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 Year 2 Sem 1 Module Review
Finally, I'm back with
another module review post, it's been so long but hey, at least this time I
found the function for me to figure out which
Another sem of taking
7 modules, this time there's no slacky mod like CFG1010 (well, you can consider
GEQ as a slacky mod, but there's a lot that needs to be done as compared to
Roots & Wings). If I were to summarise year 2 sem 1, I'd say that it
was a whole new experience, from actually waking up for lectures and scribbling
like a shit load of stuff on my notes, to actually fearing of failing my core
mod cuz I thought I flunked the 30% quiz so badly.
Modules Taken:
BN2103 Bioengineering
Design Workshop
Lecturer: Prof Alberto and Prof Martin
2 MC module. Something like D&T back in secondary school. For this
module we learnt how to use SolidWorks (the department gave us access so don't
worry about not getting it for your laptops. Even if you can't get it, like
Prof always says, you can do it in the PC clusters since the quiz is done
there), and work with the tools in the design studio. For those of you who
don't know, there is a BME corridor in E3 level 5. There's where our design
studio and some of the labs are located. For the first few lectures, it was
mainly teaching us about safety and how to draw isometric drawings. Then, there
are the lectures for SolidWorks. There is also a project which we had to use
the lathe, bench saw and mill to complete the given task. After the Solid Work
class, we were also given a task to draw something to be printed out with the
3D printer and submitted with the project.
Since there is no finals, the quiz has pretty high weightage. Quiz
tested literally everything that was taught in the module so don't neglect the
theory parts (e.g. the different types of 3D printers and their difference), we
also had to do the isometric drawings. Finally, there is the SolidWorks part.
Isometric drawings were given and we had to form the 3D structure in
SolidWorks.
I feel that this is one of the most useful modules because SolidWorks is something that I foresee myself using in the future and it's really a useful skill to have. It's also nice to relieve those D&T moments in the workshop. At first it was scary using the tools, but once you get a hang of it, it's pretty fun.
*Tips: Be sure to book the slots for the tools as early as possible. Try
to finish all the things for project as soon as possible and you will have one
less module to worry about. Also, try to block book the machines so that you
don't have to come back multiple times just to complete your task.
Grade: B+ (Was hoping for an A, but after looking at my project pieces,
I'm glad that I got what I was given)
BN2201 Quantitative Physiology for Bioengineers
Lecturer: Prof Leo and Prof Alberto
Content heavy module. This is more or less an anatomy class, a lot of
things to memorise, all the biology stuff as well. 2 halves of the module,
first taught by Prof Leo who covered mainly cardio and respiratory, followed by
Prof Alberto who covered gastro, neural and renal. Both Profs were really
different with their teaching styles, but they really made the module fun and I
found myself liking the content covered a lot.
Though CORs shows a tutorial slot, it was actually converted to a
lecture slot for Prof Leo. Essentially this meant that lectures were 3 hours
long every week. No tutorials, no homework. Lectures were really interesting
with videos. For Prof Alberto, he had online lectures that we had to watch
before attending class. These videos covered the main content for the week and
we had to complete the IVLE quiz before attending lectures. During lectures, he
covered mainly the application stuff. There were also non-graded quizzes weekly
which he will go through, weekly group questions as well. To give us some
incentives to attend class, he also had lucky draws and prizes for students who
did the quizzes. It was just a really fun lecture segment. Prof Alberto's
lectures were 2 hours long unlike Prof Leo.
Actually I don't have much to say about this module except that it was really fun to attend lectures and learn about anatomy. It's really content heavy since all the quizzes and finals was really all about regurgitating content that was covered in the lecture. For Prof Leo's 12.5% quiz, it was done on examplify which is an online platform. No cheat sheet were allowed, so it was pure memorising. For Prof Alberto's quiz, we were allowed an A4 cheat sheet which was essentially me cramping all the content covered by Prof Alberto onto the paper and really just copy and pasting the information for the questions. Finals was entirely closed book again. Questions were pretty unexpected and I had some trouble remembering the content. A lot of content was covered and we had to answer all the questions.
All in all, this module is really for those who can memorise and
regurgitate well. However, there are also some application questions which I
feel is set to differentiate the average students from those who really deserve
the As.
