introduction to ensc 305w/440wwhitmore/courses/ensc305/s... · 2014-09-03 · introduction to ensc...

Introduction to ENSC 305W/440W 1 of 35

Introduction to ENSC 305W/440W

© Steve Whitmore & Mike Sjoerdsma

September 2014

“We suffer to learn.” –Aeschylus (c. 525-456 BC)


Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, you will understand how ENSC 305W/440W is organized and graded.

In addition, you will have started to consider some basic issues related to sanity:

• You are crazy to take these courses

• You are insane to want to be an Engineer

• The course instructors and TAs are also certifiable

• My commitment papers to Riverview Psychiatric Hospital are hanging on my office wall


Rumours What have you heard about ENSC 440W?

“In my opinion, ENSC 440W has provided me with the opportunity to work more than eight hours after school each day and show up in SFU seven days a week.”

–Patrick Pun, 2000

“The technical and interpersonal communication challenge of working on a project from its inception to full completion makes ENSC 440W one of the most valuable courses that I have taken so far.”

–Veljko Jovanovic, 2000


Selected Previous Projects The ENSC 305W/440W website has 16 years of projects

archived on it. Search for keywords related to your project.

Portable heart monitor

Ultrasonic measuring system

Refreshable Braille display

Robotic mail delivery system

Various submersible projects with John Bird

Dissolved oxygen sensor (for Environment Canada)

Solar Panel De-Icer (for BC Hydro)

MicroMouse competition, Arial Robotics competition,

MiroSot (robotic soccer competition)


More Projects A pedometer

Voice recognition in MP3 systems

Automated hydroponics control system

Driver monitoring system

Audio amp

Small heart imaging system

Dynamic pupil for a prosthetic eye

Tactile vision glove for the blind

Venipuncture site locator

Temperature control for showers

Phone operated home-appliance controller


Even More Projects Medication alerting system

Wireless home security system

Electronic counter-sniper system

Bacteria classification assistant

Micro fuel-cell testbench

Electronic cat toy

Individual posture inclinometer

Remotely controlled health monitor

Input device for the disabled

Temperature controlled mattress pad

Remotely accessed temperature control

Colour identification device


Just How Crazy is 305W/440W?

Gordon Morrison, David Lee, and

Kevin Maier demonstrating their

Solar Powered Hot Dog Cooker.


Even More Crazy! Chris Martens, Raul

Fernandes, Reena

Bhullar, and Tania

Kwan demonstrating

their Motorcycle

Headlight System.


Crazier Yet?

http://youtu.be/dqSeh4C7vZw

Arta Ahrabi, Chakaveh Ahmadizadeh,

Ibrahim Appiah, Wael Jendli, and Ahmed

Medhioub demonstrating their Smart

Bicycle Helmet System.




Accreditation Issues

ENSC 305W/440W provides the Senior Design Project as

required by CEAB (Canadian Engineering Accreditation

Board).

ENSC 305W/440W is certified as the upper division

Writing Intensive Course as required by SFU.


Purpose of ENSC 305W/440W

To demonstrate what you have learned over the past 4 years by asking you to undertake a significant design project that allows you to integrate many of the skill sets you have learned:

• Oral and written communication

• Persuading and informing

• Graphic design and human factors

• Critical and creative thinking

• Teamwork and interpersonal skills

• Entrepreneurial and project management skills

• Design and technical skills

• Social, environmental, and ethical concerns


Method for ENSC 305W/440W Guided by lectures on selected topics, you are expected to

simulate a start-up company focusing on the generation,

research, analysis, design, and development of a project of

interest to you.

Ideally, the project will also meet a social need and will

have the potential for a marketable product.

Initially, you will need to come up with the following:

• A project of interest and merit

• A team of individuals interested in the project

• A company name and logo

• A source of funds

Treat 305W/440W like a ½-time job rather than a course.


Some Advice for 305W/440W

Look for a problem, then find a solution – GOOD!

Don’t find a technology and then fit it to a problem – BAD!

The key point here is for you to learn a sound approach to

the engineering design process.


Names and Logos


How to Contact Me My office is ASB 9870 (I am usually in on Tuesdays and

Thursdays – feel free to drop by).

My e-mail address is [email protected] (contact me via

e-mail with questions relating to the course or to set up an

appointment to see me).

My phone numbers are 778-782-4946 (W) and 604-319-

2709 (C). The cell number is only to be used in an

emergency (i.e., a crisis).

All course materials are provided on the website:

http://www2.ensc.sfu.ca/~whitmore/courses/ensc305/


ENSC 440W/305W and TAs Andrew Rawicz ([email protected]) teaches ENSC 440W, but

the two courses are closely integrated and the assignments overlap significantly.

