APSC 100 Handbook

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook

2009‐2010

http://engineering.queensu.ca/courses/apsc100

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page ii 2009/2010

Contributors

This handbook is the result of work by multiple people, including:

Dr. Brian Frank, Course Coordinator

Lauren Bates, 2009 Sci ’69 Community Projects Manager

Julie Boudreau, Faculty of Applied Science Program Associate

Sara Soublière, APSC‐100 Summer Community Projects Manager in 2007 and 2008 and the 2008 Sciʹ69 Community Projects Manager

Melissa Balson, former Academic Assistant

Nasser Saleh, Integrated Learning Librarian

Suggestions for improvement of this handbook should be directed to the primary author,

Dr. Brian Frank, Course Coordinator

E‐mail: [email protected]

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page iii 2009/2010

Week of Term

Events/To do Helpful Links /Information

1 Introductory lectures

Read handbook Ch 1,2,4

First Year Online Timetables on APSC‐100 website, Module 1 timetable

Pick your top 10 project choices! Project Offerings on APSC‐100 website (note the term(s) offered when making your selection!).

Complete online Personality Temperament sorter

Please complete this before your first group meeting(where it will be discussed):

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi‐win/JTypes2.asp

Clinic 1: Engineering Design Sessions See website and timetable for dates and times.

2 WHMIS Sessions (see sec. 2.2.3 for exemptions)

(Fall term only)

WHMIS Dates and Times on APSC‐100 website

Receive your project/team information Read handbook Ch. 3

You will get an email from your Project Manager

First team meeting of students and Project Managers; also with Faculty Sponsors and/or community partners

Complete Safety/Photo release form and Travel Safety form.

Clinic 3: Workshop Safety Sessions (for those who may be using ILC prototyping lab)

See APSC‐100 Moodle for dates and times, and sign‐up.

3 Clinic 3: Concurrent Sessions See APSC‐100 Moodle for dates and times, and sign‐up.

Submit weekly progress report Read handbook ch. 5, 6.

Submission on Moodle.

4 Submit weekly progress report Submission on Moodle.

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page iv 2009/2010

Week of Term

Events/To do Helpful Links /Information

5 Proposal Oral Presentation See chapter 9 for guidelines.

Submit weekly progress report Submission on Moodle.

6

Submit Proposal Report

See chapter 5,6 for guidelines. See chapter 1 for academic integrity expectations.



Clinic 4: Writing clinic See APSC‐100 Moodle for dates and times, and sign‐up.


Proposal Resubmission Submission on Moodle.


11 Final presentations See chapter 9 for guidelines.

Submit weekly progress report Submission on Moodle.

12 Submit final report. See chapter 5,6 for guidelines.

Deliver or disassemble prototype, if applicable.

See chapter 4 for instructions.

Clinic 5: Skill integration Conducted by Project Manager.

13 Project Showcase See APSC‐100 Moodle for more information.

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page v 2009/2010

Table of Contents

1 Course Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Course Philosophy and Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 General Tips for success in APSC 100 ................................................................................................................ 4

1.2 Community Service Projects ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2.1 Tips for Community Sponsored Projects ........................................................................................................... 6

1.3 Course structure .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

1.4 Course personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

1.5 Course communication ................................................................................................................................................ 9 1.5.1 Tips for Keeping your Project Manager Happy ................................................................................................ 10 1.5.2 Engineering Moodle ......................................................................................................................................... 11 1.5.3 APSC‐100 List‐serv ........................................................................................................................................... 11

1.6 Academic Integrity ..................................................................................................................................................... 11

1.7 Course references ...................................................................................................................................................... 14

2 Getting Started ................................................................................................................................................... 14

2.1 Project Selection ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

2.2 Where you need to be, and when you need to be there ............................................................................................ 16 2.2.1 Module 1 Introductory Session ........................................................................................................................ 16 2.2.2 Clinic 1: Design and Creativity .......................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Workplace Safety Lecture (WHMIS) Session .................................................................................................... 16

WHMIS Test ............................................................................................................................................................... 17 Failed or Missed WHMIS test .................................................................................................................................... 18 Exemption from WHMIS test ..................................................................................................................................... 18

2.2.4 Clinic 2: Workshop safety ................................................................................................................................. 19 2.2.5 Clinic 3: Concurrent sessions ........................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.6 Clinic 4: Report writing clinic ........................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.7 Clinic 5: Skill integration ................................................................................................................................... 19

2.3 Personality Characteristics and Teamwork ................................................................................................................ 20

2.4 Course‐wide Deliverables .......................................................................................................................................... 20

2.5 The Engineering Design Process ................................................................................................................................ 21 2.5.1 Problem Formulation – Gear 1 ......................................................................................................................... 22 2.5.2 Problem Solving – Gear 2 ................................................................................................................................. 23

Generate multiple solutions ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Analyze the solutions ................................................................................................................................................ 24 Select the best solution ............................................................................................................................................. 24

2.5.3 Solution Implementation – Gear 3 ................................................................................................................... 24 Plan the project ......................................................................................................................................................... 24

Timeline ................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Bill of materials ..................................................................................................................................................... 26

Implement/construct ................................................................................................................................................ 26

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page vi 2009/2010

Evaluate ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26

2.6 Working with a community partner .......................................................................................................................... 27

3 Finding, Evaluating, and Citing Information ......................................................................................................... 28

3.1 Information Literacy Skills ......................................................................................................................................... 28

3.2 The Engineering and Science website ........................................................................................................................ 28

3.3 APSC 100 library course guide: .................................................................................................................................. 30

3.4 Connecting from off campus ..................................................................................................................................... 30

3.5 Identify your Information Needs ................................................................................................................................ 31

3.6 How to search a database? ....................................................................................................................................... 32 Boolean Operators .................................................................................................................................................. 33 Wildcard (?) and Truncation (*) Symbols ............................................................................................................ 33 Grouping Terms Together Using Parentheses .................................................................................................... 34

3.7 How to get library help? ............................................................................................................................................ 35

4 Technical Services ............................................................................................................................................... 36

4.1 ILC overview .................................................................................................................................................................. 36

4.2 Safety Training .............................................................................................................................................................. 37

4.3 Ordering Materials and Supplies ................................................................................................................................... 38

4.4 Prototype assembly and storage ................................................................................................................................... 38

4.5 Delivery or Disassembly ................................................................................................................................................ 38

5 Reports ............................................................................................................................................................... 39

5.1 Technical Writing Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 39

5.2 Project proposal guidelines ....................................................................................................................................... 40

5.3 Checklist for your Proposal Report ............................................................................................................................ 41

5.4 Final report guidelines ............................................................................................................................................... 42

5.5 Checklist for your Final Report ................................................................................................................................... 43

5.6 Sheet Layout and Fonts ............................................................................................................................................. 44

5.7 Referencing Sources ................................................................................................................................................... 44

6 Report Format .................................................................................................................................................... 44

6.1 Title Page ................................................................................................................................................................... 45

6.2 Honesty Statement .................................................................................................................................................... 46

6.3 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 47

6.4 Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 48

6.5 List of Figures and Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 48

6.6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 49

6.7 Problem Formulation ................................................................................................................................................. 49

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page vii 2009/2010

6.8 Design Considerations (Final Report) or Design Plan (Proposal) ............................................................................... 50

6.9 Design Implementation ............................................................................................................................................. 51

6.10 Experimental Testing ............................................................................................................................................. 51

6.11 Results ................................................................................................................................................................... 52

6.12 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 52

6.13 Economics/Budget ................................................................................................................................................ 52

6.14 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................... 53

6.15 Recommendations and Further Considerations .................................................................................................... 53

6.16 References ............................................................................................................................................................. 53

6.17 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................ 55

6.18 Individual contributions ........................................................................................................................................ 55

7 Revising and Proofing ......................................................................................................................................... 55

8 Resources ........................................................................................................................................................... 56

9 Oral Presentations .............................................................................................................................................. 56

9.1 Tips for PowerPoint Presentations ............................................................................................................................. 58

10 Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................ 60

11 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................................................ 60

11.1 How do I do late registration in APSC100? ........................................................................................................... 60

11.2 Who do I contact about WHMIS? ......................................................................................................................... 60

11.3 Who do I contact about Module 2 missed labs, illness, lab marks, projects, TAs, etc.? ........................................ 60

11.4 Who do I ask about the Module 1 design project teams signup? ......................................................................... 60

11.5 Who do I talk to if I have problems with my Design Project Team? ...................................................................... 61

11.6 Who do I talk to if I have a concern about my Project Manager? ........................................................................ 61

11.7 Who do I talk to about a problem with the APSC100 website? ............................................................................ 61

11.8 How do I pass on recommendations for improvements of APSC100? .................................................................. 61

11.9 How do I get a student email account? ................................................................................................................ 61

11.10 Who do I ask about timetabling for Upper‐Year and Transfer Students? .............................................................. 62

11.11 What if I am in J‐Section? ..................................................................................................................................... 62

APSC‐100 Module 1 Handbook Page 1 2009/2010

1 Course Overview This course provides the laboratory experience and professional skills fundamental to the practice of engineering. It consists of two modules: Module 1 ‐ Engineering Design Project, and Module 2 ‐ Laboratory Skills. This course provides an introduction to personal learning styles, team dynamics, oral and written presentation skills, laboratory data collection, analysis and presentation, project management, information management, design methodologies, and workplace safety.

This handbook provides guidance and resources for Module 1 (Design Project) and Module 2 of APSC‐100. Please see the second part of this handbook for Module 2.

