Module Reviews Aims of a module review -To give the reader an idea of the module’s content, teaching quality , assessment so he/she may make an informed decision whether or not to take the module. (! -To give suggestions on how to co"e with the module and gain the most out of it, usually #ased on "ersonal e$"erience. e$"erience. (%! -To give the reader an en&oya#le time #y making the review clear, concise , and entertaining. ('! verview) A summary of the content. *dentify the main "oints, ela#orate later. +ontent workload) ylla#us, workload, assessment. Teaching Teaching sta) ecturer ecturer,, tutor. tutor. 0ersonal e$"erience) 01 of someone who has #een there. Advice for future students. 2o with the tem"late format for now +onsider ela#orating ela#orating on the sylla#us or content after listing the sylla#us down. PC1143
Taken T aken in A3 A3 %45/6 %45/6 em % 7*f you’re not a 0hysics ma&or, do not take this module. 3ou have #een warned.8 verview) This module serves as an introduction introduction to electricity electricity and magnetism magnetism at the the university level and is a core module for 0hysics ma&ors. 3ou can consider it as a gigantic e$tension of the 9M "ortion of the A level sylla#us. ike other 3ear 0hysics modules, the em"hasis is on #eing a#le to :uantify (read) using math! the "hysics, as o""osed to merely #eing a#le to e$"lain the "hysical signi;cance of the conce"t #eing taught. asically, this module is like 0+5 reloaded, with more calculus, more unfamiliar content, and more hair-"ulling when doing tutorials and assignments. ???????? ylla#us)
. 9lectric @orce %. 9lectric @ield '. 9lectric @lu$ 5. 2auss’s aw 6. 9lectric 0otential . +a"acitance B. +urrent Resistance C. <+ circuits D. Magnetic @orce 4. Magnetic @ield . 9lectromagnetic *nduction %. *nductance '. A+ +ircuits 5. Eni;cation of 9lectricity and Magnetism 6. 9lectromagnetic waves ectures will #e conducted twice a week, tutorials once every fortnight, and la#s once every fortnight as well. *’m sure you are already familiar with this format if you are a 0hysics ma&or. *f you aren’t, * ho"e you are &ust reading this for fun.
;nal e$am (to 64G!, increasing the num#er of tutorials, and so forth.
e$"lanations. Ler tutorials are self-contained, meaning that even if you go into the tutorial without looking at the :uestions #eforehand, you will still #ene;t. Ler tutorial solutions are e$tremely detailed, listing out ste"-#y-ste" the thinking "rocess for each "ro#lem. This can #e either hel"ful or a hindrance de"ending on who you are. he is also very a""roacha#le, and willing to s"end time #eyond her (already e$tended! tutorial sessions to answer :uestions from students. Nhile she occasionally has diHculty with more advanced :uestions, which is not une$"ected considering it’s her ;rst time teaching this module, she makes it a "oint to get #ack to the student after class (usually via email!. ???????? 0ersonal e$"erience) At the end of the module, * #ecame much more comforta#le with a""lying calculus in "hysics "ro#lems, which for me was a vast im"rovement from 0+5, when calculus "ro#lems s"elt certain death. * #elieve it’s due to the incredi#le amount of calculus "ro#lems we were e$"osed to from the #eginning to the end of the module. *t truly gives a new meaning to the saying 70ractise makes "erfect8. This module is not going to #e easy, #ut at the end, the reward for your hard work will not &ust #e the grade you receive, #ut also #eing more "re"ared to #ridge the ga" to 3ear %.
PC1144
Taken in A3 %45/6 em % 79verything in this module is easy. To me that is.8 verview) This core "hysics module introduces the most recent, and some may say, outlandish ideas in 0hysics like relativity and :uantum mechanics, which, sur"rise, sur"rise, ha""ens to #e the su#&ect of many higher level modules. *n that res"ect, much of the content can #e said to #e greatly =dum#ed down’, with the ma&ority of advanced mathematics #eing omitted, while the focus #eing more on the :ualitative understanding of conce"ts. *t is worth noting that + students are also taking this module as their L' su#&ect, which slightly aects the conduct of the module. The good news is that you won’t #e e$"ected to draw u"on your knowledge from 0+5/5% and other Math modules, since they have to cater to the + students. The #ad news is that the de"artment will not release the "ast year "a"ers (due to it #eing an A level
su#&ect and all!. Also, L' students do not form "art of the #ell curve, so don’t get your ho"es u".
ylla#us) . %. '. 5. 6. . B. C.
