Course Syllabus

Syllabus

ECE 6010: Professional developmenT

Instructors

Prof. Cynthia Furse Links to an external site.

(with emphasis in the Research and Development sections)

With support from:

Literature and Patent Review: Dr. Donna Ziegenfuss(Marriott Library)

Career Development Prof.: AJ Metz (Ed Psych)

Mentor Development Prof.: Karen Tao(EdPsych)

Business Dr. Arabella Bhutto

Patents Alfred Mowdood and Tallie Casucchi

 

Communication and office hours

Please review the communication methods and requirements for this course:

Preferred Contact Methods

The easiest way to contact your instructor directly is to use the   Inbox, located in the far left Canvas menu.

You can also contact your instructor in the following ways:

Office Hours

Dr. Furse Tuesdays 1-2pm  Zoom https://utah.zoom.us/j/3465351400 

Or By appointment

Goals & Objectives

At the end of this course, students will have a formal process for and be able to:

  • Research Development Outcomes
    • Identify a research area of potential interest to them, and begin to narrow it down to a research question of interest.
    • Complete an initial review of professional literature (journals, conference proceedings, workshop and textbook information). Identify areas of potential research.
    • Complete an initial review of business literature (patents, business surveys, etc.). Identify areas of potential innovation.
    • Prepare an initial research development plan.
  • Career Development Outcomes
    • Prepare an Individual Development Plan (IDP), and create a plan for continual progress towards this plan.
    • Identify multiple potential career paths of interest, and what is needed for each.
    • Identify key skills to work on during graduate school, and specific methods to reach these goals.
  • Mentoring and Team Development Outcomes
    • Identify key mentors to match the research and career development skill goals.
    • Instigate mentoring and networking interactions in academia, industry, etc.
    • Identify team development skills, and healthy team skills.
    • Prepare a mentoring / network development plan.

Course content Overview

Course ECE 6010 (all sections)
Department Electrical and Computer Engineering
Pre-Requisites Graduate status (or provisional graduate status) in engineering. Undergraduates by permission.
Credit Hours 0-3 credits (variable). In future, we may offer both a 1credit (information only) and 3 credit (information + practice). Students and team members may also register for 0 credit (and pay no tuition) this semester, and most likely in the future as well.
Semester Spring 2025
Description  

The purpose of this course is for graduate students to explore a variety of career options (industry, academia, national labs, policy), and the skills that can lead to strong career success and technical leadership. The course covers Career Development, Research Development, and Network/Mentoring Development and is variable credit, allowing students to select assignments from each area to best fit their interests and needs. Career Development includes creation of an Individual Development Plan (IDP), team and leadership skills, preparation for career fairs, interviews with stakeholders to explore career options, and more. Research Development is based on the Lean Canvas approach which encourages research students to explore their research area not only in the traditional way (professional literature) but also business and patent literature, and direct interviews/visits with professionals working in their field who may later be users of their research output. Network and Mentoring Development helps students develop a formal mentoring plan, find people to help guide their individual areas of growth, and learn skills to effectively engage with mentors and their professional network throughout their careers.
 

Course Content

 

RESEARCH MODULES

  • Research problem identification
  • Using standard reference management software
  • Identify stakeholders that could help you understand the problem
  • Stakeholder mapping
  • Curate a literature citation collection
  • Conduct a scholarly literature review of the problem/suggested innovation
  • Learn about the intellectual property landscape
  • Explore patent searching through case examples
  • Be able to find five patents relevant to your idea
  • Introduction to the resources available through the Marriott Library
  • Connect the problem you identified to the existing solutions and perceived value
  • Steps to conducting a stakeholder interview
  • Team work

 

MENTORING MODULES

  • Understanding definition of mentoring
  • Identify your level of readiness to begin a mentoring relationship
  • Recognize bidirectional nature of mentoring
  • Identify how personal characteristics and values influence your mentoring relationships or work within a team
  • Understand types of mentoring relationships
  • Psychological, social, and cultural influences on your life as a student
  • Learn about the imposter syndrome
  • Identify your expectations and boundaries in mentoring relationships
  • Recognize the significance of peer mentoring
  • Explore how your personality type and interpersonal style may be influencing your professional relationships
  • Having candid conversations
  • Effective communication within a mentoring relationship
  • Strategies for addressing negative interactions within your mentor-mentee relationships

 