1.1 Course Philosophy and Objectives APSC‐100 was developed to encourage a sense of curiosity about engineering work, and to develop professional skills used by engineers. The Design Module (Module 1) is designed around open‐ended design problems that complement the science and mathematics content of other courses. It also introduces multidisciplinary problems. Module 1 focuses on five fundamental engineering skills:

design and creativity project management information management teamwork communications

This course is primarily student‐directed – there are no lectures, no exams, no typical assignments, and no quizzes. As such, each student team has the opportunity to learn independently and apply creativity to solve the design problem. Because the project is student‐directed, the skills and knowledge you learn will be directly related to the effort you put into it. Occasionally students have complained that they did not learn anything from the project; you can ensure that this doesnʹt happen to you by using the resources provided to develop the five fundamental skills. Engineering Design: You should develop an understanding of the complex, open‐ended nature of engineering design by actually doing design. Since you are working as a team on the project, you will also develop an understanding of group dynamics. Furthermore, the need to determine crude costs of your design solutions will allow you to develop an understanding of the economic aspect of engineering works. You will have to determine the scope and objectives of the project. Your project description includes an overall “objective” with some idea of the deliverables. However, we expect you to critically analyse the situation, and re‐


define the problem as needed. What are the real objectives? What is really important in this problem? What needs to be analysed to provide the answers needed for developing a design solution? We will be running a design session at the beginning of the project. More can be seen in sec. 2.5 Information management: An important component of engineering design is knowing what has been done before, what is the “state of the art”, and what designs have been patented. Similarly, academic researchers need to know what has already been done before they start working on new ideas. You will need to use a variety of information sources in your project, including patent searches and searches for commercial products. You will need to evaluate the information you find, and properly cite it in all documents and presentations. Note that only “Googling” does not count as a proper search! The Engineering Library will be a useful resource, particularly Nasser Saleh, the Integrated Learning Librarian ([email protected]). He will be running a workshop for APSC‐100 students on information management early in the semester. More information is in chapter 3. Project Management: In any design process, you must establish clear milestones that provide a suitable time for each stage of your design. You should establish clear milestones early in the semester to ensure that you have sufficient time to complete the project objective. You will also need to develop a budget. All of these skills are fundamental to any engineering project. More information is in sec. 2.5.3. Communication: A design solution, no matter how brilliant, is worthless if you are unable to communicate it to your client and the public affected by it. Thus, you will be required to prepare concise and clear oral and written reports that get the message across. You will also be required to communicate effectively with your teammates, project manager, faculty sponsor, and your client. More information is in chapter 5 and Parts II and III of this handbook. Teamwork: You should develop the ability to work with your peers, contribute to the team objectives, and understand how your learning style and personality affects your interaction with teammates. These professional skills should be developed in the context of sustainability. Human societies are increasingly recognizing the importance of considering the impact of activities and products, and engineers, as designers and creators of many products and processes, play a critical role. In your project, you will need to consider the impact of the materials and services you use in your projects, and minimize wasted material. Reusable and recyclable materials are preferable, and you will have to give a disposal plan for your project if it is not being delivered to a client.


Course Objectives

By the end of the Design Module, students should be able to:

effectively use a design process to solve an open‐ended problem considering factors including manufacturability and sustainability, and make decisions based on technical, economic, social, and ecological factors

demonstrate that they can communicate and work effectively with other students and faculty

plan and deliver formal oral presentations

craft clear and concise formal reports

apply science and mathematics to solve problems


1.1.1 General Tips for success in APSC 100 1. Use information in clinics, they are very helpful. 2. Be proactive. 3. Be a good listener. 4. Include all members of the team. 5. Order materials EARLY. 6. Your first idea is not the only good idea, brainstorm many ideas before evaluat‐

ing them. 7. Make sure there are clear reasons for all of your decisions so you can back them

up. 8. Pay attention and use the feedback you receive from writing tutors, project

managers, faculty sponsors, and community sponsors. 9. Learn your personality traits using the Online Temperament Sorter. 10. Discuss with your group the different personalities of each member, and how

your team can manage tasks according to the different personalities in order to work together efficiently.

11. Address team problems as they arise, do not let them snowball. 12. Use this manual! There is a lot of useful information contained in it. 13. Please see the other tips lists throughout the manual, they are very helpful.


1.2 Community Service Projects Many of the design projects are partnerships with community organizations, so many of you will have a client for your project. Although we make no promises to community groups to deliver an end product, the deliverables are designed to be appropriate for a semester‐long project of first year students while being beneficial to the client. You should take advantage of the opportunity to learn from community groups and develop your skills in communicating about technical issues with non‐engineers. The project descriptions of service projects will include a contact person at the community group. Each team must communicate with this person through their project manager throughout the project to ensure that their expectations are clear and that they can provide input about the project. Some of the projects involve working with marginalized populations including physically and mentally disabled groups. We expect that all students will work responsibly with these populations and seek to learn their needs and limitations. If you are assigned to work on a project that you feel uncomfortable with please contact the course instructor. An excellent resource on service learning is: M. Lima, W. Oakes, Service‐Learning Engineering in Your Community, Great Lakes Press Inc., 2006


1.2.1 Tips for Community Sponsored Projects 1. Be polite and respectful, you are representing Queen’s and they could be a fu‐

ture reference. 2. Be early to meetings with community sponsor. 3. Keep in touch with them. 4. Find and know your responsibilities in the project. 5. Be aware and knowledgeable of the organization you are working with, and act

appropriately. 6. Run questions to your community sponsor by your project manager first. 7. Ask questions, do not assume anything.


1.3 Course structure The Design Module (Module 1) is primarily an open‐ended team design project. You will work in teams of three to five, with one or two other teams to complete a design project in a semester. While the team is largely responsible for all aspects of the project, a Project Manager (described below) provides some leadership and guidance in areas such as teamwork, technical expertise, and problem‐solving. Design teams are expected to be in regular contact with their Project Manager with regard to their progress in the design and teamwork process. Each project is also assisted by a Faculty Sponsor. This professor can help with technical expertise, understanding of complex technical documentation and aids with the evaluation of the designs. You will be asked to rank your project preferences at the beginning of the semester, and teams and projects will be assigned in the second week of the semester.

1.4 Course personnel Each module has a coordinator and an academic assistant. Contact information is provided on the next page for people involved in the course. If you have a general question about the course and are unsure of who to contact, you should first write [email protected].


Table 1. Course personnel contact information.

• Course Coordinator and Module 1 Coordinator Dr. Brian Frank [email protected]

• Course Academic Assistant Julie Boudreau [email protected]

• Integrated Learning Librarian Nasser Saleh [email protected]

• Technical Communications Dr. Paula Klink [email protected]

• Technical services and prototyping David Lay [email protected]

• Sci ʹ69 Community Service Projects Manager Lauren Bates: [email protected]

Each project has several other people associated with it: an upper year project manager to guide the projects, provide feedback, and evaluate the project performance

a faculty sponsor, to provide technical assistance and to evaluate the project performance

many projects have a community partner who is the client for the project


1.5 Course communication Because APSC‐100 Module 1 does not have a regular class time, it is important to understand how course information is communicated. The majority of the communications will come to you directly through several methods:

The course site on Queen’s Moodle

https://moodle.engineering.queensu.ca/courses/apsc100

an email list (the APSC‐100 list‐serv), to be used for rapid communication with all students

Through your project manager.


1.5.1 Tips for Keeping your Project Manager Happy 1. Check email often. 2. Reply to e‐mails that require response. 3. Show up on time or early to meetings. 4. Make a good impression; your project manager could be a future reference. 5. Be polite and respectful. 6. Make your project manager aware of any problems as soon as they arise. 7. Turn in progress reports every week, and on time. 8. Show up to meetings prepared with paper, pen, and an agenda. 9. Use your 100 time slots effectively. 10. Use meeting times effectively, project managers are busy and will appreciate

this.


1.5.2 Engineering Moodle

The course Moodle will be the primary place to upload documents, submit peer evaluations, complete surveys, and receive feedback. It will also contain many resources and announcements, so you should check it regularly.

1.5.3 APSC-100 List-serv The APSC100 List‐serv is a mailing list database service created by Information Technology Services (ITS) at Queenʹs. The List‐serv provides instructors with the email addresses of students in a given course. Because APSC100 has a large number of students and the database does not provide a means for separating lists by section, all students registered in APSC100 will received the same email from individuals using the List‐serv. As a result, you should read the content of the bulk emails you receive regarding APSC100 very carefully. Some email will apply to students in all sections, while others will be for students completing a specific module in a specific term (e.g. Module 2 in Fall term) or for students in specific sections (e.g. class and time change locations for only a few sections).

The email addresses on the Listserv are considered to be private and will therefore be hidden during any bulk mailing. Additionally, student email addresses are only released to staff and faculty according to need. (Office of the University Registrar ‐ Student and Applicant Record Policy relevant sections 3, 4, 6[iii])

The List‐serv database is maintained by the Academic Assistant ([email protected]). All APSC100 emails are collected automatically in September therefore the majority of students will be added at the time. Students who register late in APSC100 may be missed after the initial collection. If you find yourself in the situation where your peers have received email from the List‐serv and you have not, or if you are receiving duplicate emails, please email [email protected].

Note that for studentsʹ protection and sender authenticity verification, faculty and staff will only correspond with students via their Queenʹs email address.

1.6 Academic Integrity

You have made a decision to join us in the profession of engineering, a long‐respected


profession with high standards of behaviour. As engineers, and engineers‐in‐training, we have a duty “to act at all times with devotion to the high ideals of personal honour and professional integrity” (Professional Engineers Ontario Code of Ethics, Section 77 of the O. Reg. 941). This has implications for us as instructors, and you as students. As instructors, we have an obligation to do our best to help you develop professional and technical skills required of engineers, and to clearly explain the expectations in the Applied Science program. It requires that we stay current in our fields, and ensure that the time you spend here helps you develop as an engineer. Similarly, we expect you to behave with integrity at all times. We have set firm guidelines on the quality of submitted work and have taken a strong stand against plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Briefly stated, we expect that submitted work bears the name of all those contributing to it, and that you do not allow others to copy your work. Our policies do not prohibit you from collaborating, even closely, with fellow students in any class. Indeed, we strongly encourage collaboration and teamwork, when conducted responsibly. We do, however, expect that an assignment is solely the work of those whose names appear on the title page. This policy on academic dishonesty in no way implies that we believe that students are generally dishonest. Our detailed expectations related to submitted work are summarized below. Policy on Submitted work 1. Quality and originality of work

All submitted work is to be original (see Policy on Academic Dishonesty below) and is to be performed and submitted in a format that is representative of the engineering profession. All submissions completed as a team must be the work of all team members, and only the team members.

2. Due Dates All students are expected to complete their work in a timely fashion. The course instructor, teaching assistants, or project managers will provide notification (in writing or via email to your Queenʹs email account) of due dates and any revisions thereof. Submissions after the due date will be penalized in as stated in the course outline. Late submission of coursework due to medical reasons must be supported by written documentation from a suitably qualified physician.

