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Monash University - Subject Reviews & Ratings
JinXi:
Subject Code/Name: PHS2011- Physics: Quantum Concepts and Technologies
Workload: 3x1 hour lectures per week, 3 hour labs once a week
Assessment: 1x3% Condensed Matter Physics(CMP) Report, 1x2% CMP Quiz, 2x2.5% Atomic & Nuclear Physics(AN) Quiz, 2x5% Quantum Mechanics(QM) Assignments, 1x6% Lab report, 24% of lab work, 30% 3hr CMP & AN exam, 20% 2hr QM exam.
Recorded Lectures: Yes, with screen capture.
Past exams available: Yes, one or two exams available for all 3 subtopics, but solutions to AN are not provided.
Textbook Recommendation: Don't buy anything, it's all in the library.
Lecturer(s): Michael Morgan, Alexis Bishop, Scott Findlay
Year & Semester of completion: 2012, Sem 1
Rating: 0 out of 5
Comments: The only reason that this got a rating of 0, is that the Quantum Mechanics section taken by Michael Morgan deserves a 5, but the other two subtopics deserves a rating of -5. I went to the first lecture taken by Scott Findlay on CMP and feel asleep, along with alot of other people, within 10 minutes. It was the same in Atomic and Nuclear physics taken by Alexis Bishop, but he was marginally better than Scott Findlay. 2 lectures per week for the first 6 weeks were allocated for CMP, followed by AN, and one lecture a week was allocated to QM. Since I have a clash during the lecture that QM takes place, needless to say, I didn't go to many of the lectures.
Until you have actually sat in Scott Findlay's lecture, you wont know how horrible it is. He just reads of his slides, which are filled to the brim with words, while shaking his laser pointer at the where he is reading from, which only succeeded in distracting people. I'll quote a friend, who told me that "I've learnt more about the physics behind *insert object* in an introductory engineering lecture than I did in a physics lecture..."
After the CMP section was done, I've already lost all motivation for this unit, which may have been the thing that made Alexis Bishop seem equally as bad as a lecturer. No hate on Michael Morgan though, he's a good lecturer without doubt.
Content wise, personally, I found it relatively dry, and I crammed the AN and CMP section in a day. The exam didn't go as bad as I've expected, since the AN section was EXACTLY THE SAME as last year... which is why he didn't provide solutions. Have yet to done my QM exam at the point of writing.
Basically, to sum it up, Alexis Bishop(AN)- bad, Scott Findlay(CMP)- terri-bad, Michael Morgan(QM)- awesome. More of a rant than a review.
P.S. No puns on AN intended.
b^3:
Subject Code/Name: MAE1041 - Introduction to Aerospace Engineering
Workload: 3x1 hour lectures a week, 1 Boundary Layer Lab, 1 Paper Plane Project, 1 2hr Problem Solving Class a week
Assessment: 10% BL Lab, 10% Paper Plane Project, 10% tutes/problem solving classes, 70% 3hr exam
Recorded Lectures: Not Recorded
Past exams available: Back to 2005 (although the course changed, so really not all the stuff on 2009 and back is relevant).
Textbook Recommendation: Prescribed: Flight Physics: Introduction to Disciplines & Technology of Aircraft Flight, Recommended: Introduction to Flight 7ed. The prescribed textbook is ok to brush up on theory and to refer to in Lab reports and such, while the recommended book has a few practice questions that are relevant, but isn't really needed unless you want to go and do further questions (although not all of them are relevant).
Lecturer(s): Hugh Blackburn
Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2012
Rating: 4 Out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: 85 HD
Comments: Overall I found this unit interesting, although at some points it was quite dry, you go through a few derivations that are pulled nearly out of no where, and be prepared for a couple of formulas a lecture (they all add up, around 50 on the formula sheet). There were some "interesting" moments (watching birdstrike videos and turbine blade tests come to mind), and Prof Blackburn does have a sense of humor (unlike some lecturers).
If you can do the questions in the 2hr problem solving class/tute each week, (which is basically free marks if you get all the questions done or hang around - worth 10%) then you should be able to do ok, as the exam is similar to the tute questions and past exam questions (one of them was off the 2010 exam with the numbers changed around). 50% of the exam was on aircraft performance, 30% of the rest of the areas of study (as problems) and 20% on theory (based on the marking scheme for previous papers).
The boundary layer lab is easy to score high in if you know your stuff, while the paper plane project turned out to be quite difficult, making the plane fly in a straight line was the key. You get a couple of weeks notice for it, the goal is to make a paper plane fly 40m from a launching height of 8m using only a glide throw (i.e. you can't throw it hard). This is done in the sports rec center at some stage).
