AMME5022: Capstone Project B Extended

The capstone project requires the student to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, using their technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice thus demonstrating the achievement of AQF Level 9. Students are required to carry out a defined piece of independent research in a setting and in a manner that fosters the development of engineering research skills. These skills include the capacity to define a research question, showing how it relates to existing knowledge, identifying the tools needed to investigate the question, carrying out the research in a systematic way, analysing the results obtained and presenting the outcomes in a report that is clear, coherent and logically structured. Capstone project is undertaken across two semesters of enrolment, in two successive Units of Study of 6 credits points each. Capstone Project A covers first steps of thesis research starting with development of research proposal. Project B covers the second of stage writing up and presenting the research results. Students are asked to write a thesis based on a research project, which is very often related to some aspect of a staff member's research interests. Some projects will be experimental in nature, others may involve computer-based simulation, feasibility studies or the design, construction and testing of equipment. Direction of thesis work may be determined by the supervisor, however the student is expected to make a significant contribution to the direction of the project, and the student is responsible for the execution of the practical work and the general layout and content of the thesis itself. The final thesis must be the student's individual work, although research is sometimes conducted in the framework of a group project shared with others. Students undertaking research on this basis will need to take care in ensuring the individual quality of their own research work and the final thesis submission. The thesis will be judged on the extent and quality of the student's original work and particularly how critical, perceptive and constructive he or she has been in assessing his/her work and that of others. Students will also be required to present the results of their findings to their peers and supervisors as part of a seminar program. A thesis at this level will represent a contribution to professional practice or research, however the timeframe available for the thesis also needs to considered when developing project scopes. Indeed, a key aim of the thesis is to specify a research topic that arouses sufficient intellectual curiosity, and presents an appropriate range and diversity of technical and conceptual challenges, while remaining manageable and allowing achievable outcomes within the time and resources available. It is important that the topic be of sufficient scope and complexity to allow a student to learn their craft and demonstrate their research skills. Equally imperative is that the task not be so demanding as to elude completion. Finally the ability to plan such a project to achieve results within constraints and the identification of promising areas and approaches for future research is a key assessment criterion.