Routes to Success

Module overview

Successful engineers are not only technically capable—they are also analytical, reflective, resilient and committed to lifelong learning. This module supports your transition to university by developing the academic, professional and personal skills needed to succeed throughout your engineering degree and beyond. Through a series of practical and interactive activities, you will develop structured approaches to problem solving, analyse and interpret data, and learn how engineers use evidence to make informed decisions. You will also build essential research and academic writing skills, learning how to locate, evaluate and communicate information effectively through a range of written and oral tasks. The module culminates in a problem-based challenge, where you will apply the skills developed throughout the semester by working collaboratively to investigate a real-world engineering challenge and communicate your findings through an academic poster. Alongside these technical and academic skills, you will develop effective study strategies, reflect on your progress, learn from feedback, and strengthen the resilience, teamwork and independent learning skills expected of professional engineers. By the end of the module, you will have developed the confidence and strategies to take ownership of your learning, preparing you not only for the remainder of your degree but also for a career in engineering where critical thinking, collaboration and continuous professional development are essential. "We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." Marcel Proust (French novelist, 1871–1922)

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The principles of locating, evaluating and using information from a range of academic and professional sources.
How to receive, evaluate and reflect on feedback on your progress in HE.
How to approach problem solving in a structured way.
The conventions of academic communication, including the use of evidence, referencing and appropriate academic style.
How to use a range of resources and support mechanisms to make progress with your learning.
The requirements for academic integrity.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Make a critical evaluation of evidence.
Apply structured methods to solve problems.
Use IT to support your learning.
Apply problem solving techniques to familiar and unfamiliar problems.
Manage your own learning.
Communicate ideas effectively using appropriate academic and professional conventions.
Locate, evaluate and use information from a range of sources to support decision-making and learning.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Learning activities include • Self-study activities • Portfolio development • Research Exercise Teaching methods include a combination of lectures, tutorials and discussions.

Study time
Type	Hours
Tutorial	24
Completion of assessment task	30
Wider reading or practice	30
Preparation for scheduled sessions	24
Follow-up work	40
Total study time	148

Resources & Reading list

Internet Resources

University of Southampton Academic Skills web site.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

Referral Policy: Referred students will be asked to complete a number of assessment tasks sufficient to demonstrate they have achieved those learning outcomes not met on the first attempt. Method of repeat year: The module may be taken as an internal repeat only. In order to be able to repeat externally, you must have already attained a pass in this module (at least 60%).

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Group Oral Presentation	20%
Portfolio	30%
Portfolio	30%
Group Research Project	20%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal