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Author Topic: Monash University - Subject Reviews & Ratings  (Read 828957 times)  Share 

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Fyrefly

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #105 on: June 27, 2013, 07:48:27 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: ATS3083 - Translating Across Cultures

Workload:
Weekly 1.5h Lecture (called a "seminar" but really a lecture)
Weekly 2h Tute

Assessment:
Tute Participation Peer Review (5 x 2%)
Almost every week you either have "homework" or an assessed translation due. Weeks where you have homework due is where the peer review participation comes in. The homework is a short translation piece that you have to prepare beforehand and bring into class. During class, you'll swap your homework with a classmate, and you'll fill out a review sheet for each others' work. By filling out a review, you'll earn yourself tute participation marks for that week. Your review doesn't affect your classmates' mark (you can say their work was shit if you want, and it won't affect their mark). There are five peer review tute participation weeks, and each is worth 2%.
Assessed Translations (4 x 5%)
There are four translations during semester, each ~500 words. Two will be LOTE --> English translations, and two will be English --> LOTE translations. You also write a brief (~400 words) to accompany your translation, explaining and justifying the decisions you made while translating. The pieces you translate are selected by the lecturer/tutor, so everyone in your class will be translating the same piece.
Group Translation (1 x 20%)
Group of two or three people. Together, you translate a text of your own choosing either from LOTE --> English or English --> LOTE. I forget the word count exactly, but I think ~1600 words. You must also do a group presentation about your translation (15-20min presentation).
Long Translation (1 x 20%)
You translate a text of your own choosing either from LOTE --> English or English --> LOTE. The text should be ~1000 words. You also write a brief similar to those of the assessed translations, just longer (800-1000 words I think).
Final Exam (1 x 30%)
2 hours, plus 10min reading time. Purely practical. One translation from LOTE --> Eng, and one translation from Eng --> LOTE. Both translations are about 500 words. You must also write a brief no longer than one page for each translation. You can take a paper and/or electronic dictionary into the exam.

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture.

Past exams available:  No sample exam, and I don’t think there are any past exams in the database… I don’t think you really need any though.

Textbook Recommendation:  This unit doesn’t have a textbook.

Lecturer(s): The unit coordinator is Kenta Koshiba, but he only does about two lectures himself. He organises for a different guest speaker to come in each week and speak about different topics related to translation. As far as I remember, the guest speakers are all university staff whom teach other units too. The unit as a whole is designed to be practical, so in the lectures there’s some theory but also lots of general discussion and examples. I think Kenta ran out of guest lecturers, because we only had lectures up until Week 10. Kenta himself is a really easygoing guy. The quality of the lectures varies week-to-week obviously, and is dependent on the quality of the guest speaker.

Year & Semester of completion: Sem 1, 2013.

Rating:  4 out of 5

Your Mark/Grade: Exam results aren’t out yet, but HD overall for the in-semester stuff.

Comments:

This unit had five streams this semester: German, Italian, Spanish, French and Japanese. In past semesters there was Chinese and Vietnamese too I think, but I’m not sure whether they’ll bring those back or not. I was in the Japanese stream. It’s necessary for you to have a relatively high level of proficiency in your chosen language stream, otherwise you won’t be able to grasp the intricacies of what you’re translating. Lectures are in English. Tutes are streamed into your languages. There’s only one tute time for each language stream, so you’ll have to work around it in your timetable. Each tute stream will have two tutors – one native speaker and one English background speaker proficient in your LOTE.

I felt like the lectures were kind of a waste of time, because all assessment in this unit is practical. Beyond serving as a means for you to get an understanding of the key terminology, I honestly don’t think there’s much point to them.

I feel that your mark in this unit is largely dependent on your level of language proficiency more than anything else. For me, I was getting HDs in the LOTE --> Eng translations, but only Ds in the Eng --> LOTE translations because my Japanese proficiency isn’t exactly absolute (I’m not good with idioms, flowery language… that sort of stuff, which happens to be important in translation). I can’t speak for all the language streams obviously, but everyone in the Japanese stream for this unit was either a native speaker, or studying Japanese Advanced 5 concurrently this semester. I think perhaps you’d also be okay with Japanese Advanced 3.

