- Who do
I contact if I want to change modules within my course?
- Who do
I contact if I want to change course (within Heriot-Watt)?
The Director
of Studies for your year is the
person to consult. S/He will advise you and, finally, sign the form so you can
make the change. The form can be requested at the Main Office (NS 1.21). When
the form has been signed by your Director of Studies, it should be handed in to
Main Office to implement the changes.
This link http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/people/acad_staff.htm
will take you to the list of academic staff, where the directors of studies
appear.
- Who do
I contact if I want to withdraw from Heriot-Watt?
If this is a possibility that you are weighing, discuss it
with your Director of Studies, your academic mentor, the Course Coordinator or
the Mechanical Engineering Programme Director.
- Staff-Student
Committee. How does it work?
This is the forum
for students to provide constructive feedback to lecturers about academic
issues. Two representatives
(at least) per class and academic members of staff meet twice a term to review
course administration and opportunities for course development. Difficulties or
concerns that students express related to the course (lectures, labs, etc) can
also be raised. Representatives are reminded that concerns regarding an
individual module should initially be raised with the academic staff involved
with that module.
- How
can I become a Class Representative?
At the beginning of the year, there will be a call for
class reps. If you want to play that role in your year and represent your class
in the committee, report to your director of studies or the Mechanical
Engineering Course Coordinator at the start of the academic year.
- Email
address for students. Where can I open it?
When you register, you will be automatically given an
email address of the form aaa00@hw.ac.uk.
To activate it, you need to go to a PC Caledonia room (PC Caledonia locations http://www.hw.ac.uk/uics/Help_FAQs/pclocations.html )and follow the following procedure: http://www.hw.ac.uk/uics/Help_FAQs/Student_registration_procedure.html
Remember
that this email address will be used by your lecturers and School
administrative staff to notify any issue concerning your course. It will also
appear on the University Directory, so if you want to keep updated, check it
frequently! If you prefer, the emails can be forwarded to your personal email
account. Contact IT Help <IThelp@hw.ac.uk>
for assistance, if needed.
- Safety
regulations for Undergraduate Students. Where can I find a description?
In the Mech
Eng website. Click on: http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/;
Useful links (frame on the left)/ Safety Pages
Upon registration in the
University, you will be given the Departmental Safety Booklet. You will be
asked to sign a receipt to confirm this reception. If you have any further
concern regarding this issue, please refer to the Health and Safety Officer for
the building.
- Where
can I find contact details of staff members at Heriot-Watt?
Heriot-Watt main website has a “People Finder” tool that you can
use to find contact details of members (students, support, academics, etc) of
the University: http://www.hw.ac.uk/home/people-finder
- Where
can I find contact details of staff members at Mech
Eng?
The
contact details for the academic
members at Mech Eng can be found in the departmental
website: http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/people/acad_staff.htm
- When
can I see my Director of Studies?
Best approach is to contact
him/her directly by email or phone and ask for an appointment. Most of the
director of studies have an “Enquiries hours” note posted on their office door.
Alternatively, you can ask in the Main Office for an appointment with your
Director of Studies.
- Where
can I find my Director of Studies’ email address?
The Director of Studies’ email addresses are:
§
Year 1: Mech-DOS-Year1@hw.ac.uk
§
Year 2: Mech-DOS-Year2@hw.ac.uk
§
Year 3: Mech-DOS-Year3@hw.ac.uk
§
Year 4: Mech-DOS-Year4@hw.ac.uk
§
Year 5: Mech-DOS-Year5@hw.ac.uk
- I had
to miss a class or lab due to health reasons. Who do I hand my medical
certificate to?
Your lecturer, if possible, in person. Alternatively, you
can hand it to the Secretaries in the Main Office, with a note to be forwarded
to your lecturer or director of studies.
- Plagiarism.
It is unlikely that I get caught, … how is it detected?
Heriot-Watt has the tool to detect whether you commit plagiarism or not! JISC is a broadly software used in UK Universities to detect plagiarism, this is, “the act of taking the ideas, writings or inventions of another person and using these as if they were one’s own, whether intentionally or not.” (from the HW Plagiarism Guide, see http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/resources/PlagiarismGuide.pdf (for the English version; http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/resources/PlagiarismGuideChinese.pdf (for the Chinese version; http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/resources/PlagiarismGuideArabic.pdf for the Arabic version).
Ignorance is not an excuse!
- I have
lost my Course Handbook for Mechanical Engineering. Where can I read an
electronic copy of it?
In the Mech
Eng website. Click on: http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/;
Useful links (frame on the left)/ Student Resources / Student
Handbooks
- I
don’t remember which electives I chose at the start of the year for this
upcoming semester. Where can I find this information?