Policy on Academic Dishonesty


Instances of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Including information from other sources (including text, diagrams, and photos), without properly referencing it, in any submitted work (including, but not limited to, first drafts, analysis and design assignments, projects, laboratories and oral presentations). More information about when citation is needed, and how to cite, is available on the First Year Citation guidelines, which are listed on course homepages.

• Copying or purchasing the work of a fellow student. • Allowing your work to be copied by another student, regardless of how the other student

obtained the homework. The best way to prevent your work from being copied is not to lend it to anyone.

• Copying or looking at solutions from previous years. There are certain problems, labs, assignments, and projects that may be repeated from year to year because they are good learning exercises when completed individually or in groups, and doing them yourself will assist in your understanding the course material.

• Further examples of academic dishonesty are provided on the web pages listed at the end of this document.

To ensure original work, a procedure similar to the one found in professional engineering practice will be employed. Specifically, the student must bear the burden of proof of original work by maintaining careful records of the work, including any notes and preliminary drafts (possibly in the form of a logbook, if instructed), and must be prepared to submit these if requested. Penalties Should a student’s submitted work be suspected of containing evidence of academic dishonesty (e.g., unreferenced or copied work from other papers, books, articles, websites, including and not limited to figures, text, tables, lists, conclusions, etc.), action shall be taken, as required by the Faculty of Applied Science policy on academic honesty: http://appsci.queensu.ca/policy/honesty.php Additional Information Websites containing additional information on the University’s policies concerning academic dishonesty are included below. All students are expected to familiarize themselves with these policies and to conduct themselves accordingly.

1. Senate Policy on Academic Dishonesty http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate/policies/acaddish.html

2. Procedures for dealing with academic dishonesty in the Faculty of Applied Science


http://appsci.queensu.ca/policy/honesty.php 3. Queenʹs code of conduct

http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate/policies/codecond.html

1.7 Course references The following four textbooks have been placed on 3‐hour reserve in the Douglas library for your reference. They are:

C. Dym, P. Little, Engineering design : a project‐based introduction (an introduction to engineering design)

M. Lima, W. Oakes, Service‐Learning Engineering Your Community (suggestions for running service learning projects)

V. Johnson, R. Bailey, Becoming a Technical Professional (introduces basic engineering design, report writing, and project management skills)

M. Jordan, Language of Technical Communication (introduces how to create technical documents)

C. S. Park, Ronald Pelot, Kenneth C. Porteous, Ming J. Zuo, Contemporary Engineering Economics (introduces how to consider economics on engineering projects)

2 Getting Started This chapter is your guide for starting out in APSC‐100 Module 1. It describes how to indicate your project preferences, where you need to go, and how to plan your project.

2.1 Project Selection Module 1 offers approximately 30 different projects, each of which are assigned to approximately three teams of four students. Due to the sheer number of students and other timetabling issues, Module 1 Design Projects are assigned to, not chosen by, students. Therefore, ʺspecial requestsʺ for specific projects generally cannot be granted.

After the introductory lecture in Week 1, you will need to rank your project preferences. Instructions will be given in the introductory lecture on how to do this. Based on this information, an automated process will sort students into groups of four based on timetabling and project preference criteria. Students will be placed, for the most part, in groups containing team members with identical time schedules, to facilitate meetings.


Entering your preferences cannot guarantee that a student will receive a certain project, but it can ensure that a student will receive one of their preferred projects. Over 75% of students polled following the completion of APSC 100 indicate that they enjoyed their assigned project, despite in many cases a lack of correlation to their chosen discipline. This sorting procedure aims to ensure that no‐one is forced to do something they hate, but it is impossible to ensure everyone is able to do something they love.

Before the start of Week 2, students will have been placed in teams of 3‐5 and assigned a design project. Students will be informed of their assignment by email. Timetable compatibility is an essential part of the assignment; members of your team will be in the same section as you (or sections with identical timeslots for APSC100). If you are in a team and you find that your APSC100 schedule does not match with the othersʹ, contact the Academic Assistant as soon as possible.

Descriptions of projects being offered this year can be found in the Project Ranking Selection Activity on the course Moodle and at the following link:

http://appsci.queensu.ca/courses/APSC100/module1/projects/descriptions.php


2.2 Where you need to be, and when you need to be there

Although the course is primarily student‐directed, there are some sessions that will help you develop skills needed for engineering projects. For more information on which clinics to attend, please see the course Moodle.

Table 2: Course‐wide meetings.

Session Approximate Date

Module 1 Introduction Week 1

Clinic 1: Design Challenge Week 1

Workplace Safety Lecture (WHMIS) Week 2

Clinic 2: Workshop Safety (for those who may be using the ILC prototyping lab)

Week 2

Clinic 3: Four Concurrent Sessions 3A: Economics 3B: Team Dynamics 3C: Project Management 3D: Information Literacy

Week3

Clinic 4: Report writing clinic Week 8

Clinic 5: Skill Integration Week 12

2.2.1 Module 1 Introductory Session This session introduces the objectives of the course, people involved, available resources, and expectations. It is also your chance to ask questions about the course.

2.2.2 Clinic 1: Design and Creativity This first clinic focuses on how to go about solving an open‐ended design problem. The session will involve solving a short design problem in teams using a design process.

2.2.3 Workplace Safety Lecture (WHMIS) Session This session will is a training session for the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), which is Canadaʹs hazard communication standard. The key elements of the system are cautionary labeling of containers of WHMIS ʺcontrolled productsʺ, the


provision of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and worker education programs. (more information on WHMIS from Health Canada). WHMIS is a mandatory component of Module 1. You must successfully complete WHMIS. An ʺincompleteʺ or ʺfailʺ for WHMIS results in APSC100 final grade of NC (Not Complete).

WHMIS is intended to give general guidelines regarding labeling, safe storage and handling of hazardous materials that can be found on campus. Faculty, staff, and students who are likely to come in contact with hazardous materials are required to undergo this training. Information and training specific to the laboratories in which you will be working for Module 2 and for the Module 1 design projects will be provided at the beginning of those modules.

WHMIS instruction (including testing, scoring, and issuance of certificates) is provided for APSC100 and the rest of the University by Queenʹs Department of Environmental Health and Safety.

There are two parts to the WHMIS component:

WHMIS lecture online WHMIS test

The lecture is held during week 2 of Fall term and the test is to be completed online via WebCT before the end of Week 4.

You must attend the WHMIS lecture and sign the attendance form in order to be permitted to do the online test. Study materials will be provided during the sessions; they are not available online.

WHMIS Test

The test does not take long; it is suggested that you complete it promptly. WebCT will prompt you to provide a mailing address for your WHMIS certificate. Once you have completed the ʺPersonal Information Quizʺ, you must ʺviewʺ the quiz results in order for the link to the WHMIS Quiz to appear. Updated details regarding the issuance of certificates will be provided to all students via email and/or on the APSC100 website and portal.

sample APSC100 WHMIS certificate

Details about the procedure to follow for the on‐line WHMIS test will be provided during the Week 2 evening WHMIS session.


Logon to WebCT for quiz WebCT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Environmental Health & Safety Course List (Course: ʺWHMIS‐‐APSCʺ)

Failed or Missed WHMIS test

For students who:

• didnʹt complete the online WHMIS quiz (ʺincompleteʺ) during Fall 2008 • failed the online WHMIS quiz • missed the Fall 2008 Week 2 WHMIS lectures

WHMIS courses are regularly available on the Environmental Health and Safety website (link on main page).

Exemption from WHMIS test

It is possible to be exempted from the WHMIS requirement for APSC100 if you have completed WHMIS training at Queenʹs University before. In order to be exempted from WHMIS you must:

• have completed WHMIS training at Queenʹs University within two years of September 2008 (i.e. certificates issued for training between September 2006‐August 2008 qualify)

• bring the certificate or card to the Academic Assistant, Beamish‐Munro Hall, Room 300, during office hours. Do not give your certificate or card to the WHMIS session facilitator(s).

Faxed copies of certificates are acceptable. They should be sent to [fax] (613) 533‐6500, Attention: APSC‐100. If the contact information (company or institution name, contact personʹs name, and email or telephone number) is not on the certificate or card, this information should accompany the fax transmission for authentication purposes.

Exemptions are only provided to students who have received their WHMIS training here at Queenʹs. There are certain aspects of the training that go above and beyond what is taught at other places.


2.2.4 Clinic 2: Workshop safety This session will introduce the tools and equipment in the ILC prototyping lab and explain safety procedures. It will be run by the ILC technical staff, and is required for all students who will be building a prototype or using any of the ILC prototyping facilities.

2.2.5 Clinic 3: Concurrent sessions There are several concurrent session for Clinic 3. Along with your project manager, you will determine which Clinic to attend. At least one member from each team will attend each of these sessions. You will be required to sign‐up for these clinics on the course Moodle. More information will be given on these clinics by your project manager, and will be available on the course Moodle.

2.2.6 Clinic 4: Report writing clinic Each team will meet with and receive feedback from, a technical writing academic assistant. This is the opportunity to use feedback on your project proposal to improve your final project report.

2.2.7 Clinic 5: Skill integration This will be a chance for you to wrap‐up and consider what you learned about an engineering design project with your team and project manager.


2.3 Personality Characteristics and Teamwork As you work on a team you will find that people have different expectations about interacting, and value different activities. It is important to recognize that a diversity of approaches and traits is valuable to a team.

In the first week of the term you are asked to complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter online at:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi‐win/JTypes2.asp

This is a personality instrument that groups people into personality types based on responses to simple questions about their everyday lives. The questions reveal preferences for

Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)

Sensing (S) vs. Intuiting (N)

Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Based on preferences in these four areas, people are grouped into temperaments. These suggest tendencies for particular traits (e.g. dependable, helpful, and hard‐working, focused on credentials and traditions, or fun‐loving, optimistic, unconventional, bold, and spontaneous). A personʹs temperament will, to a certain extent, predict the kinds of team activities that they value, and how they learn.

You should not interpret the results of the survey as defining you, but rather giving you something to think about as you prepare to work with others on a team. In your first team meeting you will discuss what you learn about your temperament and learn about the characteristics of your new teammates.

The most important thing to recognize from this section is that not everyone will think and learn the same way as you!

