Welcome to Engineering Dynamics Online

Note: This is the Summer 2007 welcome letter.

Updates
(5/22/07) Section 8210 is now full, but we have opened section 8327.
(6/4/07) Due to room scheduling conflict, the meeing times and room change for ALL class meetings! See here.
(6/5/07) Check back in a few days for the final word on the time/room for the orientation.
(6/14/07) Change browser check information.
(6/15/07) Syllabus and calendar linked below are now current. Welcome emails has been sent. If you enrolled in the class on or before Tuesday 6/12 but have not received an email from me, please contact me. If you enrolled later, you will receive an email on Sunday 6/17.

Dear Student,

Welcome to distance education at Cuesta College. My name is Pam Ridgely, and I will be your instructor for the online version of Engineering Dynamics (Engineering 51). This letter is to inform you of some important details prior to the commencement of the Summer 2007 online class. Please read this page carefully!!

My e-mail address is pridgely@cuesta.edu Use the subject starting with "[E51]" on every e-mail.

Class Overview:

Engineering Dynamics: In this class you will learn to analyze the dynamics associated with motion of rigid bodies and particles, including velocity, acceleration, relative motion, energy, work, momentum, and impulse using vector mathematics.
Online: The class will be conducted online through Blackboard. You will have online access to lectures and examples. Homework problems will be assigned. Your online participation counts for a portion of your grade. There will be online assignments but the tests and final exam will be in person. (See link at bottom of page for syllabus and class calendar, but note that they may be outdated until class starts.)

How much work is it going to be?

Dynamics is a 3 lecture unit course, which, according to college guideline, requires 9 hours/week of work during the Fall and Spring semesters. However, the pacing in the Summer is about 3.5 times that, which means you should expect to spend at least 30 hours a week on this class. This course is more challenging than most, so depending on your academic background and your goal, you may even need to spend more time than the stated guideline. It is strongly suggested that you treat this class as a full-time job. You will have close to a week's worth of lectures/readings/homework/assignments to do each day and most likely won't have time for another class or job.
Many students are surprised at the amount of work and effort required to teach yourself with little interaction. You need to be self-motivated and disciplined with good time management skills. On the other hand, you can work according to your own schedule such as listening to lectures at 2am.

Who should take this class?

The prerequisite for this class is Engineering 50, Statics. You also need to be familiar with a variety of mathematical concepts especially college-level vector calculus and trigonometry. This page from UNL does a nice job of summarizing the math you need to know for dynamics.
If you have not taken an online class before, go to the distance education page and read about it. Pay particular attention to the "For Whom?" section and take the self-assessment survey.

What are the class requirements?

Even though the classes will be conducted online, there are 6 mandatory in-person meetings for orientation and tests. Make sure your schedule allows you to be at the SLO campus on the following dates and time: (Photo ID may be required for tests and final)


Date	Time	Room	Activity
Monday 6/18	10:30-11:30am	4114	Orientation
Tuesday 6/26	10:30-11:30am	5402	Test 1
Tuesday 7/3	10:30-11:30am	5402	Test 2
Tuesday 7/10	10:30-11:30am	5402	Test 3
Tuesday 7/17	10:30-11:30am	5402	Test 4
Tuesday 7/24	10:30am-12:30pm	5402	Final Examination

Book: the required text is Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics by Beer, et al., 7th or 8th edition. It is available at the campus bookstore for approximately $140, but often you can purchase it for less online. A copy will also be available on reserve at the library. If you have the combined Statics and Dynamics version of the text book, that will work as well. If you have a different edition of the book, the problem numbers will not match. It is your responsible to find out which problems are assigned and do the correct ones.

Note: You may need the access code that comes packaged with a new book to access the Online Learning Center. Currently the access is available to all, but this may change at any time.

Computer Requirements:

Computer - Pentium-class or Macintosh PC
Operating System - Windows 95 or Mac OS 8 or above (other OS such as linux may work but is not supported)
Hard Drive with at least 150 megabytes of free space
32 MB of RAM or above
Recent Video & Sound Card
Speakers or headphone
An email account that is checked everyday
Visit the Cuesta WebCT/Blackboard site and click on "Check Browser" to see if your browser is supported for WebCT/Blackboard C.E. 6.0. (In my experience, the unsupported browsers Firefox 2.x does not work correctly, but Netscape 8.x seem to.) You will also need the following plug-ins:

VGA display of at least 800x600, higher recommended. (Though 800x600 will work for the lectures, a resolution of at least 1024x768 is required to correctly view the Online Learning Center.)
Internet connection of at least 56kb dialup, broadband recommended
Scanner and image manipulation software.

Note: Registered students can use the computers at the library. Headphones are also available for check out. If those workstations are missing any necessary software or plug-in, let me know so I can arrange to have them installed. The High Tech Computer Lab also has several scanners available for student use.

I live too far away. Can I take the test remotely?

Unfortunately, no. The class is not yet set up for remote testing, though I plan to do so in future semesters. Keep checking the new Welcome page for updates.

Ok, I've decided I want to take this course. What do I do next?

New or former students who have been absent 2 or more semesters will need to apply first.
During registration, you must give the college the correct email address you will be using for this class. If your email address changes at any time before or during the class, let me know immediately.

Familiarize yourself with WebCT before class starts. WebCT will be our classroom medium. Here is where you can get started. If you prefer a more interactive medium, try the WebCT Student Tutorial from the Illinois Online Network.
After 6/15/07, click on the link at the bottom of the page to see details about the course, including syllabus and class calendar. Print them out for your reference. Note that until that date, the information may change substantially.
By Friday 6/15, you should have received an email from me stated that a WebCT account have been created for you, along with login instruction. If you registered for the class after 6/8, it can take a week to get this set up so you might receive this email later.
Log on to your WebCT account and complete the first assignment prior to the orientation meeting on 6/18. This is so that I can address any questions you have during the orientation.
Come to the orientation meeting. If you are registered and don't show up, I will drop you. If you cannot make it, let me know in advance.


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