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March 29, 2024, 11:13:10 pm

Author Topic: USyd Unit Reviews  (Read 41725 times)

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angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #30 on: February 02, 2021, 01:57:05 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: MUED2302 Classroom Management

Contact Hours: 1x 2 hour seminar

Assumed Knowledge: MUED1010 or MUED1005 or MUED1009 or MUED1008

Assessment: Student well-being hub journal entries (40%), Problem solving exercise (20%), Classroom Management plan (40%).

Lecture Recordings? Yes; all classes were run live and recordings were uploaded by the end of the day.

Notes/Materials Available: None; all the readings and resources for this unit were provided on Canvas for us to access.

Textbooks: None

Lecturer(s): Jennifer Rowley, Tom Fienberg

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 98 HD

Comments: MUED2302 is a new unit that was added to the enrolment pattern for Music Education students in 2020. After feedback from previous cohorts about the importance of dedicating time to classroom management, this course was created and designed to prepare us for the challenges that may arise in a contemporary music classroom.

The classes ran online and are supposed to be two hours in length. However, a majority decision from our cohort changed this to one hour intensives which ended up being more effective. This meant that we were concentrating fully for the entire duration of the class but that we were also not spending an unnecessary amount of time doing extra reading or preparation that would have been probably required for a second hour. I enjoyed the blended approach to learning about classroom management from both theoretical perspectives and practical strategies for application. The course content was also varied in what we covered (wellbeing, mobile phone use and handling of instruments are some examples of what we discussed), and updated to what classroom management involves today. The assessments for this unit were also reasonable for what was a 3cp unit and examined the subject matter of the course well. I particularly liked that our last assessment was to devise an actual classroom management plan because it not only encouraged me to reflect more deeply about my own philosophy and beliefs about what managing a class means to me, but also because I now either could use it in a school or have it as a model for future CMP's I might need to write when I'm out teaching.

My experience in this unit was really positive overall and it definitely shows with how insanely high my final result was. I have to say it definitely exceeded my expectations because I thought it was going to be way worse since it was the first time this course was run, it was done entirely online and it also was the reason why I had to overload last semester. Despite the circumstances that I was taking this unit in, I found that it was run with high levels of professionalism. I really appreciate the depth of feedback I received for the assessments and how considerate Jennifer and Tom were towards the learning difficulties and stress many of us were going through during the semester. I only wonder what it would have been like in person and I definitely think one thing the unit might choose to take on board in future is to have an observation of a class component embedded within it. I felt that I was quite overwhelmed on my first placement with just how different classroom management looked in my particular school so perhaps a week or two where students are asked to analyse a teacher's strategies (whether it be video recorded or in person, though I imagine the first for logistical reasons) and evaluate them in relation to the theories we explored in the unit. Otherwise, I came out of this unit feeling far more confident and open to the challenges that might come with classroom management and I hope its impact will continue to be felt as I enter my next two years of the degree.
-HSC 2018-

-ATAR-
97.50

-UNI 2019-2022-
Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

angewina_naguen

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #31 on: February 02, 2021, 10:05:40 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: MUED2605 Children, Music and Educational Settings

Contact Hours: 1x 2 hour seminar

Assumed Knowledge: MUED1008

Assessment: Reflection on the syllabus and manifesto statement (20%), Programming and lesson planning (40%), Peer teaching (40%).

Lecture Recordings? None; classes were not recorded and the latter half of the semester was attended live in person.

Notes/Materials Available: None; all the readings and resources for this unit were provided on Canvas for us to access.

Textbooks: None

Lecturer(s): Jim Coyle

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Your Mark/Grade: 88 HD

Comments: MUED2605 is our first Teaching Methods unit which is focused on primary music education. This unit is taken in preparation for Professional Experience 1, typically incorporated in the unit but was instead separated into a three week block after the completion of the course. My review of this unit will be split into my experience within the course itself and how the course influenced my first teaching placement at my assigned public school.

This unit was run remotely for seven weeks and in person for the remaining five of the semester. The online weeks were structured as one hour intensives which gave us more opportunities to work in small groups and contribute meaningfully to discussions in class. There weren't heavy readings to do in the class and what we prepared for each class ended up being relevant to the lesson itself. Our classes in person were very similar to MUED1010 and MUED1005 with us learning songs targetted towards different stage levels (Early Stage 1, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3) and doing small group teaching exercises. Our assessments in this unit were all practical and useful. The peer teaching task was really daunting to prepare for but the fifteen minutes went by fast because it was so much fun. We also had many important discussions about cultural diversity, classroom management and repertoire selection in this class that are all critical issues worth negotiating in our practice as music educators in the 21st century. Every class was highly engaging and only affirmed just how ready I was to get into a school and start sharing all the songs and enjoyment that I myself received in the course.

