Course Components and Grading

Philosophy of This Course

Research has shown that grading has 3 effects:

Less interest in learning - just worried about getting a good grade
Preference for easier tasks - especially engineers, we optimize!
Shallower thinking - as engineers, we need to be critical thinkers

Additionally:

Grades do not track learning
Grading reduces student learning
Only receiving feedback increases student learning
Self-evaluation and reflection improve student learning

You still have to earn a grade at the end of this course, BUT, we are going to approach it a little differently.

Everybody learns a bit differently, has varied interests, and shows up to class with different experiences and skills. In this course, you will take ownership of your learning. Instead of traditional, summative assessments, like exams, there will be more formative assessments and specifications grading will be used. The intention of this is to shift the focus off of earning every single point and more on learning. I will be here to guide you and help you, but you will have some choice as to how you want to demonstrate what you have learned. We will still have lecture and discussion where I will introduce the fundamental theories of fluid mechanics and work on problems together illustrating real-world applications of what you are learning.

Your final grade in this class will be based on your work throughout the entire semester, not just a few exams worth large portions of your grade. You should demonstrate what you did in response to feedback. For example, if you did a homework assignment and got feedback saying that a lot of unit conversions were incorrect, showing that you calculate unit conversions correctly in future assignments demonstrates you responded to the feedback and improved as a result. You will receive timely and useful feedback about areas in which you can improve, and areas in which you have mastered the learning objectives.

Breakdown of Course Components

F21 CHEG 3123 Course Components

Checklist of Assignments

Homework Assignments - Due Sundays

Homework assignments are in each module, and are posted in HuskyCT. These will typically consist of several problems, and it will be in your best interest to do the readings, handouts with gaps, and do the example problems (hint: many of these are also in the homework assignments) before attempting them. You may not be able to complete the homework assignments all in one day! Use the homework template provided. Resubmissions due 7 days after receiving feedback.

3, 2, 1 Assignments - Due Mondays

3, 2, 1 assignments are meant to be quick reflections of what you have learned. Based on the material in each module, submit a pdf of 3 things you learned, 2 ways the material relates to you (e.g., getting blood pressure taken is related to hydrostatic pressure), and 1 question you have.

In Class Quizzes - on Mondays

Quizzes will be weekly, in class and individual. You will receive feedback on your quizzes. When quizzes are handed back, 15 minutes at the end of class will be devoted to working in small groups to learn from one another and resubmit your quizzes at the end of class, based on the feedback you received. If you did not receive feedback highlighting anything to improve, you can spend this time working with your classmates. If you don't make it to class on a particular Monday, there will be an option to take the quiz online or at another time within 7 days of the quiz being taken during class. Quiz resubmissions must be done within 7 days of them being handed back in class.

Project Components - Due Wednesdays

Here is where you will have some choice in how you want to demonstrate your learning of the course materials. There are three broad tracks from which you can design your own project. I have provided some examples to get you inspired, but you can be creative and do what is best for you to show your results. As many of you know, when you have a job or are in graduate school, you will not likely be given extremely specific tasks, but more open-ended. You will also not be told how exactly to present your results. So, this will give you some practice and independence in doing what works best for you. Feel free to reach out to me to chat. I'm here to help!

Current Fluid Mechanics Research
- Find 2 researchers from underrepresented groups in engineering who are conducting research in fluid mechanics applications. Learn more about the researchers' career journeys (you can email them or interview them if you want - it never hurts to network!) and summarize their work with respect to what you have learned in this course and its importance to society.
Social Justice and Engineering Ethics
- Research a fluid mechanics problem through the lens of social justice and engineering ethics. For example, access to clean water, air pollution, environmental racism. This can be something that has happened in the past, or is currently happening.
Computing and Fluid Mechanics
- Develop a predictive model (this can be simple) for a particular application of fluid mechanics.

Demonstrate the results of your project . Here are some suggestions/ideas:

Video
Art, comic book
Zine
A phone app
Blog/vlog
Website
Policy change proposal
Outreach activity or informational brochure
Game
Laboratory experiment procedure

Handouts with Gaps - Due Fridays

All modules have at least one handout with gaps to complete and submit in HuskyCT. These are intended for you to complete while doing the reading, watching the videos, and attending/watching the live lectures. Many of the blank spaces are for conceptual topics, or fundamental equations you will be using to complete homework assignments and quizzes.

Guidance for Assignments

Rubrics

F21 CHEG 3123 HW Rubric

In HuskyCT, you will not earn percentages, but only feedback. Your scores will all be 0/0. Check the feedback from each assignment to determine if you want to resubmit it. If you do not resubmit within the 7 day window, you will not earn credit.

Specifications Grading

F21 CHEG 3123 Specs Grading

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