Syllabus: Spring 2024

Office Hours

Office hours are a combination of on-campus and online. I am in my office on campus every Monday and Wednesday, but have a Zoom session scheduled every Tuesday and Friday. Office hours are always 'walk-ins welcome!' You never need an appointment for office hours. But if you need to see me outside of these times, please contact me, and we will set up a meeting at a time that works for both of us! This link is valid for the duration of the semester.

Know The Policy

All students must comply with the University policy regarding face coverings (https://uca.edu/coronavirus/students/).

Course Web

This course uses Blackboard extensively but not exclusively. All course information, current calendars, review material, homework, quizzes, and test solutions are also posted on this course web.

Course materials are also accessible on the ENGR 1301 Google Drive. You will be e-mailed a link to access this directory. All course materials are mirrored in triplicate, and the course web does not require a login. You should never lose access to any of the course materials.

Lectures

Lectures are scheduled each Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 AM in CCCS 112. Please attend every lecture, and please come prepared. Read the appropriate sections of the text in advance! This only works if everyone joins the meeting with the expectation of participation. There will not be many traditional lectures; we will frequently be in open discussion or working together in groups. Please don’t expect lectures to be me just talkingtalkingtalking. You will have a much richer experience when you contribute.

Laboratory

All students are expected to comply with the University policy regarding face coverings (https://uca.edu/coronavirus/students/). Please also see the official UCA Information and Updates for Students page to keep current with the policies and procedures in place to keep you safe.

Lab in CCCS 112, day and time as per the section you’re enrolled in. Exercises are scheduled for the entire semester on the course calendar. Lab handouts can be accessed via Blackboard, the course web, or the ENGR 1301 Google Drive folder. You must review the material before coming to lab and arrive prepared. You should be able to complete the exercise before you leave the lab. Submit by the due date on the calendar to receive credit.

You will be assigned a specific Bot Box. All of the boxes contain the same equipment. Please always return your box to the correct spot on the correct shelf when you finish your work. This will minimize any contact with other boxes, since you will always know exactly where your Bot Box is.

You can use your own laptop. We have ten Mac desktop workstations, plus a few Windows laptops that you are free to use. However, you can always choose to use your own laptop. You are responsible for installing any necessary software. I cannot be responsible for modifying your devices.

Late labs will not be accepted; if you must miss a lab for any reason, there is a make-up lab scheduled at the end of the semester. However, if you find yourself able to complete the work you missed and submit it in time to meet the due date, you are always encouraged to choose this option.

Individual Case Studies

Case Study due dates are listed on the course calendar. Detailed assignment handouts are posted on Blackboard, the course web, and are also accessible through the shared ENGR 1301 Google Drive folder. You are responsible for fingind the assignments, and when they are due.

You will always be submitting your work electronically. Each homework assignment will be on Blackboard, and you must submit through the specific Blackboard Assignment.

You must always submit your work in an acceptable file format. For example, documents may be Word docs (.doc or .docx) or PDF files (.pdf), but Pages docs (.pages) and Google docs (.gdoc) are not supported. Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy to export your work to either a Word document or a PDF. Blackboard accepts these file formats.

Please treat your submissions professionally. The quality of your homework preparation speaks to your attention to detail, your professionalism, and your respect for both yourself and the person receiving the work. Your boss is never going to let you meet with clients if she can’t be sure that you won’t show up in cutoffs and flip flops with a presentation outline scribbled with a Sharpie on the back of a cocktail napkin.

No late Case Studies will be accepted, and there is no make-up assignment that can be substituted for a missing Case Study. All the handouts are available from the first day of the course, and the due dates are posted in multiple locations. Please do not procrastinate.

Group Case Studies

There are three group case studies scheduled during the semester. You will be required to work in groups, but you will have limited dedicated class time in which to collaborate. Specific details for each case study can be found on Blackboard, the course web, or accessed through the shared ENGR 1301 Google Drive folder.

For two cases, your groups will make brief (approximately 10 minute) presentations detailing your work.  Presentation parameters (in-person or online) will be determined based on safety considerations.  Each case will be worth 80 points and each participating team member will receive the same score. No late Cases will be accepted, and there are no make-ups.

