Principles of Engineering

Who is the course for?

This course has been created for refugees, displaced people and the communities supporting them in the MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) region who wish to study engineering at a university in English. It has been created as part of the PADILEIA project.

However, it will be useful for anyone who wants a taster of studying engineering at university, as well as anyone interested in how engineers think, approach problems, and follow projects from ideas to solutions.

Supported by UK aid – Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform

What topics will you cover?

Week 1

In Week 1, you will get an eye for engineering. You will discover

The different branches of engineering

Why soft skills and people are at the heart of the field

How to design your own project using skills found in many different types of engineering

Week 2

This week is all about the application of engineering to solving problems. By the end of the week, you will know

How to identify problems that engineering can solve

How to discover what people really need and design an engineering brief

How to create a prototype and find out where it needs to be improved

Week 3

Knowledge of materials and how they behave is essential for engineers. During this week you will

Gain a detailed understanding of how one recent innovation works – what keeps a drone in the air

Hear from worldwide experts about robots, smart materials, and why origami can be helpful

Discuss where engineering is taking us, and what humans must do to ensure it stays safe

Week 4

Professor Mischa Dohler’s speciality is telecoms connectivity. This week is devoted to

The miracle of what happens in the background when we click a link or make a mobile call

Discovering how a huge data centre is made and why it can help us

Thinking about the possibilities, and the dangers, presented by artificial intelligence and quantum technologies

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to…

Identify some ancient and modern engineering wonders and explain what makes them stand out

Explain some of the broad principles of engineering and show how they apply to things we use every day

Apply design thinking systematically to your own ideas and inventions

Develop, create and test low-fidelity prototypes

Evaluate an existing design and suggest ideas for improvement

Explain why engineering is about people and solving problems