MECH325
- How to Do Well
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Attend every class, take notes, participate, pay attention, and ask questions.
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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 a group of classmates
to work together on homework assignments. 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 quizzes and exams by reviewing and studying all lecture notes (especially
class examples), handouts, homework assignments, reading material (especially
the book examples), and sample exams. 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. Also be sure
to use the homework hints and respond to any extra requirements (see the
links on the syllabus).
- 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 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 MECH325 listserv and read and respond to messages regularly and promptly.
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If you are having trouble with the quizzes or 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
quizzes and 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-Ass Guess
- Before taking
a quiz:
- review your lecture notes for each class period covered by the
quiz.
- review your reading assignment highlights.
- keep your lecture
notes and book open in front of you when taking the quiz.
- Before
taking an exam:
- review your lecture notes and associated book material
for all of the classes covered by the exam.
- review and make sure you completely
understand the solution to every question on every past quiz.
- 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 review
guide, and practice and make sure you completely
understand all questions on the posted sample exam.
- If
you want further advice or help in diagnosing possible sources of your difficulty,
please stop by Dr. Dave's office to talk.
- Don't procrastinate
and don't put things off until the last minute, especially the quizzes.
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E-mail, call, or visit Dr. Dave whenever you have questions or problems.
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Keep a positive attitude and try to have fun.