2.4 Course‐wide Deliverables Each project will have certain deliverables laid out in the Project Description that you will receive at the beginning of the course. However, all projects will have a core set of deliverables that are described in Table 3. The people who will receive your deliverables are the project manger (PM), faculty sponsor (FS), and community partner (CP) if one is assigned to your project.


Table 3: Project deliverables.

Date What To Whom

Each week Progress Report Submitted on course management system

Week 4 Background Information and Economics Summary PM, FS, CP

Week 5 Proposal Presentation PM, FS, CP

Week 6 Proposal Report PM, FS, CP

Week 11 Final project presentation PM, FS, CP

Week 12 Final project report PM, FS, CP

All reports should be submitted as instructed by your project manager, and you should plan to send a copy of your PowerPoint presentation to your project manager as well.

2.5 The Engineering Design Process Most open‐ended engineering design problems have common characteristics; for example, we need to learn what the problem is, gather information relevant to the problem, learn what constrains the solution (cost, size, weight, materials, etc.), generate a design, evaluate it, etc. These common attributes allow us to develop a general process that can be used to approach design problems. This section will outline some of these general steps. An introduction to engineering design as a process is in two texts on 3 hour reserve in the Douglas Engineering and Science Library. The terminology in this handbook follows the text by Johnson et al. most closely, but the ideas are similar in the text by Dym et al.

C. Dym, P. Little, Engineering design : a project‐based introduction (an introduction to engineering design)

V. Johnson, R. Bailey, Becoming a Technical Professional (introduces basic engineering design, report writing, and project management skills)

A summary of steps in a typical design, as structured by Johnson et al., is modeled in figure 1. Note that this is idealized, and that every project will have special considerations.


Figure 1 Design Process Model. Original Creation by Lauren Bates.

It is important to note that the design is not linear, but rather iterative. You might think you solved the problem and begin to implement but find some factor prevents the design from being manufacturable; this would require you to go back and reconsider how to solve the problem. The sections below give a brief introduction to the design process modeled above.

2.5.1 Problem Formulation – Gear 1 The first step is to determine the problem to be solved. In this course each student team will receive a project description which will provide a situation with a problem. However, the problem has not truly been defined for you. The first gear represents the problem formulation step. This is where your team will need to gather information in order to solve the problem.

What are the objectives of the project? This should be described in the project description you will receive, but you should meet with your project manager,


faculty sponsor, and/or community partner to ensure that the objective and scope are clearly defined.

What are the constraints? These are specific restrictions that will influence your design.

What are the design specifications? Also called functional requirements, these are the specific requirements the design must accomplish.

For more information on design requirements, see section 2.4 of the text by V. Johnson, Becoming a Technical Professional, which is on three hour reserve in the Engineering and Science Library. You will often need to gather information from a variety of sources, potentially including clients, users, experts, articles, textbooks, handbooks, standards, patents, etc. This information is then used to determine the design requirements, which are discussed next. Chapter 3 contains an outline for finding, evaluating, and properly referencing the information needed for your design.

2.5.2 Problem Solving – Gear 2 Once the problem has been defined and the design requirements established, the next step is to proceed to solve the problem. Generally, you should:

1. Generate multiple solutions 2. Analyze the solutions 3. Select the best solution.

Generate multiple solutions

It is a mistake to select the first solution identified by the team and build it; instead you should generate multiple ideas and compare them. Often teams settle on one solution far too early in the process, and overlook a simple and elegant solution in the rush to build the design. It is beneficial to have the team split up during this phase and come up with solutions to the problem that satisfy the requirements identified in the previous section, and them discuss them as a team for further brainstorming. It is valuable to break the problem down into smaller problems that are more easily solved (analysis). At this stage wild ideas should not be suppressed, as they may be the most innovative!


Analyze the solutions

The various potential solutions should be analyzed based on the objectives, constraints, and design requirements established previously. This may involve:

rough calculations of cost, volume, power consumption, etc., to assess against the design requirements

computer simulation of the proposed solutions simple experiments on relatively small portions of a design seeking the input of the client or potential users

Select the best solution

The solutions should then be compared using the outcome of your analysis. The comparison can be done in a variety of ways:

an evaluation of pros/cons of each potential solution against the functional and design requirements

a decision matrix, where the important attributes of each solution (based on design requirements) are scored and compared. This is more comprehensive and flexible than evaluating pros/cons. More description about decision matrices, also known as weighted evaluation matrices, is available in the APSC‐381 course notes at:

http://appsci.queensu.ca/courses/APSC381/2009/CourseNotes.php

2.5.3 Solution Implementation – Gear 3 Now that you have a proposed solution, it is time to implement it. In this portion of the design, you need to:

Plan the project Implement/construct Evaluate

Each of these steps is discussed below.

Plan the project

Significant design projects require budgeting of both time and money for all members of the team. You need to decide:

A timeline of activities: This will require analyzing the proposed solution implementation and breaking it into discrete chunks

Delegation of activities to various team members


How the available money will be spent on required services and materials, allowing you to create a bill of materials and order services and supplies

A plan of how safety will be considered and evaluated throughout the project, if appropriate

How you will implement the solution

How you will evaluate the solution

Timeline

It is important to plan out the project timeline; it allows you to plan the order of activities that will need to be completed. Some activities need will to be completed before others, so a visual depiction of activities can be useful.

The Gantt chart is a great way to lay out the activities in a project. A sample Gantt chart from a previous proposal report is shown below in Figure 1. Note that the duration of each activity is shown visually week by week. This allows you to ensure that all activities will fit in the time required, since some activities will depend on the completion of previous activities.

Note that the activities on the chart should be divided into small chunks – e.g. “construct prototype” is very vague, and is better broken into smaller chunks like “populate printed circuit board”, “construct swing door for cage”, etc. On a team of 4 people, it is often valuable to assign a colour to each team member, to ensure that the workload is clear. For more

Task

Brainstorm possible GreenAmps device design

Research wireless communication devices

Develop constrictions and requirements of device

Evaluate wireless communication methods

Proposal presentation

Write up proposal

Ensure compatability with other teams

Research comercial products

Purchase device

Set up data transmision test

Integrate device with software

Integrate device with power meter

Test prototype

Final Presentation

Write up final report

Completed:

Planned:

September October November December

Figure 1: Example of a Gantt chart.


information about Gantt charts, you may see the APSC‐381 notes on project management at:

http://appsci.queensu.ca/courses/APSC381/2009/documents/Week2‐MrktResandProjMgt2008.pdf Also see Johnson ch. 6 and Dym ch. 6, which are on reserve in the library.

Bill of materials

In your proposal you must include a list of materials that will be used for your project. This is commonly called a bill of materials, and indicates what supplies you will need to order, how much they will cost, and where you will procure them. An example is shown below.

Table 5: Sample Bill of Materials

Item Quantity Supplier Product # Cost ($)

Doohicky 2 Rona 3500169 1.99

Whichamacallit 1 Kingston Auto Glass N/A 8.89

Thingmabob 2 Digi‐Key RS125‐ND 21.79

TOTAL: 56.45

If, as a result of your planning, you find that you have insufficient money or time to implement the proposed solution, you should reconsider the proposed solution.

Implement/construct

This is often the most fun part – implementing your solution! As you do so, ensure that you consider safety, both yours and potential clients and users, in your process and in implementing your artifact.

Remember that the design process is iterative, and that you may need to go back and revisit your proposed solutions if you find previously overlooked issues with implementation, or come up with new ideas while implementing.

Evaluate

The final step in the process of design involves testing, analyzing, inspecting, etc., the result of your implementation. The artifact should be evaluated against the design requirements established at the beginning of the project, and the outcomes of the evaluation reported.


2.6 Working with a community partner Working on a project in partnership with a community partner can give you the opportunity to experience real‐world design problems. As an engineer, you will be required to work with clients, to create the best possible design. This can include working with a variety of experts and meeting a broad list of demands, while providing convincing evidence supporting your design. At the beginning of a community project, it is important for you to meet with your project manager, all teams working on your project and faculty sponsor to discuss the project. You will need to compile a list of questions you have for your community partner and arrange to meet them in the near future. The main objective of your first meeting with your community sponsor is to determine the scope of the project. You should ensure you thoroughly understand the problem the community sponsor is facing, and get a good grasp of their expectations for your design. The majority of our community partners are not engineers, and they may not be familiar with the technical requirements of a project, so it is your responsibility to work with them to define a realistic scope. As you work your way through the project, you may inevitably have questions for your community partner. All questions should be sent to your project manager. They will then compile a list from all teams, and send them to the community partner. They will get back to you as soon as possible. All communication should be done this way, so as to prevent repetitive questions for the community partner. Your community partner will be attending your presentations and receiving copies of your reports. At the interim presentations, it is important to listen to their feedback, to gear your final design to meet their expectations. You need to ensure you are respectful of their ideas and suggestions, and do your best to provide the most suitable design by the end of the semester.


3 Finding, Evaluating, and Citing Information This chapter is your guide to introduce you to information literacy skills and how to get the best use of the library collection and services.

3.1 Information Literacy Skills The ability to access, evaluate and synthesise research material is the backbone of critical thinking in academic and professional contexts for Engineers. As a student in first year engineering you’re expected to start acquiring those skills at this early stage of your studies and develop them during the upper years so you have these skills as lifelong skills whether being an engineering student and then as a professional engineer. There are five information literacy related skills you’re expected to acquire during this course which are:

1‐ To determine the nature the needed information for your project: what information you need to answer your project statement question and come with a design?

2‐ To access the needed information effectively and efficiently: where you can find this in‐formation, can all information resources be found using a search engine such as Google?

3‐ To evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into your design project, for example can you use an article you found on Wikipedia as a trusted resource?

4‐ To use information effectively to accomplish the specific purpose of your design project.

5‐ To understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and access and use information ethically and legally using the proper level of citation.

The integrated learning librarian provides a general introductory session at the first week of the term and then a more detailed presentation through the information management clinic.

3.2 The Engineering and Science website The Engineering and Science website available at http://library.queensu.ca/webeng/ is a good starting point to look for related information resources for your project.


The Engineering and Science library homepage has four major sections1:

1‐ Resources: this section links to different types of library resources including Queen’s University Library Catalogue (QCAT), patents, standards, technical reports and others.

