A new resource for those preparing to take the PE

[IlPadrino]

I'm looking for some feedback before I spend more time working this idea...

I've started a wiki at PENotes and put up just a few pages: Weirs and Hydraulics Cribsheet (which just has the weir section). When prompted for the password, enter "engineer".

What do you think about this content? Should I keep going? Would anyone be willing to help?

What do you think about wikis in general? Would EB benefit from writing some wikis?

 

[Guest]

I will definitely help out lusone: :bananalama:

Several of us have kicked around the idea of shoring up our information (notes, problems, etc.) but just haven't had the time to put towards a focused effort. I think I like the Wiki idea better than posting here at EB.com because at least that way we have plenty of links of 'ownership' that lead others here like tiny bread crumbs :17:

Sir, you are a scholar and a gentleman!

JR

 

[Sschell]

I like it!

I would definately contribute to a mechanical section.

 

[bigray76]

Very nice and concise. I spent the last 2 - 3 weeks before the test 'thinning' my notebooks a little... whether it was getting rid of the redundant information, consolidating things, etc.

I have some good horizontal and vertical curve sheets and in many cases, took the time to cut and paste tables/charts/graphs out of texts into my notes so I could find everything I would need in one spot (runoff coefficients, mannings numbers, etc.)

Even if I don't make a section, I would send you over some parts for various topics.

Do you plan on structuring the overall product along the lines of the topics listed for the exam (AM and PM specific?)

-Ray

 

[FusionWhite]

The best part of it being a Wiki is I can go in and add the word "BOOBS" right in the middle of the page.

Seriously though thats a great idea.

 

[IlPadrino]

Do you plan on structuring the overall product along the lines of the topics listed for the exam (AM and PM specific?)

I want to avoid a specific reference to the PE exam... because I don't want to deal with NCEES. But I think it should follow the same outline. The issue of AM vs PM specific is interesting. When I took the Testmasters course, there wasn't really any explicit division between the two, although if I asked "do you think this is an AM or PM question?" I'd get a vague "yeah, probably too much for the AM" or something similar.

The value in this resource, I think, has to be it's succinctness. Otherwise, the CERM is a more complete resource. But I found the biggest problem with the CERM was in knowing what to work on and what to ignore.

I want to soon finish out the open channel flow section and do an outline. Maybe that will give a better idea.

The free wiki only allows 10MB of storage, so that would probably limit what we could add. The lowest paid version ($100/year) gives 1GB, which is probably more than enough. There is a paid access option (Paid Access FAQ) that might be an interesting way to pay for the site fees. I wonder if 20 people would pay $5/each...

 

[jfusilloPE]

As always, I am ready, willing and able to help out as much as I can.

For the low introductory cost of $5 (maybe even $10), I'd be willing to be a silent partner.

I'll try to get some resources up there over the weekend (maybe even today if I don't feel like working).

 

[Guest]

For the low introductory cost of $5 (maybe even $10), I'd be willing to be a silent partner.

Same here.

JR

 

[bigray76]

I may be a willing investor. I have been meaning to scan my notebooks in by section and burn a CD (I have burned one with all the crap I collected for the exam - but not my actual books).

Some of my sheets need to be cleaned up... I started with a good sheet, but added my own scribbled notes, extra equations, etc. on things I didn't type myself.

-Ray

 

[Road Guy]

I have really had the best intentions of doing this, sharing notes, etc.

can yuo scan them or do we have to type them?

 

[IlPadrino]

can yuo scan them or do we have to type them?

I think it's best to enter them as part of the wiki so that they can be edited, printed, reused, and searched. Wikis are nice because we can collaboratively add and edit the content. Of course, graphs and figures will need to be scanned, and maybe tables, too.

 

[benbo]

I think it's best to enter them as part of the wiki so that they can be edited, printed, reused, and searched. Wikis are nice because we can collaboratively add and edit the content. Of course, graphs and figures will need to be scanned, and maybe tables, too.

I have a wiki myself, actually a pbwiki. I've been following the exploits of this kid (he's a kid to me) who started pbwiki from his blog since he left Stanford. It is great for some things.

That being said, you run some risk with something as critical as notes for the PE exam. Correct me if I'm wrong here -

For example - you give a password to someone who seems levelheaded at first, like say a certain FLorida engineer by the name of TMc. Then the fellow goes off the deep end and starts corrupting the notes. That's no big deal if people catch it in time and fix it - but who is going to have time to constantly scan this stuff. In the meantime - people are depending on the notes to be accurate for the exam. Granted, you have to take everything on the Internet with a grain of salt, but Wikipedia is notorious for false info that people take as Gospel.

Maybe I'm being too paranoid here. I guess you could give multiple passwords for specific pages, but then that makes it more like a message board and sort of defeats the collaborative purpose of a wiki.

