FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT

Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 1

Engineering Practical Experience
(ENGG4000, ENGG5217)

Students must be exposed to practical experience either by a practical experience period of
12 weeks in industry or by the accumulation of equivalent practical experience components in
order to satisfy the requirements of Engineers Australia for an accredited degree program.
Accordingly, students must be exposed to professional engineering practice to enable them to
develop an engineering approach and ethos and to gain an appreciation of engineering
ethics. The purpose of this is to facilitate entry into the profession and to develop the
following generic attributes:

I. ability to apply knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals
II. ability to communicate effectively, not only with engineers but also with the community at
large
III. in-depth technical competence in at least one engineering discipline
IV. ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
V. ability to utilise a systems approach to design and operational performance
VI. ability to function effectively as an individual and in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural
teams, with the capacity to be a leader or manager as well as an effective team member
VII. understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities of the
professional engineer, and the need for sustainable development
VIII. understanding of the principles of sustainable design and development
IX. understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities and commitment to them,
and the
X. expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, and the capacity to do so.

The sum of all components of practical experience must be at least the equivalent of a 12
week full time work experience (i.e. 420 hours). The practical experience must involve
technical work at a level commensurate with that of a graduate engineer. The objective is to
utilise some aspects of your engineering education in a professional engineering environment.

Verification of work completed is by means of forms which must be included with any
submitted Reports. A Practical Experience Certificate must be included with each practical
experience report.



Please keep in mind that you are representing the Faculty and the University of Sydney, so at all times you are
expected to act in a professional manner. Your conduct will impact on future students who follow you when
they seek a position with the organisation.



FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 2


Practical Experience Pathway Options

Completion of the practical experience unit of study is based on the accumulation of 12 points which
can be made up of either:
EITHER
Compulsory period of Practical Experience 12 weeks full time equivalent (420 hours)
12 weeks = 12 points
OR
Compulsory period of Practical Experience 4 weeks full time equivalent (140 hours)
4 weeks* = 6 points
PLUS any of the following components to equal the accumulation of 12 points

Attendance / participation at conference/ seminar/workshop/ professional development
= 2 points with max of 3 points

Industry based courses within degree studies = 4 points with max of 6 points

Site Visits = 2 points with max of 3 points
* Note: additional weeks of Practical experience will be counted as follows:
7 weeks =7 points, 8 weeks =8 points, 9 weeks =9 points, 10 weeks =10 points, 11 weeks =11
points and 12 weeks =12 points

Students who successfully complete a MIPPS program as part of their Engineering degree
enrolment are exempt from ENGG4000/ENGG5217 Practical Experience.





Instructions for Students
Please read this document carefully as it contains important information. You will also need to
download the required forms from the Practical Experience website at:-
http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/practical-experience/index.shtml
Master of Professional Engineering students must have completed 48 credit points before enrolling in
ENGG5217 Practical Experience.
Undergraduate students should have completed 36 credits of 3000 level units of study before enrolling
in ENGG4000 Practical Experience.
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 3



Practical Experience 12 weeks = 12 points

1. Obtaining a Practical Experience Position

You are personally responsible for ensuring that you complete the full period of practical experience
needed to obtain your qualification.

You may obtain work experience (preferably through paid employment) in various ways:
The University receives notices of employment through the Careers Centre, which may assist you
in obtaining employment. You should contact the Careers Centre for more information
(http://sydney.edu.au/careers).
You may obtain employment by making direct contact with potential employers. This option is
encouraged because employers appreciate students showing initiative. You are advised to make
inquiries in writing and should attach a curriculum vitae or resume to the letter.
You also have the option of obtaining unpaid work experience in a suitable professional
engineering environment.

You must ensure that the practical experience position is appropriate for a graduate engineer. You
should complete the Practical Experience Form with the details of the work and submit this to the
Faculty Office for Academic and Faculty Approval. The Faculty office will notify you when approvals
have been confirmed. You should return the Practical Experience Form to the Faculty Office before
commencing the position otherwise you will not be covered by the Universitys insurance.

You may take leave at any time during the period of work experience, subject to agreement with the
organisation, provided you are able to complete the stipulated period of training. If you are unable to
complete the training over a vacation period, you should contact your industry supervisor to determine
suitable arrangements for the completion of your period of experience

2. When You Have Found a Position

I. When you have found a practical experience position complete the Engineering Industrial
Experience form.
II. The supervising engineer should complete and sign the appropriate section of the form to
confirm you have been offered a position for the time period agreed. If you have any
correspondence with the organisation confirming your offer of a position please include that
with your form.
III. Return the completed form to the Faculty Office before the commencement of your position.
IV. Keep a log for the duration of your work as outlined in the Report Guidelines below.
V. When you have completed your practical experience hours have the supervising engineer sign
the Industrial Experience Certificate to indicate you have completed your work satisfactorily.
VI. Submit your report to the Engineering Faculty Office by week six of the semester in which
you are enrolled for ENGG4000/5217 Practical Experience. If you are due to graduate you
must submit your report at least 10 weeks before the graduation ceremony to ensure your
inclusion, otherwise you will not graduate until the following semester.

