Exam After-thoughts

The exams have ended. I won't get my results till June or July 2008. At the meantime, this is how I felt during each exam:

1. EE2010 Signals and Systems

This is technically an important and relevant subject in regards to my specialization. I intend to specialize in INFORMATION COMMUNICATION. Infocomm, for short. Infocomm deals with image processing like computer graphics and CGI, audio signal processing like music and sound engineering, and digital communications - computer game devices and mobile phones for example.

During the early half of the semester, I'd got a very dedicated lecturer who is patient and passionate in the way he deals with the subject. As a result, I was able to consistently complete all of my tutorials that involved content relevant to his teachings.

However, a second lecturer who came in during the second half of this semester was not very good in the way he communicated to his students. He tends to elaborate and talk too much on the same point, without explaining the rationale behind the theories and formulae used in the lecture notes. He is also one of the laboratory supervisors and also an assessor during my previous semester's "Digital Signal" lab session, and based on that experience, I found him to be extremely demanding and sometimes unreasonable in the way he interrogates students for results. As a result of both his ineffective communication ability and my bitter experience with him during the las semester's lab session, I don't have any motivation at all to complete, much less even touch on any of the tutorials or lecture notes that are all related to his coverage.

As a result, during this exam, I suspect that I was able to understand 3.5 questions out of 4, and able to (coherently) answer 2.5 questions. Meaning that my guess would be that I won't be able to score for this exam at all, but at least made a decent grade. Since I was able to secure full marks during the Continual Assessment for this subject (that is 20% of overall grade), then I should at least attain a B-, if not better.

2. EE2002 Analog Electronics

This is easily one of my most hated subject during my current experience in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering course in NTU. In fact, anyone who doesn't know their Circuit Analysis foundations would learn to detest and dislike this subject subject so much. In fact, this subject has the highest rate of failures as compared to other subject based on statistical reports in NTU. And in fact, ALMOST every EEE student hates this subject - for the same reasons I wrote here.

The first lecturer - who is some old, white-haired, bespectacled Chinese "uncle" - is not very helpful at all to begin with. All his lectures consist of the following common phrases:

- It's in the textbook. Go read it yourself.
(Comment: ... Like what the eff? I might as well self-study and listen t your bullcrap then...)

- You don't know what this is all about? That means you never read your notes. Your subject kaput, your exam kaput, and your results kaput, and in the end your entire course also kaput.
(Comment: ...So you're telling the obvious, and all your lectures is about mocking us? How does this eff-ing help at all, dickwad?)

I have to tolerate his rubbish all the way from week 1 to 7, and then from week 8 onwards, we got another lecturer (who is slightly younger than him, but is more friendly, more intuitive in his teaching, and also more comical in his speech). However, it didn't help that the content the newer lectures covered is cumulative; in other words, it is solely dependent on what is covered by previous chapters. Simply put, if you screw up your understanding on Bi-Polar Junction Transistors, Diodes, and MOSFETs, you will screw the late chapters such as Small-Signal Analysis, Current Mirrors and other sheeznits.

As a result of lack of motivation and objective learning, I find myself copying solutions from past-year tutorial answer keys, digesting formulae and circuit diagrams, and doing minimal Past Year Paper practices, and hence find all tutorial sessions to be uninteresting, boring, and meaningless.

It also didn't help that I was (again) hospitalized 1 week before the start of my exams, hence there was no time AT ALL to do any DECENT revision. What a waste.

In the end, I was able to identify all 4 exam questions as to what topics they are covered under, but was effectively able to answer 70% of question 1, 70% of question2, 45% of question 3 and 20% of question 4. However, in due understanding that I might not be able to cover the full 20% (which is my Continual Assessment), and given the fact that I already screwed up this subject exam, I can estimate that I might get a borderline C or C+; it would be a miracle if I ever get a B- for this subject and it would be a bloody sham if I ever get less than a C (D and below).

3. EE2005 AC Circuits and Machines

This subject deals with power engineering basics, such as power generators, motors, transformers, electromagnetic induction systems and 3-phase power systems. On the whole, the concepts are really easy to grasp, and doing the tutorials is a real cinch - that is if you ever refer to your notes consistently.

Which means that practice should effectively make all relevant formulae to be become second-nature when approaching simple problems.

Based on my limited memory, I was able to do all questions, but may likely score 70% for Q1, 70% for Q2, 68% for Q3, and 50% for Q4 (due to time constraints and not all I want to write was written on the exam script).

Since I was able to secure the full 20% due to full marks during my CA, I should at least get a B-; a B+ would be a miracle, and a C+ would be a real sham.

4. EE2003 Semiconductor Fundamentals

I find this subject to be a rather so-so experience. It's like the first half of the semester, I was taught on the fundamentals of how each material conducts electricity and what semiconductor material is suitable for what purpose in real-life applications.

However, the second semester takes the cake; most of the content seems to concentrate on solely the P-N Junction Diode, which consists of p-type and n-type semiconductor materials put into one. And then we are taught about its electrical properties, the conductivity profile, and calculations on voltage for conduction, reverse current and breakdown conditions, and applications.

As a result of mixed feelings about the subject as a whole, I was willing to do only half of the semester's tutorials, while the second half of tutorials, were only half-completed. However, this is forgiven, because not all tutorials questions are expected to completed before each tutorial session, as "merely attempting already helps to reinforce understanding; getting the right answer is another subject altogether."

Ironically, I was able to do 75 to 78% of 4 exam questions give. I can estimate an overall grade (CA included) for this subject as a B; C+ would be a sham, and a B+ would be a miracle. Reason for such low expectations is due to the possibility of a modest CA grade that might pull the exam grade down a little.

5. EE2007 Engineering Mathematics II

Vector Calculus was the first part of the subject, the second part being Matrices. Vector Calculus was covered by my student mentor, who is an Indian old man, and who is really good at talking non-academic stuff, but really isn't that good when it comes to teaching. Reason being that he drags onto the topic too long without going into the examples, assuming that we have enough practice - which is not true, due to time constraints, students have to juggle between 7 core subjects, and an average of two electives; and practicing questions is always an ideal case.

Thus, I was able to do all matrices questions, and only 25% of the questions covered on vector calculus. I think I might get a C+ for this subject, since no matter how well you score on your CA, if your exam grade isn't so good, it would pull down the overall grade TREMENDOUSLY. I used to like maths due to my good grades, but at university level, I hated it because it has no practical meaning other than means to calculate, which is stupid.

6. (Science and Technology Elective) EE8092 Digital Lifestyle

One of my favorite subjects, this covers on the lifestyle aspect on how, what and why do digital products affect people's lives. From display monitors to computers, and then from PDAs and even video gaming history, I think I can make a decent grade, probably a B or B+.

Note that this is a highly descriptive subject, instead of being a technical or mathematical subject, so there's s lot of memory work and understanding involved.

After Exams

All of my 6 exams for this semester ended 4 days ago, on 28th April 2008. That means less things to worry, but two more things to worry. They are:

1. Design Innovation Project

2. Consideration of taking an elective subject during Special Semester 2, from June 6th to end July

DIP is going to last only 1 month; hope that I don't screw up my laboratory work.

Current Status

I bought two new PC games, each at SGD9.95:

1. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

2. The House of the Dead III

I borrowed the following books from Ang Mo Kio library:

1. Weekend Entrepreneur

2. Web Marketing For Dummies

3. Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long

Art Status

1. 10 photos or more to upload (Malacca trip and misc)

2. Pending deletion of 1 or 2 scraps (unknown)

3. Pending 2 digital Anthro drawings (commission samples)

4. Pending 1 comic strip (unknown)

Peace,
I.L