DISCUSSION
Current Questions:
4/21/2020 10:42 AM	For the second question on the extra credit assignment you say "two examples will suffice". Do you mean two examples total, or two examples per letter we find relative or only talking about two letters we find relevant? Two total examples is what I am looking for – you can always add more, but then “someone” will have to evaluate them. The thing is that there are often multiple principles (letters) in even a single example. So, two examples in total would be good.… (next question goes here). (next response goes here):
Older Questions:
4/2/2020 12:11 PM	Could the zoom lecture video files have different names when you upload them? The files are all named zoom0 and i have no way to differentiate them after downloading (they are downloaded as a zip for some reason on d2l so i cannot change the name when downloading).? Yes, the zoom files can be renamed. In fact, I just got done experimenting with that on the other class’ video. I will go back and do it to our class’ videos, too. It will take a little bit of time, though, since I can’t just change the file name once it is in D2L. I have to download the video files to my computer, change the name of the combined files (video & audio), then upload it back to D2L and reorder the content structure. It would be best if I do it now, though, rather than wait until there are a lot of video files to re-organize. I’ll let you know when I have that done. From Another Class, But Pertinent to This Class: In my house I do not have a printer. I also do not have an ability to purchase one. What could I do to work on putting together my engineering notebook for this class? I personally have been taking my notes over your slides in OneNote and am curious if this would work as a digital engineering notebook? I think that using OneNote as your engineering notebook will work fine – and when this virus stuff is all over, you will be in a good position to print off your file and stick it into your notebook for any future use. NOTE: For Future Exam(s): I am trying to work out how to come up with a better exam, especially for distance engineering classes. I really dislike multiple guess exams. I don’t think they really test you on the content (it’s more testing on the question format), and there is some research to back me up. I also am very uncomfortable with the RESPONDUS exam surveillance process that is being pushed. Not using RESPONDUS would also allow the next exam to be open lecture slides, lecture video, engineering notes and text. That would get around the lack of printer – somewhat. It is pretty likely, though, that I would need everyone to have their campus MS Word downloaded to their tablet (Google Docs won’t substitute), and you will have to get familiar with the formula editor in order to show some of your work. Best to find out if you can do that sooner, rather than later …
3/31/2020 4:00 PM	Shouldn’t there be a line from the source to valve e since it is either a and b and c, or e? The diagram you pictured is not complete yet. e is an output, so it will not come directly from a pressure source, but it will come from the directional control valve that powers the actuator (as a branch, near the end of the example). Update: I am concerned that the video “whiteboard” drawing may not be as readable on a tablet computer screen, so I have drawn the Fluid Logic Example on EP paper and then scanned it into a file (here), so that it may be easier to read/use. More questions (HW 04) answered tomorrow…
3/31/2020 3:26 PM	Please continue to let me know if some of the online technology is not working as well in your “hunkered down” conditions. I will try to adapt as best as I can to help. For example, I have had some students from this and other classes that: Have slow video downloads on their home internet connection. (Large files take a long time…) I am trying to post videos by the night before they are scheduled – try downloading them overnight instead of during the day when bandwidth is in heavier use. I can try to break them into smaller videos, but the production time to set up, record, and post-process the videos will increase just as quickly. If I can do that over the weekend, you will need to consider the next situation … Can’t download multiple video files on their home internet at one time. I think you need to download them serially, not simultaneously. The bottleneck could be your internet, your laptop hard disk, and possibly whatever else is running on your computer at the same time.. Don’t have a printer at home to print lecture slides for the engineering notebook. Wow, I just didn’t consider this possibility at the start of the semester – because every student had access to campus printers back then. If you can get an inexpensive inkjet printer for under $100, that might be about the only solution. The cost is on par with a used textbook, but I think the value is higher for printing the slides and material. You can save money if you get a high capacity black ink cartridge and print the slides in pure black and white (not color or grey scale). Don’t have their engineering notebook / textbook / laptop with them. If you left your notebook with me, I have mailed it to you already. Can’t hear the audio over their laptop built-in speaker. Try adjusting the computer audio from the speaker icon at the bottom right of the system tray (which you have probably