As students in this course, you each bring a unique and valuable background and perspective. This course is designed with your learning goals at the forefront; success is possible for all students. A foundation of this philosophy is that students all learn best in different ways, and that all class material should be accessible to each of you. Therefore, flexibility and interactivity will be at the forefront of class policies to enable you to approach the material in the way you prefer. 

Specifically, the following ideas and methodologies will be implemented throughout the class to foster an welcoming environment and promote successful learning outcomes:

• Peer-lead learning. This class will focus on interactivity, in contrast to the typical lecture style classroom. There will be weekly problem-solving sessions in class that encourage collaboration and learning from one another. Additionally, i-clicker style questions will be implemented to engage your problem-solving and communication/discussion skills. 

• Student choice: There will be an opportunity for you to select your own semester-long project topic. Within the broad confines of thermodynamics, you will be free to choose a group project topic most interesting and relevant to you.

• Flexibility: Within reason, I will work with you to accommodate your diverse lifestyles. This comes in the form of test-date flexibility due to religious holidays and work engagements, extended exam times to relieve stress, and Zoom availability for office hours. Revision of exams will also be an option for students to partially improve their original scores.

• Additional support opportunities: Not everyone feels comfortable in the group setting of office hours, particularly to discuss more sensitive matters like grades or struggles with stress, keeping up, or "fitting in." I welcome you to contact me outside of class to discuss anything on your mind, related to this class or otherwise. Send me an email at rand@mines.edu and we will find a time to chat.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Apply fundamental thermodynamics concepts (systems, surroundings, states, processes, properties) to a diverse set of real-world problems related to energy in natural and engineered systems such as food preparation, melting icecaps, jet engines, and manufacturing.

2. Apply the laws of thermodynamics and balance equations (mass, energy, and entropy) to relate a system's inputs and outputs (heat, work, and mass transfer) and material state (temperature, pressure, etc.) with one another.

3. Analyze phase behavior and transitions (e.g., vapor-liquid equilibrium, critical points) in pure substances, applying concepts like phase diagrams and equations of state to solve practical problems such as power-generation plants. 

4. Evaluate different thermodynamic cycles (e.g., Carnot, Rankine, and refrigeration cycles), calculating efficiencies and proposing hardware improvements based on theoretical and practical constraints.  Students will be able to do this by hand or using software tools like Engineering Equation Solver (EES).

5. Construct a system model of an industry-relevant thermodynamic system using EES to predict performance under varying conditions. An example project would be a backup power generator for a remote mining operation or a community geothermal installation for residential heating.

6. Prepare and deliver a public presentation on the model developed above, clearly explaining key concepts, justifying their approach, and responding effectively to questions from a general audience.

Course Grading: Weighting

• Midterm exam............................................... 20%

• Final exam...................................................... 25%

• In-class worksheets....................................... 10%

• Connect and EES problem sets.................... 25%

• Semester-long modeling project................. 20%

Midterm Exam

The midterm exams will be offered in two formats, depending on student preference: a traditional written exam or a 15 minute group presentation encapsulating the most relevant material we have covered in the course. The subject matter covered will be consistent between the two exam options and grades will be adjusted so that neither is "harder" than the other.

Revisions will be accepted for additional credit, given justification of corrections. A one-page written reflection on "muddiest points" from the exam is to be submitted with revisions.

Final Exam

A take-home cumulative final exam which will be more complex and applied than the midterm. Questions will be more challenging and open-ended than homework problems, requiring students to construct convincing arguments for industrially-relevant engineering projects like powerplants or geothermal installations.

In-class worksheets

Worksheets will be provided and solved in class, applying lecture materials to practical problems. The grade for these worksheets will be 50% completion, 50% correctness.

Connect and EES problem sets

Homework will be completed using McGraw-Hill Connect and Engineering Equation Solver (EES). Access is available through the Canvas course site. It is not expected that student come into the class knowing EES. These problem sets are meant to reinforce lecture material and encourage student critical thinking.

Semester-long modeling project

Engineering Equation Solver (EES) will be used to model a real-world thermodynamic system. The project will be in groups of three, and the project topic will be conceived by students, guided by a presented selection of "acceptable" project topics. At the end of the semester, students will give 10 minute presentations to the class regarding their assumptions, calculations, and conclusions.

Below is a list of community agreements that will guide our interactions in the classroom. On the first day of class, we will discuss these agreements and open the floor for their discussion. We can then make any changes as needed so that you feel comfortable with accepting these broad agreements for the semester.

• I agree that my contributions are unique and bring value to this classroom.

