TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS & RESEARCH SEMINARS - 2025/6

Module Overview

Designers and managers working in technology intensive industries constantly face new problems to which they have to find solutions. Research is becoming important part of their job carried out on daily and routine manner. Also, one of the best ways to get insights into these challenges is to get the first-hand experience from expert who already faced them and provided appropriate solutions proven to be successful.

This module aims to provide an introduction to the general principles and practices associated with planning, undertaking and reporting research in engineering or physical sciences. At the same time, a series of seminars will be delivered by academics and industrial experts from diverse hi-tech industries and business (including chemicals, oil and gas, information systems and renewable technologies) which will present students with valuable insights into today’s challenges faced by technology-intensive industries in terms of their business and information systems activities. It also covers general business aspects that will explain how to start up a technology-based company.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

KLYMENKO Oleksiy (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

• Introduction: needs for research in industry, business and research institution, sources of research support, consequences on industry and business;


• Organising research: objectives and scientific methods, the framework of research, the purpose and methods of literature review using bibliographic resources;


• Practical considerations: experimental methods, error analysis and calculation of uncertainties; health and safety considerations, ethics in research;


• Communicating research: presentations and oral communication, report and research paper writing, the use of the Internet, preparing research proposals;


• Intellectual property: importance of the patent search, protecting and exploiting research.

• process design, modelling, optimisation, operations and control;


• decision support systems, information management and semantics;


• environmental applications;


• energy and renewable technologies.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the full range of learning outcomes though a written report including a literature review and a research proposal, and one associated individual presentation.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

·         Coursework 1: Presentation slides summarising a literature review on a topic of student's choice related to technology (learning outcomes assessed: 1-4, 6)

·         Presentation: Presentation of Literature Review Summary (learning outcomes assessed: 1-4, 6)

·         Coursework 2: Literature Review (learning outcomes assessed: 2-4, 6)

·         Coursework 3: Research Proposal (learning outcomes assessed: 5, 7-9)

·         Coursework 4: Reflection on research seminars (learning outcomes assessed: 1, 2, 4)

 

Formative assessment

·         Students will be provided with verbal feedback on the tutorial exercises which include literature search and analysis, identification of research methods used in literature sources, as well as analysis of presentation techniques.

Feedback

• Verbal feedback during the presentations (learning outcomes: 1-4, 6)


• Written feedback on the coursework (learning outcomes: 1-10)

Module aims

• The aim of the module is to build skills in research methods and to help the students understand and communicate research as well as the most up-todate information, developing trends and contemporary opinions relevant to various aspects of technology, business and information systems.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Cover in lectures the necessary fundamental knowledge to build skills in research methods and to help the students understand and communicate research.


• Provide students with opportunities in tutorials to evaluate peer-reviewed literature, analyse research data and discuss (online) oral presentations. Students will receive feedback that will help them complete the summative assessment.


• Consolidate and apply students' understanding through writing a literature review and a research proposal on a topic of their choice as well as giving an oral presentation on this topic.

• lectures


• captured content


• research seminars


• tutorials


• assessed individual student presentations


• independent learning

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGM256

Other information

This module contributes to the student development in the following ways aligned with the five pillars of the Surrey Curriculum Framework:
Digital capabilities: students will be developing their general IT skills by engaging with SurreyLearn and other electronic resources provided to them as well as improve their spreadsheet skills.
Employability: this module develops key skills in working with information (in particular, a variety of published sources), summarising knowledge and presenting it in both written and verbal forms. These skills are crucial in many professional environments and will enhance the students’ competitiveness in the job market.
Global and cultural capabilities: by taking this module, students will broaden their understanding of the global challenges facing humanity and the role of research, technology, business and regulation in solving them. They will also improve their written and oral communication skills which will enhance their ability to connect with audiences at different levels.
Resourcefulness and resilience: the coursework assignments require the students to work consistently throughout the semester. Independent work with research literature (searching for resources, determining their relevance and summarising information) and resources provided on SurreyLearn develops students’ resilience and resourcefulness.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.