Welcome to Engineering Dynamics Online

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), section 8099. This letter is to inform you of some important details prior to the commencement of the Summer 2008 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, either on campus or remotely.  (See link at bottom of page for syllabus and class calendar, but note that they may be outdated until class starts.)

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.

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.

1. Even though the classes will be conducted online, there are 6 mandatory in-person meetings for orientation and tests (unless you live outside San Luis Obispo county, in which case, see below).  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 6/16	10-11am	3406	Orientation
Tuesday 6/24	2-3pm	4114	Test 1
Tuesday 7/1	2-3pm	4114	Test 2
Tuesday 7/8	2-3pm	4114	Test 3
Tuesday 7/15	2-3pm	4114	Test 4
Tuesday 7/23	2-4pm	4114	Final Examination

 
2. Book:  the required text is Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics by Beer, et al., 8th or 7th edition.  It is available at the campus bookstore for approximately $140, but often you can purchase it for less online (8th Ed,  7th Ed) 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.
 
3. 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 Blackboard site and click on "Check Browser" to see if your browser is supported for WebCT/Blackboard C.E. 6.2.2. 
  
• You will also need the following plug-ins:
• PDF reader
• Macromedia Flash
• Macromedia Authorware
• 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.

Yes.   If you are taking this class at a remote site you will need to make arrangements to take the test through a certified testing center.  Most colleges do offer this service for a fee.  I suggest that you contact the testing center at a university or community college near you. (They often don't advertise it on their website but they are usually under assessment or disabled student services.)  Schedule your test with the testing center at the same date/time listed above.  Here is an information sheet outlining the requirements for remote testing.  Make sure your chosen testing center can perform all the tasks in a timely manner.

Once you've scheduled your tests with the testing center then contact me to coordinate getting the test there on time.  I will need the name of the proctor, school, phone number, fax number, mailing address, and email adress.   Please give me this info after I've sent out hte welcome email (weekend before class) but within the first week of class.

If you can't make it to the orientation for any reason, make sure to let me know beforehand.  I will send you a FAQ sheet with the information addressed during orientation.  If you are registered, are not taking remote tests, and don't show up, I may drop you if we need your space. 
 

1. Register for the class.  For Summer 2008, the class is sections 8099.
   
• 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.
2. Familiarize yourself with Blackboard before class starts.  WebCT/Blackboard will be our classroom medium.  Although we will be using a different version, if you're new to WebCT or Blackboard, you may find the WebCT Student Tutorial from the Illinois Online Network helpful.
3. After 6/13/07, 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.
4. By Friday 6/13, you should have received an email from me stated that a Blackboard 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.
5. Log on to your Blackboard account and complete the first assignment prior to the orientation meeting on 6/16.  This is so that I can address any questions you have during the orientation.
6. Come to the orientation meeting.  If you are registered and don't show up, I may drop you.  If you cannot make it, let me know in advance.

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