The other thing that will help you get a good mark is your ability to bullshit. So long as you demonstrate a bit of commonsense and you can justify it in your brief, you can pretty much translate your work however you want.

Overall, I think the assessment in this unit was pretty easy, though biased towards people with higher language proficiency. Putting the assessment aside though, this unit is practical and thus very applicable to real life. It doesn’t teach you about translation so much as it teaches you how to translate, which I think is far more useful and more important.

I felt like this unit was a good chance for me to be less concerned about assessments and more about learning for the sake of learning. It’s a third year unit, but I don’t think it’s particularly hard. Overall, this is a unit I found engaging, and that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the practical side of translation and linguistics.

This unit will help you a LOT if you're studying Japanese and intend to do ATS3152 later on, which also has a heavy emphasis on translation.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:18:46 am by alondouek »
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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #106 on: June 28, 2013, 02:14:54 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: MAE2401 - Aircraft Structures 1

Workload: 
-3 x 1 hour lectures
-3 hours practice sessions or laboratories and 6 hours of private study per week

Assessment:
-Progress test:10% (Basically 1% per tutorial)
-Computer Laboratory work:10%
-Final examination (3 hours): 80%

Recorded Lectures:  None, only lecture notes were uploaded

Past exams available:  5+ available from past exam data base, none with solution

Textbook Recommendation:  Mechanics of materials 5th edition by Bear, Johnson, DeWolf and Mazurek, textbook is a must for this unit

Lecturer(s): Tuncay Alan

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating: 2.5 Out of 5

Your Mark/Grade: 84 HD

Comments: This review applies to MEC2403 - Mechanics of materials as well since its just the same unit but with different assessments (MEC is 5x easier than MAE). First of all the lecture notes have the basic information but it doesn't help you to do tutorials at all, if you want to pass the unit, make sure to buy the text book or at least loan it from Hargrave Library. The work load is not all that bad but it's always a good idea to finish the tutorial ahead of time because it's pretty hard to finish it in the 3 hour time frame they give you. Throughout this unit I felt like that I didn't learn much and the content is quite dull. Not sure if the lectures were useful since I didn't bother going but from what I've heard, just stick with reading the text book. For those of you doing the MEC version, the tutorials are worth 3% each and you don't have to do any computer laboratory work (so unfair :()
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:19:21 am by alondouek »
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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #107 on: June 28, 2013, 02:53:43 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: MEC2402 - Engineering Design I

Workload: 
-2 x 1hours lectures
-3 hours laboratory/tutorial classes
-10 hours of private study per week during the Warman Competition and 3-4 hours during Assignment 2

Assessment:
-Computer Labs, Tutorial work and Design Assignments: 60%
-Examination (3 hours): 40%

Recorded Lectures:  None, only lecture notes were uploaded

Past exams available:  Yes, 5+ on moodle and 1 with solution

Textbook Recommendation: 
-Australian Engineering Drawing Handbook. SAA/IEAust. (EDH) (recommended)
-Introduction to Engineering Design. B. W. Field. (required)
(Both can be taken into the exam)

Lecturer(s):Scott Wordley

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating: 3.5 Out of 5

Your Mark/Grade: 73 D

Comments:
Feel like doing a unit with an equivalent work load of 2? Well look no further, to some people this unit may even have a work load of 3 units worth. From week 1 you were given the Warman competition assignment, which is to design, draw, do calculations and build a working prototype to navigate a course while carrying an object within 5 weeks and the final product completed and ready for testing on week 6. Straight after this assignment, you are given another assignment, which is to simply design something, in my case a UAV Launcher. It may sound easy but the amount of calculation and CAD work you have to do is quite insane. Thankfully its a group work so be sure to find people who are committed and willing to spend hours on this unit. During the assignment 2, there will be tutorials on different drawings and computer CAD task which takes a long time to complete. In my opinion, they packed too much content in this unit, I genuinely felt like I was doing 3 units worth.

The Warman task was quite ridiculous since the time frame they give you is way too short, the actual competition starts in September so I don't understand why Monash wanted to finish the competition so early. However Monash do pick one group to represent in the national competition and from what I've heard, there are plenty of scouts in the national competition so doing well in it can land you some job/internship offers. Overall this unit was quite fun, if they reduce the work load by a bit I'd say this unit deserves at 4.5/5.