You can check your electives on the student copy of your ‘Registration Form’
that you were given when you registered for the present academic year.
Alternatively, email
your Director of Studies, s/he can check for you.
LECTURES, LABS AND MENTORING
- Where can
I see my course timetable?
You will be given a copy of your timetable for semester
1 upon pre-registration. Alternatively, you can find your timetable displayed
on the Notice Boards for each year (ground floor in James Nasmyth
building) and/or the web notice board: http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/noticeboards.htm
There will be spare copies
in the James Nasmyth building crush area at the start
of the semester (this applies to both semesters)
- Where
can I find the exams timetable?
They will be published a few weeks before the examination
days by Registry. To see them, visit their website: http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/examinations.php
Alternatively, a copy of
their information will be placed on the Notice Board for first year (ground
floor in James Nasmyth building)
It is the responsibility of
the student to know when the examination for each module is scheduled and where
it will be held.
- Where
can I find my grades from the exams?
For students in years 1,
2 and 3, grades from last term will be posted on the web notice boards by
the end of week 1 of the following term (http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/noticeboards.htm),
this is, end of week one of term 2 for grades obtained
in term 1.
For students in years 4
and 5, results are available at the end of the academic year.
- Where
are the notice boards for undergraduate students?
The notice
boards are on the ground floor in James Nasmyth
building, opposite to lab NS G.40
The web-based noticeboards can be found here: http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/noticeboards.htm
- How
many textbooks should I purchase?
In
principle, you are not obliged to buy
any text book. However, make sure you have with you, when studying, a good
Maths book and another one in Foundations in Physics. That should suffice in
these early days of your degree. Each lecturer will recommend you further
reading and they will give you details on which books they think are better for
each subject. Most of those will be held in our Library, so you don’t need to buy them all, you can borrow
them! Buy only the ones you think will be very interesting for you to keep
during your degree and professional life.
Other students have recommended:
An Introduction to Mathematics for Engineers -
Mechanics, by Stephen Lee, Hodder
Education, ISBN: 978-0-340-96552-8
Engineering Mathematics, by K.A. Stroud and D.J. Booth. ISBN:
1403942463
Engineering Mechanics: Statics
and Dynamics (a 2 book set) by J.L. Meriam and L.G. Kraige. ISBN: 0471241636
Engineering Mathematics: A Programmed Approach by C.W. Evans. ISBN: 0412752603
- Where
do I find my lecture’s notes?
Each lecturer has a different teaching style, therefore, there
might not be notes available and you will have to ‘fabricate’ your own ones
using your hand-written notes taken during the class/lab. However, some of them
are using VISION, the Virtual Learning platform at Heriot-Watt, also as a repository
for lectures’ notes and labs’ sheets. If in doubt, ask your lecturer.
- Where
do I submit my lab reports, assignments, etc?
Ask your lecturer/lab demonstrator, as deadlines and
submission routes may vary from year to year.
If you are asked to submit
in the ‘Year Box’, these are located in the Crush Area of James Nasmyth building, in front of room NS 1.38 and overlooking
the workshop area. Make sure you submit your work in the correct year box and
attach a completed submission form to the front (i.e. report cover). Paper
copies of the submission forms are available at the ‘Year Box’ and electronic
copies are available here http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/316.htm
- Will
my attendance to Small Group Tutorials be monitored?
- Are
the mentoring sessions compulsory?
Yes, it will. Small Group Tutorials are held for your own benefit and
your mentors will help you to enhance your performance at university. Due to
the extensive efforts put into these sessions from the administrative and
academic staff, your attendance to those will be recorded and is, consequently,
strongly recommended.
However, it is not a
compulsory session: you can be exempted if you contact your supervisor and, in
writing, you decline a place in those sessions.
- Who is
my mentor? How can I get his contact details?
You will be allocated a mentor by week 1 of the term 1 in year 1, or upon registration, if that happens later in the term.
You can see who your mentor is in the list published in the noticeboards
(http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/nb_year1.htm)
Once you know his/her name,
look up his/her contact details here:
http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/people/acad_staff.htm
For students in years 2,
3, 4 and 5, you may contact your mentor directly if there is an issue you need
to discuss. If you are unsure who your mentor is, you will be able to find a
list posted on the web notice boards (http://www.mec.hw.ac.uk/localdocs/noticeboards.htm)
by the end of week 2 of this term.
For direct entry students in
year 2 onwards, a mentor can be arranged for you and you are expected to go and
see your mentor in a regular basis (at least, once each term)
- Past
papers. Where can I find them?