 

[IlPadrino]

benbo,

Good concerns, but I think pbwiki addresses all of them. Access control allows for only certain users to have write access - but I don't think that's even needed at the start of this. Even without access control, every version of the wiki is saved, and you can subscribe to change notifications, so it's fairly easy to monitor. You can also backup a snapshot of the wiki (and even all versions).

Guys like TMc won't ruin this - unless we're afraid to start because of them. Really, I don't see how they can hurt this. To start, I'd think there will only be about ten contributors - fairly easy to vet. After that, we could restrict or open up depending on where this could head.

Bottom line: I don't think there's any reason to worry about the security too much. The fact that it is peer-reviewed ensures the accuracy. And remember, I don't think we should bill this as "notes for the PE exam". I think it's better to call it PE Notes and then let people draw the conclusion that it's geared for the PE exam (which will seem obvious to most) because it is useful.

 

[benbo]

benbo,
Good concerns, but I think pbwiki addresses all of them. Access control allows for only certain users to have write access - but I don't think that's even needed at the start of this. Even without access control, every version of the wiki is saved, and you can subscribe to change notifications, so it's fairly easy to monitor. You can also backup a snapshot of the wiki (and even all versions).

Yeah - I forgot about change notifications. That makes it a lot safer. I guess the only other things to worry about are copyright infringement, and the big kahoona - posting of actual exam questions and answers. But I guess that's a problem whether it's a wiki or engineerboards.

 

[maryannette]

I can go in and add the word "BOOBS" right in the middle of the page.

????? :screwloose:

 

[IlPadrino]

????? :screwloose:

Don't encourage him!

 

[IlPadrino]

For now, I don't think we should include questions...

Copyright could become a problem - I wouldn't cut and paste from the CERM, that's for sure.

 

[bigray76]

IlPadrino,

I would suggest that you and/or one person you trust be the only ones to add or edit content. The last thing you need to do is monitor the changes 24/7 instead of putting up content.

Just my 2 cents.

-Ray

 

[IlPadrino]

IlPadrino,
I would suggest that you and/or one person you trust be the only ones to add or edit content. The last thing you need to do is monitor the changes 24/7 instead of putting up content.

Just my 2 cents.

-Ray

Here's what I'm thinking... if I go the paid route, we can get access controls

What are access controls?For wikis with a large number of editors, it may not be sufficient to distribute the administrative password publicly; malicious editors may be able to go in and delete pages and files, ruining users' work. Access controls let users whose needs go beyond a single-password solution offer several different levels of access, each with their own password: Admin, Moderator, Contributor, and Reader.

Admin Rights

As the wiki's creator, you are the admin. Admin passwords can only be changed through the password-reset mechanism, whereby the wiki's creator must click a link in an email sent to them. This ensures that only the wiki's creator can change the admin password. As the admin, you are the god of your wiki. You can delete pages, change and disable passwords for Moderators, Contributors, and Readers. Admins alone have access to the wiki's Settings page. Only share an Admin password with people you really trust!

Moderator Rights

Moderators are trusted helpers who are super-privileged Contributors. They can delete pages and files, including revisions and revision histories. Moderators should be highly trusted, since they can delete your data irrevocably.

Contributor Rights

Contributors can edit pages and revert pages to previous versions. They can also upload new files and create new pages. Contributors don't need to be super-trusted, since they cannot perform any action that cannot be undone.

Reader Rights

Readers cannot make any modifications at all to a wiki. They only can read the pages, RSS feeds, and files. They can see page revision histories and diffs. Readers don't need a password in a public wiki.

I think this resource becomes more valuable the more people are working it. Maybe the next step is to see who will volunteer to be contributors for some sections and manage the process of creating new content.

 

[IlPadrino]

OK... I'm going to see where this take us - I have bought the Silver.

There are now access rights in place, so if you'd please add some content, use the following link: PE Notes Contributor

I'm going to finish up the Hydraulics section soon - I'm on travel for about ten days starting Sunday, so hopefully I'll finish it up before then. I'd be happy to find some contributors to add to Hydraulics or work on Hydrology (my weak area!).

It would be great to get some volunteers to be the moderators for the other main sections. Any takers for Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural, or Transportation? Even if you're just willing to develop the outline and work with contributors to flesh out the rest, it would be a great help.

I think it's important to keep the equations in LaTeX format - it will keep them all looking uniform. The alternative would be to embed them as images, which could work if we were consistent with how we uploaded them to the wiki and named them. At this point, I'd say it's up to the moderator of the main section to make the call.

If someone wants to volunteer for moderator but doesn't think they have enough material, I'd probably we willing to send them my Testmasters notes to get them started (and probably a long way towards finished!).

Let's see how this goes and once we've got some more content, I'll post the readers link/password to the general board and we can get some more feedback. If you can quickly get some outlines and content put together, I'd also like to explore a paid access model for readers (something low... like on the order of $5 or $10) to fund this endeavor. If EB was interested, we could agree to give any profits to the board.

So then... any moderators?

[Edit: Oh, and I need some help making sure these links work for edit tracking. Are you prompted for a name when you edit a page?]