CE 474 - Traffic Systems Design
Fall 2007

Meeting Times
Instructor Information
Office Hours
Prerequisites
Requirements
Examinations
Expectations
Learning Styles
Communications
Assessments

Meeting Times
This class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 130 pm to 220 pm and on Tuesdays from 930 am to 1220 pm from August 20th, 2007 through December 5th, 2007 in BEL 117.

Instructor Information
Michael Kyte, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor, Civil Engineering
Director, National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology
115C Engineering-Physics Building
Moscow, ID 83844-0901
208.885.6002 (voice)
mkyte@uidaho.edu (email)
http://www.webs1.uidaho.edu/mkyte (home page)

Instructor Office Hours
Mondays, 300 pm - 430 pm
Wednesdays, 300 pm - 430 pm
Other times by appointment only

Teaching Assistant
Adam Miles
amiles@vandals.uidaho.edu
Office: EPB 106
Office hours: Thursday, 100 pm - 300 pm

Prerequisites
CE372 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. 

Requirements
Your grade in this class will be determined by your performance in completing assignments, participating in class discussions, and the quality of your work on examinations. The table below lists the weight for each of the factors that will determine your final grade.

Assignments
Assignments will be made and collected periodically.  You will be expected to turn in these assignments when they are due. Late assignments will not be accepted.  All assignments, unless otherwise noted, should be turned in electronically.  Please follow this file naming protocol when turning in assignments. For individual assignments: “your name”_Axx.xxx. For example, if John Smith was turning in assignment 2 using Excel: Smith_A02.xls For team assignments: “teamname_Lxx.xxx: For example, if Team 3 was turning in Lab 3 using MS Word: Team3_L03.doc.

Examinations
Exams will be held during class 17 (September 26) and class 41 (November 28).  There will be no final examination.

Expectations
Here are some other things that I expect of you during class:

• I expect you to attend all classes. Your input and contribution is very important. If you are not in class, we cannot learn from you, and you cannot learn from other students. 
• I expect that you will come to each class prepared, having completed any reading assignments or homework assignments, and ready to discuss the readings and your assignment results.
• I expect you to be on-time for each class. If you are late, you not only disrupt others in the class when you enter, but you will miss out on important information. 
• I expect that you will participate fully in all classes and that you will not work on other class assignments or on computers during our class time.
• I expect you to turn in all assignments on time. Late assignments will not be accepted. 
• I expect you to ask when you have a question. If you do not understand something that is being discussed, it is likely that others in the class do not understand as well. Asking questions is a very important part of the learning process. 
• I expect that the work that you complete will be your best effort and of the highest quality. Learning to do work of high quality is important now and when you begin your career as a transportation engineer. 
• I expect that you will work with others in the class on assignments. Working in teams is important in today’s engineering environment. 
• I expect that the work that you turn in will be your own work, not copied or unfairly extracted from other students or other sources.
• I expect you to be honest in your dealings with me and others in the class.  High ethical standards are one of the cornerstones in engineering education and practice.
• I expect you to respect me and your fellow students.
• I expect that you will learn and have fun!

Learning styles
We all learn in different ways.  Some people prefer a strict lecture format in which the instructor presents new material during each class session.  Other people prefer a more participatory style in which students take an active role during the class. 

I believe that a combination of both styles is appropriate.  Sometimes, I will present new information in a lecture-style format.  I will endeavor, however, to make these kinds of presentations as open as possible, asking questions as I go along.  At other times, you will have problems to work on in a small group, giving you a chance to more actively (and deeply) learn the material. 

Communications 
It is increasingly common for engineers to work together in a cooperative manner on design and analysis projects.  Thus, problem solving in small groups helps to provide you with more of the experience of learning to work effectively with others and learn how to communicate your ideas and concepts to others.  I will attempt to facilitate this more active, cooperative learning as much as possible.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of clear communications, either in group discussions, in oral presentations, or in written reports.  To give you more experience in this important area, I will periodically ask you to present the results of your homework assignments to the class.  I will try to give you clear instructions on my expectations for each of your assignments.  Give yourself the time to both complete the technical portion of the assignment and to communicate your results clearly and effectively.

Assessments
I will conduct assessments periodically during the semester so that I can get a better idea from you regarding how I'm doing my job.  Constructive, thoughtful feedback is very much appreciated!