Course Syllabus

Course Description

A study of the growing and increasingly intricate problems of controlling and processing the refuse created by urban society. Includes discussion of issues concerning regulations and legislation with major emphasis on solid waste engineering principles.

Course Textbook(s)

Worrell, W. A., Vesilind, P. A., & Ludwig, C. (2017). Solid waste engineering: A global perspective (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Assess the fundamental science and engineering principles of solid waste management. 2. Evaluate the evolution of technologies related to solid waste management. 3. Assess the political environment as it relates to solid waste and solid waste management. 4. Summarize laws and standards related to solid waste management. 5. Describe best practices of solid waste management in an urban society. 6. Relate leadership and management principles to effective solid waste management. 7. Examine the impact of solid waste on human populations. 8. Solve solid waste related problems through collaborative methods of problem solving.

Credits

Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3 hours of college credit.

Course Structure

1. Study Guide: Course units contain a Study Guide that provide students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson, required reading assignments, and supplemental resources.

2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.

3. Unit Lesson: Unit Lessons, which are located in the Study Guide, discuss lesson material. 4. Reading Assignments: Units contain Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook and/or

outside resources. 5. Suggested Reading: Suggested Readings are listed within the Study Guide. Students are encouraged to read the

resources listed if the opportunity arises, but they will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Readings. 6. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): Non-Graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of

study. 7. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are part of all CSU Term courses. More information and specifications can

be found in the Student Resources link listed in the Course Menu bar. 8. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments. Specific information and

instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.

9. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions.

10. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.

MEE 5901, Advanced Solid Waste Management

MEE 5901, Advanced Solid Waste Management 1

CSU Online Library

The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library webpage. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard.

The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail ([email protected]) and telephone (1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.

Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other services.

Unit Assignments

Unit I Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit I Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this assignment, the CSU Math Center has created an example problem using the necessary formulas. Click here to access this example.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit II Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit II Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this assignment, the CSU Math Center has created an example problem using the necessary formulas. Click here to access this example.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit III Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit III Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this Assignment, the CSU Math Center has created example problems using the necessary formulas.

Click here to access the example for question 1. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Click here to access the example for question 2. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Click here to access the example for question 3. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit IV Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit IV Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this Assignment, the CSU Math Center has created example problems using the necessary formulas.

MEE 5901, Advanced Solid Waste Management 2

Click here to access the example for question 2. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Click here to access the example for question 3. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit V Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit V Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this Assignment, the CSU Math Center has created an example problem using the necessary formulas.

Click here to access the example for question 2. This example contains a recorded lesson with audio. Click here for a transcript of this lesson.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VI Scholarly Activity

A local municipality expects to close its landfill in one year, and it has decided to adopt a thermal technology for the treatment of its municipal solid waste. The city needs your help to choose between a traditional municipal waste incinerator and a pyrolysis unit. As a solid waste professional, you have been hired by the city council to provide an analysis of these two technologies.

You are tasked with preparing an executive summary that compares the two technologies. Your summary should contain the following items:

a short description of the technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, their waste products, and their economics; the fundamental science and engineering principles of solid waste management that are involved; the laws or standards that factor into your decision; how your decision will affect the population of the community; and your recommendation and rationale to the city.

Your executive summary should be a minimum of three pages in length. You must use your textbook and at least one resource from the CSU Online Library in your paper, but other academic sources may be used in addition. Any outside information used must be cited in accordance to APA style, and your paper should be formatted in APA style to include a title page, running head, and reference page.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VII Assignment

For this Assignment, you will complete the Unit VII Assignment worksheet. This Assignment will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned in this unit.

Click here to access the template for this Assignment. Save all of your work directly to the template, and submit it in Blackboard for grading.

To assist you with the math required in this Assignment, the CSU Math Center has created an example problem using the necessary formulas. Click here to access this example.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VIII Scholarly Activity

You are an engineer in a design, build, and operate construction firm. The firm has received four requests for proposals (RFPs) and can only respond to one of these. You have been asked to review the RFP from Washentaw County, Michigan, and write up a three-page executive summary for the marketing team. After reading all of the executive summaries, the marketing team will make a decision about which, if any, of the RFPs to respond to.

The RFP from Washentaw County is located here: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/finance/purchasing/online_bids/bid-status-previous-years/previous- year-assets/assets_2010/rfp6518.pdf

Your executive summary should include the following items:

an introduction that includes a detailed overview of the project scope; identification of the required information to be included into the company response to the RFP; your concerns about any of the obligations in the RFP; how any negotiations with Washentaw County could affect the decision (i.e.,What collaborative methods of problem

MEE 5901, Advanced Solid Waste Management 3

solving could be used to solve the marketing team’s problem of choosing an RPF? How could these methods be applied to this situation?); and your justified recommendation to respond or to pass on this business opportunity. This should include a description of the leadership and management principles that factored into your decision.

Also, as stated in the RFP, the criteria for making a decision will depend on the following three areas: price, collection and methodology, and responsiveness to the bid. While you cannot address the price issue, you can cover in your recommendation discussion the collection methodology and the level of detail that you would recommend when responding to the bid.

Your response should be at least three pages in length. At a minimum, you should use information from your textbook to support your answer, but other academic resources may be used as well. Any resources used should by cited in accordance with APA guidelines. Format your response in APA style to include a title page, running head, and reference page.

Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below.

APA Guidelines

The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center.

Grading Rubrics

This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.

Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).

The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions.

The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.

Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”

Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums

These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu.

Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.

Ask the Professor

This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.

Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non- public nature, please feel free to e-mail your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or e-mailed by the professor within 48 hours.

Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.

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Student Break Room

This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers.

Schedule/Grading

The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

Unit I Integrated Solid Waste Management [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit I Study Guide Chapter 1: Integrated Solid Waste Management Chapter 2: Municipal Solid Waste Characteristics and Quantities

Discuss: Unit I Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit I Assignment 10%

Unit II Collecting and Handling Municipal Solid Waste [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit II Study Guide Chapter 3: Collection

Discuss: Unit II Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit II Assignment 10%

Unit III Unit Operations for Processing Municipal Solid Waste [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit III Study Guide Chapter 4: Mechanical Processes

Discuss: Unit III Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit III Assignment 10%

Unit IV Unit Operations for Separating Municipal Solid Waste [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide Chapter 5: Separation Processes

Discuss: Unit IV Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit IV Assignment 10%

Unit V Role of Biological Processes in Stabilizing Municipal Solid Waste [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit V Study Guide Chapter 6: Biological Processes

Discuss: Unit V Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit V Assignment 10%

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Unit VI Role of Thermal Processes in Solid Waste Management [ Weight: 14% ]

Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide Chapter 7: Thermal Processes

Discuss: Unit VI Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VI Scholarly Activity 12%

Unit VII Structure and Design of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills [ Weight: 12% ]

Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide Chapter 8: Landfills

Discuss: Unit VII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VII Assignment 10%

Unit VIII Integrated Resource Management [ Weight: 14% ]

Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide Chapter 9: Toward Integrated Resources Management – Environmental, Political, and Economic Issues

Discuss: Unit VIII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VIII Scholarly Activity 12%

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