Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Prerequisites
This is the introductory course, there are no prerequisites. Students not admitted to the program would need instructor approval.
Course Materials
Suggested Texts
- GPSA Engineering Databook
- Petroleum Engineering Handbook, Volume I: General Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering Handbook, Volume III: Facilities and Construction Engineering
Software
- Microsoft 365: One Drive, Excel, Word
- OU IT provides all OU students with free access to Office 365
- Endnote
- Microsoft Equation Editor or Math Type
- One Petro
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bi-Weekly Live Sessions | Students will meet for Live Sessions bi-weekly on Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. (Central). If you are unable to attend you have a week to do the make-up work per each meeting. | 10% |
| Weekly Writing Assignment | Students are expected to complete weekly writings, which they will add to their One Drive folders and Group One Drive folders for review. | 15% |
| Midterm Writing Assignment | Students will complete within their groups a Midterm Writing Assignment, which will be a compilation of their writing completed in the weeks prior. | 35% |
| Final Group Presentation & Writing Assignment | For the final, groups will present and compile their weekly writing assignments into one final submission. | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90-100% | A |
| 80-89% | B |
| 70-79% | C |
| 60-69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Live Sessions versus Office Hours
Live Sessions are grade-bearing participation every other week throughout the course and are part of the NGEM program requirements. If you are unable to participate, you have a make-up activity listed. Office Hours are scheduled during the opposite weeks at the same time for student convenience, but attendance is never required. If you need to meet at an alternate time, please contact the faculty to make arrangements.
Weekly Writing Exercises & One Drive
- Groups will update their weekly writing submissions each week in their group folder for the faculty member to be able to evaluate weekly.
- I just want to see your research progress. No formal writing is needed as I just want to see your research and your groups brainstorming ideas.
- Groups will prepare their most current version by Monday at midnight Central Day Light time, so the faculty member can evaluate every Tuesday.
- Again, there is no formal writing, a quick summary of activities is acceptable in a one-page document.
- Faculty will provide written feedback via Canvas Email. Students are encouraged to ask for more details if they have any questions.
Midterm Writing Assignment
Paper will be limited to 10 pages total including references and appendix.
- Groups will choose the best five companies from their individual research efforts.
- Your group report will contain each of the research elements from weeks two through six.
- The group report must be written to the SPE writing guide standards and the course writing template as outlined in lecture 1.
- Both midterm and final reports must contain a one-page executive summary at the beginning of the report. The executive summary must be a synopsis of your findings along with your respective recommendations.
- Groups will designate a lead member and each individual member will be responsible for their portion of the report that will be determined by your group.
- Two weeks prior to the midterm writing assignment, the group lead will provide me with a list of members responsible for various portions of the report.
- NOTE: If one member or multiple members fail to complete their assigned portion of the report that member or members will be penalized only, not the entire group; however, the group will still be responsible for final proof reading of the report.
Final Group Presentation
The presentation will follow the outline below:
- Groups will prepare a 10–15-minute presentation that will be held in a live session of week 15.
- The group presentation will contain the following elements (slide amount is up to the groups' discretion).
- Synopsis of the five companies (1–2 slides) - Who they are, where are they located, and what services do they provide.
- Compare and contrast section (1–3 slides) - Tabulate findings between companies, by illustrating advantages and disadvantages, and list companies based on best to last rankings that you would recommend.
- Economic Analysis (1–3 slides) - Leverage some publicly used economic metrics such as money multiples, IRR, NPV, etc. No calculations are needed as most of this information may be found in a company’s 10k report. Just compare and contrast the economic metrics per company.
- Conclusion and Group recommendations - This is your closing pitch; therefore, tell me why I should trust your analysis relative to your peers.
Final Writing Assignment
Paper will be limited to 15 pages total including references and appendix.
- Groups will continue with the best five companies from their midterm report.
- Your group report will contain each of the research elements from weeks 6 to 11.
- The group report must be written to the SPE writing guide standards and the course writing template.
- See midterm subsection for writing and group membership responsibilities.
Course Policies
Communication
I am committed to your success, so please alert me to any questions you may have. Please contact me via canvas email to schedule any appointments or ask questions throughout the course. You can expect at a maximum a 24-hour turnaround for emails during the week. I will check my email over the weekend but expect a delayed response. Please seek advice, feedback and ask questions if you need any support at any time.
Group Work Rationale
In this course, we will be working in groups to model the office work environment from the Natural Gas Industry. The interpersonal skill set to work with a varied group of colleagues and managers is never chosen. So like that work environment, I will be choosing the groups for the course. This is the beginning of your NGEM degree and therefore an initial effort with networking in this program and making new peers. Since you all have educational and professional experience, this is not the beginning of your learning interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness to accomplish collaborative efforts at school or work. In the office, we write and research together and make high-end financial decisions that determine the future of the company. We are going to learn and practice this in this course.
Your personal goal should be to expand your skills at creating strong working relationships. You should examine and reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. In an interview, you are often asked what are your weaknesses and that is usually a trick question. In this course, I hope you will take the opportunity to access your actual strengths and weaknesses and create a plan to expand the positives, and retool and practice ways to get better and smarter around your working relationships. I have designed this course so you will have the opportunity to practice these skills because your career will flourish from it. Being able to present, research, collaborate and make calculating decisions that benefit you and your company are part of the industry. This is your primer toward these skills and knowledge in the Natural Gas Industry.
