Course Coordinator:Adrian McCallum (amccallu@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
UniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course will provide you with an introduction to principles of renewable energy. The course covers different types of renewable and alternative energy sources, and discusses their configuration, basic principles of operation, achievable efficiency, and cost. You will also be introduced to the impact of the new energy technologies on the environment, obstacles to their wide implementation in industrial and consumer applications, and the role of social attitudes and government planning, financial investments and incentives.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous weekly learning material | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
Seminar – On campus | 1hr | Week 1 | 3 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
Laboratory 1 – Mandatory on campus intensive | 10hrs | Break week | Once Only |
Online | |||
Learning materials – Asynchronous weekly learning material | 1hr | Week 1 | 12 times |
Seminar – Online | 1hr | Week 1 | 3 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online | 2hrs | Week 1 | 10 times |
Laboratory 1 – Mandatory on campus intensive | 10hrs | Break week | Once Only |
Topics may include:
600 Level (Specialised)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Engineers Australia Stage 1 Professional Engineer Competency Standards | |
1 | Apply renewable energy techniques to modify existing engineering systems and synthesize improved solutions . |
Empowered Sustainability-focussed |
1, 1.6.a, 1.6, 2, 2.1.a, 2.1.f, 2.1, 3, 3.3.c, 3.4.a, 3.3, 3.4 |
2 | Critically analyse characteristics and performance of different renewable energy sources and technologies to identify optimal approaches for various applications. | Creative and critical thinker |
1, 1.6.a, 1.6.b, 1.6, 2, 2.1.a, 2.1.f, 2.1, 3, 3.2.b, 3.4.a, 3.5.a, 3.4, 3.5 |
3 | Consider social, environmental, and commercial factors in performing economic analysis and feasibility studies of different renewable energy technologies. | Sustainability-focussed |
1, 1.6.c, 1.6, 2, 2.3.a, 2.3.b, 2.3, 3, 3.1.c, 3.1 |
4 | Apply technical knowledge and skills to design partial and full renewable energy systems and integrate energy sources and energy storage systems. |
Empowered Sustainability-focussed |
2, 2.3.a, 2.3.b, 2.3, 3, 3.1.c, 3.1 |
5 | Identify different renewable energy systems and describe their suitability based on geographic locations and their environmental impacts. | Knowledgeable |
1, 1.5.b, 1.6.c, 1.5, 1.6, 3, 3.1.c, 3.1 |
CODE | COMPETENCY |
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Professional Engineer Competency Standards | |
1 | Elements of competency: Knowledge and Skill Base |
1.6.a | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the basis and relevance of standards and codes of practice, as well as legislative and statutory requirements applicable to the engineering discipline. |
1.6.b | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the principles of safety engineering, risk management and the health and safety responsibilities of the professional engineer, including legislative requirements applicable to the engineering discipline. |
1.6.c | Knowledge and Skill Base - Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline: Appreciates the social, environmental and economic principles of sustainable engineering practice. |
1.5.b | Knowledge and Skill Base - Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline: Identifies and understands the interactions between engineering systems and people in the social, cultural, environmental, commercial, legal and political contexts in which they operate, including both the positive role of engineering in sustainable development and the potentially adverse impacts of engineering activity in the engineering discipline. |
1.5 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. |
1.6 | Knowledge and Skill Base: Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. |
2 | Elements of competency: Engineering Application Ability |
2.1.a | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving: Identifies, discerns and characterises salient issues, determines and analyses causes and effects, justifies and applies appropriate simplifying assumptions, predicts performance and behaviour, synthesises solution strategies and develops substantiated conclusions. |
2.1.f | Engineering Application Ability - Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving: Conceptualises alternative engineering approaches and evaluates potential outcomes against appropriate criteria to justify an optimal solution choice. |
2.3.a | Engineering Application Ability - Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes: Proficiently applies technical knowledge and open ended problem solving skills as well as appropriate tools and resources to design components, elements, systems, plant, facilities and/or processes to satisfy user requirements. |
2.3.b | Engineering Application Ability - Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes: Addresses broad contextual constraints such as social, cultural, environmental, commercial, legal political and human factors, as well as health, safety and sustainability imperatives as an integral part of the design process. |
2.1 | Engineering Application Ability: Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. |
2.3 | Engineering Application Ability: Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. |
3 | Elements of competency: Professional and Personal Attributes |
3.3.c | Professional and Personal Attributes - Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour: Is aware of broader fields of science, engineering, technology and commerce from which new ideas and interfaces may be drawn and readily engages with professionals from these fields to exchange ideas. |
3.4.a | Professional and Personal Attributes - Professional use and management of information: Is proficient in locating and utilising information - including accessing, systematically searching, analysing, evaluating and referencing relevant published works and data; is proficient in the use of indexes, bibliographic databases and other search facilities. |
3.2.b | Professional and Personal Attributes - Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains: Prepares high quality engineering documents such as progress and project reports, reports of investigations and feasibility studies, proposals, specifications, design records, drawings, technical descriptions and presentations pertinent to the engineering discipline. |
3.5.a | Professional and Personal Attributes - Orderly management of self, and professional conduct: Demonstrates commitment to critical self-review and performance evaluation against appropriate criteria as a primary means of tracking personal development needs and achievements |
3.1.c | Professional and Personal Attributes - Ethical conduct and professional accountability: Understands the accountabilities of the professional engineer and the broader engineering team for the safety of other people and for protection of the environment. |
3.1 | Professional and Personal Attributes: Ethical conduct and professional accountability. |
3.3 | Professional and Personal Attributes: Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour. |
3.4 | Professional and Personal Attributes: Professional use and management of information. |
3.5 | Professional and Personal Attributes: Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Enrolled in GC005, GD005 or MC005.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Early feedback will be provided through completion of weekly activities in workshops. Furthermore, feedback on each assessment will be provided which will be used to help with the following assessment.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Oral and Written Piece | Individual | 50% | 3500 words |
Week 7 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 2 | Report | Individual | 50% | 3500 words |
Week 12 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All - Assessment Task 1:Oral and Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||
Goal: | Students to research and report in an oral presentation to their peers and a written report on current developments and innovation in a specific topic within renewable energy sources. |
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Product: | Oral and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
Format: | Individual research projects: Students to research and report in an oral presentation to their peers and a written report on current developments and innovation in a specific topic within renewable energy sources. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
All - Assessment Task 2:Report | |||||||||||||||||||
Goal: | Development of a renewable energy project proposal based on the topic of the individual research project. |
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Product: | Report | ||||||||||||||||||
Format: | Development of a renewable energy project proposal based on the topic of the individual research project. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scaleEligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: - The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% - The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale - You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
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The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.
For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.
If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.
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To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.
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