Welcome to "Fundamental Skills in Engineering Design"

If you look around, you will discover that you live in a world full of human-made products. These could be as simple as a paper clip or as complex as a computer. Every one of these products is the creation of one or more people called designers. It is simply not possible to imagine the modern world without them. With the exception of high-profile fashion designers or architects, people are often unaware of the designers who work across a range of organisations to create the wonders of the modern world. Have you ever asked yourself who designed the mobile phone you are using?

This course is about engineering design, where the mathematical and scientific skills that are employed in engineering are combined with soft skills such as teamwork and creative thinking to produce products that you use every day.

Working in engineering design is a highly rewarding and sought after career. Few things compare to the sense of accomplishment designers experience when they see their creations being used and admired by other people. Hopefully, this course will encourage you to pursue a career in this dynamic field.

Course structure and assessment

• The course is not facilitated, but is designed to support peer learning through online discussions.
• The course is designed to take two weeks to complete, but you can take as long as you like.
• Each week is divided up into a series of activities.
• Each activity includes a variety of learning steps such as passages to read and reflect upon, exercises, videos, quizzes and discussions.
• At the end of the course, there is a graded assignment which you can take as many times as you like. Once you achieve a mark of 70% or more, you will be able to get your Certificate of Achievement.

This course is part of the Click Start collection of short courses provided by the University of Leeds. Click Start is a nationwide training programme developed by the Institute of Coding (IoC), supported by a consortium of industry leaders, educators, and outreach providers, and funded by Nominet. Click Start aims to diversify the tech industry and address the UK’s digital skills gap.

Learning outcomes

• Describe the meaning of ‘engineering design’ in one sentence.
• Describe the five types of engineering design
• Describe the five phases of the engineering product life cycle
• Summarise the four stages of the engineering design process.
• Describe at least three soft skills required in engineering design
• Practice one essential soft skill: abstraction.
• Practice conceptual design activities with the help of case study

Extra resources

Throughout this course, you might come across words and phrases which are new to you. To help with this, there is a glossary that you can view and refer to at any point in the course.