Relativity Juantum 0hysics Mathematical #ackground Juantum Mechanics Atomic tructure Quclear 0hysics 0article 0hysics +osmology (Qot e$amina#le!
Norkload) The workload consists of the standard com"onents of a 3ear "hysics mod. +ontent-wise, as most of the a#ove to"ics, such as "article "hysics and cosmology, are really self-contained to"ics of study with their own modules and are also active areas of research, only the #are essentials on each to"ic have #een selected to #e taught. That said, the lecturer will still include a lot of derivations and "roofs in his lecture notes, some of which are not e$amina#le. This can lead to a lot of confusion as to what to focus on for the e$am. Lowever, the lecturer likes to dro" hints on the e$am coverage, so make sure you attend all the lecturesS Assessment (for QE students!) 4G Landwritten assignments (5-6 in total! 6G Tutorial attendance 6G a# com"onent 4G Mid-term test 4G @inal e$am L' students have a slightly dierent assessmentI minus the assignments and tutorial attendance, and a larger weightage for the ;nal e$am to com"ensate. Teaching ta) ecturer)
"hysics at such an advanced level that he had forgotten how much, or rather how little, a ty"ical L' or ;rst-year student knows.
Lis lecture "ractices were however, :uite useful in hel"ing many of us gras" the conce"ts #eing taught. * also a""reciate his stance of not s"oon-feeding us the content, allowing us to learn inde"endently, as how it should #e in university. Tutor)
Taken in A3 %45/6 em % 70lease #e reminded that you are allowed one dou#le-sided A5 siPe hel"-sheet for the ;nal e$am.8 verview) >efore * #egin, * would like to highlight that * am reviewing the module taken #y 0hysics ma&ors, not the one taken #y 90 students. Although the module code
and content are mostly identical, the focus for 90 students is more on a""lications while the em"hasis for 0hysics ma&ors is on fundamental theorems and their derivations. 90 students currently take the module in em , while 0hysics ma&ors can only take it in em %. ust in case you were confused. * know * was. This module can #e seen as an e$tension of the thermodynamics "art of 0+5%, #ut with the inclusion of statistical ideas, e.g. "ermutations, to e$"lain thermodynamic conce"ts such as entro"y. A lot of em"hasis is "laced on derivations of im"ortant formulae, over solving "ractical "ro#lemsI hence a lot of "eo"le ;nd this module to #e very dry and a#stract. That said, many conce"ts are taught here which link to other areas of "hysics like 9M and JM, letting you a""reciate the interconnectedness #etween dierent areas of "hysics. ylla#us) . st aw of Thermodynamics %. %nd aw of Thermodynamics (0art ! '. 0ara-magnetism 5. %nd aw of Thermodynamics (0art %! 6. Leat +a"acity . 0erfect +lassical 2as B. 0hase 9:uili#ria C. 0erfect JM 2as D. >lack#ody Radiation 4.ystems with 1aria#le 0article Qum#ers Almost all the content is taken from the te$t#ook (tatistical 0hysics #y Mandl!, so it might #e a good idea to get your hands on it (or not, de"ending on how you look at it!. *f you are having trou#le understanding the lecture notes, the te$t#ook does "rovide a fuller e$"lanation that may hel". therwise, the te$t#ook is not necessary since it doesn’t really add anything new to what is already covered in the lectures. ectures are conducted twice a week (%$% hours!, and an hour-long tutorial once every fortnight. The assessment com"onents for my year are) 6G Test (Neek 6! 6G Test (Neek %, -sided hel"-sheet allowed! B4G @inal e$am (%-sided hel"-sheet allowed! Teaching ta) ecturer) 0rof Owok Meng Lau 0rof Owok has #een lecturing this module for :uite a num#er of years now. Le is a kind and elderly lecturer, :uite a""roacha#le, though his lecturing is not the most eective. Le has the tendency to gloss over most of the math during his
lectures, assuming that we are already familiar with it. 0erha"s the :uality of students during his time was #etter, #ut many "eo"le, me included, do not have the strongest mathematical #ackground, and thus struggle to make sense of the derivations. 0rof Owok is aware of this, * #elieve, as he tries his #est not to fail anyone in his class. Lis tests and e$ams are very straightforward, with :uestions taken from the tutorials and lecture "ractices. Nhile derivations will #e tested, no memoriPation is re:uired as you can refer to your hel"-sheet. o do s"end some :uality time "re"aring your hel"-sheetS *t can make the dierence #etween a "ass and a fail. Tutor)
Taken in A3 %45/6 em % verview) *n a nutshell, this module teaches you how to solve various dierential e:uations and linear alge#ra "ro#lems, then a""lying these techni:ues to solve actual "ro#lems in the real world (al#eit their sim"li;ed versions!. As the reviews #elow mine note, the "ro#lem-solving and mathematical modelling skills ac:uired from this module form "art of the core com"etencies re:uired to tackle future engineering (or for my case, "hysics! modules.
