Engineering Projects In Community Service(EPICS)

Spring 2009

Client Description

• Rosalina Aranda– EPICS Program

Coordinator– Has been serving as

Program Coordinator since the program began in 2006.

Problem Identification Process

• Review past progress of previous teams• Meet with client on January 29th, 2009• Identify Available Resources

Team Definition

• As required by the class plan, the team was split into three sub-teams:– Communications– Registration– IT (Information Technologist)

Suggested Modification of Course Plan

• The class plan is usually such that the teams are or should be defined on the first day, but in order to define our team(s), we had to hold our client meeting and then branch off in order to tackle each of the problems we discovered during our client meeting.

Problems

• After our client meeting, we had listed four problems that we would be working on for the duration of the semester. They are as follows:– Update of the Team Descriptions– Improvement of Inter-Client/Team

Communications– Development of team websites– Development of a Prototype for the Registration

System

Updated Team Descriptions

Updated Team DescriptionProblem Description

–When students register for an EPICS team, they are often misled by the description on the registration website.

• Solution:–We wanted to find a way to give students a better idea of what they were signing up for.– E-mailed teams to write a short description about their project.–A few teams responded with a decent description, but many never sent one at all. Mentors were even notified, but no submissions were received.

• Future–We would like to add these descriptions to the registration website so that students have a better idea of what they are signing up for.

Inter Client Team Comm.

•Problem Description: – Lack of effective communication

•Solution: – Decided to use team website. Set up a

folder system on the team website with the assistance of the I.T. team.

Inter Team Client Communication

Project 1

Project 1

Project 2

Project 2

Project 3

Project 3

Project 4

Project 4

EPICS Sub TeamsEPICS Sub Teams

Rosalina Aranda (Client)

Rosalina Aranda (Client)

The System put into use.

•Sub Teams upload weekly reports.

•Client can view weekly reports.

•Posted on

website.

•Made sure all team members had access to uploading weekly reports as well as how to navigate the new system.

•

•Set a weekly deadline of 7:00 pm Sunday nights.

Outcomes•Became a whole team project.

•Helped communication within team, not just communication with client.

Future Work

•May be a helpful asset for other UC Merced EPICS teams .

•Isn’t currently being used to its maximum efficiency, hopefully teams in the future will continue and improve this system.

Website Development

Website DevelopmentProblem Description

Solution• Assist EPICS teams in developing their websites• We had to become familiar with using CMS.• Ranked each of the teams based on the need of improvement of content

and design • We would provide the technological assistance for the website, but

content and planning was to be done by the other teams.• Only decided to assist two teams this semester:– Ropes Course Team– California State Mining Mineral Museum

Ranking

CSMMM Original Website

Ropes Course Original Website

Future Work

• Based on progress of each teams website we will rearrange the ranking accordingly

• Leave any information/knowledge we have gained to next semesters team

Registration System

Problem Identification

• Using the Engineering Process

– Client Meeting

– School of Engineering Meeting

– Registrar Meeting

Registration Problem

Students are not registering into the EPICS courses they are interested in.

Why?

Time Conflicts

Students Only Register for Schedule

Compatible Classes

Space

Faculty

EPICS classes

Student's schedule

Solution A -Time Oriented

Designate 2-3 EPICS classes for

each grade level to guarantee

each grade level several

choices.Freshmen courses

EPICS classesGradeLevels

Solution A – Time Oriented

PROS:

• The time conflicts would be

resolved.

• The EPICS lab would be used

as much as possible.

CONS:

• Students may have trouble

returning to the same EPICS

class the following years.

• EPICS classes will have a

majority from certain grade

levels.

Solution B: Upper Division

Apply the “No Conflict” policy

to the applicable Engineering

Core Classes.

• Examples of such classes include but are not restricted to: ENGR 165, 130, 120, 155.

EPICS classesGradeLevels

Upper Division

Lower Division

Solution B – Upper Division

PROS:

• Resolves the overuse of

“No Conflict.”

• Allows upper classmen more

flexibility when choosing their

EPICS section.

• Increases chance of

enrollment and continuation.

CONS:

• Focuses more on upper

classmen.

• A lot of the upper classmen

students are probably finished

with their EPICS requirements.

Conclusion

• In general, in order to continue our work, it is best that we would have our current team members continue to stay on the team. – In contrast to previous semesters, we have had

more newer members that we would have to retrain, thus our progress would not be continuing in a positive direction every semester.

– It would instead be looping back to the beginning because we do not have enough time in order to complete certain projects.

Acknowledgements

• Foster Family Center for Engineering• PG&E• Dr. Germán Gavilán• Rosalina Aranda