o Design and Modelling of Systems

Students are given a comprehensive introduction to Systems Thinking and its

application to engineering (also known as Systems Engineering) during this
module. To that end, the module introduces the tools to help in gathering and
analysing requirements and continuing through system architecting to solution
generation, evaluation and selection.

The modern integration of mechanical, electronic, chemical and software

engineering technologies demands an approach to design that enables the
designers to handle the inherent complexity. As such, students will be taught how
to design complex systems to meet the desires and expectations of customers;
this will increase their employability in the engineering industry.

Students will be educated in the importance of a structured approach to system

and product design, including the skills for eliciting, capturing and analysing
customer requirements. They shall also learn how to introduce functional
modelling methods for the analysis and synthesis of a set of requirements and
introduce a systems framework for design, in terms of people, processes and
tools. A key aim is to enable the students to develop skills in creative thinking,
allowing them to, among other things, use tools to generate and select conceptual
system design solutions.

By the end of this module, students will have gained a theoretical understanding
of the systems approach to system design, including how it relates to systems
engineering and its principles through divergent and convergent thinking
processes.