CAREER DEVELOPMENT MODULES

  • Importance of intentional career planning
  • Process of creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP)
  • Develop and present a concise elevator pitch
  • Understand how the nature of work is changing and the need to develop “future work” skills
  • Identify ways to raise low self-efficacy beliefs
  • Adopt a growth mindset and a “Not Yet” attitude towards feedback
  • Understand the value of conducting informational interviews with people in industry
    • Learn helpful interviewing tips
    • Assess your interviewing strengths and weaknesses
    • Improve interview skills and speak with confidence
    • Attend a career fair at the U
    • Gain tips for interacting with employers at a career fair
    • Learn about the components of an effective thank-you note
  • Create a compelling resume
  • Learn how your social media presence can positively or negatively influence your job search
  • Attend a career panel with recruiters from various industries
  • Understand the five most important time management skills and how to acquire them
  • Gain a deeper understanding of procrastination and ways to stop putting things off
  • School-Work-Life Balance
  • Self-Care
  • Time Management
  • Stress Management
  • Mindfulness Meditation
  • Developing leadership skills
    • Active listening
    • Emotional intelligence
    • Speaking assertively
    • Conflict resolution

Required Materials

Materials required for this course are available in each module. No additional materials need to be purchased. You will need a computer or tablet to access Zoom.

Course Schedule

Recommended weeks for each module are listed in the title of the module and recommended due dates for assignments. Assignments will be accepted at any time. Modules will be posted prior to their indicated weeks.

Course Policies

Submitting Assignments

All assignments, unless otherwise announced, must be submitted to the designated area of Canvas. Do not submit assignments via email.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will be accepted without penalty, through the last day of classes, however you will get the most out of this course if you keep up with the assignments.

Guidelines for Use of AI

In this course, you will be doing several research, writing, and personal thought assignments. AI may be a useful tool for helping you with this, however, everything you turn in should be your own concepts and ideas. Here are some guidelines for the course:

1) Read and adhere to ECE policy on AI and Plagiarism

2) All ideas you submit in the class must be your own work.

3) AI can be a helpful tool for research and exploration, and you are welcome to use it a such (please remember to cite its use). You are responsible to check and verify the validity of everything you submit. Please be aware that AI may make things up (e.g. making up citations, misrepresenting ideas, misunderstanding what you are seeking, etc.). You are responsible to check and be sure what you submit is correct and valid.

4) If you use AI, you must cite how you used it. AI often picks up segments from other sources and reuses them without attribution. If you claim this work to be your own, that would be plagiarism. Always give details on how you use AI in your work. It is often good practice to write your own ideas down first, and use AI only as an editor for grammar and smoothing how the text reads. Even then, be sure to read it carefully. Often it leaves things in like "specify your name here"...  I am not going to be grading on how beautifully your sentences are put together, and would rather read your genuine thoughts rather than AI's prose anyway.  I do appreciate generally reasonable grammar and spelling, which word processors are very good at helping with.

Learning to use AI well is a good skill for your career. I'm learning right alongside you on this one, so welcome hearing what you find works well and doesn't work well in your experiences throughout the course.

Grading

The course is variable credit. We have assigned points to each assignment based on the general (VERY general) formula that 2 hours of effort (generally 1 of preparation + 1 of activity) = 10 points. For each 1 credit you are taking, 150 points = A and 120 points = B. Multiply these numbers by how many credits you are taking. (For 2 credits, 300 points is an A; for 3 credits, 450 points is an A, etc.) You can do any combination of assignments of your choosing to get credits.   

Accommodations

Disclaimer

Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and may require documentation.

Please contact your instructor and/or teaching assistant as soon as possible (preferably shortly before the semester begins) to request accommodations of any kind.

Extreme Circumstances

Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if an extreme personal circumstance
(hospitalization, death of a close relative, natural disaster, etc.) is interfering with your ability to complete your work.

Religious Practice

To request an accommodation for religious practices, contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Active Duty Military

If you are student on active duty with the military and experience issues that prevent you from participating in the course because of deployment or service responsibilities, contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

Disability Access

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services (CDS). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.

If you will need accommodations in this class, contact:

Center for Disability Services
801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu
162 Union Building
    200 S. Central Campus Dr.
     Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Changes to the Syllabus

This syllabus is not a contract. It is meant to serve as an outline and guide for your course. Please note that your instructor may modify it to accommodate the needs of your class.

You will be notified of any changes to the Syllabus.

