At the end of the GLE 478 course, the student should be able to:

1. list the various methods of decision making,

2. describe factors which affect decisions,

3. perform basic project management and scheduling,

4. describe how to work effectively in a team, and

5. begin the next semester with a well-defined, sponsored senior-design project.

The course consists of one one-hour session per week. The schedule of sessions is as follows:

Introduction & Project Organization

Importance of Planning & Goals

Decision Making I

Project Scheduling

Project Checkpoint

Decision Making II

Decision Making III

Team Dynamics

Project Checkpoint

Team Assessment

Final Project Presentations

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

The course is designed to prepare the student for the spring semester’s work (GLE 479) around a specific topic and project. This course provides a number of skills needed to complete that project successfully. These skills include decision making based on economics, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, constructability, and sustainability issues. By the end of the semester, the student will have devised a sufficiently detailed work plan describing their project.

Within the Geological Engineering Program, this course helps provide key educational outcomes as listed below:

a. an ability to apply knowledge and principles of mathematics, science, and engineering to geological engineering problems. This includes differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, and geological science topics that emphasize geologic processes, the identification of minerals and rocks, geophysics, and field methods. This also includes engineering science topics such as statics, properties/strength of materials, and geomechanics.

c. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, constructability, and sustainability. This requires exposure to topics such as surface and near-surface natural processes, the impacts of construction projects, disposal of wastes, and site remediation.

d. an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams

e. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve geological engineering problems in space and time. This includes the knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of earth materials, surface water, ground water and their distribution.

f. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.

g. an ability to communicate effectively

h. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.

i. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning

j. a knowledge of contemporary issues

k. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.