MUED2605 enabled a natural transition for me into my first teaching placement which I completed at Dee Why Public School. I did my placement directly after the end of the teaching period for USYD for three weeks (this overlapped with STUVAC and finals). While it was not the most ideal time to be staying away from home and embarking on what would be some of the most intense (and sleepless) days of my life, I was fortunate to be placed at a school despite the circumstances and found myself making a second home out of the school quickly. The school uses Orff-Schulwerk pedagogy which MUED1010 and this unit have both prepared me well for and this reflected particularly in my lesson planning and delivery of content during my teaching. I also made a conscious effort to incorporate music of different cultures and genres during my time teaching at Dee Why which I felt helped me form really meaningful connections with the students and deepened their understanding of the significance of music to their lives, others and wider society. My best classes were with Year 5 in which we did World Music and my highlight of my placement was delivering a lesson on Aboriginal mission songs. This class was not only an example of just how well MUED2605 prepared me for teaching primary music but also was a culmination of my learning in the Music Education degree overall.

One thing I wish MUED2605 could have prepared me better for was teaching children with special needs. I was trusted with a class on my final day of placement which I was incredibly nervous for. I think a week dedicated to teaching special needs classes would enhance the unit a little more. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this unit and owe a lot of it to Jim. Not only is he now famous for having the fastest turnaround with assessment feedback out of all the lecturers I have had thus far, he was also incredibly approachable, open to being challenged and inspired many of us to be the best we could. I had so much fun in MUED2605 and look forward to reporting about my next Methods class this semester!
-HSC 2018-

-ATAR-
97.50

-UNI 2019-2022-
Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #32 on: February 04, 2021, 01:21:25 am »
+5
Subject Code/Name: MATH1923 Multivariable Calculus and Modelling (Advanced)

Contact Hours: 2x 1 hr lectures, 1x1 hr tutorial

Assumed Knowledge/Pre-requisite: HSC Extension 2 or 90 in HSC Extension 1, MATH1x21

Assessment: 2x 5% assignment, 2x 12.5% quizzes, final exam(65%)

Lecture Recordings?  Lectures were held live online using Zoom, and recorded and uploaded onto Canvas

Notes/Materials Available:  Lecture notes from lectures are uploaded, typed lecture notes are available for the Modelling part

Textbook: Hugh Luckock, Lecture Notes for MATH1923: Multivariable Calculus and Modelling. Modelling Component only (available in print from KopyStop, 55 Mountain Street, Broadway)
James Stewart, Calculus (Links to an external site.), reference for routine exercise

Lecturer(s): Alexander Fish

Year/Semester of completion: Sem 2 2020

Difficulty: 5/5

Overall Rating:  5/5

Your Mark/Grade: CR

Comments:
This unit has some concepts and theorems carried on from Math 1x21 but it is not a prerequisite to do that before Multivariable. Overall, the teaching team did an amazing job and provided a lot of help, both in tutorials and EdStem forums. Lectures are also well managed and provided great knowledge and basic examples on topics. However, sometimes the difficulty of tutorial question vary quite a bit, which I find it struggling.
The assignments requires speed, critical thinking and a great grasp and application of different concepts. Persistence and constant practice were really important as all of the assignments were challenging, and it is extremely hard to get full marks on quizzes and exams. My final exam was way harder (and a bit longer) than the past papers we were given, which might be due to the fact that our exam is open book, I (and most of the cohort) struggled to finish but the final grade has shown that our marks might have been bumped up (which according to USyd, happens when too many people fail), this seem to be quite common for advanced math subjects.
Overall, this was a fun and extremely challenging experience, and if I can choose again, I would have done the normal version of the subject
Note: lectures go more in depth compared to normal level
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

kauac

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2021, 01:31:42 pm »
+4
CHEM1112 CHEM1B:

Contact Hours: 3 x 1hr lectures, 1hr F2F or online tutorial, weekly online labs/ lab tasks (~2hr/week), 2 F2F Lab Skills sessions in semester.

Assumed Knowledge: CHEM1111

Assessment: Weekly Lecture Quizzes, 3 Tutorial Quizzes, Spectroscopy Assignment (10%), Lab Quizzes, Lab Logbooks, Open Book Final Exam (55%).

Lecture Recordings? Due to COVID, first half of unit was online live but also recorded lectures. Second half was just recorded lectures.

Notes/Materials Available: /

Textbook: Blackman, Bottle, Schmid, Mocerino and Wille,Chemistry, 3rd Edition, 2015 (John Wiley)

Lecturer(s): Shane Wilkinson & Meredith Jordan

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4/5.

