Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences
MMA & CCE Divisions
GUIDELINES FOR VISITING TUTORS
1.
Current visit requirements
BEng/MEng students in UK and mainland Europe, Level P
3 visits in a single 12-month placement
2.
Timing the Visits
2.1
An early first visit is strongly recommended.
Settling-in problems are not uncommon and can often be sorted out by the Visiting Tutor.
Aim to make the first visit 3-8 weeks after the start of the placement.
Therefore...............
Find out your students' start dates as soon as possible.
Many students start their Professional Training placement at the beginning of June and should,
therefore, be visited before the end of July.
Some students do not start their placements until the beginning of September but even these
should be visited before the end of October.
2.2
Time your second visit for December/January for the early starters and January/February for the
late starters.
2.3
Make sure you know your student's finish date so that you can plan to make your final visit at
least a fortnight before the student leaves his/her placement.
Make sure the proposed finish date is acceptable to both the Company and the University. The
Associateship of the University of Surrey (AUS) requirements specifies that BEng and MEng
students complete a minimum of 46 working weeks.
3.
Arranging the Visits
It is your responsibility to arrange the visits. Collect the student folders from the Professional
Training Administrator where you will find contact information and hopefully details of how to find
the placement location. If you need to travel by train or plane then use the University Travel
Agency Key Travel. Information about travel services can be found at…
http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/portal/page?_pageid=716,535538&_dad=portal&_schema=P
ORTAL
Let the Professional Training Administrator know your plans before you travel. If you are traveling
abroad you will need to get approval for the visit from the Chair of the Professional Training
Committee, Prof Neil Ward. Send him a memo/email outlining the expected expenses and copy
this to the Professional Training Administrator.
Try to ensure that the student's supervisor and/or Training Officer will be there on the day of
your visit.
4.
During the Visits
At the Reception Desk ask for the student's supervisor or Training Manager rather than asking
directly for the student. This is a more polite approach and also emphasizes the fact that we
attach great importance to seeing both the student and the supervisor.
Have a chat with the supervisor, preferably alone, to get his/her view of the student's progress.
Check on the proposed programme of work for the student for the next few months.
Please remember both the Company Supervisor and you, the Visiting Tutor, will be called upon to
make separate assessments of the students performance at the end of the year.
Make sure that you have an hour or so alone with the student.
Discuss the student's work in detail both from a technical point of view and in relation to the
relevant professional institution’s training objectives (see appendix for IMechE objectives).
Discuss any problems the student may have with work, accommodation, money, or whatever.
5.
Work-Diary
Read the student's work diary critically making constructive comments. Check that the diary is
up to-date and make a BIG FUSS if it is more than a week or so in arrears.
Make sure the student is making comments on the professional training aspects of his/her work
and that he/she is observing management structures and styles of leadership as well as training
objectives required for the student’s relevant professional body.
6.
Progress Reports (3 reports except Civ Eng who require 4)
Every 3 months, calculated from their start date, students submit, via email, to you and the PT
administrator a 1000 word report with a cover sheet (details of this can be found in the
Professional Training Booklet). Review and grade each of these. Make a copy of the cover sheet,
or email a copy, and send it to the PT administrator. The report with your comments should be
returned to the student and discussed on your following visit.
7.
Final Report & Oral Presentation
At the end of their placement, when they return to University, students submit to the PT
administrator a 3000 word report + summary report + cover sheet. It will be your job to assess
this and return the cover sheet with grades and comments to the PT administrator. In the
Autumn semester students also give a 10 minutes presentation to their peers and Visiting Tutors
which will be assessed (Chem Eng students do this on placement). Periodically remind students of
this, especially on the last visit, encouraging them to prepare material for these while they are
still on placement.
8.
MMA only - MPDS Quarterly Reports
Check the student's drafts of their reports and only when you are happy with them permit them
to be entered into the MPDS record file. Students are asked to set the objectives for each quarter
but please advise them on this. Check that they are recording IMechE T & BP objectives (see
Appendix).
Students cannot count the workshop course at Guildford College of F.E. and the DME project as
part of their MPDS professional training. Thus the first MPDS report will concern the first 3
months of their 12-months placement. The final 3 month Industrial project placement for MEng
students also does NOT count as professional training – therefore NO MPDS report is required
for the MEng Project.
9.
MMA only - MPDS - Assessment Report – Training Phase
We normally complete 1 of these for BEng and MEng students during the 12 months period, or if
2 or more placements are involved then 1 form should be completed following each placement.
The form should be discussed at a de-briefing with your student(s) in Level 3. A copy of the
assessment pages is included in the Appendix, you may wish to use this on your visits to assess
student progress.
10.
Other Visit Activities
Make sure you have enough time for the student to
i)
Show you around the plant at least once during the placement period.
ii)
Show you the particular hardware, software, rigs, etc he/she has been
working on.
At least once during the placement period see the Training Officer or other University contact
person to check that all is well and to sound out the placement possibilities for the following year.
Report on such conversations to the Senior Tutor (STPT).
You may wish to take the student + supervisor out to lunch. That’s fine – always get a proper
VAT receipt, credit card receipts are not deemed sufficient, and record the names of those
entertained on the claim form.
On the FINAL VISIT give the supervisor a copy of the Employer’s Assessment form. If possible go
through it with them and bring it back completed. If that is not possible stress the importance of
this report and our need to have it returned. It is worth 45 credits.
11.
After the Visit
Write a brief report on the visit noting the student's recent activities, details of the training
programme names of supervisors, other contacts, and important dates, etc.
The Senior
Professional Tutor and the student’s Personal Tutor will see these reports. They will also be
useful to you as aide-memoirs for future visits. Use the Visit Report Form for this which can be
downloaded from the Professional Training website. The score you give on the Overall Progress in
section 6 of the three VT report forms you submit will be used to make up the VT assessment.
Therefore assess this score carefully and in line with degree classifications.
Complete and sign your expenses claim form and submit this to the Professional Training Officer
with the visit report and student files.
Any serious problem or significant training programme change discovered during the visit must
be reported directly to the Senior Tutor for Professional Training.
Guidelines for VT’s
2008
ARP
APPENDIX
IMechE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Technical Objectives
T1
- Materials and Components:
to be able to select materials and components appropriate for user needs.
T2
- Engineering Processes:
to be able to select and specify processes to fulfil defined requirements.
T3
- Assembly, Installation and Commissioning:
to be able to arrange and direct procedures for assembly, installation, commissioning and
maintenance.
T4
- Communication and Information Systems:
to be able to select and communicate technical information.
T5
- Design and Manufacture:
to be able to operate effectively in a design, development and manufacturing
environment.
Business & Personal Objectives
BP1
- Management of Engineering Activities:
to be able to contribute to the planning, management and implementation of an
engineering activity.
BP2
- Financial implications:
to be able to assess the financial implications of design and management decisions.
BP3
- Commercial implications:
to be able to assess the financial and commercial implications of market and
customer response.
BP4
- Personal skills:
to be able to operate effectively in a group endeavour.
BP5
- Legal and Social implications:
to be able to ensure that any planned activity conforms to all legal requirements in
force at the time of the activity.
(This includes health, safety and environmental requirements and considerations of
social responsibility).
Taken from “The Formation of Mechanical Engineers - 1999 - Initial Professional Development”
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
FOLLOWING PAGE : IMECHE MPDS ASSESSMENT REPORT – TRAINING PHASE
Personal development
1. Self Management - the ability to control and direct own training, career and efforts

