Issues and conflicts of combining MSc modules and industrial short courses

In a specialist field, such as acoustics, where noise and vibration control is promoted through legislation and competition in product refinement, etc., there is persistent industrial demand for courses. Skills shortages in the UK workforce can only readily and practically be met by the running of graduate level short courses. In addition, for chartered engineers such courses are very appropriate for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. This paper considers the option of postgraduate short course training in combination with MSc module provision, i.e. when the latter can be given in a short course format and duration. Curriculum content has to be a balance of analytical and mathematically demanding material with the underlying physical and applied principles being taught. It is complicated by the varied background of the students and the industrial delegates. The latter often see the vocational training or skills development as the outcomes rather than education as the benefit in the longer term. Issues such as the selection of appropriate methods of assessment and the alignment or distinction of learning outcomes for different cohorts are briefly discussed. The short course format develops a different learning and cohort experience, which has also necessitated a radically different delivery. Practical work often accounts for 50% of contact time and ranges from simple demonstrations of physical phenomena to industrially relevant problems. Some discussion on forms of assessment which might be suitable or possible for the external engineers in a mixed cohort is also briefly considere