Grading

Course Grade

Final grades are broken down as follows:

Homework

Homeworks will either be submitted via Github classroom in the form of a GitHub repository or via Canvas (see next section on details). All written work should be submitted in the repo README.md file using Markdown and Latex (see Markdown introduction here and Latex introduction here). Accompanying data files such as Excel files and Aspen files should also be uploaded with the text file.

Please see instructions for installing Git here. See a video tutorial for submitting homework assignments with Git here.

Students will be able to resubmit homeworks to be regraded. All homeworks are due at midnight on the day specified.

1. Homework due: Wednesday the week after it has been assigned.
2. Homework feedback: Monday after it has been turned in.
3. Homework regrades due: the following Monday
4. Homework regrade feedback: the following Friday

Homeworks will be graded by either of the TAs, regardless of section, as determined randomly. This will ensure fair grading across the board.

Note: As this class will have specific software requirements, please let me know if this will be an issue for you. Note that all students have access to Aspen and Visio through their RemoteApp cluster. The chemical engineering department also has computers available to students on the 1st floor computer lab. Git and Bash should already be accessible on all MacOS platforms on department machines, as it is built into the operating system. Please contact our computing and technology manager, Jessie Chiem (jchiem@uw.edu) for any questions or assistance.

Pedagogy Research

This year, we will be conducting research on the use of Github Classroom as a tool for homework submission and project management. Each section will use a different platform for homework submission: Section AA will use GitHub Classroom, and Section AB will use the UW Canvas system. At the end of the course, the course evaluations will include questions to assess:

• Whether the homework submission platform improved feedback to students and communication with the instructional team.
• Whether the platform’s existing version control features contributed to homework completion and project management.
• Whether the platform project management tools enhanced team development and the ability of teams to complete projects.
• Whether students feel they will use these tools in the future.

The TAs will go over these tools in the quiz sections the first week of class to ensure students are comfortable using them for homework submission. Please also watch the following videos for reference, depending on your section:

GitHub tools

• Using Markdown to create documents
• Version control with GitHub
• Project management with GitHub
• GitHub Wiki pages

Canvas tools

• Canvas project management tools

Late Work

Late assignments will be penalized by 10% for the first 0-24 hours and 10% for each additional day (including weekends and holidays).

With the exception of pre-arrangement with the instructor in extenuating circumstances, exams must be taken on the day scheduled. No re-dos will be offered.

Projects

Class projects will be completed in teams of 3 (with 1-2 teams of 4 if it doesn’t split evenly). Teams will be assigned randomly. This is done for a reason, as there are advantages and disadvantages with different team formation methods (see this summary here). I prefer random assignment because:

1. Randomized teams are more likely to give diverse teams, a key element to team success.
2. Students will work with students they may not know as well, which will be a given in the work force.
3. It removes bias that other methods can’t address (e.g. trying to make “balanced” teams based on student ability or temperament. The worst I’ve heard is assigning groups based on GPA).
4. It’s just easier.

If you foresee any problems with your team after team assignment, please come see me.

Each team will select a project from one of the following sources:

1. Appendix C of Turton
2. Additional projects found here
3. Past problems from the AIChE design competition

Example designs are provided in the CD accompanying the textbook, Appendix B (also used in your homeworks).

Final projects will be graded as a group effort. Students will be able to give input on team member contributions through a team evaluation survey. Team members will be given 100 points to allot among all team members e.g. if you think all team members contributed equally and you are in a team of 3, you would give each team member 33.3 points.

In order to ensure consistent grading of final projects, the teaching team (all TAs and the myself) will grade all reports together as a group.