Global/Communications /Business Initiatives Update

Bob DotyCindy Fry

Randall JeanGreg LemanRishi Sriram

Advocate Board Update April 28, 2006

Global/Communications /Business Initiatives

Update from last BOA meeting:

a two-course sequencea two-course sequence

Focus on InstructionInstruction Focus on ImplementationImplementation

“Global Business

andCommunication”

“TechnologyEntrepreneurship”

Cindy Fry- Senior Lecturer of Computer Science

Work To Be Done:

Approval of the course alternatives– Global Business & Communications (taught in

ECS)– Technology Entrepreneurship (taught in HSB)

Implementation/Staffing details for new course (Global Bus & Comm)

Major Economic Topics

Cash Flow and Equivalence(Present Worth, Future Worth, Uniform Series)

Equipment Retirement & Replacement(Depreciation, Book Value, Economic Life, Capitalized Cost)

Comparison of Alternatives(Minimum Attractive Rate of Return, Payback Period, Benefit-Cost Ratio, Break-Even Analysis)

Dr. Bob Doty, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Economic Feasibility Study

Introduction

Background Information

Market Study

Project Engineering

Cost Estimation

Estimation of Revenues

Financing

Technical Communication

Technical communication problems

Goals for technical writing and speaking

Course effectiveness evaluation

Highlight the second course

Your questions, feedback, and response to the course

Mr. Rishi Sriram, Student Success Specialist

Some Quotes

“It isn’t working.”

“Engineering without communication is worthless”

“I feel like I have to take a lot of time out of my class to teach students to write”

Interviews with ECS faculty

Communication Problems

Students write like they talk

Frequent mistakes in grammar, style, etc.

Inability to write clearly and concisely

Lack of know-how with writing technical reports

Presentations are boring, unclear, and sometimes unprofessional

Course Goals

Understand the purpose for technical writing

Master specific elements of writing

Practice creating technical documentation

Understand the subtleties between a poor presentation and a great one

Assessment Project

Assess the value of course compared to:– Economics 3308 (engineering economics)– CSS 3308 (technical speaking)– English 3300 (technical writing)

Conduct evaluation and data analysis

Second Course in Sequence

Technology Entrepreneurship

Taught by Dr. Greg Leman– Clinical professor (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering)– Director of University Entrepreneurial Initiative– Hankamer School of Business

Builds on the first course– Understanding of business models in global society– More implementation of technical writing and speaking

Conclusion

Room for improvement in current courses

Addressing issues identified by faculty and constituents

Practical and helpful course

Assess the effectiveness of course

Offer second course to build on the first

Questions, Feedback, Response

Our purpose here today is to hear from you!