Engineering 351 syllabus PDF

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Engineering 351 syllabus Engineering 351 syllabus...

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ENGINEERING 351: WRITING IN ENGINEERING* CATALOG DESCRIPTION This course fulfills the University’s Junior Year Writing Requirement for students in the College of Engineering. Students will be introduced to traditional technical and scientific writing forms, including outlines, summaries, mechanical and technical descriptions, research reports, and proposals. Grammar review, oral presentations and on-line research are significant components of this course. Students will also investigate ethics in engineering practice and research. COURSE OBJECTIVES Students will develop the ability to communicate effectively using written and oral communication skills; gain competency in English grammar, rhetoric, and composition; learn traditional scientific and technical forms of writing encountered in academic engineering disciplines and professional practice; develop on-line and hard copy engineering research skills; work effectively in groups on written and oral presentation projects; and increase knowledge of ethical and professional responsibilities. PREREQUISITE English 112: College Writing REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS--both are available as e-books at etufte.com Tufte, Edward R. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, LLC, 2006. Second Edition ---. Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, LLC, 1997. Electronic readings will be available via Moodle, which I will ask you to print out and bring to class on the day we discuss them. (Because the books listed above are very inexpensive, I recommend investing in a cheap printer and a ream of paper as part of your course materials.) TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS  Résumés, Cover Letters, and Letters of Inquiry  Memos  Article Summaries and Review  Product and Process Descriptions  Technical and Scientific Definitions; Scientific use of Metaphors  Visual Displays of Data  Oral Presentations of Research, including PowerPoint and Poster Presentations  Proposals, Technical Papers, and Analytical Reports ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS In-class and out-of-class writing assignments, in-class review of student work. GRAMMAR REVIEW Grammar quizzes and exercises based on assigned readings are part of this course. PUBLIC LECTURE REVIEWS: Over the course of the semester, you are to attend four public lectures or seminars on engineering and write up a two paragraph review—the first paragraph gives a basic summary of the key points of the talk and the second paragraph gives your thoughts on the ideas presented in the talk. They are worth five points of your final grade. Plan early and turn them in as the semester progresses. *This is the standard syllabus for Engineering 351: Writing in Engineering, the University’s Junior Year Writing Program requirement. Sections will vary according to each instructor’s individualized approach to presenting the course material, and will include some, or all, of the following: additional handouts, additional reading assignments, additional in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, and student conferences.

Edward Cottrill Marcus 113 (O) 545-0882 (H) 772-6062 before 9 p.m. Office Hours: TTH 1:00-2:00, and by appointment [email protected] Policies and Procedures Attendance: This course depends on your active participation, and regular attendance is required. One class week of absences (two) without penalty—excused or unexcused. Each absence over the limit drops your final grade one step (an A would become an A-, etc.). If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get assignments, class notes, and course updates from a classmate. (Please do not email me for a recap of the day’s lesson!) If you know you will miss class on a day that work is due, make arrangements to submit the work early or send it along with a classmate. In-class work cannot be made up. Electronic Devices: Cell phones, tablets, laptops, and other such devices may not be used during class. This means no texting, emailing, surfing the web, etc. Offenders will lose two (2) points from their final grade (per occurrence). Papers and Homework: All homework is due at the beginning of class and must be typed. For major assignments, hard copies will be turned in during class . In this course, I will try to hold you to the professional standards that prevail in your field. Your employer or graduate advisor will take some qualities completely for granted, such as neatness, correct mechanics, and promptness. Accordingly, I will expect you to ensure that these qualities are always present in your submitted work. All work should be neatly prepared, using margins, spacing, and design techniques expected for the genre. Whether it is a resume, PowerPoint, or report, your communication should exhibit complete and appropriate format. All writing for the course should be printed clearly, including draft work, unless otherwise noted. Late or incomplete work will have its grade deducted by one letter for each 24-hour period (including weekends) that passes after the due date and time. These deductions will be applied after the assignment has been graded. (On a related note: Back up your files! Computer problems cannot be considered a valid reason for work turned in late, and late-work rules still apply.) If you anticipate a problem completing an assignment on time, speak to me before the due date. The sooner you contact me, the more accommodating I can be. Type your Homework! Emails and Drafts: Homework and papers should not be emailed to me unless requested or agreed upon beforehand. I grade hardcopies only. As per University requirements, I will communicate with you through your OIT email account. It is your responsibility to make sure your inbox is not full and that you check it daily. If you use another email account exclusively, forward your OIT email to that account. “Not receiving” the email is not a valid excuse. MOODLE: This course will be on MOODLE. Login to MOODLE and the class will appear on the front page. Moodle is primarily used for posting articles, web links, assignments, and the calendar. You should plan to log into Moodle at least once a day to check on course updates and ensure you have done the correct reading for the next class. Remember: assignments and directions given in class supersede those on MOODLE.

