How we teach
Teaching engineering
Engineering students at the University of Manchester are taught in a variety
of ways including traditional
- students projects
- lectures
- tutorials
- laboratory experiments
- computing practicals
- online teaching in Blackboard
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Unlike some universities, Manchester works on a semester - rather than term-based system. This consists of two 15-week semesters. Our courses are modular with assessment based on exams at the end of each semester and coursework which is typically spread across the semester. See term dates for information.
Our students work on various design projects. View some of our best Advanced Aerospace Engineering projects.
Lectures form the main stay of teaching at the University of Manchester. Typically undergraduate students will have around 10 hours of lectures per calendar week. Lectures are given by leading experts in the field to classes of between 20-120 students.
All lectures are also accompanied by a set of notes and sample questions which are distributed to students taking them.
To help students understand the material covered in lectures, first and second year courses include a tutorial session every week. This is an opportunity for students to cover practice questions and to ask questions to a number of experts in the subject.
A number of the lecture courses, including most first and second year courses, involve laboratory work which is designed to give students hands-on experience as well as re-enforcing material covered in lectures. Students in the first and second year can expect to spend 2-3 afternoons per week in lab sessions In addition to lectures, most of courses also include an additional, supplementary web course to further help students understand the subject. These include lecture notes, handouts, sample quizzes, discussion fora and animations which students can follow at their own pace. Computer simulation is becoming increasingly important as a tool in Engineering. As a result, students are taught a number of computer skills such as programming and computer aided design units which are assessed entirely on the basis of their current coursework.