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General Engineering Subject Spotlight

How can engineers make a smarter toaster?
with Dr Anne Nortcliffe from Canterbury Christ Church University

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Join Dr Anne Nortcliffe as she poses the question “How can engineers make a smarter toaster?” in a series of episodes that culminate in an interactive and absorbing Subject Spotlight focussed on Engineering.

Dr Anne NortcliffeCanterbury Christ Church UniversityEngineering and technology

All episodes
1. Introduction to Control Engineering at CCCU
2. What is control and who does it have an impact on?
3. What do instrumentation and actuators look like?
4. Introduction to PID control
5. What have CCCU students learnt throughout the Spotlight?

About the university


Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University

Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) has campuses in Canterbury and Medway offering great locations for studying. One of only a handful of universities to have a campus in a World Heritage Site and with coastline and countryside nearby, the main campus in Canterbury is less than an hour from London by high-speed train. CCCU has invested heavily in facilities with the new multi-million pound STEM building and the creative arts hub providing an innovative learning experience with industry level facilities. Courses at CCCU offer strong routes into careers and employment, from medicine and teaching, to engineering, sport science, computing and games design. In fact, CCCU is 1st in the UK for graduates.

Canterbury Christ Church University profile →
Meet the academic
Dr Anne Nortcliffe

Dr Anne Nortcliffe is the new-founding head of the School of Engineering, Technology and Design at Canterbury Christ Church University. A passionate engineering educator developing the next inclusive pipeline of industry ready engineering graduates, Anne has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Sheffield and a Welcome PLC Scholarship MSc in Control Engineering at University of Bradford/Universidad de Valladolid. Anne went on to have graduate employment in industry in AI and later in post doctoral employment. As an academic, Anne has had a varied career in engineering and computing departments leading computing networking, aerospace engineering, and food engineering education and research activities. In 2017, Anne joined Canterbury Christ Church University to design and create brand new diverse and inclusive engineering education provision. In 2021 Anne was awarded the Executive Leader of Year 2021 Engineering Talent Awards for her endeavours.

In every Subject Spotlight you’ll find


On-demand interactive video content

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Remarkable & relatable academics

Learn from some of the UK’s finest and most decorated academics as they give you a genuine, insightful and engaging experience of studying their courses at their universities.

Interactive quizzes and activities

Have a go at fascinating interactive quizzes and activities, then get meaningful and intuitive feedback from the academics to see how you’ve done.

Content to enhance students’ personal statements

Hear direct from the academics what’s expected of you in your personal statements, and the things you can do to improve your chances of getting on the course you most desire!

Certificate of completion

You’ll receive a certificate of completion to evidence your learning - why not add this to your CV and university applications to show your dedication to your future pathway!

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