As this is "into to aerospace" you touch on a fair few areas, but don't go into great detail in some, this is done to be given just a general idea of the topic before building on it in later years. Although it does leave you wondering at some points, if you have time you can fill in the gaps there yourself.
paulsterio:
Subject Code/Name: MED1011 - Medicine 1
Workload: 12 x 1hr lectures + 1 x 2 hr prac + 4 x 2 hr tutorials + 3.5 hr CBL
Assessment: 25% Mid-Sem Exam, 50% Case Commentary Assignment, 25% End of Semester Exam
Recorded Lectures: Yes
Past exams available: No
Textbook Recommendation: Check the recommended list
Lecturer(s): Too many to list really
Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2012
Rating: 4/5
Your Mark/Grade: (Pending)
Comments: It's OK I guess, tutorials are great, lectures are bad, haven't been to a lecture/watched a lecture since the third week of semester, just self-study is usually better. Lectures are boring, and sometimes there's a tendency to fall asleep, but sometimes you do find a needle in the hay stack and get a good lecture. Tutes are usually always fun, clinical skills is the best, so is sociology, HEP tute is a complete waste of time, and I'd much rather not do it, but attendance is taken. CBL is fun, and quite enjoyable. Overall, quite alright :)
b^3:
Subject Code/Name: ENG1091 - Mathematics for Engineering
Workload: 3x1 hour lectures a week, 1 2hr Suport Class a week
Assessment: 3 Assignments - 6% each, Mid-semester Test - 6%, Support Class Participation - 6%, 3hr Exam - 70%
Recorded Lectures: Recorded with screen capture of the Lecture Notes, but most examples are written on Overhead Slides, which are normally put up on Moodle at some point after the lecture
Past exams available: 2007-2010 (but we were informed that it was the faculty's policy to only release one past exam, so this wouldn't be happening again).
Textbook Recommendation: Modern Engineering Mathematics 4ed - I used the textbook a lot throughout the semester, but you can get the questions that you need to do off Moodle, so you don't have to buy it, but if you want to do extra or go further like I did, then I would recommend you to obtain it. Although the Lecture notes are your main source of learning.
Lecturer(s): Stream 2: Dr.Chris Hough (Stream 1: Mr John McCloughan)
Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1 2012
Rating: 5 Out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: 94 HD
Comments: I really enjoyed this unit, probably because maths is the thing that I was most interested in this semester. I was in Dr. Chris Hough's lecture stream, and he was willing to help out and even at some points during the semester, gave you the opportunity to email him if you wanted a further explanation on the reasoning and explanation behind some of the methods used, (as we weren't required to know how the formula came about, just how to use it, but this allowed those (like me) who wanted to know to find out :D). He does have a few George Bush/Bill Gates jokes though (be prepared for at least one a week) and went off on a rant or two about the current VCE system. But was willing to help, and unlike some lectures, and actually enjoyed taking the lectures. He even gave a mobile phone number out at the last lecture, so that we could ring him if we needed to clarify something/help on something, as e-mail would be too slow.
The exam was slightly harder than expected, and had a few tricks here and there, but if you were able to do the tute questions/past papers, then you should have been able to do alright.
I think having a good lecturer that was willing to help and enjoyed his maths is what really made me enjoy this unit, the only downside was the 8am lecture on my longest day.
xZero:
Subject Code/Name: MTH2021 - Linear Algebra with Applications
Workload: 3 1-hour lectures and 1 2-hour support class per week
Assessment: 5 Assignments: 4% each, 5 Laboratory work (quiz): 2% each, 3 hours Exam: 70%
Recorded Lectures: Voice recorded lectures only
Past exams available: 2 past exams are available but only 1 came with solution
Textbook Recommendation: Printed lecture notes if you attend lectures, its also available on moodle if you want to print it yourself or read it on a laptop/tablet etc.
Lecturer(s):Dr Tim Garoni
Year & Semester of completion:Sem 1 2012
Rating: 3 out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: (Pending)
Comments: This subject's name should be changed to MTH2021 - Maths Method (with a bit of matrices) with applications. The first couple of lectures were essentially revision for VCE materials and everything else after that is very simple, to the point whereI felt like I was doing level 1 maths but easier. Except for some matrices operation (tr(A), row(A), col(A) etc.), all other materials are taught in previous maths unit (MTH1030, and MTH2010 if you done it) so I didn't learn much from this unit. Though the lectures had general proves, we are not required to 'understand' it thus making this subject quite easy (of course its the best if you understand the proves, but its not necessary to achieve a HD). If you're looking for a bludge unit I'd say this is the one. The lecturer is apparently quite humorous and knows his stuff but I can't really comment on it too much since I haven't been to more than a lecture (I fell asleep on the time I went). Tutorial class is the same as every other maths unit, if you're up to date and feeling comfortable then its not going to be helpful.
TL;DR It's a bludge unit, if you're looking for an relatively easy HD then take this unit
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