Expectations

Student Expectations

Though the online format allows students greater flexibility to complete their work, this course does have a structure and timeline! As such, the following is expected of all students in this class:

  • Students must be self-motivated, organized, and willing to stay on top of their schedule. Students should take control of their learning while in this course.
  • Students are expected to follow the Core Rules of Netiquette at all times while participating in the class and communicating with others.
  • Students will log in to the course a minimum of 3 times per week.
  • Students are not expected to interact with their classmates in person. Students may be expected to work with classmates via online communication options like Canvas Discussions, video conferencing, or another communication technologies of choice (Groupme, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, etc).
  • Students will regularly check for course updates and will update their Canvas notification settings to ensure they receive timely notifications from the course.
  • Students will contact their instructor or teaching assistant in a timely manner if they have any questions, are struggling with course materials, or need further assistance from their instructor.
    • If you do not hear back within 3 days after sending a message, please contact your instructor/TA again.
  • Students will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, academic dishonesty, and other rights and responsibilities of students outlined in the University of Utah Student Handbook and Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Instructor Expectations

Your course instructor is an expert in the topics you will learn about this semester. Your instructor is your mentor and facilitator of the classroom experience, aided by teaching assistants. Instructors are committed to:

  • The instructor will design the course to include lectures, learning materials, and assignments that are accessible and provide students with opportunities to learn and practice course content.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will ensure that the course remains a safe space where students can engage with difficult content thoughtfully and respectfully.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will interact with the class regularly via announcements, virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), emails/the Canvas Inbox, feedback on assignments, and comments on Discussions, among other methods.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will respond to students in a timely manner: within 48 hours, not including weekends and holidays.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will be available for individual consultation via virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), email, or phone and will not require students to meet in person.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will provide relevant feedback in a timely manner.
  • The instructor and teaching assistants will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, accommodations, and other important duties.

ECE Department Policies

Department policies describe the following:

  • Challenging Courses
  • Student Conduct
  • Class Repeats
  • Withdrawal Procedure
  • Exceptions to Policy
  • Permission Codes
  • Probationary Status
  • Grading

For technical issues in the lab (broken equipment, software issues, etc) please send an email that describes the issue, description of setup where error occurred, which bench station, etc to: ecelabs@coe.utah.edu

For student concerns and other feedback, please fill out the form at: https://www.ece.utah.edu/studentfeedback

College of Engineering Policies

College policies describe the following:

  • Appeals
  • Withdrawing from Classes
  • Adding Classes
  • Repeating Courses
  • CR/NC Policy
  • Safety

University Policies

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities.

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability & Access (CDA). CDA will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.

In compliance with ADA requirements, some students may need to record course content. Any recordings of course content are for personal use only, should not be shared, and should never be made publicly available. In addition, recordings must be destroyed at the conclusion of the course.

If you will need accommodations in this class, or for more information about what support they provide, contact:

Center for Disability & Access

801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu

Third Floor, Room 350
Student Services Building
201 S 1460 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Safety at the U

The University of Utah values the safety of all campus community members. You will receive important emergency alerts and safety messages regarding campus safety via text message. For more safety information and to view available training resources, including helpful videos, visit safeu.utah.edu.

To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort, contact:

Campus Police & Department of Public Safety

801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Addressing Sexual Misconduct

Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information.

If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to university officials: 

Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX

801-581-8365
oeo.utah.edu
135 Park Building
201 Presidents' Cir.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Office of the Dean of Students

801-581-7066
deanofstudents.utah.edu
270 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

To file a police report, contact:

Campus Police & Department of Public Safety

801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

If you do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities, the U's Victim-Survivor Advocates provide free, confidential, and trauma-informed support services to students, faculty, and staff who have experienced interpersonal violence.

To privately explore options and resources available to you with an advocate, contact:

Center for Campus Wellness

801-581-7776
wellness.utah.edu
350 Student Services Building
201 S. 1460 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Academic Misconduct

It is expected that students comply with University of Utah policies regarding academic honesty, including but not limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one’s work, and/or inappropriately collaborating. This includes the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Students are expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the profession/discipline for which they are preparing. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah’s Student Code: Policy 6-410: Student Academic Performance, Academic Conduct, and Professional and Ethical Conduct.

Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on an individual assignment, and/or failure in the course. Academic misconduct, according to the University of Utah Student Code:

“...Includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one’s work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information…It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.”

For details on plagiarism and other important course conduct issues, see the U's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.