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ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials Engineer Western Technologies Phoenix , AZ

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Page 1: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM:Preparations for the Young Professionals

LUKE M. SNELL

Senior Materials EngineerWestern Technologies

Phoenix , AZ

Page 2: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

The Majority of Communications

for

Engineers and Contractors is

the

Technical Memo and/or Letter

Page 3: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Most Students

Complete

Their Degree

Without

Writing

Technical Memos or Letters

Page 4: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Physics, Chemistry Labs

and

English Classes Write

Reports and Papers

�Encourage students to be Verbose

�Explain Away Problems

Page 5: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

First Year as Consultant

Wrote

Technical Report

for

Non-Technical Clients

Page 6: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Had to Learn to:

1. Be Accurate

2. Avoid Technical Jargon

3. Be Concise

4. Solve the Problem

Page 7: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Engineering Challenges

- EXCITING -

What I Studied!!

Page 8: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Writing Reports

EXCRUCIATING

What I Didn’t Study!

Page 9: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

How to Write EFFECTIVE Memos

By Writing Memos

with

Feedback

Page 10: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Students are:

Company Representatives

Project Managers

Field Engineers

Page 11: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Professors are:

Employers

Supervisors

Clients

Irate Customers

Page 12: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

COMMON PROBLEMS

WITH

REPORTS

Page 13: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

1. Tendency to include Inappropriate Materials:

� Client Does Not Want:

� Raw Data

� Calculations

� Irrelevant Observations

Page 14: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Client

Wants

Results

Page 15: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

2. Write to Impress Professors

�Uncomfortable in Making it Simple

�Perceive:

�Length = High Grade

�More Information shows a Better

Prepared Student

Page 16: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Write

to Inform

Client

Page 17: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

3.Omitting Conclusions or

Recommendations

� Want to Avoid Being Wrong

� Give Several Solutions – Let Others Decide

Page 18: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

NEED

A

CONCLUSION

Page 19: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

4. Write Obscurely –Rational/Decision Cannot Be

Followed or Verified

� Attempt to Hide Inadequate Research/Understanding With Obscure Writing

Page 20: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

NEED TO WRITE CLEARLY,

SO LOGIC

CAN BE

FOLLOWED

Page 21: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

5. Poor Style and Poor English

� Spelling

�Grammar

�Words with Inexact Meaning

�Using Wrong Technical Words

Page 22: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Need to Proofread

and

Use Spell Check

and

Grammar Checks

Page 23: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

6. Sloppy Memos and/or Letters

�Unstapled

�Torn

�Poorly Designed Graphics

�Hand Written

Page 24: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Need to Recognize

that

YOU ARE Becoming a

PROFESSIONAL

Page 25: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Only Way to Learn

to Write

is to

Write

Page 26: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Professor’s Responsibility

1. Give exact guidance where the student went off track

2. Do not accept poorly written memos – Make them redo (as in industry) until it is right

3. Make the memos a % of the grade so they can not be ignored

4. Be patient!!!

Page 27: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

First Memos and

Letters

are Poor

90% Must Redo

Page 28: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

First Memos and

Letters

are Poor

90% Must Redo

Page 29: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

Must Give Appropriate Feedback

so the Students can Improve

Page 30: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials

At end of the Semester

90% of the

Memos and Letters

are done

CORRECTLY the first time

Page 31: ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM - American Concrete Institute · 2017-08-05 · ROLE PLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM: Preparations for the Young Professionals LUKE M. SNELL Senior Materials