MECH417
- How to Do Well
- Attend
every class, take notes, participate, pay attention, and ask questions.
-
Read all assigned readings. It is a good idea to intelligently highlight
and take notes while reading. Reading assignments should be completed the week
they appear on the syllabus, preferably before the material is covered in class.
- Print
out handouts before coming to class for taking
notes.
- Set up a regular weekly meeting time with your class group
and work together on homework assignments and on the Project. Also, make sure
that you, as an individual, understand and know how to approach and complete every
problem in every assignment. Do not rely on others to do the work for you
and do not copy work from other groups or from past students.
- Prepare
and study for exams by reviewing and studying all lecture notes (especially
class examples), handouts, homework assignments, and reading material (especially
the book examples). You are expected to be able to answer general questions dealing
with an understanding and basic application of the course material. You are also
expected to have a firm grasp of the terminology used in the course and how it
is applied.
- Read the homework questions carefully; show neat, detailed
work for all information asked for; and make sure you turn in your work on time.
- Pick
up your graded homework as soon as it is available; and if you missed anything,
visit the display case to see where you went wrong and to make necessary corrections
to your work (per the posted solution). The homework solutions remain in the display
case only until the next assignment is returned, so don't put this off.
-
Join the MECH417 listserv
and read and respond to messages regularly and promptly.
- If you are
having trouble with the exams, I strongly encourage the following:
- Look
back at the questions you missed and try to identify what caused you to answer
incorrectly
- did you read the question or answers incorrectly?
- did
you work out the problem methodically?
- did you truly know and understand
the pertinent terms and concepts?
- did you answer hastily?
- Try
to identify ways to prevent mistakes on future exams
- read the question
more carefully.
- draw figures when they are not provided.
- show
work and be methodical.
- double check your answer.
- take your time.
- don't
spend too much time on one question.
- attend every class, take good notes,
and ask questions.
- read and highlight the reading assignments.
- If
you have an aversion to multiple choice exams, treat each question like it ISN'T
MULTIPLE CHOICE! Be methodical in your approach:
- read the question
carefully.
- draw figures or diagrams.
- show work and try to calculate
or determine the correct answer.
- if you understood the material well enough
to answer the question, select the answer you arrived at (hopefully, the correct
answer) from the list of possible answers.
- if your first answer is not
on the list, try to eliminate some of the possible answers in an educated fashion.
- if
you are still unsure, use the WAG principle -- take a Wild-Assed Guess
- Before
taking an exam:
- review your lecture notes and associated book material
for all of the classes covered by the exam.
- review all past homework assignments
and make sure you completely understand the answer to every question.
- study
your notes from the in-class exam review session.
- make sure you understand
all of the concepts listed on the syllabus.
- If you want further advice or help in diagnosing possible sources of your
difficulty, please stop by your Dr. Dave's office to talk.
- Don't
procrastinate and don't put things off until the last minute.
- E-mail,
call, or visit the TA or Dr. Dave whenever you have questions or problems.
-
Keep a positive attitude and try to have fun.