MEC8028 Design of Human Systems Integration 2013-14 Assessment End-of-Semester Formal Written Examination (50%)

General guidance expectations of standards for answers to questions It is necessary but not sufficient that Candidates can recall content from lecture notes. Candidates should present evidence of further self-directed learning (ie reading around the subject from textbooks or other sources), particularly for case studies to illustrate their answers. Failure to use relevant case study material to support an answer will mean that the maximum mark awarded for the answer will be restricted to borderline pass/fail. Examiners are looking for evidence of the critical thinking that is expected at Masters level: - Good answers are not lengthy but should be succinct, with this achieved by selection of content appropriate to the question and effective organisation of that content, eg by focussing on relevance to the illustrative case study, grouping related concepts, identifying how these interrelate or trade-off, exploiting connections or consequences, etc. - What is important to the Examiners is evidence that Candidates are capable of rationally organising, explaining or justifying, and illustrating the application of concepts within a planned and structured argument that logically develops towards reasoned conclusions. Remember that the marking criteria applied at Masters level mean that: - Marks are restricted to a maximum of Pass/Lower Second for answers which only identify, list, describe or review. - For a Merit/Upper second mark answers must explain, compare and contrast, or differentiate. - The minimum requirement for a Distinction/First Class answer mark is to critically analyse, evaluate or justify. Candidates are strongly advised to gather their content and plan its presentation before writing out their final answers (score out any preparatory material to indicate clearly to the Examiner what is intended as the final answer to be assessed). Unless it becomes a barrier to comprehension or causes potential confusion in understanding, the standard of written English (under these Examination conditions) will not be a measure of assessment except that Candidates are expected to have identified the correct spelling and meaning of any subject-specific terminology they use.

The standard format of the end-of-Semester Examination Paper Within each question below is the list of topics you are expected to be familiar with for the end-ofSemester Examination this Academic Year. Only three of these in each question will be selected for the Examination Paper that you will sit. Apart from this selection, the Examination Paper will be as follows:

Answer any two from Questions 1-3. Answer both parts (a) and (b) for each of your chosen questions. Different case studies must be used in the answers to separate questions, but you may choose any from within a single chosen specialist field of engineering (eg transport, manufacturing, bioengineering, etc) if you wish. 1. Your answer to this question should be engineering-focussed: (a) Write short notes summarising the nature and potential applications or implications of any one of the following topics: [30 marks] - Advantages and disadvantages of fitting the person to the job/task (FPJ) as against fitting the job/task to the person (FJP). - Anthropometry. - Safety culture. - Decision-making. - Empirical testing (as on issues such as, eg, keyboard character layouts, legibility of type fonts, impact on human operations of environmental factors, etc). - Display and control design. - Human error. (b) Briefly discuss and analyse this topic in the context of any single relevant engineering-related case study or application. [20 marks]

2. Your answer to this question should be design-focussed: (a) Write short notes identifying and categorising the range of human factors potentially impacting on the design process in any one of the following applications: [30 marks] - Consumer product design for a specific device or equipment. - Design for Health and/or Safety for a system. - Inclusive Design (for humans falling outside the expected normal range, eg because of disability or communication issues, etc). - Workplace or work environment Design. - Optimal Design where there are competing design drivers (eg cost/safety, aesthetics/form, usability/reliability, etc). - Design for Maintainability or Robustness or Reliability. - Kansei engineering. (b) Suggest a relevant engineering-related case study or field of application for your chosen topic above. From manufacture through to use (and potentially even eventual disposal), identify all the people involved and the potential issues arising. Evaluate design features that might be considered for these issues. [20 marks]

3. Your answer to this question should be operation-focussed: (a) Briefly describe an operation-focussed case study or application and identify the role of the person involved in use or operation for one of: [20 marks] - An operator in an engineering system (such as a power plant).

An individual in some engineered plant or device which may be operated by someone else (eg patient undergoing medical treatment, or passenger in public transport, etc). - An individual user of some engineered plant or device designed by someone else (eg sporting or medical-related or personal protection equipment, or as a vehicle driver, etc). - Team Leader or Supervisor in a complex plant. - Some engineering-related system as a high-level manager. - A person with no specific training using some device in either a domestic (eg appliance or aid) or workplace (eg lightmeter, audiometer, radiation dosemeter, etc) environment. (b) Write short notes identifying and categorising the human factors likely to impact on the situation and the appropriate supporting strategies that should be implemented (in terms of, eg, physical realisation, environmental control, personnel selection and development, process management). [30 marks]