2‐ Services: this section highlights the major services you can use that include borrowing library materials which include laptops, booking a study room in the library, copying and printing.

3‐ About your library: in this section you can check the working hours of the library, and the contact information for the library staff.

4‐ How to: this section has quick guides to how to cite, how to use Refworks, how to read a patent and others, the library website has more detailed how to guides at http://library.queensu.ca/help/guides

The library homepage also includes a widget for instant messaging where you can contact the library reference desk if you have a quick question or you need an immediate assistance, this service is available Monday to Friday from 9 AM till 5 PM.

1 A new interface for the Engineering & Science Library website will be launched during 2009‐10.


3.3 APSC 100 library course guide: The library created subject and course guides as a gateway for students to start their research, the purpose of the course guides is to introduce student to some of the commonly used library resources at an early stage of their research; the library guide for APSC 100 is available at: http://library.queensu.ca/research/guide/apsc

3.4 Connecting from off campus Most of library resources including indexes and databases are based on subscription which means that those materials are accessible by Queen’s University students, staff and faculty. As long as you’re on campus using Queen’s University network you can access those resources directly, if you’re not on campus you can use the library proxy server which is available at http://proxy.queensu.ca/ and you need to you use your NetID and password for authentication.


The Library website is your key to a vast array of licensed electronic information resources that you wonʹt have access to elsewhere on the Internet. Electronic resources include such things as electronic journals, indexes, databases, or eBooks. Use of this scholarly/academic material will be important your project.

Get It! @ Queen’s is a tool that will speed up your research process and increase its effectiveness. Get It! @ Queen’s allows you to connect from a research database directly to Queen’s University Librariesʹ resources such as online full‐text articles, or to title listings for non‐electronic or print journals, books or other library materials in the library catalogue.

3.5 Identify your Information Needs Before you start searching for resources, work with your project group members to find answers to the following questions:

1. What is the main purpose of your project?

2. What is/are the main question(s) of your project?

3. Do you feel that you have background information about the purpose of the project?

If yes, try to list the key concepts that you already know.

4. What other information do you need? and where can you find them?

Once you identify the key concepts of your project, write down the keyword you will start searching with. Identify the possible different types of resources you might needs and locate them using the library catalogue (QCAT) or databases.


3.6 How to search a database? The library subscribes to hundreds of databases that have different interfaces and content depending on the subject. You can start your search by using a multidisciplinary database such as EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete (available through the library home page or through APSC100 library course guide). The following section provides you with an introduction on how to start using this database, and it is developed from the database help section. The Basic Search Screen lets you create a search with limiters, expanders, and Boolean opera‐tors.

To create a Basic Search:

1. On the Basic Search Screen, enter your search terms in the Find field. 2. If you want to use any of the optional Limiters or Expanders, click the Search Options

link.

3. Click the Search button. The Result List displays.


The result list displays if there is a direct link to the full text of the article and also many different options to refine your results based on the publication date, source type, subject and many others. Search Tips

Boolean Operators

And ‐ combines search terms so that each search result contains all of the terms. For example, design and safety finds articles that contain both terms.

Or ‐ combines search terms so that each search result contains at least one of the terms. For example, design or safety finds results that contain either term.

Not ‐ excludes terms so that each search result does not contain any of the terms that follow it. For example, safety not accident finds results that contain the term safety but not the term accident.

Wildcard (?) and Truncation (*) Symbols

Use the wildcard and truncation symbols to create searches where there are unknown characters, multiple spellings or various endings. Neither the wildcard nor the truncation symbol can be used as the first character in a search term.


The wildcard is represented by a question mark ? or a pound sign #.

To use the ? wildcard, enter your search terms and replace each unknown character with a ?. the database finds all citations of that word with the ? replaced by a letter.

For example, type ne?t to find all citations containing neat, nest or next. The database does not find net because the wildcard replaces a single character.

Note: When searching for a title that ends in a question mark, the symbol should be removed from the search in order to ensure results will be returned.

To use the # wildcard, enter your search terms, adding the # in places where an alternate spelling may contain an extra character. The database finds all citations of the word that ap‐pear with or without the extra character.

For example, type colo#r to find all citations containing color or colour.

Truncation is represented by an asterisk (*). To use truncation, enter the root of a search term and replace the ending with an *. For example, type comput* to find the words computer or computing.

Note: The Truncation symbol (*) may also be used between words to match any word.

For example, a midsummer * dream will return results that contain the exact phrase, a mid‐summer night’s dream.

Grouping Terms Together Using Parentheses

Parentheses also may be used to control a search query. Without parentheses, a search is exe‐cuted from left to right. Words that you enclose in parentheses are searched first. Why is this important? Parentheses allow you to control and define the way the search will be executed. The left phrase in parentheses is searched first; then, based upon those results, the second phrase in parentheses is searched.

Generalized Search: playgrounds or “sports facilities” and injuries or falls

Focused Search: (playgrounds or “sports facilities”) and (injuries or falls)

In the first example, the search will retrieve everything on playgrounds or sports facilities shows as well as everything on injuries or falls, whether or not the articles refer to play‐grounds or sports facilities.


In the second example, we have used the parentheses to control our query to only find arti‐cles about falls or injuries that reference injuries or falls.

This database provides users with many options to create personalized folders to save links to the found articles and to share this folder with a specific group of users. You can check the help section of any database to get more information about these features.

3.7 How to get library help? Always feel free to contact your librarian if you have any questions or you need help in finding resources for your project, throughout the year library staff are available to help you get started on research projects and in locating material that you would need.

• Instant messaging (chat) through the library website or the applied science portal • E‐mail your librarian at [email protected] or the engineering and science li‐

brary reference desk at [email protected] • Send questions, comments, suggestions via the online form

http://library.queensu.ca/librequest/dl_quest.htm • Drop by the information desk on the first floor of the Engineering and Science li‐

brary, Monday‐Friday, 9:00am‐5:00pm. • Your librarian at the ILC: the integrated learning librarian has office hours at ILC,

office hours will available on the course homepage by the beginning of each term.

Liaison librarian for First Year‐ Applied Science

Nasser Saleh, B.Sc. (Elec. Eng), M.S., MSLIS Integrated Learning Librarian

Engineering and Science Library Douglas Library office# 518

Tel. 613.533.6846 Fax. 613.533.2584

http://library.queensu.ca/webeng/nassersaleh.htm Email. [email protected]


4 Technical Services

Technical services support for projects is provided by the ILC staff, and by arrangement with technical services staff in Applied Science departments if appropriate for your project. The ILC staff who support undergraduate courses, including APSC‐100, are shown below. Their role in supporting APSC‐100 is also indicated:

Staff Contact Position APSC‐100 Role

David Lay Office: ILC‐300 [email protected]

ILC Operations Manager

Preliminary design review of prototypes

Roy Campsall

Office: ILC‐225 [email protected]

Technologist Supplies procurement, electronics support

Mike Vanberkel

Office: ILC‐108 [email protected]

Technologist Prototyping support (safety training, machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, etc.)

The ILC does not charge for technical services, but other departments may. You should be aware that the ILC technicians support other courses, so you should plan on a turnaround time of a week for technical services, including machining, 3D printing, etc., unless otherwise arranged. If you need to request services from other departments, you should first see if contact information is provided in your project description or suggested by your project manager.

4.1 ILC overview Much of the technical support for APSC‐100 is provided by the ILC. An overview of ILC services is available in the ILC Users Guide. This includes a description of equipment that may be signed out, how to book small group rooms, and how to request a storage locker for your team. A map of the ILC is also available. The ILC Prototyping Lab, webpage describes the capability and equipment available to students, including circuit board milling machine, power tools, welding equipment, lathes, handtools, and 3D printing.


The ILC has several items that may be signed out for limited periods of time on a first‐come, first‐served basis. Some of the equipment that is available for sign out is also available for use in plazas in ILC‐212, 214 and 314 when not in use by a scheduled course (please check the posted lab schedule). The items are:

PB 503 protoboard DC power supplies Signal generators Older computers for software projects Digital and bench top multimeters Soldering irons

If students are not sure what they need to build or test a project, please contact Roy Campsall or Mike Vanberkel. The first year studio in the ILC (room 315), is also available at any time for meetings (either with your team, or Project Manager), brainstorming or prototyping. Please note that it is a shared space for all first year students and is available on a first come, first served basis. That said, it is a large space where many groups can work together at the same time. You do not need to book the first year studio, and can use it as often as you like. Access to the first year studio is by key fab. You can purchase a key fab at the campus bookstore for about $5.00. You then need to go see David Lay in ILC300 and he will activate your key fab for first year studio access. APSC100 has toolboxes for use by Module 1 students. These toolboxes contain a hammer, screwdrivers, a wrench set, wire cutters, pliers, an exacto knife, a mechanic’s square, a staple gun, a handsaw and a tape measure. To get access to one of these toolboxes (located in lockers 101B,102C and 102B in room 315), you should see David Lay in Room 300. You can borrow one of these toolboxes, and have it placed in your own locker for the semester (to which your team will be given the combination) so you can access it any time. Keep in mind that when using these tools, you should be wearing eye protection (the goggles you need for Module 2 are suitable), and always work with at least one other person.

4.2 Safety Training All students must complete WHMIS training at the beginning of the semester. WHMIS training times are listed on the website and in the Module 1 timetable. Additionally, all students must go through prototyping safety training if indicated on their project description, or if the teamʹs design plan includes the creation of a prototype. Training


will start in the ILC Prototyping Lab on the first floor, at the times indicated on the Module 1 timetable.

No one is permitted to use any prototyping labs at Queenʹs without safety training, so you must attend your training session.

4.3 Ordering Materials and Supplies All parts, materials, and supplies must be ordered on the course Moodle. If your order form is approved by one of the technical staff, parts will be ordered. You must remember to check the status of your order online. Instructions for this order form will be on the course Moodle.

4.4 Prototype assembly and storage The prototyping lab in ILC‐108 may be used during regular building hours. Project managers may get key fab access to the prototyping lab after hours, but some of the equipment will not be available.

The first year studio in ILC‐315 is a great place to store large projects during assembly. All projects stored in the ILC must be clearly identified by team number (e.g. 100A). Smaller projects, tools, and materials may be stored in a locker in the ILC.

