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New Undergraduate Course ENGR 126April 5, 2005 TO: The Faculty of the College of
Engineering FROM: The Faculty of the Department of
Engineering Education and The First-Year Engineering Curriculum Committee SUBJECT: New Undergraduate
Course – ENGR 126 The Faculty of the Department of Engineering
Education and the First-Year Engineering Curriculum Committee has approved the
creation of ENGR 126, a modification of and replacement for ENGR 106, a
required first-year engineering course.
This action is now submitted to the Engineering Faculty with a
recommendation for approval. Current: ENGR 106 Engineering
Problem Solving and Computer Tools Sem. 1 and 2. Class 2, lab. 2, cr. 2. Corequisite: MA 165 or equivalent, or consent of
instructor Introduction to engineering
problem solving and the use of computer software, UNIXTM, computer
communications, spreadsheets and MATLABR. Applications in engineering. Proposed: ENGR 126 Engineering
Problem Solving and Computer Tools Sem. 1 and 2. Class 2, lab. 2, cr. 3. Corequisite: MA 165 or equivalent, or consent of
instructor Introduction to the solving
of open-ended engineering problems and the use of computer software, including
UNIXTM, computer communications, spreadsheets and MATLABR. Explicit model-development activities are
utilized, and students are expected to develop skill at working in teams. This is emphasized both in laboratories and
on projects. Reason: The proposed new course's description and
allocation of course credit more closely resembles ENGR 106 as it is presently
offered than does the current description.
Materials on the following pages describe and give specific examples of
differences between 1999 and 2004 offerings of ENGR 106 in order to illustrate
its evolution over a five-year period. With regard to course credit, the class meeting
hours do not adequately describe the course operation. In 1999, the two hours of class meeting time
in ENGR 106 were divided more or less equally between lecture and
"pre-lab" or "post-lab" discussion. By 2004 the course had evolved, by the addition
of engineering content and context, to the point where the second class hour
was needed for lecture time. The course
is now clearly 2 hours of lecture time and 2 hours of laboratory time, with
virtually all laboratory preparation and "post-mortem" work being
done in the laboratory period. According
to Office of the Registrar guidelines, this clearly constitutes a 3-credit
course. Repackaging the course as ENGR
126 eliminates the possibility of confusion arising from existence of student
records showing ENGR 106 for 3 credits while others have the same course on
their record for 2 credits. This renumbering will also help eliminate
confusion for students' counselors and the Registrar's Office during the
transition to the updated first-year curriculum.
_______________________________ Kamyar Haghighi, Head Department of Engineering Education Supporting Documentation Changes to ENGR 106 – A comparison of Fall
2004 to Fall 1999 ENGR 106 has
changed dramatically over the last 5 years in terms of course content,
instructor delivery, and student expectations.
The remainder of this document compares features of the course in 2004
to 1999, highlighting the following changes: § A move away from a
strong emphasis on student learning of the features of a computer tool to a
strong emphasis on developing problem solving skills and learning to use
computer tools to solve fundamental and open-ended engineering problems. § Greater
presentation of problems within engineering contexts. § Greater student
independence of learning computer tools syntax and features. § Increased emphasis
on teaming skills development. The pages to follow compare, from fall 1999 to fall
2004, the following course elements: § Course objectives
as communicated to the students, § Course grading
components, and § Course syllabi. In addition, a listing of the course expectations
distributed to and discussed with ENGR 106 students since 2002 is
included. A sample of a weekly
laboratory/homework combination is available as a supplement to this document
upon request. Course Objectives Fall
1999 Through this course you should: §
Learn to effectively use computer tools (Excel,
MATLAB, Operating Systems) to solve fundamental engineering problems §
Be able to identify the proper computer tool to
solve engineering problems §
Learn to work effectively in teams Fall
2004 Successful completion of this course will
enable students to: § Develop a logical
problem solving process which includes sequential structures, conditional
structures, and repetition structures for fundamental engineering problems, § Translate a
written problem statement into a mathematical model, § Solve fundamental
engineering problems using computer tools, § Perform basic file
management tasks using an appropriate computer tool, § Work effectively
and ethically as a member of a technical team, and § Develop a work
ethic appropriate for the engineering profession. Graded
Components to the Course Fall
1999 § In-class (lecture)