Evaluation When grading each of your assignments, I will ask one core question: “Does this document do its job successfully?” That is, would your communication have its intended effect on the reader you are addressing? I will, of course, recognize the difference between a competent performance (a “C”) and good and excellent performances (“B” and “A”). A competent performance is one that stands a chance of succeeding; an excellent performance is one that seems assured not only of success but also of winning praise: A: Superior. The work is of near professional quality. The document meets or exceeds all the objectives of the assignment. The content is mature, thorough, and suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful; the information is well-organized and designed so that it is accessible and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct. B: Good. The document meets the objectives of the assignment, but it needs improvement in style; or it contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content; or its content is superficial. C: Competent. The document needs significant improvement in concept, details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be formally correct but superficial in content. D. Marginally acceptable. The document meets some of the objectives but ignores others; the content is inadequately developed; or it contains numerous or major errors. F: Unacceptable. The document does not have enough information, does something other than the assignment required, or contains major or excessive errors. Grading Scale: 100-94 A; 93-91 A-; 90-88 B+; 87-84 B; 83-81 B-; 80-78 C+; 76-74 C; 73-71 C-; 7068 D+; 67-64 D; 63-0 F. Sample Grade Breakdown: [this is just a sample, final percentages will be determined later based on whether any assignments are added or deleted from the list] Participation: Homework: Public Lecture Reviews Resume/Cover letter: Summary Proposal Poster Presentation Technical Description Annotated Bibliography Power Point Final Paper

5% 20% 5% 5% 10% 7.5% 10% 7.5% 10% 5% 15%

Academic Integrity Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner, and dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.

Talking over your ideas and getting comments on your writing from friends are not plagiarism. Taking someone else’s published or unpublished words and calling them your own is plagiarism; a synonym is academic dishonesty. In addition, unless I say otherwise, writing that you have submitted for another class cannot be used in this class. For more information, read the university’s policy on academic honesty in its code of conduct: umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty. Any case of suspected plagiarism will be handled strictly according to this policy. This means that I will contact you first to discuss the matter, and then turn it over to the Academic Honesty Board if the issue remains unresolved. This is intended to be the fairest method of handling suspected plagiarism, since my feelings on the matter or the individual are irrelevant. Writing Center The Writing Center, located in the Learning Commons of the W. E. B. Du Bois Library, is an excellent resource for writers of all ability levels, at all stages of writing. Writing Center tutors work with writers to brainstorm ideas, organize writing, learn strategies for copyediting, and more. To make an appointment, go to umass.edu/writingcenter, or you can simply walk in and see if a tutor is available. (The Center’s hours can be viewed on their site.) Procedures: I encourage you to discuss with me your written work (at any stage), your progress in the course, class concepts and materials, or anything else that crosses your mind. If my office hours listed above conflict with your schedule, contact me. Contact me immediately if you are having problems with the class, the assignments, or attendance. The best time to see me is during my office hours, but don’t hesitate to call or email....