4.5 Delivery or Disassembly If your project is to be delivered to a client (e.g. Local community group, Queenʹs agency, faculty member, etc.), then it needs have a final design review before delivery. Please contact the administrative assistant at [email protected] to make arrangements for review and delivery.

If your project is not to be delivered to a client, then you may either keep it provided that prior approval has been obtained from the course instructor or faculty sponsor, or promptly disassemble it and return reusable materials to Mike Vanberkel or Roy Campsall.


5 Reports This section is intended to provide students with the resources necessary to properly format, label, layout, and write their formal reports and oral presentations. Please see section 6 for a more specific layout, section descriptions, and a general template to follow.

Two texts are available for references. One is Northey, Writerʹs Choice. A Portable Guide For Canadian Writers, which is small book that is recommended for APSC‐100 Module 2. The other is M. Jordan, Language of Technical Communication, and is on 3‐hour reserve in the Engineering and Science Library.

For help with all facets of technical communication (presentations, reports), take a look at the Engineering Communications website.

5.1 Technical Writing Overview Technical documents have a formal style, and are structured to allow the reader to easily navigate through the document. These typically have title pages, tables of contents, section headings (often numbered, as in this handbook), tables, figures, itemized lists, appendices, etc. All of these structures allow you to present your ideas clearly. Detailed expectations of these reports are shown Chapter 11.

The body of your document should have the following overall structure. See Chapter 10 for more detail.

• Situation: You should explain the history and background of the problem to place it in the proper context. This is presented in a section entitled “Introduction”

• Problem: This describes the problem to be solved, and presents relevant background information (like previous solutions to the problems and an examination of their suitability to the present situations). This is presented in a section entitled “Problem Definition”.

• Solution: This describes your proposed design plan (in the case of a proposal report), or a description of your solution and prototype if applicable (in the case of a final report). This is presented in sections entitled “Design Plan”, “Design Considerations”, and/or “Chosen Design”.

• Evaluation: This section presents your method of testing your design, the results of your testing, a discussion of inaccuracies or assumptions made, and analysis of the results. This is presented in sections entitled “Experimental Testing”, “Results”, “Discussion”, “Conclusions”, and “Recommendations and Further Considerations”.

Each report will be evaluated by your project manager and faculty sponsor using the evaluation forms in Moodle.


Each team will compose two formal reports: the project proposal report, and the final report. Expectations for these two reports are outlined below.

5.2 Project proposal guidelines The proposal, presented orally around week 5 and as a written report in week 6, is intended to provide a venue for you to present the results of your background research and a detailed outline of your proposed design, budget, bill of materials, milestones, and testing procedure. It is a place for a faculty sponsor, community partner, and project manager to provide feedback about the direction and scheduling of the project. The proposal report will be assessed as a team effort, using the “5 Cʹs of Engineering Communications” above, and will also be used to assess your progress as a team and individually, using the rubrics in the Evaluation section. A detailed guide on the structure and formatting of the proposal report is in Section 9. Example documents are also on the course webpage. Also note that specific expectations for the proposal report are listed in the project description. The sections of the proposal should be:

1. Title Page 2. Honesty Statement 3. Executive Summary 4. Table of Contents 5. List of Figures and Tables 6. Introduction 7. Problem Formulation 8. Design Considerations 9. Design Plan 10. Economics/Budget 11. Conclusions 12. References 13. Appendices (if appropriate) 14. Individual contributions


5.3 Checklist for your Proposal Report Make sure to go over this checklist before writing your report, and when you are finished, check off the items to make sure you have done them.

DO NOT write in first person. (Do not use the following words: we, our group, I, people’s names)

Reference anything that a high‐school graduate would not know. Follow appropriate referencing standards beginning on page 55. Include and sign your honesty statement. Follow the report template beginning on page 47. The proposal report summarizes background research, the problem, constraints, and preliminary ideas or a proposed solution, budget, conclusions.

Include several solutions or ideas, and discuss their merits and feasibility. Format the report so it is easy to read, and looks professional. Use the tools Word provides to make your life easier: References, Table of Contents, Headings, header/footer, page/section breaks, and spell check.

PROOF READ YOUR REPORT.


5.4 Final report guidelines The final report is your opportunity to describe your process and outcomes at the end of the project. A detailed guide on the structure and formatting of the final reports is in Chapter 10. Example documents are also on the course webpage. The final report will be assessed as a team effort, using the “5 Cʹs of Engineering Communications” above, and will also be used to assess your success as a team and individuals using the rubrics in the Evaluation section.

Specific expectations for the final report are listed in the project description. Any corrections made on your proposal report should be corrected on your final report.

The sections of the final report should be:

1. Title Page 2. Honesty Statement 3. Executive Summary 4. Table of Contents 5. List of Figures and Tables 6. Introduction 7. Problem Formulation 8. Design Considerations 9. Design Implementation 10. Experimental Testing 11. Results 12. Discussion 13. Economics/Budget 14. Conclusions 15. Recommendations and Further Considerations 16. References 17. Appendices (if appropriate) 18. Individual contributions

The primary differences between your proposal and final report are: (a) In your proposal, you lay out your design plan rather than a description of how your design was implemented. Your detailed design plan should have milestones, a timeline, budget, bill of materials, and detailed design drawings. It may be helpful to create a Gantt chart to plan your project, as discussed earlier. Also indicate your plan for testing. (b) In your proposal, there is no need for a description of your final design, experimental testing, or results since those will happen in the future.


5.5 Checklist for your Final Report DO NOT write in first person. (Do not use the following words: we, our group, I) Reference anything that your five year old cousin would not know. Follow appropriate referencing standards beginning on page 55. Include and sign your honesty statement. Follow the report template beginning on page 47. The final report summarizes your proposal report, the chosen solution, discussion, implementation, budget/cost analysis, conclusions, and further recommendations.

Format the report so it is easy to read, and looks professional. Use the tools Word provides to make your life easier: References, Table of Contents, Headings, header/footer, page/section breaks, and spell check.

Include feedback and tips from your writing tutors, project manager, and presenta‐tions.

PROOF READ YOUR REPORT.


5.6 Sheet Layout and Fonts The report should be printed on standard letter or A4size paper at 1.5 line spacing for clarity.

Margins should be precisely 1 inch on all sides. Pages should be numbered at the bottom center for all pages excepting the Title Page (which has no number). Page 1 begins with the Introduction in Arabic numerals. Preceding pages are numbered using lower case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.)

Reports should be laid out professionally, with numbered sections and subsections. Do not use Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.) or letters (A, B, C, etc.), only decimal‐style headings (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.0, 2.2, etc.). If you aren’t familiar with the sectioning, pagination, and footer abilities of Microsoft Word, refer to the section on using Microsoft Word or speak with your Project Manager.

Font size for the text should be should be 12 point. Use Microsoft Word headings and subheadings styles for section headings. Consistently apply Word’s Heading styles to your section headings, using the appropriate heading level. For example, use a Heading 1 style for a first level heading, such as 1. Introduction; and use a Heading 2 style for a second level heading, such as 2.2 Results, etc.

Fonts should be chosen from the following font families for professionalism: Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, and Georgia. Note – it is acceptable to use Impact and similar sans serif fonts for headings only.

The report should not be bound in any way. This includes duo tangs, binders, and any form of professional binding. One single staple in the top left‐hand corner is all that is required.

Reports should be submitted online, but if your project manager requests a hardcopy you are encouraged to print your report on both sides of the paper to save trees!

5.7 Referencing Sources A description about how to properly reference all material used in your reports is at:

http://library.queensu.ca/research/guide/apsc/citing

More information is in Section 3 and Section 6.15.

6 Report Format This section provides a template with a description for each section that should be included in your report. You must follow this template for both the proposal and final reports. The next page starts with the title page, and breaks down each section of the report. A sample of a well written and well formatted report is available online.


6.1 Title Page The title page should be a professional document, clearly listing all the pertinent information for a given project. It should follow the format of the example document, and include the course number, project title, student names and numbers, date, and the names of the project manager, faculty sponsor, and community partner (if there is one for your project). The title page should be formatted as follows:

Project Title

APSC‐100 Project Proposal

by

Project Team : Team Number, e.g. 100B Student 1 (Student #1ʹs student number) Student 2 (Student #2ʹs student number) Student 3 (Student #3ʹs student number) Student 4 (Student #4ʹs student number)

Report Prepared For

Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Faculty Sponsor Name Project Manger: Project Manager Name Community Partner: Community Partner Name (if your project has one) Date submitted: Date submitted


6.2 Honesty Statement

Similar to APSC 100 Module 2, there is an honesty statement for APSC 100 Module 3. Refer to the APSC web site to obtain a copy of this document for your written report. It must be placed on the second page of your report, immediately following the title page, and be signed by all members of your team (unless submitted electronically, in which case all members of the team must check the box on the portal verifying that the work is original). Your project manager may not accept your report without a completed honesty statement. The honesty page should be formatted as follows:

APSC 100 Module 1 Honesty Statement

“We do hereby verify that this written report is our own individual work and contains our own original ideas, concepts, and designs. No portion of this report has been copied in whole or in part from another source, with the possible exception of properly referenced material.” ____________________________ __________________________________ (signature) (signature) ____________________________ __________________________________ (printed name) (printed name) ____________________________ __________________________________ (date) (date) ____________________________ __________________________________ (signature) (signature) ____________________________ __________________________________ (printed name) (printed name) ____________________________ __________________________________ (date) (date)


6.3 Executive Summary The executive summary is intended to be an objective, abbreviated statement of the primary information in your report. It should include a brief summary of the objective of your project, the scope of your research or design, the methods and procedures used to test your design (all information found in the Introduction) and a summary of the situation, problem, solution and evaluation information (all found in the body of the report). If recommendations for action are stated in the report, they should be summarized here. The Executive Summary should be no more than one page long, and appear directly following the honesty statement and prior to the table of contents. The executive summary should be on its own page.


6.4 Table of Contents The Table of Contents is intended to give your reader a quick and easy way to find any element of your report. As such, it should be an accurate listing of all sections in your report. Each section should be listed with its relevant starting page number next to it, and the sections should be logically arranged into sections and subsections. When using a word processor like Microsoft Word, be sure your Table of Contents is accurate and save time by generating it automatically. Refer to the section on using Microsoft Word. Page Numbering: The Table of Contents is part of the report preceding the Introduction. In most documents, these pages preceding the Introduction are be numbered with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.)