team and individual exercises and/or quizzes (10%) § Weekly Laboratory
Quizzes - focusing on computer tools and simple engineering fundamental
problems (10%, 13 labs) § Weekly Homework
Assignments - focusing on the use of computer tools to solve engineering
context problems (10%, 10 assignments) § Team Projects (15%
each) -
Open-ended engineering problem involving the
application of algebra and trigonometry, statistics, and/or economics and the
use of Excel (4-5 weeks) -
Open-ended engineering problem involving the
application of MATLAB programming concepts with emphasis on (1) the development
of an executive program that calls functions and (2) the use of repetition and
branching structures (5-6 weeks) § Written Exams (2)
(10% each) § Laboratory
Practical (2) (10% each) Fall
2004 § In-class (lecture)
team and individual exercises and/or quizzes (5%) § Weekly Laboratory
Assignments (10%) -
Quizzes – Use focusing on computer tools and simple
engineering fundamental problems (9 labs) -
Model-Eliciting Activities – open-ended,
client-driven mathematical modeling problems set in engineering contexts and solved by student teams (4 labs) § Weekly Homework
Assignments (15%, 12 assignments) -
Use of computer tools to solve engineering context
problems -
Model eliciting, exploration, or adaptation
activities - open-ended, client-driven mathematical modeling problems set in
engineering contexts and solved by student teams. These require review of lab work and
continued development and implementation of model solutions to solve problems
with increased complexity. (4 activities) -
Teaming skills development (4+ activities- development
and revision of Code of Cooperations) § Team Projects (15%
each) -
Open-ended engineering problem involving the
application of algebra and trigonometry, statistics, and/or economics and the
use of Excel (4-5 weeks) -
Open-ended engineering problem involving the
application of MATLAB programming concepts with emphasis on (1) the development
of an executive program that calls functions and (2) the use of repetition and
branching structures (5-6 weeks) -
Peer and team evaluations (4 times) -
Individual Time logs (4 times) § Written Exams (3,
10% each) § Laboratory
Practical (10%) Course Expectations Due to increased course expectations and increased
problems with first-year transition from high school to college, the following
list of expectations is discussed with all students as of Fall 2002. What You Can Do To Be Successful In ENGR 106 §
Take ownership of your education and learning
process. Successful problem solvers have to practice
and learn material on their own. §
Remember that you are beginning to learn a new
language - the language of engineering. Most
freshmen engineering students do not have a background in engineering. So when
problems are placed in an engineering context that uses the language of
engineering, as will occur in ENGR 106, you may find some problems difficult to
understand at first glance. §
Be an active participant in classroom activities. The more engaged you are in the classroom,
the more you will get out of the class. §
Come prepared for class. By doing the reading assignments before
class, you will understand more of the content covered in class. §
Learn to be accountable to your team and have your team be accountable to you to
complete assignments and learn the course material. You will be working in a
team of four in lab, in lecture, and on projects. You will need to be an active
participant on the team. §
Meet your team outside of class to complete
assignments. Projects and some
homework assignments will require that your team meet outside of class. §
Rely on your peers as well as the faculty and staff
to learn the course material. Your
peers are a great resource! On the flip side, your peers may come to you for
help. By helping your peers learn the material, you will gain greater
understanding of the course material. Do not be reluctant to contact any member
of the ENGR 106 Instructional Team when you need help. All faculty have
regularly scheduled office hours, and there are evening office hours manned by
the teaching assistants. §
Be aware that you will solve problems for which
there are no unique solutions. Due
to this fact, you may get many different responses when you seek help on a
problem because there are many different ways to solve the problem. § Expect to spend
more time per credit hour on this class compared to your other classes depending on your prior knowledge,
experiences, and study habits. The content of this course and the skills we
wish you to develop are very different from high school courses. Therefore,
some ENGR 106 assignments may take longer than your math and chemistry assignments. Topics The
following pages contain a detailed comparison of the syllabi for Fall 1999 and
Fall 2004. A
sample Fall 1999 and Fall 2004 lab and homework combination is available upon
request as a supplemental illustration of the difference in the nature of the
assignments. This particular example
demonstrates lab and homework coverage during the weeks that plotting was
covered.
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