already tried). If you have some earbuds or headphones, you can probably connect them to the same audio plug as on your computer, or you can sync them with your computer if they are Bluetooth capable. Can’t see the hand-drawn material on the video with their laptop screen. I will try to minimize using the whiteboard feature on Zoom, but if I have to use it, I will also try to post a final, hand-drawn and scanned image via a link on the Discussion Page. Just check and download it before watching the lecture … Don’t remember their top-secret grade code. If I sent you your engineering notebook, it will be on the inside cover. If that doesn’t work, e-mail me and I will respond. Find themselves drifting off during the pre-recorded online lectures. Yea, I used to nod off sometimes even when my favorite prof was teaching my favorite mfg. processes class. I felt a little bit better when I went to a faculty candidate presentation at the U of IA and saw that the WHOLE faculty fell asleep during the presentation – AND THEY STILL HIRED THE GUY. I will continue to try to modulate my volume and pacing, try to throw in silly/odd/humorous/ thoughts, and try to build in some break points; but I think this is a big limitation of the pre-recorded lecture and technically detailed content. Try hitting the pause button, stretching and getting a cold drink … Don’t like that the pre-recorded lectures run longer than the in-person class period. I have to own this one, most of the lectures are gonna run longer. Three reasons why: (1.) We lost one week to weather before the break, and another week to campus virus prep (while you had a second week of break) – so all the contingency time I had built into the schedule has been used up. (2.) Doing distance ED doubles the amount of prep for each lecture and adds post-processing time afterward – so there is NO time for re-recording. (3. Biggest Reason) The learning objectives are still the same, so we will still have to cover the same content even though the term is shorter. So I am trying to do it by running the lectures slightly longer, rather than add additional lectures as HW. Would like to know how we will handle the hands-on lab material. Plan B was that students would be back to campus at the start of this week; Plan C was that everyone would be back by next week, 06 APR. We’re past Plan D, and Plan (whatever comes after that by a few). You won’t be back to campus this term, and I am only rarely supposed to come to campus, too. So there will not be hands-on labs (you’ll get full credit for the labs), and you will get bonus points for any lab simulations I can come up with that don’t require missing vpn bandwidth will count as Bonus Points. Would like to know how the term project will work. For the same reason to the question above, we can’t physically do the lab, or even an online simulation. I was hoping that I could get into the lab regularly and collect actual manufacturing data for you, so that you could at least analyze, organize, plan and document a manufacturing processes to complete a “project”. But faculty are supposed to stay away, too. What I will try to do is to simulate or generate something as realistic as I can with what I have at my home. If I can do that within a feasible amount of time for you to complete it by the end of the term, we will go with that. Plan Z will be the last resort: I do something reasonable and fair to your grades. I’ll just have to grow a heart, first. .
3/29/2020 2:08 PM	Is there an example somewhere of ISO fluid logic? I can't find any in the notes or online. There are some initial examples of Fluid Logic on the back page of the Fluid Logic Handout. However, we will discuss a better example on Thursday’s Lecture (the Missile Control Example).
3/24/2020 2:00 PM	Why are we doing class discussions this way instead of over video meeting or on a D2L chat? The infrastructure that is needed at our campus was neither ready nor tested for these unforeseen circumstances. Bandwidth is the biggest issue – it is the surge in immediate demand that has to be addressed. The ITS department will work as hard and fast as they can to get the bandwidth and infrastructure we need – and the Zoom folks are probably responding as quickly as they can, too. When these services become consistently available and reliable, we will make good use of them. In the meantime, we are will do the “old school” methods to alleviate some of the bandwidth issues. When I try to check my exam grade on the Grades Page, it only shows information from 2018. What am I doing wrong? You (all) are doing nothing wrong, I am just a little bit swamped with putting some new systems together and then linking the pages and testing them. I prioritized one of my other classes, first, but I will get the same system set up for IENG 475 just as soon as I can. Hang in there … I was looking at the schedule and it says that homework #4 is due tomorrow, but we haven't gone over the lecture for it yet. I know that we have access to the lectures in advance, the notes at least, and I just wanted to make sure if this assignment was still due tomorrow or not? I have just updated the Schedule Page to make the HW due dates reflect the latest SDSMT administrative changes. (The HW04 is NOT due until 02 APR.) According to the latest campus attendance plan, students will not be back to campus for the remainder of the term for face to face instruction .