University of Michigan

ENGR 101

Solving engineering problems with computer programming in MATLAB and C++.

Canvas
Google Drive
Piazza
Office Hours
Autograder
PrairieLearn
ECoach
Lobster
MatCrab

Week 1

Announcements
Welcome! We're glad to have you in ENGR 101!
Please join us on Tuesday, January 14th for our first lecture! We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Complete the Start of Term Checklist to make sure you're ready to go for ENGR 101.
Labs WILL NOT meet this week.
Professor Office Hours and a high level view of Staff Office Hours will be posted on the website next week. Office hours will be announced shortly after the start of the semester.
We've posted the first three weeks' schedule here, and we'll try to keep "three weeks ahead" for you throughout the semester. You're welcome to work ahead in PrairieLearn if you wish, but we don't expect that. Labs will be linked on the website on Tuesday evenings, and extra credit information will be linked as it becomes available.
For those who are retaking this course, be sure to check the syllabus-- there are specific rules regarding project partnerships there that you need to be aware of.
Start of Term Checklist

Complete BEFORE your first lab.

Read the syllabus , course norms , and FAQ documents.

Find your lab instructor in our Meet the Staff slides!

Join Piazza (go through Canvas the first time; if you have trouble signing up for Piazza via Canvas, you can use the direct sign-up link -- but you MUST sign up with your umich email address!)

Installation guide for C++, MATLAB, VS Code, and more!

Check out PrairieLearn where you will do homework, lecture reflections, and assessments.

Watch this ECoach video.

Extra Credit Opportunities
(10 pts) ECoach Beginning of Term Survey: Complete the survey by January 25th at 11:59pm. Note: ECoach has one Beginning of Term Survey that covers all the courses that you are taking that use ECoach this term. So, you may have already completed this survey as part of your work for another course.
Homework

No assignment this week.

Lecture

No lecture this week. See you next Tuesday!

Lab

No labs this week. See you next week!

Week 2

Announcements
Welcome to Week 2!
First lecture this Tuesday. This week we'll be learning how ENGR101 works and the strategies for success!
Office Hours will begin Monday, January 13th!
Labs start meeting this week.
Be sure to attend the lab section you signed up for on Wolverine Access. Come prepared to meet your classmates and work through your first activity.
Complete the Start of Term Checklist from Week 1 before your first lab. If you have trouble installing MATLAB or VSCode, you can come to office hours or go to the CAEN Help Desk on the 2nd floor of the Duderstadt Center.
Heads up! Your first set of homework is due next week on January 21st. Make sure to read the Guide to Using PrairieLearn to understand how the homeworks are set up, and then click a homework link below to get started!
Sick or tested positive for COVID? Scroll down and find the "Excused Absence" Form. Fill this out and we will excuse you from lab and follow up with you via email.
Join the course late? Not to worry! Email your lab instructor to introduce yourself and then check Week 1 for links to things you need to get caught up on.
Installation Verification
(10 pts) Have Your Installation Verified! Have your MATLAB and C++ installation verified by an instructor in lab or office hours. Download these files:

firstScript.p
hello_and_welcome.cpp

and show the instructor that you can run them!
Extra Credit Opportunities
(10 pts) ECoach Beginning of Term Survey: Complete the survey by January 25th at 11:59pm. Note: ECoach has one Beginning of Term Survey that covers all the courses that you are taking that use ECoach this term. So, you may have already completed this survey as part of your work for another course.
Homework

Heads up! You have homework due next week on January 21st. Don't forget to do it!

HW1: Intro to MATLAB

HW2: Vectors and Matrices

HW3: Functions and Data

Lecture

Learn How to Succeed in ENGR101

Slides / Files

Recordings

Reflection Form
Due Sat. 11:59pm

Recordings and reflection available after lecture ends.

Lab 1
Due 11:59pm Saturday

Meet and Greet / How Labs Will Work

Lab Exercises

Piazza Q&A

(Walkthroughs are released on Friday night/Saturday morning)

Week 3

Announcements
Welcome to Week 3!
This week we'll start learning MATLAB and discuss why your computer is your most important engineering tool.
First set of homework is due this week. Make sure to read the Guide to Using PrairieLearn to understand how the homeworks are set up, and then click a homework link below to get started!
There will be no office hours this Monday, January 20th, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Office hours will resume Tuesday, January 21st.
Drop-add Deadline is January 28th, 2025.
Sick or tested positive for COVID? Scroll down and find the "Excused Absence" Form. Fill this out and we will excuse you from lab and follow up with you via email.
Join the course late? Not to worry! Email your lab instructor to introduce yourself and then check Week 1 for links to things you need to get caught up on. If you need extensions for assignments, scroll down and complete the Extension Request form.
Experiencing computer trouble? Contact the CAEN Help Desk on the 2nd floor of the Duderstadt Center.
Extra Credit Opportunities
(10 pts) ECoach Beginning of Term Survey: Complete the survey by January 25th at 11:59pm. Note: ECoach has one Beginning of Term Survey that covers all the courses that you are taking that use ECoach this term. So, you may have already completed this survey as part of your work for another course.
Homework
Due 11:59pm Tuesday

HW1: Intro to MATLAB

HW2: Vectors and Matrices

HW3: Functions and Data

Lecture

Your Computer as an Engineering Tool

Slides / Files

Recordings

Reflection Form
Due Sat. 11:59pm

Recordings and reflection available after lecture ends.