50% of your grades for the two course combined are based upon documentation (305W-1: 90%; 440W-4: 40%).

Treat the two courses as a single 5 credit course.

The course TAs are Jamal Bahari ([email protected]), Lukas-Karim Mehri ([email protected]), and Mona Rahbar ([email protected])


Attendance We meet from 08:30-10:20 on Tuesdays in WMC 3260.

Attendance will be taken.

Attendance is mandatory with the following exceptions:

• Only those who are taking an honors option (i.e., must

write a thesis) are required to come to the thesis lecture

• Everyone is allowed one unexcused absence. After that,

you lose 50% of your professionalism grade for every

absence. Otherwise, a doctor’s note, etc., is required.

• Note that both ENSC 305W and 440W have a limited

number of classes!


Topics Covered in ENSC 305W

Time management and team meetings

Creative thinking and the design process

Writing project documents: professional journals,

proposals, specifications, post-mortems, progress reports,

minutes, user manuals

Collaborative writing and listening skills

Dispute resolution and group dynamics

Review of sentence style

Team oral presentations


305W Lecture Schedule

Date Lecture Material

Sept 02

Introduction, Time Management, Meetings, Proposals, Progress

Reports, Professional Journals, (Notes provided about Creative

Thinking)

Sept 09 Collaborative Writing, Dispute Resolution, Group Dynamics,

Specifications

Sept 16 Listening Skills, User Manuals

Sept 23 Thesis Proposals and Theses (only for those in Honors options)

Sept 30 -

Nov 04 Guest Speakers as Scheduled (assume 2 or 3)

Nov 18 Team Presentations, Post Mortems, Course Wrap-up, and

Evaluations


Assignments for 305W/440W

With the exception of the Engineering Journal, all documents must be submitted as e-mail attachments in Adobe Acrobat format. All assignments must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] by the specified deadlines.

Professionalism 05%

Written Progress Report (1-2 pages) 05%

Oral Progress Report (15-20 minutes) 05%

Engineering Journal (length varies) 10%

Presentation/demo (1 hour) 10%

Post-Mortem (8-10 pages + minutes) 10%

Project Proposal (10-15 pages) 15%

Design Specifications (15-20 pages) 20%

Functional Specifications (15-20 pages) 20%

A Note about Quantity of Writing Some have complained that 305W/440W has too much

documentation. Not really.

Following the documentation length guidelines means

you produce about 80 pages per team for formal project

documentation = 20 pages per person for a 4 person

team (equivalent to a term paper for a 5 credit course).

You are also required to keep a journal and meeting

minutes (informal docs) and do 2 oral presentations.

Given the limited number of lectures, and the W and

capstone designation, this is not excessive.

Stick to the length/time guidelines and share the

writing tasks!!



Grading for ENSC 305W Assignments are graded from A+ (96-100%) to F (0-50%).

Assignments must be submitted on the date they are due;

late assignments will be penalized 5% per day late.

Exception: Each team is permitted one free late

(maximum 3 days), which may only be used for one of the

following: proposals, functional specs, or design specs.


Grading for 305W (cont’d) Academic Honesty Policy: passages, figures, and tables

from external sources must be properly cited in text and

referenced in the document (IEEE or APA format). Place

large excerpts (i.e., standards) in appendices & reference.

1st infraction = 0 on the document and a rewrite;

2nd infraction = recommendation to Director for FD in both

305W/440W.

Most of these docs are team-written and are thus a team

responsibility. If one person plagiarizes, all are held to

account. Review the complete document before submission.

Don’t fake the journal – very easy to catch – you’ll receive a

zero for it.


Grading for 305W (cont’d) Instructors read/scan everything, but . . .

• TA’s will be assigned to specific docs (proposal, FS, DS, written progress reports).

• We all grade the oral progress reports.

• I grade the post-mortems.

• I grade the professional journals.

• We all grade the demos.

Teams will be assigned to a specific TA later in the project. While you can consult with any TA, you are expected to mainly meet with your assigned TA.


Grading for 305W (cont’d) An A in 440W and a B in 305W, or vice-versa, is possible.

A passing grade in 305W and a failing grade in 440W is also possible (C- minimum for 440W is required).

A’s for some team members and B’s for others also possible.

Detailed rubrics are available for the proposal, functional spec, design spec, oral progress report, written progress report, post-mortem, demo, and professional journal.

These rubrics are part of CEAB’s requirement that ENSC demonstrate specific learning outcomes.

Read the rubrics carefully as the instructors and TA’s will be using them when grading.

Note some new rubric additions deal with CEAB outcomes.