6.5 List of Figures and Tables All figures and tables in your report (excepting the Appendices) should be listed in another table following the Table of Contents on the same page. If your Table of Contents is almost a page in length, use the following page for the additional table, and lay it out in identical format to the original Table of Contents. Alternately, you may integrate the tables and figures into your actual Table of Contents. Be sure to number your headings and subheadings using a decimal style, as shown in this set of guidelines. This enables quick reference to any section of the report by number. Also be sure that the numbers and names of headings in the Table of Contents match the numbers and names in the body of the report. Tables and Figures: The convention in technical reports is to call all illustrations either Tables or Figures. Every illustration that is not a Table is called a Figure – graphs, photographs, diagrams, and charts. Every Table and Figure is numbered and given a title (“Figure 1: Illustrating Technical Documents,” for example). Be sure your numbers and titles in the Table of Contents correspond with their presentation in the body of the report. Figure and Table lists can be generated and updated by Word in the same way as a Table of Contents. Refer to the section on Microsoft Word if you are unsure of how to do this.


6.6 Introduction Standard introductions state the purpose or objective of the report, define its scope or limitations, and describe the procedure followed in compiling the information. The purpose or objective statement helps to keep you to keep focused. Defining your scope sharpens the focus. The description of your procedure prepares the reader to follow your report as it unfolds. Discerning readers can see that you have not missed any steps in logic or procedure along the way to your design solution. Here, any rationalizations or modifications that you have made to your project should be explained and justified. If, for example, the project called for your team to construct a fully working model of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and all you managed to complete was a mockup of the astronaut who rides in it, justify your choices here. In many cases, the projects that are given for APSC 100 Module 1 are extremely open‐ended, and, as such, your team may have chosen to explore a certain area of the project in much more depth than any other. Explain this here, and ensure your reader understands how you made your decisions. Note that the Introduction should start on Page 1 of your document. The rest of your report (with the possible exception of the Appendix) should continue to be numbered using Arabic numerals. To accomplish this, insert a new section before the Introduction and specify Arabic numbering starting with Page 1 for this section. See the section on Microsoft Word for more details.

6.7 Problem Formulation Use this section to define the problem, present necessary background information, present objectives, functional requirements, and design specifications. The temptation here is to jump ahead to the consideration of design solutions, but be patient and analyze the problem fully before you do so. See section 2.4.1 of the handbook for a summary of the expectations. You should introduce all relevant background information, including any scientific or mathematical theory that applies to the problem being solved. If you are working with a community partner, much of the information you gathered from your first meeting should be included here. For this report, assume that your reader is at the level of a high school graduate with little to no university experience. Thus, basic mathematical formulae can be omitted, but an explanation of Newton’s Third Law may be in order if your project uses results obtained from this theorem. Keep any explanations clear and concise, and if detailed


explanation is required, refer the reader to one of your Appendices. Remember, anything that you take for granted later in the report must either be common knowledge or have been covered in this section. When in doubt, ask your Project Manager and/or Faculty Sponsor for their opinion. If the design problem can be illustrated and explained clearly by use of pertinent equations, use the equation editor available in Microsoft Word, which will properly format mathematical expressions. See the section on Microsoft Word for tips on using the editor. Center your equations, and label all equations to which you will refer with a number in parentheses on the same line as the equation, near the right margin. For example:

(1)

6.8 Design Considerations (Final Report) or Design Plan (Proposal) In your proposal this section is used to present the procedure you used to solve the problem (see section 2.4.2 of the handbook), and lay out your design plan, which should include milestones, a timeline, budget, bill of materials, detailed design drawings, and your plan for evaluation (testing). It may be helpful to create a Gantt chart to plan your project. You should explain the criteria used to differentiate between various design solutions (you should have more than one), and describe the possible solutions you have discovered in your research before choosing the best design. Your design criteria, functional requirements, performance standards, or engineering code specifications can be presented in a table for quick reference and economy of expression. Then describe each possible solution and apply these design considerations to each until you decide on the solution that best meets them. You might want to create subsections, such as “Design Specifications Criteria” and “Possible Design Solutions,” with each of the designs named in headings. You can compare your proposed solutions using a simple list of pros/cons, or better you could use a decision matrix, described in the section on design process. You should consider potential causes of failure or problems down the road (failure mode and effect analysis). In your final report, this section is a description of the entire design process used over the term of the project, including a summary of your problem formulation and problem solution. A description of the selected design and implementation should be in the next section. Many design ideas are conveyed well with diagrams. The Drawing tool in the Microsoft Office suite allows you to create and edit simple graphical drawings. The Drawing tool is


especially suitable for block and flow diagrams, but with practice, many types of illustrations are possible. If the Drawing tool is not sufficient for your needs, some free 2D drawing tools to consider are:

Dia (Sourceforce open source project, resembling Microsoft Visio): http://www.gnome.org/projects/dia/

TinyCAD (for electrical and electronics circuit drawings): http://tinycad.sourceforge.net/

Tables and Figures should be individually numbered. They should always be referred to by their numbers (“… as shown in Figure 3”, not “… as shown below”). Tables and Figures should be numbered in the order in which they are discussed in the text, and should appear as close as possible to the point where they are first discussed. By convention, Figure captions are placed below the figures, and Table titles appear above their Tables. If the content of your Figure or Table is from a source other than your own work, you must cite that source directly below the Table or Figure, and include it in your References section list. Use a consistent format, such as the following convention (see also the references section in this document): Source: Reference name (i.e. [Reference number] or Author (Date))

6.9 Design Implementation In this section, describe the best design in greater detail, if you prefer. This section is not critical because this information may be the conclusion of your previous discussion of design considerations. If you choose to create this section, quickly cover the chosen design, what differentiated it from the others, and any detailed information that was not included in the previous section.

6.10 Experimental Testing If your team actually performed one or more experiments, the testing procedure should be described here, much as you would in a laboratory report. Some projects may involve no experiments whatsoever. In those cases, feel free to either eliminate this section or use it as a chance to further expand on the refinement of your project. Whether you actually construct anything or not, you will have done some refinement and modification to your project. This can be written up here. If you created a prototype, information about its evaluation should be included here.


6.11 Results If your team actually performed one or more experiments, the results should be listed in full detail here. If you do include results here, ensure they are listed in a meaningful manner, making full use of tables and graphs with appropriate statistical analysis. Extensive raw data should be included in the Appendices. This section could be combined with the previous section. If you did not conduct an experiment or test, feel free to eliminate this section from your report. Quantifiable test results and performance specifications are easy to grasp when presented in tables and figures (especially graphs). Refer to your APSC 141 course manual for detailed instructions on plotting graphs using Microsoft Excel. Some points to remember:

Display experimental data with markers (not joined by lines) Display theoretical curves as smoothed lines (without markers) Include a descriptive title (not “Y vs. X”) Include proper axis labels, including units if appropriate If you are displaying more than one data series, include a legend with descriptive labels

Ensure the background and gridlines will not obscure the information when printed Specify appropriate axis scales so there are not large blank areas in your plot

6.12 Discussion Any assumptions made in your project should be evaluated here for validity, as well as any possibility of error, much as you would in a laboratory report. This is also the appropriate section to evaluate trends and inconsistencies in your data, compare your results to that of other teams or to publish results, and to complete a feasibility or profitability analysis of your chosen solution.

6.13 Economics/Budget

This section will contain the required economic portion of your project. Each project is different, and has been assigned a different economic analysis tool. Please see your project description for this. Graphs and charts are very useful in this section, make sure to utilize the graphs and charts tool in Microsoft Word for this.


6.14 Conclusions This section should summarize the information in your report in one to two paragraphs. Someone reading your Executive Summary and Conclusions should find no inconsistencies between the two. There should be no material in the conclusion that has not been seen before. This is not the section for justifying your results or drawing new conclusions – do all of those things in the Discussion.

6.15 Recommendations and Further Considerations In this section, you typically recommend that the chosen design solution be manufactured, implemented, or activated. Inevitably, once your project is complete you will see modifications that could be made to improve the design and further tests that could be run. Recommend those further considerations here for further development. This is the section for quickly going over those modifications, suggesting changes to the actual project itself, or just bringing up issues that may be of importance to someone else examining the same project in the future.

6.16 References If you use any information that is not uniquely your own or common knowledge, you need to document the source of that information in references. For this report, only reference sources that are mentioned directly in the text in a quotation or paraphrase of the words and ideas of the information source need to be cited. Work back through your report and ensure all information sources are noted using the recommended referencing style sheet and make a List of References to appear on a separate page following the Recommendations and Further Considerations section. For documenting the use of references in your report and creating a List of References, follow the style sheet for APSC 100 reports established by the Queen’s University Engineering and Science Library at: http://library.queensu.ca/research/guide/apsc/citing This style sheet follows the documentation and referencing formats established by the largest association of professional engineers in the world, The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Other professional bodies use similar style sheets. Always be sure to check with your professor at university or documents manager in industry to determine the


preferred style sheet. Regardless of the preferred style sheet, the purpose of documenting sources of information is to give credit to the authors and not pass off their words and ideas as your own. Your List of References also creates a research path that another engineer can follow in exploring this problem and its possible solutions. Microsoft Word 2007 has a built in Referencing Tab. It is very easy to use, and will make citing information in your reports much easier. It is strongly recommended that you learn to use this simple tool. To make a citation:

1. Click on the references tab 2. Choose insert citation. 3. Choose add a new source 4. Select the type of source and fill in the appropriate information.