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 4


Insurance
If you are employed in Australia for a period of practical experience, your employer is legally
responsible for the relevant insurance, including cover for Workers Compensation.

If you undertake unpaid practical experience in Australia and you are not an employee or worker of the
organisation for the purposes of Workers Compensation legislation, the University provides insurance
cover including public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance and personal accident
insurance. Students who have secured an approved practical experience position in another country
must ensure they have appropriate insurance coverage.

Details of the University insurance policies are at:
http://sydney.edu.au/audit_risk/insurance/students/index.shtml

3. Practical Experience Report Guidelines

Practical experience will be assessed on the submission of the following:
a 6000 word report outlining your professional development during the practical experience
a log of daily activities.

The Faculty of Engineering and IT has produced a Graduate Outcomes Table (attached) which
reflects much of the progress of your professional development towards a professional engineer. This
table has been created on the basis of the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Requirements
and the University of Sydney Generic Attribute for all students.

Your practical experience report is a review of your learning progress, needs and prospects at the time
of undertaking the experience, and puts together the theory you have been learning in class with your
real world experience of your practical experience. The core subject matter is yourself, your
capabilities and future potential after 3 to 4 years of engineering study, and how your sense of these
things grows through your participation in a real engineering workplace.

The 6000 word report should include the following:
1. Title page, your name, school and student number
2. Experience details. For each period of work experience (there may only be one) list:
a) Name of employer
b) Type of business
c) Your job title
d) Dates of the experience
e) Contact details of your supervisor (name, position, email, phone number)
f) Practical experience certificate
3. Professional Engineering skills development. In relation to the 7 broad areas on the
attached Graduate Outcome Table:
a) Identify the specific skills that were most important for you during the practical
experience, and why.
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 5


b) Use a specific example from your practical experience to show how you have
developed/improved in one or more of these skills. You should make particular
reference to the activities you undertook in this example.
c) Fill in the Graduate Outcomes Table making an assessment of your current stage of
development
4. The engineering professional context. Choose any 2 of the following professional practice
issues:
Teamwork
professional standards and ethics
risk
sustainable design?
a) Use a specific example from your work experience to outline how your understanding
and appreciation of the issues has developed as part of your work experience.
5. Your current direction as an engineering student. Based on your experience, answer the
following with specific reference to activities during work experience
a) Is there anything that you plan to change in your study approach, or wish that you had
changed earlier?
b) Is there anything you would like to change in the design, teaching or syllabus of your
degree program?
6. Your future direction as an engineering graduate. This may mean the kind of engineering
challenges or work environments that attract you, or the kind of person that you see yourself
becoming in the engineering world. Describe:
a) How have your ideas about your future direction developed during the practical
experience?
b) What specific activities or other aspects of the practical experience have most affected
your thinking on this subject?

The report length shall be 6,000 words (10%), plus figures, references and appendices.

References should include all documents you have used which are publicly available, or which you
expect the reader to be able to obtain. Private communications and confidential documents should not
be included; however they should be mentioned in footnotes. Include any books and other technical
references used (but not dictionaries and style books) and sufficient information (publisher, date etc.)
for references to be identified and assessed. Format should be consistent in following a single
standard referencing style.

Practical Experience Log
The log documents the daily breakdown of tasks undertaken at a standard acceptable for business
accounting purposes. The log should record date, time and hours required for each task, along with a
short task description explaining significance of the task and relationship with other work conducted
plus comments on progress achieved, work remaining and issues arising. The log should follow, as far
as possible, whatever reporting format is customary in the host organisation.
Reports may be submitted in electronic format to engineering.practical.experience@sydney.edu.au. If
submitting a hardcopy please do not use spiral binding or plastic envelope sleeves. A stapled
document will be sufficient. Please do not forget to include a plagiarism declaration with your report.
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 6



Minimum of 4 weeks practical experience 6 points


Additional weeks of Industrial experience are counted as follows: 7 weeks =7 points, 8 weeks =8
points, 9 weeks =9 points, 10 weeks =10 points, 11 weeks =11 points and 12 weeks =12 points.
You will be required to follow the guidelines and expectations outlined for the complete 12 week
PracticalExperience Report.


Attendance / participation at a conference / seminar / workshop / professional
development 2 points each with a max of 3 points
You are required to provide documentation of the professional development session with a 1 page
report on how you benefited. The report could discuss:
The company/presenters topics covered in the seminar.

How the topics apply in an industrial situation.
The learning outcomes of the session and how you might apply these to experiences more
effectively and efficiently.
Was the session positive, or did you feel there might be things that could have been covered under
these topics?