Workload for 305W/440W 13 weeks X 5 credit hours X 4 hours work per credit hour =

260 hrs/person for ENSC 305W/440W:

• Group of 3 = 780 hrs ( 20 person weeks)



• Croup of 6 = 1560 hrs ( 40 person weeks)

1 person working full-time (40 hrs/wk) works 47 adjusted

work weeks in a year. (The adjustment accounts for 3

weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of statutory holidays).

Treat 305W/440W like a job rather than a course.


Facilities No dedicated space for ENSC 305W/440W.

Do not expect to leave projects under construction in Lab 1

(material gets stolen or damaged).

Teams can send an e-mail to [email protected] requesting a

locker for this semester. I suggest you do this ASAP!

Machine shop is available for use, but you must first meet

with Gary to ensure you know how to use the equipment.

Think Safety! Do not bring flammable materials or liquids

into the labs (including motorcycles and coffee machines!)

Do not deface/damage the lab benches or sidewalks (no

glue/razors/spray paint). Do not disassemble lab equipment.

Use some common sense. Think before acting!


Time Management

Warning: You are already behind schedule!

Keep schedules of the tasks you need to do (use a smart

phone, day planner, poster, your journal). Plan as far ahead and in as much detail as you can. The better your planning in Jan, the greater your success in April.

Make prioritized “To Do” lists: A – must do, B – should do, C – like to do. Do the tasks which add the greatest value.

Say no to interruptions, friends who want to party, etc.

Combine activities wherever possible.

Analyze your commitments: Are you taking 21 credits? Working part time? Heavily involved in outside activities?


Time Management (cont’d)


Time Management (cont’d) Avoid perfectionism: An A is as good as an A+ and about half

the effort. A hand drawn circuit is nearly as good as one produced using a computer.

Use Microsoft Project for Critical Path Method (CPM), to plan when (time) you need people, materials, etc. (resources). Identify dependencies between parts of the project.

Schedule adequate time for rest and play, or you will burnout. Ensure you eat properly.

Most of the work for 440W occurs in late November and early December – debugging and integration will drive you crazy (and inevitably takes 3 times as long as you plan for).

Divide up large tasks such as writing documentation, designing systems, assembly. Modularize everything.

Ensure critical material is understood by two team members.


Team Meetings Meetings can waste more of your time than any other activity

unless handled properly.

Start on time.

The productivity of a meeting is inversely proportional to its

length. Restrict meetings to an hour. If you must meet for

longer, take a break each hour. Try standing meetings.

Separate occasions for socializing from business meetings. The

moment you introduce beer, it becomes a party.

Prepare and circulate a detailed agenda in advance of meetings

via e-mail. Clearly define the purpose of the meeting. Schedule

the time allotted for various subjects.

Keep minutes that list action items, who is responsible for them,

and when they will report the results of actions.


Team Meetings (cont’d) Ensure that no one dominates the meeting and that everyone

has an opportunity to be heard.

Spend a couple of minutes at the end of the meeting evaluating

its effectiveness, and setting the time and agenda for the next

meeting.

Send copies of the minutes of the meeting via e-mail to all

participants ASAP after the meeting. Everyone should agree to

respond to the minutes (either agreeing they are accurate or

making necessary corrections).

An MS Word template is provided on the website for agendas

and minutes. Note that agendas and minutes must be

submitted as an appendix of the post mortem.


HELP – We Are in Trouble

Make an appointment to see me if you encounter problems related to

group dynamics. The sooner you contact me, the more likely the

problem can be resolved. Do not wait until week 12 to tell me that

your team is falling apart.

Group problems will happen. Sources of conflict:

• Work sharing (most common = differential grades/failure)

• Leadership (mainly swearing = gales of laughter)

• Design approach (messiest problem = failure/lower grades)

• Personality differences (grinding of teeth = loss of friends)

But 90% of the time things work out fine!


HELP – We Are in Trouble For technical issues (design, documentation, etc.), read the

material on the website and then contact your TA. Only

contact me or Andrew after you’ve talked with a TA.

If you encounter a personal crisis (suicidal thoughts, grief,

etc.) you may phone me on my cell.

“One thing that we could have done better is project

scheduling. Because we started our brainstorming in

the summer, we fell into a bit of a trap thinking that we

were ahead of the schedule.”

–Erik Haberger, 2001

No one has yet died while taking 305W/440W, but many

have wished that the instructors would do so.


“We learn to suffer.” –Sophocles (c. 496-406 BC)

Conclusion

introduction to ensc 305w/440wwhitmore/courses/ensc305/s... · 2014-09-03 · introduction to ensc...

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