Lab 2
Due 11:59pm Saturday

Matrices and Functions

Lab Exercises

Piazza Q&A

(Walkthroughs are released on Friday night/Saturday morning)

Week 4

Announcements
Welcome to Week 4!
We'll be exploring logical indexing and images in MATLAB, and we'll see how to apply these to Project 1.
Lecture this week will introduce Project 1 and include some program planning to help you get started on Project 1. Make sure to attend!
Assessment 1 is next week. See the Canvas announcement and Piazza posts when they are posted for more details.
Drop-add Deadline is January 28th, 2025.
Sick or tested positive for COVID? Scroll down and find the "Excused Absence" Form. Fill this out and we will excuse you from lab and follow up with you via email.
Join the course late? Not to worry! Email your lab instructor to introduce yourself and then check Week 1 for links to things you need to get caught up on. If you need extensions for assignments, scroll down and complete the Extension Request form.
Experiencing computer trouble? Contact the CAEN Help Desk on the 2nd floor of the Duderstadt Center.
Extra Credit Opportunities
(10 pts) ECoach Assessment 1 Playbook: Complete the playbook by February 1st at 11:59pm.
Homework

HW4: Logical Operations and Indexing

HW5: Working with Images

Lecture

Project 1 Overview

Slides / Files

Recordings

Reflection Form
Due Sat. 11:59pm

Recordings and reflection available after lecture ends.

Lab 3
Due 11:59pm Saturday

Logical Indexing and Images

Lab Exercises

Piazza Q&A

(Walkthroughs are released on Friday night/Saturday morning)
Course Drop/Add Deadline

Make sure that you finalize your schedule today. Today is the last day to add or drop any courses without receiving a "W" on your transcript.

Spec Review

Complete the spec review assignment for Project 1 at the link below before Friday at 11:59PM.

Spec Review

Week 5

Announcements
Welcome to Week 5!
This week we'll be looking at how we can use MATLAB to simulate a physical phenomenon and use that simulation create helpful and informative visualizations.
Project 1 Checkpoint should be completed by Tuesday to make sure you're on track to finish the project on time. Come see us in office hours with questions! Don't wait until the last minute to start Project 1! Partnerships MUST be registered on the Autograder by Tuesday!
Assessment 1 takes place this week. Please make sure to read the details and logistics for Assessment 1 linked below. We strongly recommend you take the practice assessment at least once before taking the actual assessment.
Sick or tested positive for COVID? Scroll down and find the "Excused Absence" Form. Fill this out and we will excuse you from lab and follow up with you via email.
Extra Credit Opportunities
Check back next week for new extra credit opportunities!
Homework

HW6: Plotting and Figures

HW7: Statistics and Simulation

HW8: Advanced Plotting and Data Visualization

Lecture

Programming Application: Beam Deflection

Slides / Files

Recordings

Reflection Form
Due Sat. 11:59pm

Recordings and reflection available after lecture ends.

Lab 4
Due 11:59pm Saturday

Plotting, Statistics, and Simulation

Lab Exercises

Piazza Q&A

(Walkthroughs are released on Friday night/Saturday morning)
Project 1 Checkpoint

You should have the Project 1 Checkpoint completed by today to stay on pace for Project 1. Partnerships MUST be registered on the Autograder by today!

Assessment 1
Due 11:59pm Thursday

Opens Wednesday 12:01am

Take Assessment

Details & Logistics

Professor Office Hours

Office Hours with Prof. Alford

Come talk about anything at all (this course, other courses, favorite books/movies/tv shows, why Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering is the best major, what the Avengers can teach us about teamwork ... you know, the important stuff!). This is a super casual thing -- come on by!

Friday 12:30-1:00pm

B521 Pierpont

Office Hours with Prof. Begley

Come chat about life at Michigan, what it's like working in a research lab, or why guinea pigs make the best pets.

Monday, 11:00 am-12:00 pm

B521 Pierpont

Staff Office Hours

Guide to ENGR 101 Office Hours

Read this guide to office hours to help you get the most out of your office hours time in ENGR 101.

Why You Should Go to Office Hours

This student-facing post from Arizona State University talks about office hours: why to use them, how to prepare for them, etc. We hope you'll come visit us in our office hours, and we want to emphasize that you can come to discuss course-related questions or concerns, but you can also come to ask us about majors, about your resume, etc. We are very excited to meet with you 1:1!

