MEC 1012 - Design Communication II
Spring 2005 Course Policy

Instructors:

Paul Johnson Office: New Morrill 114 Phone: not in use E-mail: pjohnson@vtc.edu Schedule

Mary Waldo Office: Morrill 123A Phone: 728-1349 E-mail: Mwaldo@vtc.edu

Feel free to contact either one of us to request an appointment for extra help. Please don’t let poor performance keep you from asking for help.

Catalog Description:

In this course, students gain proficiency in communicating mechanical designs using hand drawing and computer modeling, building on the fundamentals learned in the previous course. In addition, students gain skills in project management and teamwork. Students work in teams on short- and long-term mechanical design projects, maintaining electronic design notebooks and project webpages. Students practice two-dimensional and three-dimensional computer modeling and web authoring. 6 hours of laboratory per week.

Time Commitment:

A common rule of thumb is that each course credit demands about 3 hours of student time per week. Those 3 hours per credit should lead a student of average skills to an average grade. A 2-credit course like this with two 3-hour meetings per week should give the option but not force students to work outside required meeting time.

Nature of the Work:

Work will consist of projects, assignments and challenges. The range is intended to reflect a professional position involving mechanical design communication. Each student has 15 meetings with Johnson (1012) and 15 meetings with Waldo or Johnson (1012L). Since that comes out to 85 hours, think of it as two weeks of full-time work.

1012 meetings will focus on projects where 1012L meetings will review MEC 1011 skills and build on them. Project work will be ‘turned in’ continuously in electronic and paper form and will be evaluated at the end of each of the three 5-week periods. In 1012L each 5-week period begins and ends with a 2-week assignment and includes a 2 ½-hour challenge in the middle week. Here’s a detailed schedule.

References:

Engineering Design Communication, Conveying Design Through Graphics, Shawna D. Lockhart and Cindy M. Johnson, Prentice Hall, 2000

Grading:
Each point in the course carries the same weight. Final letter grades will be given based on a standard scale.

6	Assignments	@	50	points each	= 300 points
3	Challenges	@	50	points each	= 150 points
3	Project Evaluations:
	1^st Evaluation	@	100	points	= 100 points
	2^nd Evaluation	@	200	points	= 200 points
	3^rd Evaluation	@	250	points	= 250 points
				TOTAL	=1,000 points

Quizzes may be given on short notice for a portion of the related assignment or project grade.

If a challenge is taken without a passing grade earned, the challenge must be repeated until a passing level is achieved before an individual will be permitted to advance to the next challenge or earn a passing grade in the course.

Some assignments (announced) must be completed to earn a passing grade in the course.

Attendance and Due Dates:
Attendance at every meeting is expected. All meetings will run the full 2 hours and fifty minutes. Since there’s always project work to do, “I’m done” is never a reason to leave early. Professional email communication in advance of an absence can excuse the absence.

Only Assignments have due dates since Project Evaluations are just snap-shots of progress to date and Challenges happen like an exam. Professional email communication in advance of an Assignment due date can extend the due date if the communication includes a commitment to a new due date and time. No due dates can be extended further than the beginning of the next 1012L meeting. Late Assignments earn a zero grade.

Failure to communicate prior to an absence or a missed due date will be seen as academic neglect and can lead to dismissal.

Academic Integrity:
Your academic integrity reflects your personal integrity. We expect honesty. If you represent someone else’s work or ideas as your own, you show disrespect for your peers that will not be tolerated.