ENGINEERING PROBLEM SOLVING AND DESIGN

COURSE INSTRUCTIONS

for

ENGR 120, section 1

Spring 1996

INSTRUCTOR:

W. F. Beckwith

Office: 224 Earle Hall

Phone No: 656-5421

Office hours: 10:00 to 11:00 am T, W, TH, F

E-mail address: wfbck@clemson.edu

Homepage address: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/~wfbck

GRADUATE LABORATORY ASSISTANT:

Raj Natarajan

Office:

E-mail address: rangarn@ces.clemson.edu

CREDIT:

3 credit hours (1,4)

MEETING TIME AND PLACE:

Lecture Section 1

M 8:00-8:50 in McAdams 100

Laboratory Section 1:

W F 8:00-9:55 in Mc Adams 100

Laboratory Section 2:

T Th 8:00-9:55 in Mc Adams 100

TEXTBOOKS:

1. Strategies for Creative Problem Solving by H. Scott Folger and Steven L. LeBlanc

2. Engineer's Toolkit, A first Course in Engineering

3. HP 48G Series User's Guide

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Develop students problem solving skills.

2. Develop students proficiency in the use of a spreadsheet (EXCEL), equation solving software (TK Solver) and HP 48G calculator.

3. Develop students ability to select the best calculation tool for use in solving an engineering problem.

4. Instruction in the ethical use of networked computers and of available software.

5. Gained experience in group dynamics to solve problems.

6. Students will learn the engineering design process through the completion of a design project.

7. Additional practice in students oral and written communication skill through practice of writing E-mail messages, memo reports and short oral presentations.

GRADING SCHEDULE:

Quizzes (4 or 5) 50%

Final examination 30%

Design Project 10%

Homework 10%

HONOR CODE:

The college Honor Code will be in effect in this course. The honor code pledge will be written at the bottom of all quizzes and thefinal examination. Collaborative effort will be required on somehomework assignments. On these assignments the Honor Code Pledge will not need to be written. On other homework assignments, where specified, the Honor Code Pledge is expected to be written. If the pledge is not found on the papers where it is required, then the instructor has the prerogative to not grade these papers.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Class attendance is expected for all students, but attendancewill not be used in determining the final grade. Make-up quizzes will be given only for excused absences which are known beforethe quiz is given or for incapacitating illnesses or injuries.

Students will be expected to be on time for each class. It is the prerogative of the instructor to lock the classroom door once classes have started so as to not have interruptions in the classroomfrom students finding their assigned seats, picking up assignmentsor handing in assignments.

Students will be expected to be prepared to solve problems assigned in class. They will be expected to have available in class both engineering calculation paper and their HP 48 calculator.

COMPUTER MISUSE POLICY:

See page 150 in your Student Handbook.

WAITING LIMIT FOR ARRIVAL OF PROFESSOR:

Students will be expected to wait 15 minutes after the scheduled class start time for the instructor to appear (see page 168 inthe Student Handbook).

HOME PROBLEM POLICY:

A number of practice problems will be given to test your knowledgeof the material being studied. Selected problems will be collected and graded. Solutions to other problems will be made available.All homework solutions and quizzes will be submitted on engineering calculations paper (National 42-381 or -382, 5 square) and follow the standard engineering problems solution format found on pages23-25 in the Engineer's Toolkit module titled Engineering Designand Problem Solving. A good understanding of the principles studied can only be acquired through application.

COURSE SCHEDULE:

Attached is the tentative course schedule in which some of the reading assignments are listed. Notice the reading assignment from the textbook Strategies for Creative Problem Solving are one chapter per week for Chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. Three weeks will be taken for Chapter 5, and only one period for Chapters 1 and 8. Associated with all chapters except 1 and 8 are computer modules to test your knowledge of the material and give you practice in applying the principles described in each of these chapters. These modules are located on the PC computers in Riggs 10 and in Lowry 125. Assistance is using these modules can be obtained from the ENGR 120 TA at the Help Desk in Riggs 10. Once you have completed a module, you are to E-mail the Progress Number given at the end of the module to this section's TA, Mr. Natarajan (Raj). If you incorrectly leave a module, you will not get a Progress Number, whereupon you will have to repeat the module. Some modules will allow you to save the material that you prepared on a diskette. Have a diskette ready to save this material when you run a module. Some charts prepared by the modules may be requested to be handed in. Use Notepad found under the Accesories icon to edit and print the chart saved on your diskette.

HELP WITH COMPUTER SOFTWARE:

Mr. Keith Foy and Mr. Ed Littleton have been hired to help ENGR 120 students with their questions on the computer software used in this course. They can be found at the Help Desk in Riggs 10 during the hours shown below. Seek their help first, and if you still have questions come a see me or send me an E-mail message. When you have a question about your computer solution to a problem, please bring a diskette containing your solution in question when you meet with me.

Keith Foy

M 7:30-11:30 pm

T 3:30-11:30 pm

Th 3:30-11:30 pm

Ed Littleton

M 3:30-7:30 pm

T 11:30 am-3:30

W 7:00-11:00 am

Th 11:30 am-3:30

F 7:00 am- 11:30