*Tips: For Prof Leo's part, really try to remember all the content. Make
sure you have all the content needed for Prof Alberto's part in your cheat
sheet for the quiz (Some people actually got full marks since they copied
everything from the slides onto their cheat sheet)
Grade: B+ (Higher than what I expected so yay)
BN2202 Introduction to Biotransport
Lecturer: Prof Kim Sangho and Prof Yap Choon Hwai
One of my
favourite modules this semester. The module is split into 2 parts as well,
first taught by Prof Kim then by Prof Yap. Both Profs have very interesting
ways in teaching the concepts. And Prof Kim really brings out the hard truth
right at the start telling us that this module is not easy.
This is essentially a fluid mechanics module, pretty much covering similar stuff to the Mech Eng modules with a few differences. There's some bio stuff here and there but mostly just physics and calculations. For both Profs, there was 1 lab, 2 quizzes and for Prof Yap we had an additional assignment. Prof Kim's quizzes tested mainly on the basic concepts so if you pay attention and study his lecture notes, you'll be fine. For Prof Yap, quizzes were open book, so bring all your lecture notes and stuff that you copy from tutorial because they will be really useful! His questions are very similar to the stuff that he went through in class. For all 4 quizzes I managed to get 75 percentile so yay. Tutorials are very different too. For Prof Kim, his tutorials are more free and easy. He expects us to bring in questions to ask him and he doesn't prepare any questions for us to try. So do look through your notes and prepare the questions, also listen and take down notes because the things he say will come out in finals. Prof Yap gave us practice questions that he goes through in class so it wasn't as bad. He also takes questions. Finals was doable. Mainly covering concepts that were covered in class and the questions were similar to the lecture examples. Not that hard to do. Labs are pretty fun too. Group work. Prof Kim wanted us to site research whereas for Prof Yap he just wanted our results and calculations. Easy to complete and score.
*Tips: If
you are unsure about anything, always book consult or email the Proofs’ They
are really nice people and were really helpful when I asked really stupid
questions. So it's good to see them early, get your concepts cleared.
Grade: B
(Really unexpected as well. Expecting something higher since I was 75th
percentile, but oh wells. Sent in for review but there's no change in the
results. Guess it'll have to be)
BN2402
Fundementals of Bioinstrumentation
Lecturer:
Prof Huang Zhiwei and Prof James Kah
This module was split into 2 parts - first was covered by Prof Huang where he went through most of the theory stuff about the components and sensors, followed by Prof Kah's portion which covers mainly on Arduino programming and application. I find the second portion of the module more enjoyable but there's more work to be done for the second half too. With the group project, there's also presentation, weekly quizzes (which involves coding and theory), and the final reflection for the module. That made up 50% of our grades. It's much easier to score in my opinion. For Prof Huang's section, there are 2 labs which you have to submit a group report at the end of the session, each report is 10% and a 30% midterm’s quiz. Lab was pretty easy for me considering I had a year 4 in my group (lucky me) so he knew what's happening and pretty much did most of the work. Quiz was tough, he tested mostly things from the lecture, but it's a lot of application, so memorizing doesn't really help. I still remember the feeling walking out of the LT after the quiz knowing I did very badly and feeling even worse when he 'released' the results (essentially he just summarised how the cohort did as a whole so you have no idea where you stand after the first half of the mod), I was dead sure that I will fail and retake this module. Lectures are early (9am lectures on Monday mornings are the worse) and although I requested for webcast, it never happened. Somehow the Prof wasn't responding to BME Office's request and they just kept making me wait. So be sure you turn up for lectures so that you actually get what's going on in the module. Do go for 'tutorials' too. They are just mass lectures where Prof Huang finishes up his lectures and goes through some questions. Side note, I realised that Prof Huang tends to spend too much time explaining simple concepts that were covered in the PC mods and rushes through the new stuff such as op-amps. So be sure you pay attention and not fall asleep in lectures (which most people do).
*Tips: I
really have no tips for this module. I think it's just don't give up. Somehow
with a horrible midterms experience I still did well...
Grade: A
(was totally expecting to fail but yay first A in uni!)
CM1501
Organic Chemistry for Engineers
Lecturer:
Prof Hoang Truong Giang
Tutor: Prof
Hoang Truong Giang
Another
module that is very similar to H2 Chemistry, with the exception of the stuff
they teach towards the end of the mod. At the start it was pretty manageable,
and I did above average for the first CA. Didn't study enough for second CA so
kinda half flunked it, but honestly if you study hard enough and memorise, I
think it's doable. Both CAs tested content that was covered in the tutorials,
changed a bit of the chemical formulas here and there, but most of the
structures used were repeated from tutorial, so be sure you attend classes and
pay attention (or at least bother to revise your answer keys).
