State University of New York at Morrisville

Dr. Walid H. Shayya
School of Agriculture, Business, and Technology



Course Outline for AGEN 135

CONSTRUCTION SURVEYING

 

Fall 2019

Blackboard Access of Course Material On-line (for students enrolled in the course)


INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Walid H. Shayya

Instructor's Contact Information


GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:

AGEN 135 covers the basic concepts of construction surveying as it relates to agricultural, natural resources, and residential applications.  Such applications include field work in land drainage, pipeline stakeout, building stakeout, and road construction.  In addition, review is made of survey planning and associated survey computations.  Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the operation of modern land measurement equipment including the laser and automatic levels as well as the digital and optical theodolites.

3 credits (2 lecture hours, 3 laboratory hours), fall semester


EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES:

At the successful completion of AGEN 135, the student is expected to have:
  1. Developed an understanding of construction surveying principles.

  2. Understood the basic skills of surveying work including distance and angle measurements.

  3. Developed skills in using construction surveying instrumentation.

  4. Understood how to collect, document, and analyze construction surveying measurements.

  5. Learned how to conduct a variety of surveying exercises (with emphasis on layout surveys).

  6. Developed an understanding of applying basic construction surveying techniques in the field.

  7. Demonstrated an understanding of how to perform basic surveying computations.


OFFICE HOURS:

The instructor has the following designated office hours per week:

If necessary, students are also encouraged to make appointments to see the instructor at other times.


CONTACT HOURS AND CLASS SCHEDULE:

AGEN 135 is a three-credit hour course.  It includes five contact hours per week (two for lectures and three for the laboratory).  One section of the lecture and one section of the laboratory are offered during the 2019 Fall semester.  The schedule of the offered sections is as follows:


TEXTBOOK(S):

The following represent the required textbook and two manuals for AGEN 135 which may be purchased from the campus bookstore:
  1. Kavanagh, B.F. and D.K. Slattery. 2015. Surveying with Construction Applications (8th  edition).  Prentice Hall, New Jersey (ISBN: 978-0132766982).
  2. Shayya, W.H. 2018.  Introductory Surveying Lecture Manual (9th edition).  School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, State University of New York at Morrisville. 
  3. Shayya, W. and J. Cronn.  2018.  Introductory Surveying Laboratory Manual (8th edition).  Environmental Sciences Department, State University of New York at Morrisville.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:


CLASS POLICIES:


GRADING/EVALUATION OF STUDENT:

Evaluation is a shared responsibility between the teacher and the student. The purpose of the evaluation is to demonstrate how well the professor has taught and the student has learned specific course materials, the principles, concepts, and terms relevant to the covered topics.  Evaluation is also intended to assess the student's ability to utlize the acquired knowledge and how s/he can use this knowledge in problem-solving.

The breakdown of grading in this course will be as follows:

The distribution of grades in this course will be based on the A-F College grading scheme. The letter grades correspond to the following percentage scale: A (90-100%), A- (87-89.9%), B+ (83-86.9%), B (80-82.9%), B- (77-79.9%), C+ (73-76.9%), C (70-72.9%), C- (67-69.9%), D+ (63-66.9%), D (60-62.9%), and F (<60%).


STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Accessibilities Services (AS) Office immediately to register for services. You will meet privately to discuss your specific needs and prepare your accommodation sheets for you to distribute to your instructors. Although you may register for services at any time, please attempt to make arrangements within the first two weeks of the semester so all appropriate academic accommodations can be set.  For additional information, please contact the AS Office


ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE:

The Tutoring Center is a free-of-charge resource available to all students who would like assistance with their courses. Both peer and professional tutors are available Sundays through Fridays by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Help is provided for most subjects taught at the College. The Tutoring Center also provides online tutoring for about ten subjects through NightOWL, which occurs 7:00 PM to midnight Sundays through Thursdays. In addition to assisting students with course content, the tutors at the Tutoring Center can also assist students with general study skills such as note-taking, test-taking, time management, and critical thinking. In addition, the Tutoring Center also organizes Student Success Seminars, workshops exploring these and other topics that are useful regardless of one’s courses or major. The Tutoring Center is located in the back left corner on the first floor of Butcher Library. For additional information, please visit tutoring center. Questions can be emailed to TutoringCenter@morrisville.edu.


COUNSELING SUPPORT:

Successful academic performance is a mutual goal between students and the SUNY Morrisville community.  Many problems may arise during your time here that could interfere with your academic course work (things such as significant stress, mood swings, anxiety, and difficulties concentrating).  Problems with strained relationships, drugs/alcohol, family concerns, loss or crisis may also contribute to decreased academic performance.   Counseling services are available to assist you in addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing.  Services are free and confidential for all enrolled students through the Student Health Center.  You can call 315-684-6078 to schedule an appointment or visit health center to find out more about counseling services.


ENGLISH LEARNERS:

Students who identify as English Language Learners can request additional time on exams, separate locations, bilingual dictionaries and/or glossaries. Students should work with the faculty member and the Chief Diversity Officer SUNY Morrisville's Chief Diversity Officer at 315-684-6981 to arrange extra time and separate location for exam. 


GRAMMARLY:

Need assistance with your writing? Grammarly is available for all current SUNY Morrisville students to help detect potential grammar, spelling, punctuation, plagiarism, and style mistakes.   To sign up, use your SUNY Morrisville email address as an identifier.

  • Go to grammarly.com/edu/signup.
  • Provide your SUNY Morrisville email address (@morrisville.edu - no other email will be recognized).
  • Create your password.
  • Check for an activation email from Grammarly.
  • Check your inbox for the email (your spam folder, too) and click on the activation link.

