Bama changes Freshmen Engineering - A good idea!

<p>Glad to see that Bama has revised its Freshman Engineering program for Fall 2010 students! I think this is a much better plan! </p>

<p>**
The College of Engineering has revised its freshman engineering program. **These changes are effective Fall 2010. The revised program contains five common hours that are taken by all first-year students in the College of Engineering. These five hours are:

  • ENGR 111 : Engineering the Future
  • A discipline-specific 121 course : Introduction to the discipline
  • ENGR 131 : Engineering Concepts and Design I
  • ENGR 141 : Engineering Concepts and Design II
  • ENGR 151 : Fundamental Engineering Graphics</p>

<p>In addition, students in Mechanical Engineering will complete ENGR 161 (Small-Scale Engineering Graphics) and students in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering will complete ENGR 171 (Large-Scale Engineering Graphics) as part of their degree requirements.</p>

<p>The discipline-specific introductory course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of a specific field within engineering. All departments provide a 1-hour introductory course. Some departments have a second 1-hour course that provides additional information regarding that specific discipline.</p>

<p>Teaming</p>

<pre><code>* New engineering students are advised and encouraged to schedule their core university freshman classes in groups of 20-25 helping them meet and connect with other engineering students, quickly forming friendships and study groups. The result is a small school atmosphere within a large university environment, which helps ensure successful student transition to college life.

  • Free tutoring for core math, science, and engineering courses is a service provided by the College of Engineering and conducted by upper-level engineering students. New students are exposed to successful engineering student role models, leaders and mentors while also obtaining a student’s insight and perspective in their engineering discipline.
    </code></pre>

<p>Q & A</p>

<p>When will these new ENGR classes be offered? ENGR 111, ENGR 131, ENGR 151, and all the discipline-specific introductory courses will be offered starting in Fall 2010. ENGR 141, ENGR 161 and ENGR 171 will be offered starting in Spring 2011.</p>

<p>What is the new ENGR 111 course?
This course provides students with insights regarding the problems and tasks that engineers will confront in future years. Providing an overview to the engineering profession, it focuses on the challenges facing society (environmental, energy, medical, computational, etc.) and the role that engineering will play in addressing these challenges.</p>

<p>What are the new ENGR 131 and 141 courses?
ENGR 131 and 141 focus on ensuring that all students entering their sophomore year of engineering studies have the basic skills necessary to successfully complete these foundational courses. Both courses are structured as a once-a-week three-hour laboratory experience, providing plenty of time for hands-on activities.</p>

<p>What is the new ENGR 151 course?</p>

<p>ENGR 151 uses pencil-and-paper techniques to understand the basics of graphical communication. It consists of a series of online modules (lectures) plus a weekly recitation section where students apply the principles covered in the online modules.</p>

<p>Do you have anywhere if this applies to Computer Science also? Technically a UA Engineering Dept. major.</p>

<p>So will there no longer be an introduction to engineering, that gives an overview of all engineering disciplines, which is beneficial to kids undecided on what kind of engineering they want to study?</p>

<p>^^^</p>

<p>I can see where Eng 111 will provide some overview. ** Providing an overview to the engineering profession, it focuses on the challenges facing society (environmental, energy, medical, computational, etc.) and the role that engineering will play in addressing these challenges.**</p>

<p>The problem was that the original overview class was too boring for those who knew the direction of engineering that they were interested in. It was a 2 credit class, but (if I remember correctly, it was about 4 class hours per week.) The improved program will be a big improvement, I think.</p>

<p>Of course, any prospective engineering student who isn’t sure of his/her area, should definitely talk to Dr. Cordes below.</p>

<p>For those who want more info…</p>

<p>David Cordes, PhD <a href=“mailto:cordes@cs.ua.edu”>cordes@cs.ua.edu</a></p>

<p>Professor and Department Head, Department of Computer Science
Director, Freshman Engineering Program
The University of Alabama</p>

<p>Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0290</p>

<p>Here’s some info that he provided earlier…</p>

<p>*The College of Engineering is moving to a common freshman year for all students. It consists of math, science, English, and a set of five one-hour engineering (ENGR) courses. The engineering courses are described in more detail in the attached PDF file. Each discipline is generating its own flowcharts to help students determine the proper sequencing of courses for his/her individual major. We will be distributing them to all students before the summer Bama Bound sessions.</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any other questions about the freshman year.*</p>