The citation will now be inserted in the text according to the citation style chosen. This method also stores your sources, so the next time you want to cite the first source, you can simply choose it from the drop down list. At the end of your report, this tool will also create a references section. Simply click Bibliography under the References tab, and choose the preferred style. You can easily build your reference list using the (free) Web‐based citation management program called RefWorks. The program can print a List of References, using over 200 output styles, including the IEEE style or ISO 690. You can also download the (free) add in utility for Microsoft Word called WriteNCite (available for both PC and Mac), which allows you to insert citations of your references in your RefWorks database as your create your report. Note that Microsoft Word is capable of generating a references list using a specified style. This is especially useful for the IEEE style because references must be cited numerically in order of mention in your report – if you insert a new citation, your reference/citation numbers must change to reflect that new order. For further information, see: RefWorks:

http://library.queensu.ca/webeng/RefworksEngSci.pdf http://library.queensu.ca/libguides/refworks.htm WriteNCite:


http://library.queensu.ca/inforef/refworks/writencite.htm

6.17 Appendices The Appendices include information and data that was either too bulky or too secondary to be included in the body of the report. You should be able to completely remove the Appendices without harming the actual content of the report. Raw data should be included here, as well as any extensive background information you think should be included. If you have an Appendix (or more than one), it should be referenced at some point in the report to inform the reader of both its existence and its purpose. If you have more than one Appendix, label them “Appendix A”, “Appendix B,” etc., with sections “A.1”, “A.1.1” etc. Page numbering can continue with Arabic numerals as in the main text, or you can optionally number each Appendix separately (which is a useful approach if you are preparing it in a separate computer file). For example, you can number the pages of Appendix A “A1,” “A2,” etc., while still retaining the same formatting style as the main document (font type, size, margins, page number placement, etc.). Custom Appendix page numbering can be accomplished by inserting a Section break before each Appendix, and editing the footer to display the correct numbering for that section. You can optionally include the main section name (e.g., Section A) centered in the header of that section. See the section on Microsoft Word or more details on editing section headers and footers.

6.18 Individual contributions In the final section of the report, each member of the team should indicate what they contributed to the project thus far, to the oral presentation, and to the written proposal. This section is really important in helping your project manager and faculty sponsor determine assess the contribution of each team member.

7 Revising and Proofing Ensure your report is proofread by at least two separate individuals. Choose peer editors who are competent with the English language and who also are capable of understanding the technical arguments made in your report. If you are polite and ask your Project Managers, they may be willing to help you go over the report before it is handed in and help you catch annoying errors that can cost you marks. The Engineering Communications academic assistants will also assist you with this task. Use the Spelling tool to make a first pass through your document to check for obvious spelling mistakes. However, this in no way replaces proofreading, since the Spelling tool only


highlights nonexistent words, not those that have been spelled incorrectly for the context (e.g., “its” vs. “it’s”). If the Spelling tool flags a word that it does not have its own dictionary, but which is still a correctly spelled name or technical term, then you can add the word to Word’s dictionary by clicking on the Add button in the tool. Also use the Grammar tool (also found under Tools | Spelling and Grammar…) to review your finished document for grammatical errors. But beware: the grammar checker can only make suggestions, it does not know your intentions!

8 Resources For further guidelines in writing research and design reports, you can consult the following authoritative resources. 1. Engineering Communication Centre at the University of Toronto: http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/handbook.html 2. “Writing Engineering Technical Reports,” Colorado State University: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/cetrpt/index.cfm 3. “How to Evaluate the Information Sources You Find,” Cornell University Library: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/evaluate.html 4. “Writing in the Sciences,” University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Writing Center: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/sciences.html 5. “Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students,” Virginia Tech: http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/

9 Oral Presentations Engineers frequently need to present their ideas – including project proposals, project updates, and sales presentations – to groups of people. This skill is introduced in two formal presentations in APSC‐100 Module 1.

You should practice your presentations and ask for feedback from your project manager. You may also receive feedback from your faculty sponsor and/or community partner.

You should dress and speak professionally at your presentation; dressing more formally will also make you to feel more professional, which canʹt do anything but help.

Once youʹve considered dress, extend that consideration to posture and positioning. Since youʹll be presenting your slideshow in pairs, in most cases it makes sense to have one partner


on each side of the projector screen. The person speaking should stand forward slightly so as to draw attention. When speaking, stand straight and do something with your hands. Loosely at your sides is fine, as is clasped in front of you (perhaps holding cue cards?) or behind you.

Using your hands to accentuate your argument is fine in a presentation situation such as this, but donʹt go overboard and start waving them around. Placing your hands in your pockets is a definite no, as it implies a distinct lack of professionalism. Remember ‐ your body language conveys to your audience how you feel about being there. Be excited and energetic, and let your body language show it.

Next, adjust your voice for the presentation. Many of us speak quickly and slur our words. Speak clearly, plainly, and at a moderate pace. Modify your voice to accentuate your points, raising it slightly in pitch and intensity to address some critical point, and lowering it for normal information. Remember ‐ itʹs not always what you say but how you say it.

Now, consider your actual content. Many groups feel that it is necessary to explain every single step they have gone through. However, your goal is to inform the audience about your work and future plans. The presentation should be between 10‐15 minutes long. Summarize the information you have, and if something needs to be explained further, address it in your Question & Answer session at the end.

Take careful consideration for your transitions. A good way to hand over the presentation to your partner is to quickly summarize your part in it ‐‐ i.e. ʺNow that Iʹve explained our four goals to you, Mark is going to introduce our chosen design and the rationale behind its choice.ʺ ‐‐ and then step backward. Your partner can then pick up precisely where you left off with no awkward fumbling. An extremely poor way to transition is to say ʺThatʹs it for me.ʺ and cease talking. Remember ‐ itʹs all about the flow of the presentation.

Finally, several general tips for presenting.

1. Donʹt read your presentation from the slides. You should be referencing the slides for diagrams and images, but your presentation should be far more robust than the content of the slides. Expand upon the summarized information. Do not read from cue cards or other material – the points on the slides should be used to trigger your memory.

2. Remember to practice beforehand with your partner. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to stand in front of your audience and give the same information.

3. Make sure you understand the project! If you get up in front of your Project Manager and the Faculty Advisor and attempt to do a presentation on Chemical Degradation of Plastics without knowing the first thing about your topic, you are going to look very foolish. This does involve some work, but make sure you are completely up‐to‐date with your project and your progress before you present.

4. Relax.


9.1 Tips for PowerPoint Presentations

Frequently students run into problems with hardware and software issues during presentations. To reduce the chance of this happening, take note of these points:

1. Test the presentation on the machine you will use, either the machine in the presentation room or the laptop of one of your teammates.

2. Use standard fonts for your presentations if you are going to be using a different computer than the one the presentation was designed on.

3. Test the presentation using the projector that will be used, if possible. This will allow you to assess the contrast between the background and fonts.

4. To reduce contrast problems in presentations, it is best to stick to the dark‐light contrast scheme ‐ either do all your backgrounds in a dark colour with light text, or all backgrounds in a light colour with dark text. Be aware that colour differences that stand out extremely well on your monitor may not contrast at all at the location of your presentation.

5. Make sure at least two other people watch the entire PowerPoint presentation to check the content, and grammar and spelling. Roommates make great test audiences, especially if they are not Applied Science students (hint: find someone who writes essays for some of their classes to be your test audience).

6. Finally, a concern regarding scanned images/diagrams. Any presentation that is displayed on a screen of any sort (projector, monitor, etc) is being displayed at 72dpi (dots‐per‐inch). An image scanned in at 400dpi is entirely too much for your presentation, and should be scaled down to not only the correct resolution, but also to the correct image size. If the image is to be 2x3ʺ on your presentation screen, then it should be made to be 2x3ʺ at 72dpi in an image‐editing program. If your computer system has Microsoft Office™ installed, you should also have Microsoft Photo Editor installed as well. A tutorial for changing image sizes and resolutions is available here for your reference.


To help you in the creation of your PowerPoint presentation, some examples of presentations from a past year have been posted on the course webpage at:

http://appsci.queensu.ca/courses/APSC100/module1/resources/powerpoint.php

Other Resources

• Research/Information Resources (Library Resources) • Library Citation Guide • Time Management • Teamwork • Writing a Report as a Group • External Links for Extra Tips


10 Assessment

Our expectation is that students should demonstrate development in the fundamental skills of this course. We donʹt expect you to function like a practicing engineer in one course, but we do expect you to demonstrate that you are developing those skills.

For information on assessment, please see the APSC 100 Moodle site.

11 Frequently Asked Questions

11.1 How do I do late registration in APSC100? You need to contact: Faculty of Applied Science 300 Beamish‐Munro Hall Tel: 533‐2055 Email: [email protected]

11.2 Who do I contact about WHMIS? Contact the Program Associate Email: [email protected]

11.3 Who do I contact about Module 2 missed labs, illness, lab marks, projects, TAs, etc.? Aphra Rogers Module 2 Coordinator 304 Stirling Hall Email: [email protected]

11.4 Who do I ask about the Module 1 design project teams signup? Contact the Program Associate Email: [email protected]


11.5 Who do I talk to if I have problems with my Design Project Team? First discuss the problem with your teamʹs Project Manager. You may also contact the Academic Assistant at [email protected].

11.6 Who do I talk to if I have a concern about my Project Manager? You should first contact the Academic Assistant at [email protected]. You may also discuss the problem with the course coordinator:

Dr. Brian Frank APSC100 Course Coordinator 304 Beamish‐Munro Hall

Email: [email protected]

11.7 Who do I talk to about a problem with the APSC100 website?

Contact the Academic Assistant at [email protected]

11.8 How do I pass on recommendations for improvements of APSC100? Contact:

• Academic Assistant • Email: [email protected] • Dr. Brian Frank,

APSC100 Course Coordinator Beamish‐Munro Hall 304

Email: [email protected]

11.9 How do I get a student email account?

Go to the ITServices website to request a NetID, which also provides an email account and webspace. This can be done at: http://www.its.queensu.ca/itsc/useIT/qcard_getid/getid.html


11.10 Who do I ask about timetabling for Upper‐Year and Transfer Students? See the transfer & upper‐year student webpage. If the information to answer your question is not there, contact the Course Administrator at [email protected].

11.11 What if I am in J‐Section? If you did a Module 1 design project in the Fall term, you will be doing the Module 2 labs in the Winter term. You should remain with your “old” section for APSC‐100 labs; it should still be conflict‐free with your schedule. If not, contact the course Academic Assistant.

If you did the Module 2 labs in the Fall term, you will be doing a Module 1 design project in the Winter term. The fact that you are in J‐section will not affect Module 1 at all. All attempts will be made to put you in a group with members with schedules similar to yourself. Instructions for project selection and other pertinent information will come via the APSC 100 listserv early in the Winter term.

APSC 100 Handbook

Documents

Transcript of APSC 100 Handbook