Industry based course within degree studies 4 points
Approved units of study which have industry involvement can count units toward to the total of
required practical experience points. You must receive a passing grade in the nominated unit.
Approved units of study:
AERO3465 Aerospace Technology 2
CHNG 4802 Chemical Engineering Design A
CHNG 4806 Chemical Engineering Design B

In addition to the unit of study assessment you need to submit a 1 page report covering the following:
Unit Name and Coordinator
Name of external industry person involved in delivery or project definition
Name of company affiliation for above person

Select 5 topics from the list below corresponding to generic attributes specified by Engineers Australia
and relate your experience to a discussion of the topic:
ability to communicate effectively, not only with engineers but also with the community at large.
ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution.
ability to utilise a systems approach to design and operational performance.
ability to function effectively as an individual and in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, with
the capacity to be a leader or manager as well as an effective team member.
understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities of the professional
engineer, and the need for sustainable development.
understanding of the principles of sustainable design and development.
understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities and commitment to them, and
expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, and the capacity to do so.

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND IT
Practical Experience Requirements and Report Guidelines December 2012 7



Site Visits 2 points each with max of 3 points
You are required to provide documentation of the visit with a 1 page report on how you benefited. The
report could discuss:
The company and what they do (company wide, at that site)
Type of processes they employ
People they employ
What their mission might be and what their outcomes might be
What kind of efficiencies did you observe during the visit and how you believe the company could
work more effectively and efficiently
Was the working environment positive, or did you feel there might be things that could be done
which would deliver benefits?
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1. Design
Intuitive design: producing
intuitive solutions to given
design problems.
Methodical design: applying a
systematic approach to given
design tasks.
Full cycle design: working
through full design cycle
with guidance.
Fluent design: proficiently
completing full design cycle
to given brief.
Design leadership: Initiating
and leading a systems design
cycle.
2. Engineering /
IT Specialisation
Raw specialist:
knowing basic theoretical
concepts and principles.
Practiced specialist:
doing routine specialist tasks,
working to well-defined
requirements.
Broad specialist: doing broadly-
defined tasks, requiring broad
range of specialist knowledge.
Comprehensive specialist:
solving complex systemic
problems, requiring thorough
knowledge of discipline.
Leading specialist: solving
complex systemic problems,
requiring advanced knowledge
of discipline.
3. Maths/Science
Methods & Tools
General maths/science
background. In fundamentals
assumed by the engineering
or IT discipline.
Thorough maths/science
background. In fundamentals
assumed by the engineering or
IT discipline.
Basic modelling & analysis.
With general understanding of
underlying requirements and
limitations.
Independent modelling &
analysis. With thorough
consideration of underlying
requirements & limitations.
Advanced modelling & analysis.
Adapting and creating
investigative methods, models
and tools.
4. Information
Seeking
Defined search. Answering
well-defined questions using
standard knowledge
resources.
.
Broad search. Answering
loosely-defined questions,
using wide-ranging
resources.
Project requirements analysis.
Addressing implicit and explicit
aspects, recognising gaps &
asking necessary questions.
Learning requirements analysis.
Addressing longer-term learning
needs as working professional,
recognising current limits.
Organisational requirements
analysis. Addressing long-term
learning & knowledge issues of
an engineering/IT organisation.
5. Communi-
cation
General descriptive reporting.
With extensive consideration of
theoretical and methodological
issues.
Thorough descriptive reporting.
With thorough consideration of
format and audience
requirements.
Basic analytical reporting.
With basic consideration of
theoretical and methodological
issues.
In-depth analytical reporting.
With extensive consideration of
theoretical and methodological
issues.
Complex analytical reporting.
With extensive consideration of
complex systemic relations &
interactions among issues.
6. Professional
Conduct &
Teamwork
Professional awareness. Of
broad professional context
including codes and principles
of professional conduct.
Professional engagement. With
the broad professional context
including professional codes
and principles
Professional reflection. Sound
critical judgement, at general
level, on professional context
and conduct issues
Professional decision-making.
Sound critical judgement in
fulfilling real professional team
role.
Professional leadership. Sound
critical judgement in complex
professional leadership role.
7. Project
Management
Project basics. Broad
appreciation of key aspects
of project work and team
effectiveness.
Project engagement. Engages
with standard project tools and
methodologies, reflecting on
their limits and capabilities.
Small project proficiency.
Proficiently applies standard
PM tools & methods for given
project responsibilities.
Small project leadership.
Across all facets of project
development & delivery.
Complex project leadership. In
in multi-disciplinary teams
working with complex
social/technical systems.
First, mark the level developed in your degree studies before practical experience, on the 1-5 scale.
Then mark the level of engineering skills used during practical experience on the same scale, underneath.
Then answer the following questions regarding the skills used during practical experience:
1. What was/were the skill(s) most extensively exercised?
2. What was/were the skill(s) most developed?
3. What work activity(ies) most developed this skill (or skills)?
In each of the seven engineering skill areas above, record your skill levels before and during practical experience, based on the criteria given.
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