will be provided in the assessment specification on the type of assessment tasks and the marking rubrics.
Presentations (if applicable)
For presentations conducted in class, students are required to wear business attire.

Textbook and Reference Materials

Note: Students are required to purchase the prescribed textbook and have it available each week in class.
Prescribed Text Book:

  • D. Dowling, R. Hadgraft, A. Carew, T. McCarthy, D. Hargreaves and C. Baillie, Engineering Your Future: An Australian Guide, John Wiley, 2016.
  • R. Archee, M. Gurney, and T. Mohan, Communicating As Professionals, 3rd Ed., Australia: Cengage Learning, 2013.

Other recommended references:

  • H. E. Bergeron, A pocket guide to business for engineers and surveyors, USA: John Wiley and Sons, New Jersey, 2009.
  • H. T. Tavani, Ethics & Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology, USA: Wiley, 2004.
  • J. Mizzoni, Ethics – the basics, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2010.
  • R. M. Baird, R. Ramsower, S. E. Rosenbaum, (Eds.), Cyberethics – Social and moral issues in the computer age, USA: Amherst, Prometheus, NY, 2000.
  • S. Baase, A gift of fire – Social, legal and ethical issues for computers and the Internet , 2nd ed.,Upper Saddle River, USA: Prentice-Hall, N.J., 2003.
  • R. Rosenberg, The social impact of computers, 3rd. ed. USA: Elsevier, 2004.
  • Karen Schwartz, IT Governance: Definitions & Solutions, CIO, 2007,
  • http://www.cio.com/article/2438931/governance/it-governance-definition-and-solutions.html
  • Weill, Peter, & Ross, Jeanne W., IT governance: How top performers manage IT decision rights for superior results. Harvard Business School Press 2004.

Important Online Resources

The following law-related websites are useful as research tools:

Name URL Legal Materials
Austlii http://www.austlii.edu.au Federal, State and Territory court
decisions, Acts and Regulations
Comlaw http://www.comlaw.gov.au New Federal Attorney-General’s
Department site; links to other Australian Government sites
Australian Law
Online
http://australia.gov.au/topics/la
w-and-justice
Australian Government legislation and
information
Australian
Constitution
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_P
arliament/Senate/Powers_practi ce_n_procedures/Constitution.as px
The Australian Constitution
High Court
http://www.hcourt.gov.au
High Court decisions
Victorian Government http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au Victorian Government Acts and Regulations
The Law Handbook http://lawhandbook.org.au/?Ope nForm The Victorian Government's legal information website
Butterworths
Lexisnexis
http://global.lexisnexis.com/
au
Various publications and legal
information
CCH Online http://www.cch.com.au/ Daily legal news items
FindLaw http://www.findlaw.com.au Coverage of cases and articles on legal
subject areas
Thomson http://www.thomson.com.au Judgements, various publications and
legal information

AGLC - Australian Guide to Legal Citation [It is the most popular and valuable source of professional citations, research, legal writing, footnotes etc. used by law journals, law schools and lawyers in Australia. More than 300 pages of information is available to students for educational purposes and it may be downloaded from the website http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc]


“..The AGLC outlines established citation practices and indicates preferred approaches where no particular approach has been widely adopted. It is designed for academics, legal practitioners, law students and the judiciary, and is a valuable tool for legal writing and research. The AGLC is laid out in a manner that is easy to read and includes a detailed index and helpful examples. As well as providing a set of citation principles for Australian material, the AGLC includes suggestions for citing material from Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States..” As explained in the Third Edition of AGLC, http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc, accessed on 14 July 2014.
Adopted Reference Style: IEEEE (Information can be found in MIT library referencing)

Graduate Attributes

MIT is committed to ensure the course is current, practical and relevant so that graduates are “work ready” and equipped for life-long learning. In order to accomplish this, the MIT Graduate Attributes identify the required knowledge, skills and attributes that prepare students for the industry.
The level to which Graduate Attributes covered in this unit are as follows:

Ability to communicate Independent and Lifelong Learning Ethics Analytical and Problem Solving Cultural and Global Awareness Team work Specialist knowledge of a field of study

Legend

Levels of attainment Extent covered
The attribute is covered by theory and practice, and addressed by assessed activities in which the students always play an active role, e.g. workshops, lab submissions, assignments, demonstrations, tests, examinations.
The attribute is covered by theory or practice, and addressed by assessed activities in which the students mostly play an active role, e.g. discussions, reading, intepreting documents, tests, examinations.
The attribute is discussed in theory or practice; it is addressed by assessed activities in which the students may play an active role, e.g. lectures and discussions, reading, interpretation, workshops, presentations.
The attribute is presented as a side issue in theory or practice; it is not specifically assessed, but it is addressed by activities such as lectures or tutorials.
The attribute is not considered, there is no theory or practice or activities associated with this attribute.