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motorsportkeen
16th February 2009, 13:26
Hi Guys,

this makes me want to go back to Uni. I think is a great idea and, I thought some of you may be interested.

Let me know what you think about it,

more information with a lot of brochure and information to dowlonad:
http://motorsport.brookes.ac.uk/cpd-courses



Learning while earning: Industry-focused short courses

Oxford Brookes University launches a new motorsport programme to respond to a long-standing industry need for flexible, market-driven educational short course provision

Building on the success of its existing motorsport educational programme, Oxford Brookes University is proud to launch a new suite of CPD (Continuous Professional Development) short courses.

Industry has long expressed a need for a new way of upskilling its employees. Oxford Brookes responded with the development of an innovative method of ‘learning while earning’. These new postgraduate level courses are delivered in a supported distance-learning format, which enables students to study whilst in employment, study part-time at their own pace, develop core competencies at a higher level, impact on company performance, and attain a postgraduate motorsport qualification. Since the courses run 24/7, 365 days a year, and do not have fixed end dates, they provide the flexibility required by busy employees within the motorsport industry.

The courses, of which there are currently three – Data Acquisition, Motorsport Chassis Dynamics and Business for Motorsport – have been developed specifically to cater for industry needs. Over time, further topics, including Racing Engine Design and Motorsport Aerodynamics, will be developed to provide learners with a wide range of choice of study topic, and the opportunity eventually to acquire a full Motorsport MSc.

Since the fundamental aim of the project was that the courses had to be current and relevant, industry worked with the course development team to provide insight, data, and case studies; the courses also have been thoroughly critiqued and praised by acknowledged experts from the highest levels of the motorsport community. As Mike Meechan, Manager of the Motorsport Knowledge Exchange, notes, ‘the course development process has been a fascinating and gratifying example of industry and academia working closely together for high mutual benefit, and we acknowledge fully that the programme could not have progressed in the way that it has without the key input and cooperation of a number of high-profile motorsport companies. It is also a good example of using complementary expertise from different academic institutions – primarily, in this case, Oxford Brookes University and The Open University – to develop a new product which spans the disciplines of motorsport business and engineering education and supported distance learning.’


Data Acquisition Systems
This course will provide students with a good understanding of the theoretical and practical issues involved in using data acquisition systems, particularly with respect to racing cars. It covers sensors and transducers, errors, conversion of signals to digital form, noise and interference reduction, digital signal processing (DSP), and filtering. Practical issues relevant to automotive sensors are also covered, including the processing of the data in loggers, and the use of features such as ‘math channels’. Also included is the use of MATLAB, which the students will use to process signals, linearise sensor outputs, filter noise and interference out of signals, and other tasks.

As Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering, RenaultF1 noted after reading the course material, ‘Very Good. Made me want to be back at university’.


Business for Motorsport
Business for Motorsport has been developed specifically for people already involved in motorsport and who would like to launch a business, and the course accommodates the time constraints of people already working in this fast-moving industry. The business and management modules provide focused and relevant content. Online course materials provide flexibility to accommodate individual work patterns and lifestyles. The course develops management, business knowledge and skills, combined with an understanding of the motorsport sector.

Martin Whitaker, Bahrain International Circuit General Manager, confirms the quality of the course and the need for such business education in the motorsport industry “I think it is incredibly important, for us it has a special meaning because in the development of BIC of our own business park we see a role for education, particularly a university faculty. I applaud what are you doing and with any luck we will be part of it in the not too distant future.”



Motorsport Chassis Dynamics
Motorsport Chassis Dynamics provides a thorough analysis and appreciation of all the factors affecting tyre grip, ride and handling, enabling design of racing car suspensions to minimise lap times. On this course students will study the kinematics of suspension systems, learn how the tyres generate the forces necessary to propel a racing car around a track and how the suspension can be used to optimise this force. Students will also use simulation software such as ADAMs, together with analytical techniques, to produce their own models of vehicle suspensions. Students will also learn how numerical suspension analysis is performed, and how non-linear springs and dampers operate and can be optimised, and study rate-adjusted dampers to see how industry-standard measurement equipment is used to determine damper rates. Also the students will have the chance to see how the department’s industrial-standard four poster dynamic analysis rig is used to perform chassis analysis