*f you hated MA646, here’s some good news) with interconnected to"ics, less a#stract content, and "lenty of a""lications, this module is much more interesting than MA646. Most "eo"le will en&oy this module #oth for its relevance to engineering to"ics and the uni:uely engaging way it is taughtI or if not, at least ;nd it less of a #itter "ill to swallow. ylla#us) . %. '. 5. 6. . B. C.
rdinary
The format of MA64 is very similar to MA646. Nith all the materials u"loaded to *19, most "eo"le don’t attend lectures and tutorials, "referring to watch we#cast lectures and refer to the worked tutorial solutions and 030s instead. There is also a la# com"onent where you learn how to use Mata# over four sessions in the latter half of the semester. As these are o"tional, * did not go for any of them, so * can’t give any useful info on this. A""arently it used to form "art of the assessment, #ut has since #een removed ("ro#a#ly so +hem engin "eo"le don’t gain an unfair advantageF !.
Assessment) %4G Mid-term) nly +ha"ter is tested. C4G @inal 9$am) 9ntire sylla#us tested, A5-siPed dou#le-sided hel"-sheet allowed. MA64 uses the e$act same mode of assessment as MA646, with 4 M+Js in hour for the mid-term, and C $ % :uestions for the ;nal. The diHculty varies very little #etween semestersI most are cookie-cutter ty"e :uestions, which you should #e a#le to ace #y doing your 030s, #ut there are always those cou"le of :uestions which re:uire you to think out of the #o$, to dierentiate those who really know their stu. Teaching ta) ecturer) A/0rof @red eung 0ui @ai 0rof eung was the lecturer for my lecture grou" (2rou" >!. 3ou may know him as the module coordinator from MA646, and some of you may have #een taught #y him #efore. Le took two lecture slots (A >! for this semester. Le is a decent lecturer who has had :uite a lot of e$"erience teaching, he’s #een in QE more than three decades if *’m not wrong. Le s"eaks with a Long Oong
accent which is "retty funny at times, #ut it gets in the way of com"rehension, and * often had to concentrate hard to catch his words. Le uses his own handwritten notes to su""lement the ones #y the module coordinator (more on him later!, and it’s clear that he knows the content through and through. May#e too much, however, as he tends to ski" ste"s when doing calculations, often losing slower students (like myself! who are una#le to see the missing link(s!. Ne#casted lecturer) 0rof >rett Mc*nnes * was "laying around with the we#cast menu, wondering where lecture grou" +’s lectures were, when * stum#led u"on 0rof Mc*nnes’ em lectures. *t turned out to #e the #est thing that’s ha""ened to me in the module. 0rof Mc*nnes is, hands down, one of the #est (and coolest! lecturers in QE. Natching his lectures is like watching a Lollywood movie. Qot a #ad analogy, considering that he once showed us a cli" of ord of the Rings to illustrate the mathematical modelling of warfare. Low many of you can say you’ve seen something like that in your math classF
Le has some sort of magical a#ility to kee" your attention throughout his entire lecture (which is on math, that’s saying something!. Le is a#le to e$"lain things in a succinct manner and make it entertaining at the same time. Le often uses online resources, such as a""lets, to illustrate certain to"ics, which greatly hel"ed me to visualiPe the math involved. As the module coordinator, he created all the lecture notes and tutorials. *n #oth, he does his #est to minimiPe the tedium of the mathematics #y dreaming u" various imaginative scenarios where your newly ac:uired knowledge can #e "ut to use. ome e$am"les include gam#ling in RN, Angelina olie fandom, and let’s not forget a#out his favourite hakes"earian cou"le, Romeo and uliet. My only regret is not #eing a#le to &oin his lecture grou" so * can nominate him for the teaching awards he deserves.