confident, able to negotiate own requirements & accept responsibility

works towards personal goals using available resources, with minimum guidance

accepts responsibility but requires prompting to work towards goals

has difficulty identifying personal goals and appropriate resources
4
3
2
1
2. Communication skills - the ability to give a complete and concise account of a situation, either orally or written

always clear and accurate, high standard of presentation; can communicate
4
with people at all levels

reasonable presentation and generally accurate in content; rarely has
3
difficulty making a point

usually easy to understand; has difficulty presenting to people at all levels
2

tendency to be in-accurate and has difficulty conveying information in any form
1
3. Comprehension - the ability to understand and interpret instructions

understands well at first attempt, readily grasps new ideas and concepts

does not normally require additional information or explanation to complete a task

sometimes requires additional information or explanation

frequently needs additional information or explanation and takes time to grasp
new ideas and concepts
4
3
2
1
4. Personal/social skills - the ability to work with others and gain respect

works well in a group or team and establishes good relationships with people at all levels 4

works in a group or team, good relationships at own level

attempts to mix and make a contribution

prefers to work alone and has difficulty establishing good relationships
3
2
1
Technical development
5. Engineering practice - the ability to apply sound engineering practices

fully able to select materials, processes and components to customer specification

able to advise on suitable materials, processes and components

able to select and specify from organisation™s own capabilities of manufacture

has difficulty selecting suitable materials, processes and components
4
3
2
1
6. Engineering principles - the ability to apply sound engineering principles and technical judgement

fully able to apply engineering principles to design, development and research activities 4

able to apply established procedures

needs some guidance on the application of engineering principles

needs frequent guidance on the application of suitable engineering principles
3
7. Problem solving - the ability to originate new and improved uses of people and resources

excellent problem solver; can propose innovative solutions
4

good understanding and useful innovator

puts forward some ideas but has difficulty with decisions

usually able to follow set procedures but shows little capability at proposing new solutions
3
8. Technical achievement - the ability to translate knowledge and skills into achieving results

quickly develops skills and achieves excellent results without prompting

achieves well with little supervision

average ability in achieving results but hesitant with little initiative

usually needs supervision and assistance to achieve tasks
3
2
1
2
1
4
2
1
Business development
9. Commercial and financial implications - the ability to see engineering in a business environment

fully aware of the commercial and financial implications of the task in hand
4

generally aware of implications but sometimes needs clarification on particular points

only aware of the business environment when seconded to a commercial department

limited awareness of any commercial / financial ramifications
10. Organisation skills - the ability to structure circumstances to a given objective

fully aware of the importance of planning and scheduling dependent on changing
circumstances and tasks

usually organises well but sometimes needs guidance on some areas of planning

average ability but needs reminders on critical factors

muddled approach and unable to set priorities
3
2
1
4
3
2
1