Final Project

You will complete one hands-on group project. Once you have mastered programming and controlling your robots, you will collaborate with a team to develop a task for your robot to complete. Using the available sensors and attachments, you will modify your robot to solve the problem of complete the task. Each group will brainstorm a unique task requiring a unique solution.

Specific details can be found on Blackboard, the course web, or accessed through the shared ENGR 1301 Google Drive folder. Your group will make brief demonstration of your work. Presentation parameters will be determined based on safety considerations. The project will be worth 100 points. Each team member will receive the same score.

Exams

Three exams will each cover two chapters from the text. There is no comprehensive final exam (Exam 3 will take place during the final exam time slot, but will cover only the final two chapters). Exams will be online and open book. They will consist of problems and questions similar (but not identical) to those discussed in class or assigned as homework.

Grades

You are expected to keep all graded material and keep track of your own point progress over the course of the semester. Your scores and overall average will available on Blackboard. I am also maintaining my original Excel-based spreadsheet gradebook as a back-up.

Points for the semester break down and grades will be assigned as shown on the tables below.

Course Calendar

Monthly calendar views can be found on this course web.

In the event that UCA pivots to online instruction only, the course calendars and assignments will be updated and revised to align with this restriction.

All calendar changes will be reflected here on the course web. Due date changes will also be announced and updated on Blackboard.

Access To Technology

Please inform me as soon as possible if you encounter difficulty accessing anything (yes, I am fully aware of the irony here). I’ve implemented triple redundancy to help avert access issues, but I cannot troubleshoot a problem that I’m not aware of.

I can’t make your home internet connection any faster. But if you are consistently unable to use the resources (for example, you find a broken link), I need to know as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity

The University of Central Arkansas affirms its commitment to academic integrity and expects all members of the university community to accept shared responsibility for maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the provisions of the university's Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy No. 709 on February 10, 2010, and published in the Student Handbook. Penalties for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the course, or any other course-related sanction the instructor determines to be appropriate. Continued enrollment in this course affirms a student's acceptance of this university policy.

Collaboration is strongly encouraged on everything except exams. Collaboration on exams is strictly prohibited, and will result in, at the minimum, a course grade of F, and referral to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

It is also a matter of academic and personal integrity to take responsibility for withdrawing yourself from this course, if the situation requires it. The last day for unrestricted withdrawal with a W is 03/13/24.

Americans With Disabilities Act

The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this Act due to a disability, please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS), 501.450.3613.

Course Evaluations

The Student Course Experience Survey is a crucial element in helping faculty achieve excellence in the classroom and the institution in demonstrating that students are gaining knowledge. Students may complete surveys for courses they are taking starting on Monday, November 21st, through the Sunday, December 18th after finals week by logging in to myUCA and clicking on the Feedback Hub.

Building Emergency Plan

An Emergency Procedures Summary (EPS) for the building in which this class is held will be discussed during the first week of this course. EPS and Building Emergency Plan (BEP) documents for most buildings on campus are available at https://uca.edu/go/bep-library. Every student should be familiar with emergency procedures for any campus building in which they spend time for classes or other purposes.

Title IX Disclosure

If a student discloses an act of sexual harassment, discrimination, assault, or other sexual misconduct to a faculty member (as it relates to “student-on-student” or “employee-on-student”), the faculty member is encouraged to report the act to the Title IX coordinator, deputy coordinator, or employee with the authority to institute corrective measures on behalf of the University. An investigation of a formal complaint of Title IX Sexual Harassment will only be initiated when the Complainant (individual who suffers actual harm from the violation of the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy) or the Title IX Coordinator signs a complaint. For further information, please visit: http://uca.edu/titleix.

*Disclosure of sexual misconduct by a third party who is not a student and/or employee is also required if the misconduct occurs when the third party is a participant in a university-sponsored program, event, or activity.

Disclaimer

The changes implemented in this revised syllabus are necessary to accommodate both the course requirements and the requirements of the reality we currently inhabit. Snow and/or ice days are a distinct possiblity, and the calendar will have to adjust accordingly. But if aliens land on the moon, all bets are off.

Students should refer to the 2023-2024 Student Handbook and familiarize themselves with all policies, particularly the Sexual Misconduct Policy and Academic Policies. The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) at 501.450.3613.