0ersonal e$"erience) * felt that * was much #etter "re"ared for this mod com"ared to MA646. @irstly, * ;nally understood the im"ortance of s"amming "ast year "a"ers, which was e$actly what * did for #oth the mid-term and ;nal e$am, to astonishing results. econd, * attended nearly all lectures and we#casted a dierent lecturer during my revision to refresh my memory. astly, the great num#er of a""lications used to illustrate conce"ts &ust made everything easier to gras" and understand. Nhile * #elieve that most "eo"le do #etter in MA64 (and thus a stee"er #ell curve!, it still holds true that #ecause of the enormous class siPe and standardiPed format of testing, this is one of those modules where you are almost guaranteed an A if you do your due diligence. MA1104
Taken in A3%45/6 em % verview) MA45 is a straightforward, content-covering module. *t essentially e$"lores what ha""ens if a function were de"endent on more than one varia#le. And it turns out that this sim"le change o"ens u" a whole new realm of mathematics. The module is uni:ue in that it is one of the few math modules taken #y math ma&ors which has direct a""lications to "hysics and engineering (that’s &ust the im"ression * get a#out math modules in generalI math ma&ors, do correct me if *’m wrong!. +onse:uently, it is also not as a#stract as many other math modules, with less em"hasis on "roofs. *t is de;nitely one of those math modules which "hysics and engineering students can consider taking to strengthen their mathematical foundation. ylla#us) . %. '. 5. 6. . B. C. D.
1ectors @unctions of multi"le varia#les 0artial derivatives
Norkload) Juite managea#le for a core module. Nith % $ % hour lectures which are we#casted, and (o"tional! tutorial a week, much of your learning is selfdirected. o the amount of time you will #e s"ending on this module will #e a function of #oth your desire to get good grades and your "rior mathematical #ackground. Assessment) 6G Assignments U 5 sets of worksheets. Assignment :uestions are :uite easy #y most standards, so you should #e getting full marks or close to full marks for them. %4G Mid-term test - @or my class, the mid-term test was ridiculously easy, the median score #eing 55/64. Most of the :uestions were taken from the "ractice :uestions "osted #y the "rof #efore the test, so really, all one has to do is co"y them down on the (%-sided! cheat sheet and score close to full marks without even studying. 6G @inal e$am U Ty"ically has a mi$ture of sim"le :uestions and challenging ones, which are conveniently arranged in order of diHculty. Make sure you score full marks for the sim"le :uestions #y attem"ting the "ast year "a"ers and co"ying the :uestions you think you might forget into your % cheat-sheets.
Teaching sta) ecturer/tutor)
0ersonal e$"erience) * found this module to #e #oth managea#le and hel"ful. As a core module for math ma&ors, it was easier than * e$"ected. My math ma&or friends also found it easy com"ared to their other more "roof-intensive modules. That is not to say it’s a walk in the "ark, however. *t’s still content heavy, and you have to really understand the content if you want to score well in the ;nal e$am. As im"lied a#ove, this module "rovides good training to tackle the multi varia#le "ro#lems that a""ear in #oth "hysics and engineering. * can’t s"eak for the various ;elds of engineering, #ut you can’t run away from "artial derivatives and vector calculus from year % "hysics onwards. A few days ago, * was looking at some old tests for 0+%'% +lassical Mechanics when, to my shock, * realised * could do a cou"le of the :uestions without referring to any of the lecture notes, all thanks to the stu * learnt here. o heads-u" to all "hysics ma&ors out there) "lease take this module as your "riority. *t is even more im"ortant ne$t year, as MA646 is no longer "art of the curriculum. PC1141
Taken in A3 %45/6 em 7*f you got your A in "hysics from the com"utation :uestions, that’s ;ne. >ut if you got it #y memoriPing de;nitions and ten-year series :uestions, you’re going to #e in for a lot of trou#le.8 verview) This is one of the two core modules taken #y ;rst year "hysics ma&ors in semester . *t covers fundamental to"ics in classical mechanics such as Qewton’s three laws, kinematics, rotational dynamics etc. *f you have taken L% "hysics, many of the conce"ts taught here would #e familiar to you. Lowever, #elieve me when * say that things are taken to a whole new level in this module. As the lecturer likes to remind us, this is no longer A level "hysicsI the em"hasis is no longer on conce"tual understanding (conce"tual understanding should #e a given!, #ut on the solving of "ro#lems. *t is also "ro#a#ly the ;rst time you will start to use calculus in "hysics "ro#lems.