Your Mark/Grade: DI

Comments: This was a fitting part 2 to first year chemistry. The unit does spend a lot of time in organic chemistry, so be prepared for that. But this semester seemed to focus more on the applications of chemistry (as compared to CHEM1111, which focuses more on the basics and background of chemistry), which was quite fun to learn about! Both lecturers were very supportive and tried to make online learning as fun and engaging as possible!
« Last Edit: February 10, 2021, 01:35:06 pm by kauac »
2018: HSC

2019: Gap Year

2020-2024: B Science / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD

kauac

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2021, 01:51:42 pm »
+4
BIOL1007 From Molecules to Ecosystems:

Contact Hours: 2-3 x 1hr lectures, 3hr online practical, optional F2F lab skills session.

Assumed Knowledge: HSC Biology

Assessment: Weekly pre-practical quizzes, 4 post-module quizzes, online lab logbook "Lab Archives", Scientific Report Draft, Peer Review, Scientific Report, Proficiency Assessment, Module Reflection, Open Book Final Exam (35%). Don't let the amount of assignments seem overwhelming - they were all quite little and manageable.

Lecture Recordings? All lectures recorded due to COVID. Often broken up into 2 parts for each lecture.

Notes/Materials Available: Post-module Q & A's and revision questions were provided.

Textbook: There was one, don't think I used it.

Lecturer(s): Too many to list - featured according to their area of work / expertise.

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 2, 2020.

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3/5

Your Mark/Grade: HD

Comments: I still have mixed feelings about this unit. It covered a range of different areas of biology in broad detail, so I guess it was cool to get a bit of insight into these. But as a mandatory unit for someone studying a health-related degree, some parts were definitely interesting but irrelevant (mainly the ecology module). The other 3 modules were about genetics, biochemistry (quite difficult for those with a non-chemistry background, I heard) and health/disease, and went into a bit more detail than high school biology. The lectures could be a bit dry at times though.

The pracs were definitely cool and challenging, however, I found I was spending more time and energy answering the mandatory questions on lab archives than I was actually engaging with the content. I loved the F2F skills session, definitely gave me more confidence going into 2nd year biology. But overall, the unit was well run with coordinators who understood the challenges of online learning and catered accordingly.
2018: HSC

2019: Gap Year

2020-2024: B Science / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD

alisontungmy

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #35 on: February 10, 2021, 10:08:46 pm »
+4
Since Kauac posted about this, I thought I might also do my review on the ssp version of this unit, I have similar comments about the lectures so I might go deeper in the lab component

BIOL1997 From Molecules to Ecosystems (Special Studies Program):

Contact Hours: 2-3 x 1hr lectures, 3hr online practical (2 in-person lab sessions, rest was online)

Assumed Knowledge/Prerequisite : Band 6 in HSC Biology

Assessment: 4 post-module quizzes (6%, only best 3 counted), online lab logbook "Lab Archives" (7%), Calculations Assessment (7%), Lab Skills Assessment (10%), Synthetic Biology project (5%), CellPAINT poster (10%), Research proposal (20%), Open Book Final Exam (35%).

Lecture Recordings? All lectures recorded due to COVID. Often broken up into 2 parts for each lecture.

Notes/Materials Available: Post-module Q & A's and revision questions were provided.

Textbook: There was one, never used it

Lecturer(s): Too many to list

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 2, 2020.

Difficulty: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 3/5

Your Mark/Grade: D

Comments: It covered a range of different areas of biology, really went from the molecular level to the ecosystem level (like its name). I initially struggled in the biochemistry parts of this unit as I didn’t do chemistry in school, so it took a while to understand some concepts. But as a mandatory unit for someone studying a health-related degree, some parts were definitely interesting but irrelevant (mainly the ecology module). I agree that lectures could be a bit dry at times.

The pracs were challenging. Unlike normal and advanced, our practice were not particularly relevant to the lecture content. Instead, we looked at modelling different proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and using synthetic biology skills, we looked at possible/potential ways and methods to try and cure Covid (on a genetic level), and wrote up a proposal on our chosen protein and how it would potential suppress COVID-19 virus. The workload from prac was a lot at the start of the year, (having around 8 questions for pre-lab work and another 10 for post lab, which mostly required external research), this made around 10 people dropping to Normal level, and us complaining to the unit coordinator through the unit survey. They listened to our opinions and reduced our pre-lab work component, and moved the questions into lab time. Overall, it was a fun and challenging experience, I’ve learnt much more about COVID-19 on a molecular level and I enjoyed the labs quite a lot. I do wish that the labs are more linked to the lectures though
« Last Edit: February 11, 2021, 12:05:15 pm by alisontungmy »
HSC 2018: Mathematics(94)
HSC 2019: Maths Ext.1(94), Maths Ext.2(84), Music 2(97), Biology(90), Physics(85), Standard English(84)
Uni 2020-2024: Bachelor of Education(Secondary: Maths)/ Bachelor of Science at USyd

kauac

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #36 on: February 11, 2021, 05:06:28 pm »
+4
DATA1001:

Contact Hours: 3 x 1 hr recorded lectures (often lectures weren't full length, so usually took ~ 2hr to complete), 2hr weekly lab content.

