ARTS 190 F22 Lamont

ARTS 190

Communication in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Revised Sept. 6th, 2022

Overwhelmed? See Section 5 for help. UW wants to help you.

Instructor: George Lamont

Sections: 12 and 13

1. Section 12: T/Th 2:30-3:50, E5 5106

2. Section 13: T/Th 4:00-5:20, E5 5106

Online: See learn.waterloo.ca.

Go to Section 3 to see the course schedule and assignment dates.

Email: glamont@uwaterloo.ca. Email or message anytime.

Office hours: Online: Microsoft Teams.

Office: HH Rm.156. Tuesdays: 10:30pm-11:30am. Call me in MS Teams.

Wednesdays: 2:45pm-3:45pm. Call me in MS Teams.

Tell me your schedule, and we’ll video-meet in MS Teams.

Still overwhelmed? Contact me. I’ll help.

Official Course Description and Outcomes

Course Description

This course will teach written and oral communication in electrical and computer engineering. Students will practice internal and external genres of communication relevant to groups that might include clients, peer groups, technical staff, public audiences, and regulatory and policy-focused stakeholders. Students will enhance their critical-thinking skills and creative competencies to better understand meaning-making, perception, and responsibility. Through iterative communication design processes that emphasize student agency and confidence, students will craft audience-specific messages through writing, presenting, and video making.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to do the following:

1. Explain the role of reports, the press, advertising, video and other communications media in engineering,

2. Demonstrate command of appropriate writing skills and style,

3. Demonstrate good literature research skills (gathering data or relevant information, analyzing the results of research efforts in terms of data and argument, and assessing the credibility and applicability of information),

4. Construct a persuasive technical argument,

5. Write an effective engineering report by attending to context, audience, and genre,

6. Organize and deliver a persuasive oral presentation.

Textbook:

Graves, Heather & Roger Graves. A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication. 2nd edition (Canadian).

Course Assignment and Requirements

Assignment and Evaluation Overview*

No	Activity	Weight
1.	Engineering project pitch	15%
2.	Engineering progress report	20%
3.	Engineering project business-proposal presentation	20%
4.	Engineering project reflection	15%
5.	Weekly learning tasks, contributions (details below)	30%
	* There is no exam for this course	100%

How and Where to Submit Written Assignments: Electronic format: Microsoft Word .docx format or PDF, online through LEARN.

Assignment #1: Engineering Pitch (2 pages)

You will create a memo that demonstrates your specific learning of the conventions of e-mail authoring used in the engineering profession. Your objective is to communicate the market or public value (the business case) of your design project. You will focus on demonstrating that a problem or need exists and proposing initial stages of design.

Assignment #2: Progress/Status Report (2-4 pages)

As you are developing your project, you will complete an engineering-style progress report to update your team/project lead on your progress, any setbacks, and any changes to budgets or timelines.

Assignment #3: Project Business-Proposal Presentation

You will present a 10-minute talk about the business case of your design project. You will present this to the instructor, your colleagues, and any guests. Your presentation will justify that your project meets some clearly demonstrable need or solves a problem that clearly relates to a market, the public, good, or both. You will then demonstrate your knowledge of existing engineering know-how about the issue and propose how your design at current and future stages would realistically address the problem or need.

Your idea can change and grow over the process, but your objective is to meet the emerging needs of the fields of electrical and computer engineering.

Assignment #4: Engineering Project Reflection

You will produce a final after-action report in which you assess the current state of your business case, propose future activities if you were to pursue this project, and connect your project to engineering graduate attributes required for engineering certification.

Assignment #5: Weekly learning tasks, contributions

This course will require some kind of submission from you in every class, so that I can check whether you are learning what you need. Weekly learning tasks will vary: little quizzes about lectures, surveys, reflections, worksheets, discussions, instruction manuals, and drafts of major assignments. Contributions tasks make up the largest single grade in the course, but each task will be worth less than 5% of the entire course.

Course Schedule

The following schedule is tentative and may change to suit class needs. Additional readings may be posted to LEARN, and you will be responsible for these.