Group Work Policy
In this course, you will complete some early assessments and submit your Resume for my review. I will use these tools to assign groups by the second week of this course. My goal with group assignments is to create groups with a variety of strengths and experiences. You will be challenged, but the rigor should be scholastically appropriate. Everyone will at the end confidentially evaluate themselves and the individuals on their team. Everyone will have a group One Drive for my review as well as a one drive folder for me to review one on one for everyone in the class. So I will see throughout the course everyone's progress. As in a work environment, everyone is responsible for their own development. This will be a truly collaborative group effort, but each of you individually will be responsible for your own writing and presenting of the materials. And with the self and group evaluations plus group and individual cloud shares, I am confident everyone's efforts will be accounted for.
If you have any questions or if you need my input for the group process or individual suggestions, I am happy to discuss these issues one on one or with the group. Unlike a work environment, this is a course and your experiences are important to me. I will be surveying and conducting weekly check-ins to access the progress outside of the course's progress.
Late Policy
Due to the nature of the writing and building upon previous work, the nature of the class is cumulative. In this course so you are invited to email and ask questions and seek advice if there are some unforeseen obstacles to alert me of a delay but when the work will be complete. The midterm and final deadlines are fixed.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Land Acknowledgement
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” Wichita & Affiliated Tribes.
We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people.
The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgment is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog.
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Student Support Services
OU offers a variety of services to support students. For more information, please refer to the Student Support Module in your Orientation course.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.
Copyright Statement and Privacy Information
Sessions of this course may be recorded or live-streamed. These recordings are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, the privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class or upload them to any other online environment.
Academic Integrity
As a member of the OU community, it is your responsibility to protect your educational investment by knowing and following the rules. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
Academic honesty is incredibly important in this course. Cheating is strictly prohibited at the University of Oklahoma because it devalues the degree you are working hard to get. Should you know of someone else engaging in academic misconduct, please report it to your instructor or directly to the Office of Academic Integrity. Your instructor has a professional obligation to report academic misconduct.
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
Religious Observance
It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to reschedule examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty. [See Faculty Handbook 3.15.2].
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is committed to supporting students with disabilities to ensure that they can enjoy equal access to all components of their education. This includes your academics, housing, and community events. Please review OU's Accessibility Policy.
If you are experiencing a disability or a mental/medical health condition that has a significant impact on one or more life functions, you can receive accommodations to provide equal access. Possible disabilities include but are not limited to learning disabilities, AD(H)D, mental health, and chronic health. Additionally, we support students with temporary medical conditions (broken wrist, shoulder surgery, etc.) and pregnancy.
To discuss potential accommodations, please contact the ADRC at 730 College Avenue, (phone) 405-325-3852, or adrc@ou.edu.
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. To learn more or to report an incident, please contact the Institutional Equity Office (M-F, from 8-5, at 405-325-3546) or OU Advocates (available 24/7 at 405-615-0013).
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth-Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
Mental Health Support Services
If you are experiencing any mental health issues that are impacting your academic performance, counseling is available at the University Counseling Center (UCC). The Center is located on the second floor of the Goddard Health Center, at 620 Elm Rm. 201, Norman, OK 73019. To schedule an appointment, call 405-325-2911. For more information, please visit the University Counseling Center.
Final Exam Preparation Period
Pre-finals week will be defined as the seven calendar days before the first day of finals. Faculty may cover new course material throughout this week. For specific provisions of the policy please refer to OU's Final Exam Preparation Period policy.
Required Policies for Students On Campus
Emergency Protocol
During an emergency, there are official university procedures that will maximize your safety.
Severe Weather: If you receive an OU Alert to seek refuge or hear a tornado siren that signals severe weather:
- Look for severe weather refuge location maps located inside most OU buildings near the entrances
- Seek refuge inside a building. Do not leave one building to seek shelter in another building that you deem safer. If outside, get into the nearest building.
- Go to the building’s severe weather refuge location. If you do not know where that is, go to the lowest level possible and seek refuge in the innermost room. Avoid outside doors and windows.
- Get in, Get Down, Cover Up.
- Wait for official notice to resume normal activities.
Additional information about severe weather preparedness is available through the Department of Campus Safety's Emergency Management Division.
OU-Norman Campus: Tornado Refuge Protocol
Severe Weather Preparedness Video
Armed Subject/Campus Intruder
If you receive an OU Alert to shelter-in-place due to an active shooter or armed intruder situation or you hear what you perceive to be gunshots:
- Avoid: If you believe you can get out of the area without encountering the armed individual, move quickly towards the nearest building exit, move away from the building, and call 911.
- Deny: If you cannot flee, move to an area that can be locked or barricaded, turn off lights, silence devices, spread out, and formulate a plan of attack if the shooter enters the room.
- Defend: As a last resort fight to defend yourself. For more information, visit:
OU's Emergency Preparedness site
Shots Fire on Campus Procedure
Fire Alarm/General Emergency
If you receive an OU Alert that there is danger inside or near the building, or the fire alarm inside the building activates:
- Leave the building. Do not use the elevators.
- Know at least two building exits.
- Assist those who may need help.
- Proceed to the emergency assembly area.
- Once safely outside, Notify first responders of anyone who may still be inside the building due to mobility issues.
- Wait for official notice before attempting to re-enter the building.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|