After you sign up, you can login to Grammarly or access it through a plug-in to Word or a web browser.


STARFISH EARLY ALERT SYSTEM:

This course participates in the Starfish Early Alert System, an early intervention system designed to enable academic success, student persistence, and graduation. When an instructor observes student behaviors or concerns that may impede academic success, the instructor may raise an alert flag that notifies the student of the concern, requests an individual contact to discuss the issue, and (in most cases) refer the student to the academic advisor. If you receive an email notification of an early alert, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss the issue. The purpose of the contact is to determine the severity of the issue, accurately assess its potential impact on your academic success, and to plan actions to prevent negative consequences and enable academic success. For more information about the Early Alert system, contact your academic advisor.  


TITLE IX PROTECTIONS:

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681) is an all-encompassing federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.  The law covers discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Questions or concerns regarding Title IX should be directed to the SUNY Morrisville's Chief Diversity Officer at 315-684-6981. Students should also familiarize themselves with the Student’s Bill of Rights located in the student handbook, which outlines students’ rights related to the reporting of incidents under Title IX. The official policy can be found online at the title IX page.


BIAS ACTS:

The Bias Acts Response Team oversees the responses to individuals and/or communities who have been affected by bias acts, including hate crimes. Responses may include investigation and adjudication, as appropriate, by New York State University Police at SUNY Morrisville (NYSUP), the Dean of Students Office, and/or the Affirmative Action Office. Other kinds of responses (e.g., passive or active programming about bias acts, facilitated meetings among those who have perpetrated bias acts, and those who have been targeted) are arranged on a case-by-case basis. Persons or communities who have been targeted will be contacted by a member of the team to discuss possible responses and options for investigation and adjudication. The online bias complaint system can be found at the bias incident report page. More information and options can be found at the bias response page


MILITARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICY:

SUNY Morrisville recognizes the unique situations student veterans sometimes face which can affect their attendance. If a student veteran receives orders for unexpected short-term deployment or training, or for medical appointments, he/she must immediately work with their instructors on the best course of action. The campus Veterans Advocate is available to help all parties. Details of SUNY Morrisville's Military Leave of Absence Policy are available here.  


OUTLINE OF TOPICS:

Week

Lecture Topic*

Date Textbook
Chapter
1 Introduction to AGEN 135
Surveying: An Overview
Aug. 26
Aug. 28
Outline
1
2 Surveying: Basic Concepts
Surveying Mathematics and Methods of Measurement (& problems)
Sep. 2
Sep. 4
1 & 2
2
3 Distance Measure and Review of Significant Digits
Taping Techniques 
Sep. 9
Sep. 11
3 & Handout
3
4 Taping Errors & Corrections/Working with Angles
Area Computations/Review of Exam 1 Study Guide
Sep. 16
Sep. 18
2 & Handout
19/Handout
5    Progress Examination 1
Introduction to Leveling/Review of Exam 1
Sep. 23
Sep. 25

4
6 Differential Leveling
Modified Differential Leveling
Sep. 30
Oct. 2
4
4
7 Profile Leveling
Profile Leveling Application in Pipeline Construction/X-section Leveling
Oct. 7
Oct. 9
4
4
8    October Break (no lecture)
Angle Measurement
Oct. 14
Oct. 16

6 & 8
9 Field Operations with Theodolites
Topographic Surveys/Review of Exam 2 Study Guide
Oct. 21
Oct. 23
6
Handout/Handout
10    Progress Examination 2
Review of Exam 2/Basic Trigonometry
Oct. 28
Oct. 30

2 & Handout
11 Trigonometric Leveling
Stadia Principles
Nov. 4
Nov. 6
4
Handout
12 Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM)
EDM and GPS (multimedia presentation)

Nov. 11
Nov. 13
5
5 & 9
13 Overview of Traverse Surveys
Open Traverse Surveys
Nov. 18
Nov. 20
8
8
14 Closed Traverse Surveys
   Thanksgiving Break (no lecture)
Nov. 25
Nov. 27
8
15 Review of Lab. Practicum/Exam 3 (Study Guide)
   Laboratory Practicum (Part 1)  
Dec. 2
Dec. 4
Handout
16    Progess Examination 3 (scheduled during the finals week)    
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Week/Date

Laboratory Topic*

1/Aug. 28 Laboratory Procedure, Note-keeping, Standardization of Length of Pace
2/Sep. 4 Taping on Level Ground (introduction to the 100-foot steel tape)
3/Sep. 11 Horizontal Taping on a Slope (breaking tape)
4/Sep. 18 Taping Survey of a Five-sided Polygon (area calculations)
5/Sep. 25 Introduction to Leveling (using the dumpy level)
6/Oct. 2 Differential Leveling (using the automatic level)
7/Oct. 9 Setting Grade Stakes for a Pipeline (using the laser level)
8/Oct. 16 Closing the Horizon (using the repeating optical and digital theodolites)
9/Oct. 23 Prolongation of a Straight Line (using the digital theodolite)
10/Oct. 30 Angles (using the digital theodolite)
11/Nov. 6 Finding Distances, Elevations, and Measuring Heights (using the digital theodolite and total station)
12/Nov. 13 Locating Points by Radiation and Intersection (using the digital theodolite)
13/Nov. 20 Layout of a Building (using the digital theodolite)
14/Nov. 27    Thanksgiving Break (no laboratory)
15/Dec. 4    Laboratory Practicum (Part 2)
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*The topics and corresponding dates listed in the tables above are tentative and may be subject to change during the semester.