Wk	Dates	Lesson	Assignments
Unit 1: Professional Communications in Engineering: A real course in engineering-document management, in collaboration with a local engineering firm.
1	Week 1 Th, Sept 8th	Course introduction: Interviews with engineers, engineering- proposal teams, and engineering directors. Industry lesson: major document types in engineering and industry.	Activities: Survey MS Teams Analyze a real client request.
2	Week 2 T, Sept 13th	Gantt charts and project management Gantt chart of 1A term. Make an original in Microsoft Excel. Show employers that you can custom-build a project-management schedule.	Activity: Make a Gantt chart in Excel; submit it.
	Th, Sept. 15th	Industry-designed session: communication and litigation risk Readings: Chapter 7: “Writing email and letters for the workplace,” p. 151-164.	Activity: real scenarios from engineering firms and engineering law.
Unit 2: Communicating Problems in Engineering: A course in how engineers structure problem-solution messages, using authentic engineering technical documents and articles.
3	Week 3 T, Sept 20th	Design problem analysis and investigation How working engineers find information to help them create and propose projects. RADAR method Problem analysis and justification Assignment #1 (pitch): describe and prove a problem that your design project may address. Include Gantt chart. Assignment #1 released.	Activity: Project Case Worksheet.
	Th, Sept 22nd	The Swales CARS model of engineering reports and articles. Reading: Engineering articles, LEARN.	Activity 1: Course check-in #1. Activity 2: Swales CARS follow-along worksheet.
4	Week 4 T, Sept 27th
	Th, Sept 29th	Structural analysis of engineering articles Applying the Swales CARS model in class to engineering documents. Students work in groups up 4 to analyze a peer-reviewed engineering article. Analysis presentations Present engineering research to the class using the Swales CaRS model and evaluating the research for its contributions. Students will complete multiple surveys for substantial grades to report what they have learned from the other presentations.	Activity: Groups prepare presentations for next class.
Unit 3: Engineering Documents: real engineering requests, reports, and proposals, provided by actual engineering firms, and how to read and write them.
5	Week 5 T, Oct 4th	Engineering status/progress reports How engineers concisely assure supervisors that design and projects are going well. Reading: Chapter 9, pages 193-198. Assignment #2 released.	Assignment #1: Project Pitch Memo and RADAR analysis. DUE.
	Th, Oct 6th	Engineering White Papers How engineers use engineering reports to advertise know-how and products.	Activity: Analyze white papers from industry.
6	Oct 10th – 14th	Reading Week No official classes or activities.
7	Week 6 T, Oct 18th	Mid-terms week No official classes or activities.
	Th, Oct 20th	Mid-terms week No official classes or activities.
8	T, Oct 25th	Engineering process analysis: Making complex engineering processes accessible to clients and business stakeholders. Reading: Chapter 10, “Writing how-to documents: instructions, procedures, manuals,” p. 233-255.	Activity: Following someone else’s process and evaluating instructions.
	Th, Oct 27th
9	T, Nov 1st	Engineering technical manuals: How engineers create them, current problems with these manuals in engineering industries. Engineering technical manuals Create and finalize technical documentation for a process that you designed.	Activity: Design instructions. Activity: Create technical docu- ments.
Unit 4: Designing Documents and Presenting Engineering Projects: a course in engineering-proposal creation designed by current engineers doing this in industry.
	Th, Nov. 3rd	Analyzing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) How to format the document that wins business in engineering industries.	Assignment #3 released. Assignment #2: Progress Report and reference review report. DUE Friday Nov. 4th. Reading: Chapter 8, “Writing Winning Proposals,” p. 165-192
10	T, Nov 8th
	Th, Nov 10th	Evaluating Engineering Proposals How real, large clients evaluate engineering proposals for competitive projects. Writing Engineering Proposals How actual engineering firms respond to RFPs and design proposals to beat dozens of competitors.	Activity: Questions and reflection about the client seminar. Activity: Questions and reflection about the professional seminar.
11	T, Nov 15th	Preparing A Business Case	Assignment #4 released. Synthesize your techniques to prepare a business presentation to colleagues about your engineering project. Activity: submit initial presentation notes.
	Th, Nov. 17th	Preparing A Business Case Synthesize your techniques to prepare a business presentation to colleagues about your engineering project.	Activity: submit rough draft of your presentation.
12	T, Nov. 22nd	Engineering Business Cases 1 Students will present the business case for their project and demonstrate it briefly. Students will vote in class on the business cases for substantial grades.	Assignment #3: Business case presentation. DUE Nov. 22nd
	Th, Nov 24th	Engineering Business Cases 2 Students will present the business case for their project and demonstrate it briefly. Students will vote in class on the business cases for substantial grades.	Activity: case analysis surveys for each case.
13	T, Nov 29th	Engineering Business Cases 3 Students will present the business case for their project and demonstrate it briefly. Students will vote in class on the business cases for substantial grades.	Activity: case analysis surveys for each case.
	Th, Dec. 1st	Engineering Business Cases 4 Students will present the business case for their project and demonstrate it briefly. Students will vote in class on the business cases for substantial grades.	Activity: case analysis surveys for each case.
14	T, Dec. 6th	Project Reflection After-action report about your business-case presentation.	Activity: Submit notes/draft of your after-action reflection.
	Dec. 12th	Assignment #4: Reflection Due	Assignment #4: Engineering Project Reflection. DUE Dec. 12th
		* No final examination in this course.

Important Dates: Travel plans NOT accepted reasons for absence.

