Winter Quarter 2023

          
Perspectives in Assistive Technology
ENGR110/210

          

David L. Jaffe, MS
Lathrop Library Classroom 282
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm PT

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Course Organization and Operation


This webpage serves to address questions students might have about the course.

Enrollment

I am a freshman / sophomore who is very interested in the course, but I do not yet have experience in fabrication techniques that the projects may require. What would you recommend I do?
You can take the course this year for one-credit unit and attend at least 15 lectures (including the first one). When you are a junior or senior, you can take the course again and work on a team project.
Why is the course enrollment capped?
The course can only accommodate 27 students who work on projects - 9 teams of three students. The cap does not apply to students who take the course as a one-credit lecture-only or individual project options, rather than working on a team project.
Can I take the course if I am not in an engineering discipline?
Yes, the course is open to everyone, regardless of major. The lectures are non-technical and some projects may not require extensive engineering or fabrication skills. Other team members who have some building experience can be helpful. In addition, PRL Teaching Assistants can provide useful advice and suggestions.
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Class sessions

Why aren't smartphones and laptops allowed during the class?
These devices create a distraction, not only to the student who uses the device, but also to others nearby. It is very disrespectful to the guest lecturers to be on these devices during their presentations. Guest lecturers have requested that students do not use these devices.
Why am I asked to fill out speaker evaluations at each class session?
These anonymous evaluations provide the teaching team with information on how guest lecturers' presentations were received. Student comments are sent to the lecturers.
Why isn't any class time set aside for teams to work on their projects as it is in the ME capstone course?
Tthe capstone course is 4 credit units and its class sessions are 170 minutes long, more than twice the length of ENGR110/210. There simply isn't sufficent time to include team meetings in addition to the instructor's administrative comments, short discussion topic, and the guest lecturer's presentation. However, the classroom is usually vacant after the class session. In the past students have used this time to meet as a team and to receive guidance ffrom the instructor and course assistant.

Projects

Why do project teams consist of three students?
Three students seem to be the optimal number. Two students would most likely not be able to address all the project tasks and there may not be enough concurrent tasks for four students. In addition, it is easier to find a common meeting time among a team of three rather than four.
Why is there a cap on the number of project teams?
Nine teams gives an adequate time (about 7 minutes) for each team to present their projects in an 80-minute class session.
Why don't lecture topics relate to the projects?
Lecture topics are chosen to be interesting assistive technology subjects presented by local experts. A talk on a specific project topic might only be relevant only to the team of three students pursuing that project.
Why are teams requested to meet with the instructor?
The instructor can provide valuable information and suggestions regarding the team's progress, resulting in better use of fabrication time, a better project outcome, and an optimized grade.

Grades

Since there are no exams, quizzes, problem sets, or finals how are grades decided?
Grades are based on students' performance on their projects, presentations, reports, and participation.
Do all students on a team get the same grade?
Typically all students on the team get the same grade. However there have been circumstances in which a particular student got a different grade based on his/her efforts and course participation.

Updated 05/24/2023

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