BAEN 480 Biological and Agricultural Engineering Design II
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Department: Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Type: W
Status: Approved
REPORT ON RECERTIFICATION OF W COURSE: BAEN 480
CERTIFICATION PERIOD: 9/1/25 to 9/1/29
We recommend that BAEN 480 Biological and Agricultural Engineering Design II be certified as a writing (W) course. We have reviewed a representative syllabus and have determined that the course meets or exceeds the following criteria: (1) 55% of the final grade is based on writing quality; (2) the total number of individual words is 6,400; (3) the instructor to student ratio is 1:25; and (4) the assigned writing is appropriate to the major.
BAEN 480’s individual writing component consists of eight individual project memos and eight team project memos; the collaborative component consists of mid-semester and final engineering design reports. Instructor and GAT comments on early individual and team memos count as formative feedback for subsequent memos, and student teams are required to submit ungraded drafts of both engineering design reports for instructor comments prior to final submission. Writing instruction takes place via project manager meetings and office hours in small groups and review of prior student submissions of assignments in class (both exemplary and flawed models).
CERTIFICATION PERIOD: 9/1/25 to 9/1/29
We recommend that BAEN 480 Biological and Agricultural Engineering Design II be certified as a writing (W) course. We have reviewed a representative syllabus and have determined that the course meets or exceeds the following criteria: (1) 55% of the final grade is based on writing quality; (2) the total number of individual words is 6,400; (3) the instructor to student ratio is 1:25; and (4) the assigned writing is appropriate to the major.
BAEN 480’s individual writing component consists of eight individual project memos and eight team project memos; the collaborative component consists of mid-semester and final engineering design reports. Instructor and GAT comments on early individual and team memos count as formative feedback for subsequent memos, and student teams are required to submit ungraded drafts of both engineering design reports for instructor comments prior to final submission. Writing instruction takes place via project manager meetings and office hours in small groups and review of prior student submissions of assignments in class (both exemplary and flawed models).