Lectures are webcasted. Tutorials are pretty free and easy, not graded so a lot of people tend not to turn up. Unlike the previous years, finals was closed book which was supposed to make things much easier since it's all about remembering the reactions and conditions. That being said, if memorising is not your thing, then all I can say is good luck, you'll have to suck it up and start learning your R&Cs. Most of the things covered in tutorials and lectures came out during finals. Same thing as before, they repeated most of the structures. At the end of the paper, most people could walk out early since it's pretty much hit or miss. If you remember your R&Cs then you're pretty much settled for the paper, but if you don't then you'll just have to make do with a mediocre grade since most people are really good at remembering stuff.
*Tips: Pay
attention in class, especially tutorials where prof gives special attention to
specific topics. It's normally gonna come out for the upcoming test.
Grade: C
(Was expecting something higher, maybe a C+, but oh wells. SUed this module -
The only module I SUed this sem)
LSM1401
Fundamentals for Biochemistry
Lecturer:
Prof Jayaraman Sivaraman
Essentially this is just a biology module. There's a bit of chemistry here and there (e.g. fraction distillation of petroleum, a bit of bonding here and there). As a biology student, I find the concepts taught in this module pretty easy to grasp. Given that, the bell curve is pretty steep. For this semester, I took it with the chemical engineers (aka very smart people) and it was tough. I have peers who did it in Semester 1 and did pretty well so maybe that's one thing you can take into consideration. Now for the syllabus. Content wise is mainly JC and secondary school basic biology, things like DNA, RNA, a bit of amino acids here and there. Had about 10 lectures. This module is not webcasted, but the prof uploads lecture slides with voice recordings of the important stuff he goes through in lecture. Honestly, I find that with the recordings in the lecture notes and a bit of basic biology the module is pretty manageable. This is really a good module to take since there's no labs or tutorials, and no finals too. Well, there is 2 CAs which acts as the midterms and the finals and you'll be done with this mod before finals even start.
*Tips: Make sure you get your
basics right, memorise!!!!!
Grade: B+
(Was expecting a B or B-, but yay, now I don't need to SU this mod)
GEQ1000
Asking Question
Tutor:
Bae Soo Kyung
To be very
honest this is actually a very easy mod to smoke through, and I can say that
because I literally smoked through the entire mod, and since it is a CSU mod, I
find that there is really no need to put in additional effort to try to impress
your tutor. All you have to do is just to pass and it's really not that hard.
Also, tutorials are bi-weekly so there's really a lot of time for you to catch
up with whatever that needs to be done.
Firstly,
there are the videos for each segment for the module which we are suppose to
watch and understand. Well, for me that's just putting it on 2x speed and
playing it in the background when I do my other written work. Honestly they are
not really hard to comprehend but if you really want to learn then I would
advice really listening to the lectures. The materials in the lectures are
pretty useful for completing the assignments which is normally due in 2 weeks,
which in my opinion is a lot of time to complete the given task, considering
the fact that I'm normally able to finish everything withing a day or
two.
Next part
of grading is class participation. That's really the easiest part to score.
Turn up, you're forced to speak up and your grades are locked in. Well, unless
you are like me and decide to be crazy to bid for an 8am class, it's pretty
easy to clear this segment of grading (well, even with the 8am class, it's
still super easy to clear this part).
There's
also the forum posts. We are supposed to post 6 'substantial 'forum posts on
the GEQ forum page, but in all honesty, everything that is not a one liner can
be considered substantial. Fine, maybe you should include a bit f substance in
your writing, but you get my point, it's not that hard.
Finally there is the final essay which we are suppose to write about what we have learnt from the module and pick the part that we like the most to write about. I think this is relatively the hardest part to do because 1. you have to like recap everything you have learnt and 2. it's freaking near exams so I didn't have the mood to do anything. Well, in the end, it's all just about crapping a piece of essay out and barely passing.
*Tips:
Just put in minimal effort to complete the task before the deadline.
Grade: CS
(You CANNOT fail this mod, it's almost impossible, don't try to prove me wrong
I swear I
tell myself to finish my module reviews quickly, but it's just getting later
and later each sem, but wellllll, they say it's better to be late than the late
right. ^^
May 2018 and the new sem treat you well! Cheers,
Sam
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Labels: 2017, Biomedical Engineering, BME, Module Review, NUS, Reflection, School Life, Uni Life |