ylla#us) . Measurements < Oinematics %. 1ectors Oinematics in %< and '< '. Qewton’s aws of motion 5. A""lications of Qewton’s laws 6. Nork and Oinetic energy . 0otential energy B. inear momentum collisions C. +entre of mass system of "articles D. Rotation Moment of inertia 4.Rotational dynamics .Angular momentum %.tatics 9lastic "ro"erties '.@luid mechanics 5.2ravitation 6.scillations .Naves B.ound waves C.u"er"osition of waves The recommended te$t#ook, Eniversity 0hysics #y 3oung and @reedman, is availa#le in soft co"y on the Mastering 0hysics "ortal. o "urchasing the hardco"y is not really necessary. >ut then again, some (like me! "refer a hardco"y, and to use it as a reference in the future. ince the te$t#ook covers all 5 ;rst-year "hysics modules, it’s :uite a worthwhile investment. *t’s u" to "ersonal "reference on this one. Norkload) There are two lectures a week, a tutorial every fortnight, and a la# session every fortnight as well. ectures will #e we#casted, although you should attend as there is a graded =earning +atalytics’ com"onent where you log onto an online "ortal to res"ond to :uestions during lecture. Tutorial attendance will #e taken and graded, and the la# re"orts can take u" a lot of time. The ;rst half of the module will #e rather la$, as you would have learnt most of the conce"ts #efore in your L% "hysics. * recommend you take this time to "ractice and get used to doing those "esky calculus :uestions, #ecause you will likely #e overwhelmed once rotational dynamics (and everything after that! hits you in the face. Assessment) %G earning +atalytics 'G Tutorial attendance 4G Mastering 0hysics assignments) Mastering 0hysics is an online learning "ortal where the lecturer selects :uestions from a vast data#ase for your assignments. The :uestions set are not diHcult. o, if you’re stuck, do try to resist the tem"tation to 2oogle for answers, as it’s usually "ossi#le to ;gure out
the solution after some thought. Assignments also hel" you to internaliPe the conce"ts for the ;nal e$am. 6G a# re"orts) This com"onent com"rises of a viva (4G! and a la# re"ort (D4G!. After every la# session, the la# demonstrators will ask you and your la# "artner :uestions on the e$"eriment you &ust did. The num#er and diHculty of :uestions de"ends on who your la# demo is. * "ersonally ;nd the 3ear 5 students to #e much more hel"ful and committed than the grad students. Afterwards, you will #e e$"ected to su#mit a la# re"ort in a week’s time. @irstyear la# re"orts are straightforwardI you are hand-held through the "rocess with a series of guiding :uestions. The two com"onents that may throw "eo"le o are the summary at the end of every re"ort and the use of 9$cel to in"ut data and create gra"hs. nce you get used to these, scoring As for la# re"orts should #e easy. 4G Mid-term test) @airly sim"le. Most of the content tested is from L% "hysics, and there is little to no calculus re:uired.
* felt that this was one of the hardest modules * took in em . The shift in em"hasis to com"utation and "roving :uestions was :uite ta$ing, #ut the change * was not used to was the use of calculus to solve "ro#lems. The thing is, it’s nothing like the calculus taught in L% math. Ne were taught how to use dierentiation and integration, #ut the "rocess of a""lying those techni:ues to solve an actual "hysics "ro#lem, i.e. =setting u" the "ro#lem’ is a dierent #all game altogether. @rom what *’ve heard, this module seems to #e the deciding factor on whether you continue with the "hysics curriculum. 9very year, a good num#er of students switch ma&or after taking this module in em . * guess it’s #ecause they weren’t e$"ecting university "hysics to #e so dierent from A level "hysics. *f these "eo"le were my friends, however, * would urge them to reconsider. 3es, "hysics is hard. And yes, you might have an easier time in other science ma&ors. >ut unless you have a #urning "assion for another su#&ect, it "ays to stay on this "ath. Many of us s"end much of our time in QE mugging for grades and that degree, #ut return that knowledge to the "rofs the moment we ste" into the working world. Nhat sets "hysics a"art is the :uantitative and a#stract reasoning skills ac:uired from a "hysics education, which will stay with you for life. *n other words, studying "hysics makes you smarter.