PS NEVER GO FULL MECHANICAL, THAT BONUS 1 MARK IS NOT WORTH ALL DEPRESSED FEELING AND HOURS OF EXTRA WORK ON SOMETHING THAT WILL NOT WORK GIVEN THE TIME FRAME >:(
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:19:44 am by alondouek »
2009: Chinese SLA
2010: English, Maths method[45,A+ A+ A+], Specialist maths[44,A+,A,A+], Physics[40,A,A+,A+], Psychology Atar:94.75
2011-2015: Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering/Science @ Monash

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #108 on: June 28, 2013, 03:12:34 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: MKF2111 - Buyer Behaviour

Workload: One two-hour lecture and one 1-hr-30-mins tutorial per week.

Assessment: Tutorial presentation (15%), Consumer diary (15%), Mini tasks (20%), Exam - 2 hours (50%).

Mini tasks involve:
  • Tutorial exercises (10%)
  • Class participation (6%)
  • Research participation OR Research paper (4%)
Recorded Lectures: No.

Past exams available: Yes, one sample exam (no solutions).
 
Textbook Recommendation: Hoyer, Wayne D., Deborah J. MacInnis, and Rik Pieters, "Consumer Behavior," South-Western Cengage Learning, 6th edition. Definitely consider purchasing as lecture slides alone are not sufficient for study.

Lecturer(s): Dr. Gerri Spassova (semester 1), Dr. Mauricio Palmeira (semester 2).

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Your Mark/Grade: Pending.

Comments: This unit isn't too hard as the assessment tasks and exam are relatively easy. The consumer diary is the piece of assessment that takes time, as you have to record your product/service purchases for a week and with another person, analyse each other’s purchases in relation to marketing theories and principles. You have the option of either doing research participation surveys or a research paper to gain 4% of the marks. The research participation is an easy way to get free marks as you just complete surveys for the department which are quick and anonymous. The tutorial presentation requires some research, but again, not that difficult. The exam is pretty straightforward if you have read the textbook and made summary notes. Buyer behaviour can be quite dry at times, however it's a relatively straightforward unit as an elective or core major unit.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:20:35 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #109 on: June 29, 2013, 07:03:18 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: CHM2911 - Synthetic Chemistry I 

Workload:
3 x 1 hour lectures per week
1 x 4 hour lab per week (Week 1 and 2 have 2 hour labs)
1 x 1 hour tutorial per week (optional). These start Week 2.

Assessment: 
Prac work: 30% (This is a hurdle requirement, you need at least 50% in this component to be awarded a pass)

Final exam: 70%

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture.

Past exams available:  Yes, many available from the Monash Library Exams database. Exams from the past two or three years are available, as well as some older ones (though the course structure may have changed a little since then). No solutions are provided.

Textbook Recommendation:
C.E Housecroft, A. G. Sharpe, Inorganic Chemistry (4ed. in Sem 1 2013)
J. Clayden, N. Greeves, S. Warren, Organic Chemistry (2ed. in Sem 1 2013)

Neither of these is compulsory to buy.

Lecturer(s):
Inorganic Chemistry: Leone Spiccia
Organometallic Chemistry: Cameron Jones
Organic Chemistry Part 1 : Kellie Tuck
Organic Chemistry Part 2: Brendan Wilkinson

Year & Semester of completion:
Semester 1, 2013

Rating:  5/5

Your Mark/Grade:
Unknown at this time.

Comments:
This subject is a prerequisite for most 3rd-year chemistry units. (so definitely a must if you wish to major in Chemistry).

The subject is largely divided into four sections:

Inorganic mainly builds on concepts learnt in first-year chemistry (properties of ligands, properties and structures of metal complexes, crystal field theory) and goes into a bit more depth. Lots of different kinds of ligands are introduced (thankfully, only a small subset of these need to be memorised). Crystal field theory is expanded upon a bit more, and is linked to UV-Vis spectroscopy. There is also a bit on the equilibria and thermodynamics (with regard to stability) at the end of the section.