• I agree to help build an inclusive, patient, caring, trusting learning community where everyone feels supported and encouraged to take risks.

• I agree to be proactive in communicating when something isn't working for me, or when something gets in the way of my learning.

• I agree to give myself a break, as well as permission to be vulnerable and make mistakes.

• I agree to be reliable, responsible, accountable, and courageous when it's time for me to support my peers' learning.

• I agree to approach this program with a growth mindset, acknowledging that learning is an ongoing process and that I can continue to grow both as a student and as a person.

• Attend classes and be ready to participate. Both learning and graded outcomes will lean heavily on in-class time used for both lectures and group activities like worksheets and reflections. Interactivity in classrooms has been often shown to improve learning outcomes. This means asking questions about ideas that I have not presented clearly to you. 

• Utilize office hours. Both myself and the TA's have time set aside to help you with developing your thermodynamics knowledge. We want you there. These occasions provide a platform for you to ask questions and work in groups to cement the topics we learned in class.

• Speak up! If something is not working for you, let me know early. We can work to find a solution so that your learning can proceed smoothly. I am available through email (rand@mines.edu), office hours, and am happy to find time to meet one-on-one.

• Adopt a growth mindset and be okay not knowing everything all the time. This class is difficult, there is no way around that. However, it's important to recognize that you are in the process of growing as a student and that the discomfort of not being on top of things 100% of the time is part of the learning process. It's okay to struggle, we all do, just don't let it stop you from giving your best effort.

Mental & Physical Wellbeing

If you find yourself struggling with your health, mental well-being, work-life balance, or familial caretaking responsibilities this year, please feel free to approach me or other department staff in ways that you are most comfortable with. We'll try our best to be flexible and accommodate your unique needs and do not require any disclosure of physical or mental health concerns to help you succeed in this program. For physical health related concerns, click here or call (303) 273-3381 to schedule an appointment. For mental health concerns, check out resources available through the Counseling Center. They offer short term individual counseling on site, including same day crisis appointments, and are able to connect you to long term therapy options as well. Fill out this form to schedule an initial consultation 

Basic Needs Security

If you are facing challenges securing your food, health, or housing and believe this may affect your learning in this program, please check out Orediggers in Need. There is a fund specifically designed to support you. And also let us know if you are comfortable doing so, because there may be ways we can help. Check out these local food and housing assistance resources. 

Participating as a Parent

If for any reason you experience a lapse in child care support, please feel free to bring your child to a seminar. Breastfeeding during program events is welcome whenever necessary. Consult this resource for a map of lactation room and child changing stations around campus (it also includes gender-inclusive bathrooms). If you foresee any challenges related to work-parenting balance, we are available to talk with you about possible solutions early in the year.

Neurodiversity

This is a neuro-inclusive program: neurodiversity is valued and neurodivergent people are respected and included. If you identify as neurodivergent, and would like to talk to us about it, you are welcome to do so. Please communicate with us so that we can do our best to support your learning. If you need tips for communicating your needs, please visit this resource on neurodiversity at Mines.

COVID-19 and other sicknesses

Please don’t put your peers at risk! If you’re experiencing any symptoms of COVID or other sicknesses, don’t attend a seminar. Let us know as soon as possible so we can arrange makeup work. Here's to a healthy year for all of us!

Integrity & Honesty

We encourage you to borrow ideas from the authors we read, the discussions we have at seminars, your peers, and the tools available in the world around you. In fact, many of the activities and methods of this program are drawn directly from other sources. But you need to cite these ideas where appropriate and make them your own by remixing them, applying them to different contexts, and adding your own perspective. Check out the guidelines for Using Generative AI (genAI) @ Mines and our Effective Teaching & Generative AI resource to think critically about genAI use in relation to academic integrity and ethics. Because these tools will be used in your professional and personal lives, we think it's valuable for you to engage critically with them and explore their use in generating content. That said, the point of this program is to help you assemble a teaching portfolio that will help you communicate your unique gifts, values, experiences and strengths as an educator to potential job hiring committees. How will genAI help or hinder your realization of this goal? Please talk to your facilitators before turning in any work if you are unsure of whether your work meets our university standards of academic honesty.

Title IX

We're committed to supporting students and upholding the University’s Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, or Retaliation and other forms of interpersonal violence. Per Title IX, all university employees, myself included, are mandated to report any sexual misconduct that we become aware of.

Accessibility

We're committed to making this program useful and accessible to the widest possible range of students. We will often need your help to make this commitment a reality. Please talk to us about ways that we can structure the program to suit your own learning needs.