PC1142
Taken in A3%45/6 em 7*t’s great to #e a "hysics student in a module where you can have e:uations dro""ing from the sky.8 verview) Enlike the other level- "hysics modules, 0+5% covers two distinct areas in "hysics, thermodynamics and o"tics. Thermodynamics, which is covered ;rst, is the easier to"ic as some of the content had #een covered in L% "hysicsI things like enthal"y, heat cycles, ideal gas law etc. "tics, on the other hand, was com"letely omitted in the L% "hysics curriculum, so most of the content will #e unfamiliar to most "eo"le. The module is conce"tually heavyI there is a lot of new content to digest, #ut the good news is that the mathematics is slightly toned down relative to 0+5. Also, as this is an introductory module, many of the theorems taught are given without "roof, making things a lot easier. till, the em"hasis remains on com"utational :uestions, and some re:uire knowledge of #asic calculus. ylla#us) . Tem"erature Leat
%. '. 5. 6. . B. C.
Oinetic Theory of 2ases @irst aw of Thermodynamics econd aw of Thermodynamics ight 2eometric "tics *mage @ormation *nterference
Assessment) 6G Tutorial attendance 4G a# re"orts 4G Mastering 0hysics assignments 6G Mid-term test) +overs only the thermodynamics "ortion. The "rof u"loads "ast mid-term tests and solutions to *19, so this is a very good o""ortunity to score, es"ecially since the :uestions don’t vary that much #etween years. 4G @inal e$am) +an #e :uite challenging, with several a""lication-#ased :uestions. Qot too mathematically intensive, however, so if you s"end the time to thoroughly understand the lecture content, it shouldn’t #e diHcult to do well. Teaching sta) ecturer) A/0rof 0eter Lo 0rof Lo does a fairly good &o# of conducting the module. Lis teaching is ;ne, * don’t really have any comment on it, however * do like the way he uses =test your understanding’ :uestions inters"ersed throughout his lecture slides to ensure that we are kee"ing u" with the lecture. Le seems to #e a #usy "rof, and rarely has time for individual consultations. Lowever, he does conduct mass consultation sessions he calls =s"ecial clinics’ #efore the mid-term and ;nal e$am. Tutor)
do all the long :uestions. * ended u" writing random e:uations down on the "a"er, ho"ing for some sym"athy marks. * felt really terri#le after the "a"er and walked out of the e$am hall without talking to anyone. * was ready to /E this module, #ut in the end, the grade * got was far #eyond my e$"ectations. May#e it’s due to the #ell curve, #ut * think that my near-"erfect +A score "ulled my grades u" signi;cantly. o don’t underestimate the im"ortance of the +A com"onent. Nhat *’ve learnt from this e$"erience is that it "ays to #e consistent, not &ust throughout the semester for the +A, #ut also through the ;nal "ush at the end of the semester.
MA1505
7ut to come again, it must #e hard. V as in diHcult. * don’t know what all of you are thinking a#out. 8 verview) MA646 is the ;rst of two modules which covers the mathematical fundamentals which are commonly used across the various ;elds of engineering. The main to"ic of interest here is calculus and its #ranches which are most relevant to engineering a""lications. This means learning a#out things like Taylor’s theorem, @ourier series and vector calculus, u" and a#ove the regular dierentiation and integration techni:ues and a""lications covered in L% math. This is not a light module. The content taught here is argua#ly the e:uivalent of % modules taken #y math ma&ors, as it covers #oth single and multivaria#le calculus. Therefore, much of the content is condensed with the focus on a""lying the theorems taught, and the "roofs of said theorems given only a "assing mention or else omitted entirely. ylla#us) . @unctions %.
