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Unit outline_

ENGG5102: Entrepreneurship for Engineers

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study aims to introduce graduate engineering students from all disciplines to the concepts and practices of entrepreneurial thinking. Introduction to Entrepreneurship will offer the foundation for leaders of tomorrow's high-tech companies, by providing the knowledge and skills important to the creation and leadership of entrepreneurial ventures. The focus of the unit of study is on how to launch, lead and manage a viable business starting with concept validation to commercialisation and successful business formation. The following topics are covered: Entrepreneurship: Turning Ideas into Reality, Building the Business Plan, Creating a Successful Financial Plan, Project planning and resource management, Budgeting and managing cash flow, Marketing and advertising strategies, E-Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Procurement Management Strategies, The Legal Environment: Business Law and Government Regulation, Intellectual property: inventions, patents and copyright, Workplace, workforce and employment topics, Conflict resolution and working relationships, Ethics and Social Responsibility.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
ELEC5701
Assumed knowledge
? 

Some limited industry experience is preferred but not essential.

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Mahyar Shirvanimoghaddam, mahyar.shirvanimoghaddam@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment group assignment Group assignment
80% Multiple weeks n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6 LO8 LO10
Assignment Individual assignment
20% Week 05 n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Engineering entrepreneurship: turning ideas into reality Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 02 Innovation and technology strategy in engineering firms Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 03 Recognizing and screening technology opportunities Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 04 Tools for mapping technology advances - horizon scanning, patent data analysis, data mining Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 05 Industry, market and customer needs analysis in major engineering sectors Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 06 Building an effective business plan Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 07 Creating a successful financial plan, budgeting and managing case flow Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 08 Moving from R&D to operations Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 09 Collaboration strategies Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 10 E-commerce and engineering entrepreneurship Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 11 The legal environment: business law and government regulation Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 12 Intellectual property: inventions, patents and copyright Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  
Week 13 Engineering ethics and social responsibility Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)  

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Communicate with financial, design, development, marketing and production departments
  • LO2. understand the team working skills and requirements for effective collaboration
  • LO3. understand what venture project stakeholders requires of them and what they can require of others
  • LO4. analyse the roles of engineers in creating productive, economic, successful venture projects in a variety of engineering projects
  • LO5. analyse the social, ethical and legal issues that arise from venture economic activities
  • LO6. understand the main operational requirements of a venture entrepreneur working in industry
  • LO7. understand the requirements of financial, supply chain, development team, marketing and production interfaces
  • LO8. understand the requirements of a quality system
  • LO9. identify and record the intellectual property content of their work
  • LO10. develop the ability to build and present a business plan for a technology idea.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The tutors will closely work with the students on their projects.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.