The Resource
Centre is a good starting point. It is in the Crush Area (NS 1.38). During
terms, it is staffed and the opening hours are shown on the door (normally
around lunch time). Out of hours or during the reading weeks, you can also
access this room prior notification to the Main Office.
If you want to photocopy any
document in the room, or borrow a book, you will be asked for your
matriculation card. Have it handy when you go there!
IT and VISION
- What
is VISION? Which is my login and password?
VISION is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment.
VISION allows you to see and download lectures notes, receive announcements
from your lecturers, submit reports and assignments, participate via feedback
questionnaires, etc.
To log in, enter your email login (e.g. aaa00) and type your email
password.
- How
can I find the lecture’s notes on VISION?
Once you are logged in, a list of modules will appear in
the main page. These are the modules that you are enrolled to as a student.
These should appear automatically at the time of registration. Click on any of
the modules to view the information available. The frame on the left will show
you the different folders (e.g. learning materials, assessment, other links,
etc) and their content will appear on the main reading pane.
- How
can I find other information on VISION?
For more information on how to make the most of VISION,
click on
http://www.hw.ac.uk/edu/vle/faq.htm
- Where
are the PC Caledonia computer labs?
You can
find them not only in the academic
buildings, also in the halls of residency:
click here for locations http://www.hw.ac.uk/uics/Help_FAQs/pclocations.html
- Off-campus
access: how can I access the web-noticeboards
and other internal documents if I don’t stay on campus or during holiday
period?
To login
into the intranet, click here: https://vpn1.hw.ac.uk/Login/Login
The screen shown below will
appear.
§
Your username is the series of number
and letters before @hw.ac.uk in your email address. (For example, the person
whose email address is ct74@hw.ac.uk, has the following username ‘ct74’).
§
The password that you need to enter to
log in is your email address password.
§
Press ‘Sign In’
ct74@hw.ac.uk email password
If your username and password are correct, the page that appears is shown below:
Once you have done that, the main Mechanical Engineering Website page will appear. Then, you can click on ‘Internal links’ and have full access to the students notice boards, safety pages, handbooks, and other resources available for students in Mechanical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University.
Notice
that the ‘Connectra’ tab will show while you remain
in the intranet of
Click here for the Students’ Noticeboards
SERVICES
- Library:
Resources for Mechanical Engineers-to-be.
All students are registered
to use the Library at registration. Your matriculation card allows you to
borrow from the Library from the day after you register. You must present your
matriculation card each time you wish to borrow from the Library.
The following link will take
you to specific resources at the Library in the Mechanical Engineering field:
http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/howtomecheng.html
http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/subjmain.html
- Where
is the Careers Service? What can they do for me in year 1, 2, or 3?
The
Careers Service is located in the
This is another service offered to students by the
University. They give you information on Part-Time Jobs, Vacation Work and
other work experiences. They also hold CV surgeries and job interviews
preparation individualised on demand. They will be particularly useful to
student in their final year who need to look for a job once they finish their
degree.
If you think year 1 is a bit
too early to start thinking on the labour market, think twice! They sooner you
know what employees are looking for, the better you will prepare your learning
plan.
http://www.hw.ac.uk/careers/students2.php
(especially for 1st year students)
Likewise, students in second
and third year can also make use of this service for part-time jobs seeking, vacation
work, etc.
- Student’s
What is student life without a social life! Meeting
people, joining societies (There will be something for you!), going to gigs of
up-and-coming bands on Thursday nights, have a good laugh at Comedy Club every
other Tuesday and generally socialising with your new-found friends.
Contact the staff at the
student’s union for more information:
- Students
Welfare
More information on the Student Welfare Services can be found here: http://www.hw.ac.uk/welfare/
They
can help with a myriad of matters (e.g. accommodation problems, disability
issues, etc).
Advice
and Support Centre - http://www.hwusa.org/content.asp?section=4 in the Students Union building, is another
port of contact if you have any concern or are seeking for advice.
- Pastoral
and other guides for undergraduate students
Visit the Chaplaincy, at the top of gait 3 for pastoral
support http://www.hw.ac.uk/chaplaincy/
It
is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for everyone, regardless of religious
beliefs, background, course, nationality, etc.
- Sports
!
Centre
for Sports and Exercise - http://www.hw.ac.uk/sports/
The
Sports Centre has lots of different clubs to join and a huge variety of sports
to participate in.
In the main Heriot-Watt
website you can find information about other services offered by the university
for undergraduate students: please, click on
http://www.hw.ac.uk/home/dir/28/student-administration-and-support-services