An Introduction to Civil Engineering Design and Digital Skills

Select country:
UK
India

Courses / Modules / CENV1028 An Introduction to Civil Engineering Design and Digital Skills

When you'll study it: Whole Academic Year
CATS points: 30
ECTS points: 15
Level: Level 4
Module lead: Gary Underwood
Academic year: 2025-26

Module overview

Civil engineering is a design discipline that is broad and holistic, while also focused and extremely precise. It utilises experimentation, creativity, numerical analysis and calculation and the application of scientific principles to deliver sustainable solutions for people, our societies, cultures and environments. It requires engineers who have refined their skills through experience and demonstrate they can apply learning within a highly communicative, process-driven, teamworking environment. This module introduces the theories and practical skills required for you to become a successful civil engineer. It includes a series of design projects, ranging in focus and scope, supported by lectures, practical workshops, design tutorials and presentations. You are encouraged to identify your existing skills, competencies and interests, and shape and enhance your own learning – helping you to start to define your own career within the exciting world of civil engineering.

Linked modules

This module is to replace FEEG1201 for Civil Engineering only.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Design and Innovation

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to apply all stages of design process methodology to develop design solutions.
Demonstrate the ability to apply creativity, design thinking and design principles to develop innovative civil engineering design solutions.
Demonstrate the ability to apply numerical analysis, calculation, estimation, and experimentation to evaluate designs.
Understand the influence of human, social, cultural, and environmental factors in developing sustainable design solutions.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Demonstrate skills in basic workshop practice.
Understand the role of computer aided design within a civil engineering design process.
Demonstrate basic skills in applying computer aided design in developing and defining engineering design solutions.
Apply computer programming knowledge to develop algorithms for the solution and visualisation of engineering design tasks.
Select relevant computer programming methods and tools and integrate them within a design process.
Demonstrate the ability to produce basic civil engineering drawings.
Demonstrate the use of drawing by hand to develop and communicate ideas.
Understand how to make safe and effective use of manufacturing facilities within the School of Engineering to produce rigs or prototypes with available resources.

Cognitive Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Understand the role of communication skills within an engineering design process.
Demonstrate verbal, visual and written communication skills to communicate design information effectively to different audiences using a range of delivery methods.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Understand the roles, responsibilities and characteristics required to be an effective team member of a high performing team.

Syllabus

A summary of syllabus content for this module is: Design process -Design process methodology. -Ideation techniques and concept development. -Design review and critical thinking. -Evaluation and verification through numerical analysis, calculation and experiment. -Historical and contemporary case studies in design thinking and engineering design. Human and environmental design parameters -Human factors - needs, wants, interaction and comfort. -Sustainable design – economic, social and environmental consequences. -Ethical design thinking and responsible design values. -Security risks and mitigation measures. -Designing for equality, diversity and inclusion. Communication -Verbal, visual, and written communication. -Audience and delivery contexts. -Hand drawing, sketch modelling and generative AI as part of design communication and development. -Effective graphical communication of data. -Basic engineering drawing skills. Computer Aided Design -Basic CAD modelling processes for building, analysis and visualisation. -Parametric modelling. Computer Programming -Basic Python programming functionalities, i.e.: functions and control flow; lists, loops, strings, dictionaries and arrays. -Code structure and style, i.e. file input/output; modules and classes; PEP8 compliance. -Applications using NumPy, SciPy and MatPlotLib, i.e. numerical operations; graph plotting. Teamworking -Strategies for effective teamworking. -Practical experience in leadership and followership roles and peer-to-peer learning. Manufacturing -Introduction to the School of Engineering manufacturing facilities and safety considerations. -Skills in basic workshop practice, including sheet metalwork, metrology, laser cutting, 3D printing, turning and milling, electronic soldering. -Prototyping of models for demonstration and analysis.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

This module focuses on a series of practical design activities set throughout the academic year, supported by lectures, workshops, self-paced activities and design tutorials to introduce supporting skills and theory. These activities involve a mix of individual, and group-based tasks. You learn by doing with a particular focus on identifying your own educational needs to direct your own learning. Personal reflection, self-paced and peer-to-peer learning play an important role in this.

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	194
Lecture	22
Supervised time in studio/workshop	40
Practical classes and workshops	44
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Parsons, Glenn (2016). The Philosophy of Design . Cambridge: Polity Press.

Simmons, C. H., D. E. Maguire, and Neil Phelps (2020). Manual of Engineering Drawing: British and International Standards. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Penty, Jane (2020). Product Design and Sustainability: Strategies, Tools and Practice . Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge.

Kiusalaas, Jaan (2013). Numerical Methods in Engineering with Python. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Technische Hogeschool Delft. Faculteit Industrieel Ontwerpen (2020). Delft Design Guide: Perspectives, Models, Approaches, Methods. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers.

Garner, Steven W., and Chris Evans, eds. (2012). Design and Designing: A Critical Introduction. New York: Berg.

Mau, Bruce (2020). Mau MC24: Bruce Mau’s 24 Principles for Designing Massive Change in Your Life and Work. London: Phaidon.

Nelson, Harold G., and Erik Stolterman (2012). The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Norman, Donald A. (2004). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things . New York: Basic Books.

Sudjic, Deyan (2009). The Language of Things. London: Penguin Books.

Phelps, Neil, Colin Simmons and British Standards Institution (2007). Engineering Drawing Practice: A Guide for Further and Higher Education to BS 8888:2006, Technical Product Specification (TPS). London: British Standards Institution.

Tosi, Francesca (2020). Design for Ergonomics. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Boradkar, Prasad (2010). Designing Things: A Critical Introduction to the Culture of Objects. Oxford: Berg.

Hunt, John (2019). A Beginners Guide to Python 3 Programming . Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Baumeister, Dayna, Rose Tocke, Jamie Dwyer, Sherry Ritter, and Janine M. Benyus (2014). Biomimicry: Resource Handbook: A Seed Bank of Best Practices. . Missoula, Mont: Biomimicry 3.8.

Assessment

Summative

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

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Online tasks	20%
Coursework portfolio	80%

������Ƭ