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Syllabus: Expectations of Students

The model of this course is a job in "the real world" after graduation, where your team activity represents a contracted project for a client. UT-Austin has a new focus for "Service Learning" courses, and this class is one of the long-term models for this category of course. (This class was the first to receive UT's Service Learning Award.)

You will be in class on campus, and in the field at The City of Austin's Hornsby Bend Center for Environmental Research (CER) located near the airport. Simulating the "real world," your work at the CER will be treated as a "contract job" with your client, the City of Austin. Your official contact person is Kevin Anderson, Director of the CER.

Your project is planned with and approved by him. Changes must be negotiated with him. He requires a written report (the team web site) and a copy of your data must be given to him as "hard copy" at the end of the project. There are formal communication and reporting requirements to him that are mandated by US Homeland Security regulations imposed on the City of Austin. You must adhere to these as required. (For special circumstances a project may be elsewhere, and an equivalent requirement will be established. A realistic context must become part of your team project plan.)

In unusual circumstances you might be working at another site. If so, the all team members will be responsible for maintaining permission expectations, and have contact procedures, reporting or other requirements clearly stated and maintained. In all cases, individual safety is a primary consideration for team leaders and individuals on the team. Be sure there is a clear understanding of notification, emergency procedures, and special local requirements.

This class has a 4 hour credit (3 hour for graduate credit).  Typically, after the first 3 weeks class meets once a week. Remaining class time commitment (for 3-credit hours, 6-8hr per week directly on project work (excluding travel and preparation time) is for the field or lab activities. Preparation and assignments require additional time, as typical for most classes. Study and homework is generally estimated to be about 3 hours per credit hour, or about 12 hours a week; estimated class commitment thereby is 2hr class, 9hr project & 12hr prep and reports, a total 23 hours. Building your team web is one of these homework/study requirements, and maintaining your Learning Record is an additional one. Graduate student expectations are similar, but as team leaders, you have an additional hour a week for meetings with other project leaders (similar to an executive council). Team leaders are required to attend, and team members may attend if they wish. (Note: if an undergraduate is designated to be a project leader, this responsibility will require additional time with the instructor and TA for leadership guidance. (This is a special opportunity to extend yourself and have an opportunity that can be reflected in subsequent recommendations from the instructor.)

In summary, the class credit hours translate into actual "work hours" (excluding preparation and travel) in approximately the following ways:

• Classroom = 6 hours/wk (lower after projects develop and field work begins)
   

• Field/lab = 6-9 hours/wk (with significant variation due to nature of "field work")
   

• Preparation/assignments = 12 hours/wk (more as class nears completion, compensated if previous work is well done)
   

• Total class time = 20-24 hours/wk
  (the actual time varies, depending on the requirements and management skills to move your project along the time line)
   

• WARNING! There is little chance for "makeup" work since the weather and seasonal changes cannot be delayed or repeated. You must develop a pattern of "being on schedule" or suffering serious consequences in data gaps, lost opportunities, ... and grade.

Classes are designed to introduce concepts and techniques, and to review progress. One of the most important habits that you must learn for "real world" work is accountability and record of productivity for your time and work. Each week you must enter into your team progress report (with elaboration in your LRO):

• What you have done (an investment of heartbeats),
   

• When you did it (efficiency and effectiveness patterns),
   

• How it related to your team responsibilities (accountability & productivity),
   

• Description of your contribution moving the project along the project time line (evaluation of plan and possible revisions), and
   

• Impt.: Deficiencies or surprises and plan revisions will be discussed in your team meetings (part of the record of these meetings). You will learn that these meetings are one of the most important characteristics of an effective team (including a marriage), and the note-taking procedure likely will become a characteristic of any significant collaboration you have in the future.

Keep your Team Coordinator informed about scheduling variations that you need and enter these become part of the team "work schedule" for the week. It is each team member's  responsibility to keep their TC informed about schedule changes. The work needs for your project can thereby be met. Timely and accurate communication is essential. The time and activity record will help document that you are learning to function responsibly in a team. The activity records are included in your Learning Record as a supporting document.

After about two weeks, you will meet one class a week as a team group (typically including your instructor, TA, or client), and as needed this meeting willl be associated with your team at your project site (or elsewhere as appropriate). This means that a typical week will require you to spend around 20 hours on class activities. However, you will need to plan your time and focus your activities. I recommend that you explicitly reserve an additional 15 hours a week and have "flex time" for the remainder.

The final determination of individual work schedules will be that you "do whatever it takes" to get your job done well.

Your field and lab work will be monitored and you will be evaluating your own work each week. A work plan and schedule must be developed to coordinate schedules of all individuals involved, including instructor(s). As a team, each of you is responsible to plan, coordinate with your team partners, maintain a record of activities and evaluate the results. These records are part of your project and learning supporting data. The records are important for team record and as supporting documents for the individual Learning Records of team members. Each member is responsible for accuracy and completeness of this record.

We will arrange the formal time for everyone on a team to meet together at least once a week. This time and location may be modified as necessary to allow everyone to attend. It is essential that you be present; emergency interference must be documented or prior permission of your team leader must be obtained. This meeting time may be in the evening so that it does not conflict with field work. In Texas, the weather often can be disagreeable. You probably need to plan your field work accordingly, and indoor lab work otherwise. Note the following basic principles of safe and effective field work, all of which you are expected to maintain:

  After the class begins, each meeting in the classroom will include a brief progress update by a member of each each team. These presentations are relatively brief and report the things you observed and what you learned about field techniques during the past week. You will will learn from reports of others in the class, and expand the implications of your own observations. These meetings are required unless you have specific approval for an alternative mode of reporting. In some cases this will be by posting your observations and interpretations on the class listserv. Whether reported in class or not, you are encouraged to discuss what you are learning in class space in Blackboard. Your presentations, and those you hear from others increase everyone's awareness of what you are learning and the implications of your project. These postings and the ideas they generate are components of what you record in your LRO. You may record other observations and include photographs as appropriate in both your project activity log and your LRO.

Each team will construct a web site that is the documentation of what you do, and this must be completed by August. (This record documents what you do, along with your individual learning observations recorded in your LRO). Your class grade will not be reported until this web site is completed and approved, and you have completed your Self Evaluation as part of your LRO. CD copies of your class web must be turned in with your final team report to the Class at the end of the semester, and your web will be installed and tested as a part of the class web.

Report and illustrate what you accomplish on the last class (or when scheduled). (We may have class both scheduled days this week, as done at the beginning of the semester.) The last week or two of the class will compare results from each team, summarizing the implications that you discover regarding the questions and techniques that work well together, and why other techniques are/were less appropriate. Also, during this time, you will summarize your understanding from your project in a more generalized way, styled as a naturalist and project coordinator/member. Many discussions through the class and field exercises will present observations, problems, management processes, expected results, and numerous other things for you to ponder during the class. We encourage you to use your ability to step back and integrate the implications of your field activities with your observations about your site and other sites. You will summarize what you have learned in your Self Evaluation, which becomes the basis of your grade. Plan to finish this by April 30^th. This, with the associated documentation, is an important resource for me if I prepare any recommendations for you in the future (job applications, graduate school applications, award applications, etc.)

No grade will be awarded until your Learning Record, Self Evaluation and team web site are completed and approved for content and quality, including hard copy of your data to Kevin Anderson for work at Hornsby Bend. Do not procrastinate!