Assumed Knowledge: None

Assessment: Project 1 & peer review (0% - formative), Group project 2 (15%), Project 3 (15%), final exam (60%).

Lecture Recordings? They were all recorded due to COVID.

Notes/Materials Available: R Guide (produced by unit coordinator)

Textbook: There was one, didn't use it (if you would like the name, it's available on the unit outline on the USYD website  :) ).

Lecturer(s): Di Warren and a few others.

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 2, 2020.

Difficulty: 2/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Your Mark/Grade: DI

Comments:
I had low expectations starting this unit, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot throughout the semester. The lecture content, whilst fairly interesting at times, could get a little dry. But learning how to use R was where the fun all started! The projects were great for learning more advanced code and challenging myself (and I actually enjoyed doing them!?). My first uni group project was for this subject, and my group worked really well together (but have heard some stories of some challenging groups from other friends doing the subject - so it's a bit of a chance, I guess). There was a phenomenal level of support to assist us in digesting content and learning - forums, q & a's, drop-in sessions (in person and online). Although being more of a "maths" unit, I'm glad I got to do this unit as it will definitely help with experiment design, analysing data and interpreting scientific results and reports for the rest of my science degree!
2018: HSC

2019: Gap Year

2020-2024: B Science / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD

kauac

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #37 on: February 11, 2021, 05:35:03 pm »
+5
MATH1013 Mathematical Modelling:

Contact Hours: 2 x 1hr lectures, 1hr tutorial (F2F or online)

Assumed Knowledge: HSC Mathematics

Assessment: 2 Assignments, 2 Quizzes, Final Open Book Exam (65%).

Lecture Recordings? All recorded due to COVID

Notes/Materials Available: Leon Poladian Lecture Notes for MATH1013 (available on Canvas)

Textbook: I think the above notes were listed as the "textbook".

Lecturer(s): Taji

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Your Mark/Grade: CR

Comments:
After not doing calculus / maths for 2 years, this subject did definitely get intense at times! The subject was well taught and my tutor was really helpful, however, I definitely did feel out of my depth in tutorial group work (so I tended to work by myself). The assignments and quizzes were fair, and even the final exam was fairly similar to previous years' past papers that were provided. It was interesting working through the different models, and some of these actually popped up in one of my science units! The lectures went through many worked examples, and the lecture / tutorial questions were quite engaging. My favourite one was about calculating the time for infiltration of a zombie apocalypse into a population.  :)
2018: HSC

2019: Gap Year

2020-2024: B Science / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD

kauac

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Re: USyd Unit Reviews
« Reply #38 on: February 11, 2021, 08:41:59 pm »
+4
MATH1014:

Contact Hours: 2 x 1hr lectures, 1hr tutorial (F2F or online).

Assumed Knowledge: HSC Mathematics - you don't really use too much content from that, but I guess that's the level of difficulty they expect students to be able to handle to complete the unit.

Assessment: 2 Assignments, 2 Quizzes, Final Exam (65%).

Lecture Recordings? All were recorded

Notes/Materials Available:

Textbook: Didn't use it, couldn't access for free anywhere.

Year & Semester of completion: 2020, Semester 2

Difficulty: 2/5

Overall Rating:  4/5

Your Mark/Grade: DI

Comments:
This subject was a bit of a good surprise! The content was mainly to do with vectors and matrices (which I didn't do in HSC Maths, but I think is maybe in the new syllabus?), and required fairly methodical working out, which was strangely satisfying. The lecturers provided print-outs of their lecture notes, which were really nice and neat. Some of the lecture video quality wasn't the best, but they made sure to provide remedies for this when it happened. Tutorials were fun and the questions were actually helpful when done in a group. I found the final exam extremely difficult (which seemed to be a student consensus as well), but then my mark ended reflecting what I had been getting throughout semester, so that was ok. Enjoyable applications of maths as well, such as learning about barcodes and real-world maths problems.
2018: HSC

2019: Gap Year

2020-2024: B Science / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD