Goals
Upon completion of the course, civil engineering students will be able use material and energy balances to solve civil engineering analysis and design problems pertaining to: Groundwater Hydrology and Water Quality Management, Air Pollution, Solid Waste Management, and Hazardous Waste Management
Course Learning Activities
Learning activities help students meet the course goals. They include preparation, listening and discussing, and practice.
By preparation, I mean reading technical information before class, primarily by reading assigned material. This activity provides students with three benefits. First, students arrive in class with some introduction to the material they are expected to learn. Second, assigned readings often cover course topics in greater breadth and/or depth than in class. Thus, students learn more. Finally, learning how to effectively read technical information takes practice, just like learning how to play a sport or musical instrument. Many of the students taking this class will spend their careers creating and/or reading technical information. By struggling through difficult readings in college, students are better prepared for this type of work.
You will listen to some lecture, as this is an effective way to transmit information; however, you are also expected to participate in class discussions.
Finally, you will practice. This will be done by working problems in and out of class.
Evaluation Activities
The evaluation activities used in this class are linked to the learning activities.
Preparedness Assessment Tests (PATs) are used to evaluate your preparation for class. They occur before topics are covered in class and are based on knowledge gained from assigned readings. The goal is for students to learn important concepts by carefully reading assigned material. When I design PATs, I assume that each student has carefully read the assigned material (but not memorized it). PATs generally contain conceptual problems, but simple calculation problems may also be included (no calculator needed). PATs are given twice: once to individuals, then to small groups of students. This helps students learn all of the topics covered on a given quiz and provides an opportunity for discussion. When taking a group PAT, make sure that each student in your group understands the questions and answers. If a significant number of groups are unable to answer a PAT question correctly, class time will be used to cover the related material. PATs are closed books and notes. Use the Chapter Review to make sure that you understand the important concepts in a give chapter. The course schedule identifies the specific readings and chapter review questions for each PAT.
Assignments are used to evaluate all of the learning activities. Specifically, they help professors evaluate your ability to define and solve problems. Your work must be your own; however, I encourage students to work together and even compare answers. If you discover different answers, study each others' work, then rework and discuss the problem until you agree on an answer (or agree to disagree). However, DO NOT COPY. Use the student resources page to find more homework guidance. Please email, phone or stop by my office if--upon reviewing course materials and discussing with other students in the class--you are unable to complete a problem. Assignments will be graded.
Semester exams and a final will be used to test your ability to independently solve problems. These exams will be closed book and notes: however, you may bring up to 4 "cheat sheets" (double-sided means eight pages of information!). A "cheat sheet" can have equations, variable definitions, figures and solution steps. It may not include solved problems. Exams cover the readings, PATs, Assignments, and material covered in class.
Grading
Grades in the course will be based on the ten point scale (90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, etc.). Depending upon class performance, the scale may be adjusted down, e.g., an 89 might be an A. This will be done at the end of the semester. Points will be awarded according to the following percentages: It is possible to change this distribution, with agreement of all students in the class and myself.
- Professionalism - 5 %
- PATs - 20 % (60% Individual & 40% Group)
- Assigned Problems - 15 %
- 3 Exams (Including Final) - 20 % Each
I will drop your lowest PAT, assignment, AND exam. Your grade in each category is calculated by dividing the points earned by the total possible points (taking into account any dropped assignments) and multiplying that fraction by the percentage assigned to the category. For example, a student obtaining 126 professionalism points out of a total possible professionalism score of 140 will obtain 4.5 points towards their overall grade [(126/140) x 5]. Professionalism is primarily associated with showing the proper respect for the professor and your classmates. Each student receives five points for each class session. Arriving late, leaving during class, talking when the professor or other students "have the floor", or other disruptive activities will result in a point deduction.
Disabilities
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunity.
Academic Misconduct
You are encouraged to work together on assignments. However, copying is not acceptable. Copied assignments will receive a zero grade (both original and copies). Cheating on a test will cause the student to receive a zero grade, at a minimum. If you are to miss an assignment due date, exam, quiz, field trip, or laboratory session you must have a valid excuse and notify me prior to the event (except in case of emergency).
Policies
See my Student Resource page. |
