Fall, Spring, and Summer
(2 credits)
Prerequisites: PSE 300, PSE 302
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Fall, Spring, and Summer Prerequisites: PSE 300, PSE 302 |
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Instructor: Dr. Gary M. Scott 319 Walters Hall Phone: x6523 Email: gscott@esf.edu |
PSE 304:Twelve weeks full-time pulp or paper mill employment approved by the Faculty between the junior and senior years. The student must submit a comprehensive report to fulfull this requirement.
PSE 305:One semester full-time pulp or paper mill experience. Work experience as an engineering intern on company-assigned projects. Traditionally, the student works for a semester and adjacent summer, also taking PSE 304. The student must submit a comprehensive report and give a presentation to fulfill this requirement.
Each student will normally complete the requirements of PSE 304 after their Junior year. The period of employment must be at least 12 weeks in order to receive credit for PSE 304. A Co-op experience generally extends the work period into the adjacent spring or fall semester making the entire work experience 7 months long. Both PSE 304 (Summer Mill Experience) and PSE 305 (PSE Co-op Experience) give students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while exploring different career choices.
The student's grade for each of these classes will depend on three main factors including a written report, evaluations by the student's supervisor, and a short presentation given upon return to campus. The guidelines for the report are given on a separate sheet. In general, the report from PSE 304 focuses on the mill or company at which the student works. In contrast, the report from PSE 305 covers the tasks or problems that the student was assigned to. Reports are due by the fourth week of classes after returning to campus.
With the information given on the registration form, evaluation forms will be periodically sent to the student's supervisor at the company near the end of each work period. It is the student's responsibility to see that the forms are filled out and returned. Students for which no evaluation forms are returned will be solely graded on the report and the presentation given.
The student will give a presentation upon returning to campus. The presentation will be 5-10 minutes in length and be given to prospective students that will be going out on their summer or Co-op experience in the following year. The presentation should briefly describe the mill, the work that was done, what was learned from the experience, and advice to students going out on their first work experience. These presentations will be done within the first half of the semester upon returning.
Since final grades for PSE 304 and PSE 305 cannot be given until the report is completed and the presentations given upon return, a tentative grade based on the employer evaluations or incomplete may be given at the end of each grading period. This is done with the understanding that these grades will change upon completion of all the requirements for the course. All of the requirements must be met in order to receive a passing grade.
The student should remain aware that the mill is extending a favor in allowing this experience. The student's conduct at the mill should reflect this awareness. All students are expected to fulfill the commitment that they made at the beginning of the work period with regard to its length, working hours, and job responsibilities. Students not fulfilling their commitment risk losing the privilege of participating in on campus interviews for subsequent summer and Co-op positions, as well as permanent positions. ESF will not help place students that are not responsible with companies that come to interview.
The report must be typewritten on 8 1/2 X 11" paper, and bound in a three-ring binder. It should include a photograph of the author, details of the dates and location of employment, and the name of the student's supervisor. It is important to respect the confidentiality of privileged information. The report should be approved for release by the student's supervisor prior to being submitted for grading. The report is due by the end of the fourth week of classes upon returning to campus. It is the students' responsibility to assure that enough time is allowed for this review by the employer before the due date. Each hour of credit for the class is expected to represent 45 hours of work during the course of the summer or semester. Thus the preparation of the report and the presentation for the summer report should be about 90 hours of work. The student is encouraged to be writing the report throughout the summer and not try to put together the report the week before it is due.
The length of the report will vary with the work situation, but excessive detail is discouraged. The student is urged to use drawings, photographs, pictorial materials, and a reasonable number of product samples when they are available. For each section of the report, page limits are given below. Additional supporting information, including product samples, can be placed in the appendix. The student should prepare a duplicate copy for his own use if they wish to have one.
The reports will be graded on the basis of content (50%), organization (25%), and style (25%). For content the report should present a clear overview, have an appropriate title, logically and clearly present the information, fulfill the assignment, and reflect the writer's viewpoint. For organization, the report should open with an introduction, develop the topics logically in ordered paragraphs, interpret as well as present the data, include transitions between ideas, and provide factual and visual supplements as necessary. For style, the report should be written using an appropriate tone and vocabulary, in sentences that are clear, concise, and fluent, and be without errors in spelling, usage, grammar, and punctuation.
The contents for the two reports are different for PSE 304 and PSE 305. The specific content is described in the following outlines.
Copyright 2006, Gary M. Scott. All rights reserved.