Event	Date
Lectures begin:	Wednesday, September 7
Last day to add a class:	Tuesday, September 20
Last day to drop, no penalty:	Tuesday, September 27
UW holiday (Thanksgiving):	Monday, October 10
Reading Week	October 8-16
Last day to drop, receive a WD:	Tuesday, November 22
Lectures end:	Tuesday, December 6
Last day to drop, receive a WF:	Thursday, December 8
Exams begin:	Friday, December 9 (no exam in this course)
Exams end:	Friday, December 23 (no exam in this course

Terms:

1. “Drop, no penalty”: no record of the course appears on your transcript.

2. “WD”: this means the word “Withdrawn” will appear on your transcript. This will let readers know that you attempted the course but decided to leave the course.

3. “WF”: this means “withdrew/failure.” This will let readers know that your withdrawal constitutes a failure in the course. This course will be calculated as a grade of 32% and will be included in your overall grade average.

Course Policies

How will this course work if we return to online learning?

The course will accomplish all the main goals in a regular class. However, here are the essentials of what you will need to do:

• Working online: Go to learn.uwaterloo.ca, sign in, and find our course under the “Fall 2021” section.

• Download/install Microsoft Teams: this free software is available to you through the University of Waterloo. We will use this to meet online.

  • Learn about Teams here: Microsoft Teams at the University of Waterloo.

  • Download Teams here: Download link for Microsoft Teams.

• Lessons: Lessons will be “asynchronous” (I won’t lecture live). Technical issues cause too many problems with live learning. Find new lessons online on Mondays (except the first week).

• Activities:

  • Each week has its own folder, with everyone you need for that week.

  • Video lesson: There will be a video or more. Watch it.

  • Textbook readings: read the relevant readings from the textbook.

  • Activities: any activities and dropboxes will be in that week’s folder.

• Assignments: Assignments or weekly learning tasks are due on Fridays, but can be handed in by Sunday evening.

• Submitting documents: Don’t e-mail me your submissions. Upload them to the specific dropbox for that item. You’ll find the dropboxes in the weekly folders.

• Communicating with me: I will be available on Microsoft Teams during our class time. Drop in anytime during regular class time to chat. We can set up appointments for other times, and we can use the telephone, too. Just let me know if you need to communicate.

Late work, missed work, grade concerns, “incomplete” courses

• Extension requests: You must request an extension 48 hours or more before a due date, and provide a reasonable justification, subject to verification by me. Last-minute extension requests will be denied unless there is medical documentation, an accommodation, or a counselling referral to support the need.

• Late submissions: 5% penalty per day unless the late submission is justified by medical documentation.

• Missed tests, quizzes, contributions: If your absence is supported by medical documentation, your grade will be re-weighted to your other quizzes or contributions. Otherwise, you will receive a grade of 0 for the quiz or contribution.

• Medical documentation: You must submit a “University of Waterloo Verification of Illness” form, available at https://uwaterloo.ca/campus- wellness/sites/ca.campus-wellness/files/uploads/files/VIF-online.pdf.

• No “incomplete courses”: I will not grant an “incomplete course”. All course work is due by the final day of lectures (December 3rd).

• Grade challenges: You may re-submit an assignment for regrading only if you provide a detailed letter explaining why the concepts and criteria of the course justify a different grade. I do not accept any requests to challenge a grade while I am returning any papers in class. Please make an appointment to visit me, and we will have a fair conversation about your concerns.

• Grade concerns: If you are struggling, I want to help you. However, don’t procrastinate. The sooner you consult with me, the sooner we can address the problems.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism—Official Policy

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline.

For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Using Turnitin in this Course

Text matching software (Turnitin®) will be used to screen assignments in this course. This is being done to verify that use of all material and sources in assignments is documented. Students will be given an option if they do not want to have their assignment screened by Turnitin®. In the first week of the term, details will be provided about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin® in this course.

Services and Additional Support

If you are struggling, do realize that there are services here that will help you and protect your privacy.

Accommodations for Students with Learning Challenges

If you have any concern about a learning challenge or learning disability, please feel free to consult with me about how to support you. You may also wish to register with the AccessAbility Services office. This office is located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (1401), and collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Counselling Services

Counselling Services provides support free-of-charge and protects your privacy. Find them at https://uwaterloo.ca/counselling-services/.

Student Success Office

The Student Success Office also provides support free-of-charge and protects your privacy. This office provides academic and personal development services, resources for international students, as well as study abroad and exchange support. They are located at South Campus Hall, second floor. Office hours: Monday,

Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre works with students as they develop their ideas, draft, and revise. Writing and Communication Specialists offer one-on-one support in planning assignments, synthesizing and citing research, organizing papers and reports, designing presentations and e-portfolios, and revising for clarity and coherence. You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/writingand-communication-centre. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.

Please note that communication specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not change or correct your work for you. Please bring hard copies of your assignment instructions and any notes or drafts to your appointment.