EGR 402 Writing Assignments

Winter 2008

Dr. Phil Rosenkrantz

EGR 402 Page | Blackboard

Revised 10/20/09  

Format for two-page papers:

1. Two-pages, double-space, one side of paper. Staple in upper left hand corner.
2. No cover sheet or report cover.
3. Title in top center: Paper #1, etc.
4. Name in top right corner with EGR 402 and date (single spaced).
5. One-inch margins all around with 12 point font, Times New Roman preferred.

Policy for Late papers:

1. Full-credit: Turned in on time at the beginning of class on the date requested as a hard copy.
2. 5% penalty: Turned in later in the day or emailed instead of turned in as hard copy.
3. 10%/day penalty: Papers turned in or emailed the next day or each day thereafter will be assessed a 10% per day late penalty.
4. Emailed late papers (see below) should have in the subject header: EGR 402 Lastname, Firstname Paper #X

Grading Rubric:

Papers will have a maximum grade of 40 points based on the subjective evaluation of the instructor:

36-40 points - Thoughtful response that reflects some depth of thinking on the topic. Not trite or superficial with little or no fluff (see box included with assignment #2 below for an example of "fluff"). Well-written with very few grammatical and/or spelling errors. Scores of 39-40 are reserved for exemplary papers that exhibit reflective thought as well as good analysis. (Note: Students who have difficulty writing should ask for proof reading assistance from friends or other qualified people. The Writing Center is also available to help students with this type of work)

32-35 Met the requirements but without any notable insight or discovery. Moderate depth of thinking. May have grammatical and/or spelling errors. May have had too much "fluff".

28-31 Met some of the requirements, but not all. May not have shown signs of gaining insight or learning. May contain a lot of facts that would be considered common knowledge. Little depth and perhaps too many generalities. May be very poorly written.

<=27 Did not meet requirements

Paper	Topics & Information (Subject to change! will be updated throughout the quarter)
#1	Tell about yourself (major, where you are from, major, when you will graduate, what you plan to do, etc.). Also tell something you hope to get out of the course. Follow instructions for papers shown above.
#2	Chapter 4 is more than just a study of the Challeger Disaster. However, the Challenger case is good for looking at a situation from many different viewpoints and analyzing the various concepts in the chapter. Page 1 of Topic Paper: Choose one question from discussion questions 5, 6 or 7 on page 105 of your book and write one page in response. Page 2 of Topic Paper: Then, write one page devoted to the two most important things you personally learned from the Challeger Disaster case and why. Remember, you can draw upon the information in the text, the video, and other resources. The table below are the class discussion topics (not paper topics) Groups Class Discussion Topics - Related to the space shuttle disaster (Read pages 95-102 from text). Also helpful is: Roger Boisjoly on the Challenger Disaster Group 1 Roger Boisjoly - From what you have learned about Roger, did he take appropriate action for the situation? What could he have done differently? What did you learn from him? Group 2 Corporate Structure of Morton Thiokol and NASA - Analyze the Challenger Case from the standpoint of the corporate structure, chain of command, or interpersonal dynamics within Morton Thiokol and NASA. (A list of the Morton Thiokol people involved) Group 3 Media Hype - What was the impact of events of the launch related to "teacher in space" Christa MacAuliffe. What was going on that may have caused NASA to ignore safety considerations the way they did? Group 4 Informed Consent - Page 81 - The principle of "informed consent" requires that people who are "at-risk" in a situation have the right to be informed of that risk (or danger) by their employer, researchers, or other institutions involved. Study the principle of informed consent and comment on how that principle was invoked or ignored in this case. Group 5 Graphical information - The engineers trying to stop the launch were unable to present convincing evidence of the danger to representatives of management and NASA. The graphical information shown on page 99 shows some of what was available and/or used by the engineers to illustrate the o-ring danger. Analyze what happened and what you think should have happened to the data in order to avoid missing the important information. Discuss the importance, if any, of being able to use descriptive statistics. Group 6 "Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat" - Discuss the logic of this statement and what happened at the late evening telecon where Vice President Jerry Mason said this to Robert Lund (see pages 98-99). Fluff! Please note that you are only being asked to write two pages on these papers. These pages are not supposed to be wasted re-telling commonly known facts that are general knowledge, sometimes known as "fluff". Padding your paper with dramatic sentences that add no value is also fluff. Each paragraph should be thoughtful analysis, demonstrate your depth of knowledge and thinking, and address the questions being asked. Example of what NOT to write: "Millions of school children looked on in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in mid-air. The lives of seven of our most talented astronauts were snuffed out. Below freezing temperatures in Florida contributed to the disaster. The o-rings in the booster rocket were too cold and failed to do their job and hold back the exhaust gases. The result was a huge flaming ball of exploding gases that was seen on live television all over the world. It was a needless tragedy that we can all learn from...BLAH-BLAH-BLAH."
#3	EGR 402-01 8:00 a.m. only (paper #3 not assigned for EGR 402H-02): Safety/Cost/Environment Related Case - Using the library, internet, professional journals, newspaper archives, and other sources of current information, research a topic from the handout (linked below). Look at the topic from all angles and then respond to the situation as instructed in the assignment handout. Normal requirements for two-page papers apply to the assignment. Download Instructions for Paper #3 - Winter 08 (MS Word Doc)
#4	Managerial Ethics Interview Assignment - Download instructions based on class section: EGR 402-01 (8:00 a.m class): Download Assignment #4 Instructions and Interview Questions (MS Word Doc) EGR 402H-02 (1:00 p.m. Honors College class - Paper #4 counts double): Download Assignment #4 Instructions and Interview Questions (MS Word Doc)
#5	Final Paper - EGR 402 is a GE Synthesis course. One objective of a synthesis course is to tie together and add depth to previous coursework. Please write a one-page paper that addresses two open-ended questions: 1. What did you get out of the course? Your answer could include changes in perspective, understanding, values, interests in something, abilities, or anything that would apply. 2. What worked and what could be done to make the course more effective? Please share your ideas about what seemed to work in meeting the objectives of the course and any ideas about what could be done to improve the course (format, methods, assignments, activities, refreshments, color of the walls, etc.) You can address the course in its entirety.