Office Hours in B521 Pierpont

You can join these office hours without an appointment. You can stay as long as you want, so come hang out and get some ENGR 101 work done with us! This schedule will not change from week-to-week, so feel free to plan around this!

Day Schedule

Course Essentials

Syllabus

All the details

Course Norms

Norms and expectations for meetings, email, and other forms of communication in the course

People

Updated course staff list will be added soon!

FAQ

Answers to frequently asked questions about ENGR 101 (continually updated)

Request Forms

Excused Lab Absence Request (Illness)

Request an excused lab absence due to illness

Regrade Request

Request a regrade or report a grade discrepancy

Projects

The Autograder

Project code is submitted to the autograder; the autograder is linked at the top of this course webpage. Read this guide to the autograder to learn more about using the autograder.


The Honor Code

All project code is subjected to our cheat checking procedures. If we find sufficient evidence of cheating, we are required to submit a report to the Honor Council. You can learn more about what happens with Honor Council reports by watching this video from the Engineering Center for Academic Success.

How to Register a Project Partnership on the Autograder

In this course, you are allowed to work with a partner on the projects if you wish to. All project partnerships MUST be registered on the autograder at least one week prior to the project's deadline.


Follow this guide to registering your partnership on the autograder to complete your partnership prior to the registration deadline.

Project Info

Project information will be available here on the website when the project is released. Project information generally consists of these items:

Due Date (11:59pm)

Overview ( slides )

Specifications

FAQ

Schedule of Topics

Week 1

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
No homework due this week
No lecture this week
No labs this week

Week 2

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
First Lecture! Learn how to succeed in ENGR 101
Lab 1: Meet and Greet / How Labs Will Work
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 3

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
MLK Day
Intro to MATLAB; Vectors and Matrices; Functions; Working with Data
Homeworks 1-3 due		 Your Computer as an Engineering Tool
Lab 2: Matrices and Functions
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 4

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Logical Operations and Indexing; Working with Images
Homeworks 4-5 due
Project 1 Overview Project 1 Released
Drop/Add Deadline
Lab 3: Logical Indexing and Images
Project 1 spec review due
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 5

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Plotting and Figures; Statistics and Simulation; Advanced Plotting and Data Visualization
Homeworks 6-8 due
Programming Application: Beam Deflection Project 1 Checkpoint should be completed by today
Lab 4: Plotting, Statistics, and Simulation Assessment #1
(Opens Wed, Due Thurs)
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 6

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Strings and Cell Arrays; MATLAB Tables
Homeworks 9-10 due
Project 2 Overview Project 1 Due
Project 2 Released
Lab 5: Cell Arrays, Tables, Data Visualization
Project 2 spec review due
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 7

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Applying Computing to Society
Homework 11 due
Algorithmic Bias Project 2 Checkpoint should be completed by today
Lab 6: Tables & Data Analysis Assessment #2
(Opens Wed, Due Thurs)
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 8

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
No homework due this week
Programming Application: Animation in MATLAB Project 2 Due
Lab 7: Goodbye MATLAB... Hello C++!
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 9

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Spring Break!

Week 10

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Intro to C++
Homeworks 12-14 due
Your Computer as an Engineering Tool, Part 2
Lab 8: Getting Started with C++
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 11

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
More C++ Basics and Branching; Iteration; Functions in C++
Homeworks 15-16 due
Program Planning and Debugging
Lab 9: File I/O & Functions
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 12

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Strings, Streams, and I/O; Vectors; Program Design
Homeworks 17-18 due
Project 3 Overview Project 3 Released
Lab 10: Vectors and Program Design
Project 3 spec review due
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 13

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
Structs, Vectors of Vectors
Homeworks 19-20 due
Programming Application: House Hunting Project 3 Checkpoint should be completed by today
Lab 11: Data Structures (Containerships) Assessment #3
(Opens Wed, Due Thurs)
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 14

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
No homework due this week
Project 4 Overview Project 3 Due
Project 4 Released
Lab 12: Programming Practice (Energy Management)
Project 4 spec review due
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 15

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
No homework due this week
Programming Application: TBD Project 4 Checkpoint should be completed by today
Lab 13: Programming Practice (Ottendorf Cipher) Assessment #4
(Opens Weds, Due Thurs)
Lecture reflection due Lab worksheet due

Week 16

Homework Topic

Lecture Topic

Lab Topic

Projects / Assessments
No homework due this week
Semester Wrap-up Project 4 Due
Classes are over All remaining late submissions and assessment retakes must be submitted by Friday, April 25th, at 11:59 PM!

Interested in Being an IA or GSI?

Interested in being an IA or GSI for ENGR 101? Fill out this "I'm Interested" form and we'll send you an application the next time we are hiring! We do hiring in March for the upcoming fall term, and we do hiring in November for the upcoming winter term.