ADJUSTMENT COMPUTATIONS 1/SURE 372
Fall, 2005/06 (3 Credit Hours)

CO-REQUISITE COURSES/SPECIAL SKILLS: SURE 230, SURE 272, MATH 230

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course deals with advanced computational techniques as applied to solving surveying engineering problems. The use of vectors, set theory, partial differentiation, differential equations, statistical inference and hypothesis testing and matrix algebra in the surveying engineering discipline is included. Different types of errors, viz: observational and computational and their effect on surveying calculations are examined.

COURSE OBJECTIVE/FOCUS:

The objective of this course is to give the student the basic mathematical tools necessary for advanced surveying coursework dealing with data adjustments, geodesy and advanced photogrammetry.  At the completion of this course the student should be knowledgeable of set theory and how Boolean logic is applied to surveying and mapping problems, understand vector analysis and perform basic vector operations, have a working knowledge of the creation and manipulation of matrices, be able to perform partial differentiation and error propagation, and understand how to apply statistical principles to surveying and mapping measurements.

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:

COURSE SCHEDULE:

Lecture: M, W, R 10:00 - 10:50, SWN 211

ASSIGNMENTS:

All work will be due on the date specified. Late assignments will be assessed a penalty of 5% per day or fraction thereof. All work must be completed to receive a passing grade for this course. No assignments will be accepted after the unit exam in which the assignment was given.  Each assignment will be submitted in a report folder. A cover sheet will be included with each assignment identifying the assignment, student name, and class. Unless otherwise stated, only one assignment per folder will be accepted.  All work must be completed in pencil on a good quality lined paper such as engineering paper.  All formulas must be shown and identified.  

When working with MathCAD or Visual Basic, define the steps involved in the solution.  In both cases, use comments to identify variables and processes.  While you may think that a variable name is descriptive at the time you write the program, you may find that it is not that intuitive later on.  It is also quite possible that others will not understand the meaning of the variable as well.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

I understand that each student may upon occasion need to be away from class due to illness or other important matters.  The following policy recognizes these life issues but at the same time reflects the real world need to be present in class in order to learn and share  your learning with others in the class.

Each student will be allowed to miss up to 4 classes  without penalty.  These absences may be for any reason and do not require giving me an excuse.  A student who is absent a fifth time will be required to withdraw from the course if this absence occurs during the withdrawal period of the semester.  If this absence occurs after the withdrawal period the student will receive a failing (F) grade in the course.  The four absences a student may have represents nearly 10% of the meeting dates and far exceeds any absence policy that would exist in business, industry or other professional areas.  Please note, being absent is not an acceptable excuse for not being prepared when you return to class.  It is your responsibility to check with you classmates to obtain the information that was covered during lecture and lab periods.

Exceptions to the Attendance Policy (Verification of all exceptions is necessary):

1. A University-sponsored event in which an excused absence from the Vice President for Academic Affairs office is given.
2. Death of a family member or close personal relation (friends, neighbors).
3. Extended hospitalization (this does not apply to a visit to the health center because of a cold or other illness).
4. Jury duty or being subpoenaed to testify in a court case.
5. Dangerous weather conditions in which driving is considered by local authorities to be unsafe (for commuter students).   

Note that exceptions must be discussed with me at the time they occur to be considered an excused absence.  What is not likely to be considered an exception include:

1. Day care problems
2. Employment commitments
3. Being in jail
4. Transportation problems

CLASS CONDUCT

It is essential that everyone in this class establish a mutual respect amongst each other in this class.  Therefore, there are a few simple rules that you will be asked to adhere to, most of these can be defined as good manners.  These rules are:

• Class starts on the hour so please make every effort to arrive on time by planning ahead for any contingencies.
• Class lasts for 50 minutes so do not begin to pack up your books and other items early.  This is very distracting to me and your fellow students.  You are expected to participate throughout the entire class period.
• Turn off all cell phones, pagers, pda's and other electronic devices before class.  If there are extenuating reasons, pleas see me.
• During the lecture, feel free to ask questions, but refrain from conducting personal conversations.  Again, this is very disruptive.
• Sleeping, eating and reading newspapers are not allowed in class.  While in class the student is expected to pay attention and participate in this class and not finish work for another class during this class periods.
• Come to class prepared.  Instructional material students should not be without include, as a minimum, writing material, computer disks and calculators.
• Students are expected to check the web page for this course weekly and students are responsible for all material on this web page along with textbook and other readings.
• When you leave the classroom, please pick up after yourself.  Try to leave the room cleaner than when you found it.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:    

    50% from exams
    50% from homework and other assignments
    100% TOTAL

Students absent from class for a test must make arrangements to take the exam prior to the next class meeting.  Failing to do so will result in a grade of 0%.  It is the student's responsibility to call me to set up a time to make up the test.   Tests will be primarily problem-based with some short-answer questions and definitions.  Make sure that the calculator you bring to the exam is functioning properly.  Periodically through the semester, there may be outside reading assignments that require an overview report.  It will be expected that these reports will be typed and be free of technical and spelling errors.  Assignments with more than 4 combined spelling or grammar errors will be returned to be rewritten.

GRADING POLICIES:         

        90 - 100%   - A Range
        80 - 89%     - B Range
        70 - 79%     - C Range
        60 - 69%     - D Range
          0 - 59%     - F Range

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:  

This class represents a commitment of time and energy for both the faculty and student.  It is expected that the student put in an additional 2-3 hours of work for every credit hour of this course.  This number represents an average and not an absolute maximum threshold.  This means that some students will have to put in even more time to learn the material presented in this course.  Work schedules or other responsibilities do not represent acceptable exceptions to this obligation.

Office hours have been listed above. Other hours can be arranged if necessary. If you have problems, please see me as soon as possible. Waiting until the end of the semester may be too late.

FINAL NOTE:

I reserve the right to make needed and appropriate adjustments in this syllabus

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