everything at home if you want. Lowever, if you are an average student, #e "re"ared to s"end a lot of time wra""ing your head around things like @ourier series, tokes theorem, uilding a solid foundation now would mean having an easier time later. ES1541
Taken in A3 %45/6 em
7Nhat re"orting ver# do you use to e$"ress disagreement with someone in an academic essayF Claims. He claims that this and that is true, but actually you think that it’s a load of crap .8 verview) 965 is the fairly new writing module introduced #ack in %4' to develo" the written and ver#al communication skills of science students. As you might infer from the module name, you will #e e$"ected to write a lot, and "resent a lot. The "o"ular science "art comes in the form of 6 "o"ular science #ooks from dierent disci"lines, and the idea is to analyse how these #ooks communicated o#scure scienti;c knowledge to the general "u#lic in an accessi#le way, then a""lying what you have learnt in your "resentations and essay. *t is com"ulsory for all science students to take this module, unless you are "art of a "rogramme which already oers a writing module in their curriculum, e.g. Etown "rogrammes. 3ou can decide whether you want to take the module in your ;rst, second or third year, although * would recommend clearing it in your ;rst year, not only #ecause of the lower #id "oints, #ut also #ecause it is a re:uirement to go on overseas e$change. ylla#us) As this is a writing module, learning is usually done via class activities and assignments. @or my cohort, these included) - *ndividual and grou" summaries - ynthesis (of multi"le sources to su""ort your thesis! - *ndividual and grou" "resentations - Argumentative essay (on a to"ic of your choice! - 0eer review (of summaries, essay drafts! - ReWections Norkload) * feel that talking a#out the workload isn’t meaningful here, due to the fact that this is a relatively new module which is still in the "rocess of ;ne-tuning. The assessment com"onents have changed drastically in the semester since * took the module, and will likely continue to do so. The amount of workload you e$"erience will also dier de"ending on who you are and who your tutor is. * know "eo"le who found the module easy, #ut to others (like me!, it is a ma&or #urden. *n general, having a good command of s"oken and written 9nglish and #eing comforta#le with making "resentations will make things easier for you.
Teaching sta) Tutor) Ms erene 9ng Ms 9ng is one of the most enthusiastic teachers *’ve seen. 9ven though my class is at C am, she has the a#ility to make the class come alive during lessons. he #rings a new meaning to walking the talk, using the "resentation techni:ues taught in the sylla#us to ca"ture the class’s attention and engage each and every one of us. he often shares her "ast e$"eriences with us, which was an eye-o"ener for me. *t shows that she genuinely cares a#out her students. Qear the end of the semester, she even got a director of an MQ+ to advise us from an em"loyer’s "oint of view, highlighting why communication skills are so im"ortant in today’s glo#alised &o# market. 0ersonal e$"erience) * am someone who has always #een terri#le at "resentations, from "rimary school all the way to the 0N 0 in A levels. Nhenever * have an u"coming "resentation, * will go almost craPy with an$iety over it, sometimes to the e$tent of losing slee" the entire night. o you can imagine the horror * felt when * realiPed * couldn’t esca"e from this mod which has "resentations nearly every week. >ut you know, it turned out to #e one of those times when you are "ushed to your limit, your "ers"ective changes. * realiPed that if * don’t do anything, this "ro#lem will "lague me for the rest of my life. * decided * had to face it. * acce"ted that * was going to stum#le and fall, #ut * resolved to start learning from my mistakes and ;nd ways to im"rove on the ne$t "resentation. ver the course of the semester, * e$"erimented on various strategies, e.g. memorising the entire scri"t, remem#ering the key "oints, using "ro"s etc. Nhile * didn’t do well for the ma&ority of the "resentations (sometimes * will literally stun there when * forget my scri"t!, * was #eginning to understand what * could or couldn’t do. * ;nally managed to "ut it together in the last 4-minute "resentation, scoring (what * felt! was an amaPing BC/44. * still suck at "resentations, no kidding, #ut at least * now know why * suck. And that makes all the dierence, #ecause for the ;rst time in my life, * felt ho"e in my "resentation skills. o it goes without saying that * am very ha""y with my "erformance in this module, regardless of the grade * o#tained. o if you ;nd yourself in a similar situation as me, don’t give u". Most "eo"le get at least a >X for this module (* think the #ell curve is slightly modi;ed here!, so your hard work will surely "ay o in the end. More im"ortantly, if you have the "ositive attitude of wanting to learn as much as "ossi#le, classes will #ecome much more #eara#le, even en&oya#le at times. The curriculum is structured in such a way that you will have to do &ust as many assignments as everyone else anyway, so why not learn something while you are at itF