Organometallic is more of an introduction, since this isn't really covered that much in first-year. It covers an introduction to organometallic bonding (the orbitals, electron donation and physical chemistry stuff), the 18-electron rule for complexes (similar to the Octet rule for regular molecules), and a wide variety of organometallic ligands and reaction types. Towards the end of the section, the role of organometallic chemistry in industry is covered, with some catalytic cycles discussed.

Organic Part 1 builds on the organic chemistry learnt in first-year, specifically mechanisms, resonance, carbocations and organic reactions. Don't worry if this isn't your strongest area of chemistry, all the first-year stuff is revised and everyone is brought up to speed. In terms of new concepts, NMR is covered in a bit more detail, as well as the different mechanisms of substitution and elimination reactions. If you want to do well in this section, make sure you have got the basics down pat.

Organic Part 2 is more about the various kinds of transformations involving functional groups that we can make (particularly those involving the carbonyl group). There are a lot of reactions and reagents to learn for this section. The difference between substitution and addition reactions is discussed, and how to predict which reaction will occur. Oxidation and reduction from an organic chemistry point of view is covered. Towards the end, there is a bit on pericylic and aromatic chemistry reactions. I felt this was the most memory-intensive of the four.

On the whole, this was a very enjoyable unit. All of the lecturers were very adept at explaining concepts, and all were more than happy to answer questions during and after lectures.

The labs could be draining at times (finishing uni at 6pm was never easy), but the lab demonstrators knew their stuff well, and were quite helpful and considerate, especially considering my ineptitude and slowness. In the labs, you mainly perform experiments related to the content covered in lectures (though the order of the labs won't necessarily match up to what you're currently learning). You also learn a wide variety of techniques (by the end of the semester, we had all tried Melting point, IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy. Thin-Layer Chromatography, Gas Chromatography, Liquid-liquid extraction, Recrystallisation and lots of Vacuum Filtration).

The lab marks consist of filling in 'proformas', which are just like worksheets, except you have to fill in an MSDS at the front, which is basically a risk assessment of all the chemicals and hazards you are dealing with in the prac. Weeks 1 and 2 are 'dry labs', you practice interpreting NMR spectra here. The 'wet' labs start from Week 3. Make sure you have good safety goggles and a lab coat. Gloves are provided.

The tutorials usually take one of two forms: Either you attempt the questions, and call the lecturer over when you're having a bit of trouble, or the lecturer will make it more interactive, and pick some questions for the class to have a Q-and-A session over. They're not compulsory, but doing the tute questions is good practice for the final exam.

The textbooks aren't really necessary to do well in the unit, but do offer good explanations (and can help a fair bit when trying to answer the lab proforma questions). Lecture notes are how content is delivered. Note, though, that some of the textbooks may be needed in 3rd year chemistry, should you wish to continue.

The subject isn't overly demanding in terms of workload, but there is a lot of content, so make sure you know at least a little before SWOTVAC comes along. It's practically impossible to cram this in one or two nights if you're looking for a really good mark. During SWOTVAC, a few revision sessions were held (where you just show up and ask the lecturer questions). These were quite helpful too. The exam isn't also overly difficult (but is a bit more difficult than the 1st-year exams), so long as you have revised.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:20:58 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #110 on: June 29, 2013, 11:40:33 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: DEV2011 - Early Human Development from Cells to Tissues 

Workload:
3 x 1 hour lectures per week
1 x 3 hour lab per week.  This is optional, except for when you have to attend the midsemester test, and at the very start of the semester.

Assessment: 
Two online Moodle tests (Weeks 3 and 10): 5% each
Midsemester test (Week 6, in lab session): 10%
Cell Profile Report: 20%
Final exam: 60%

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture.

Past exams available: Not available. No sample exams either.

Textbook Recommendation: 
B. M. Carlson, Human embryology and developmental biology (4ed. in Semester 1, 2013)

Not compulsory to buy. Did not consult much during semester.

Lecturer(s): Too many to mention. Most lecturers only take 2-3 lectures each.

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating:  3/5

Your Mark/Grade: Unknown at this time.

Comments: This subject is a prerequisite for DEV2022 and 3rd year DEV units.

The content is fairly varied. At the start of semester, you learn about the various ways in which developmental biology is studied. You then move on to the basics of cells, such as communication, movement, adhesion, proliferation and death. After that, you learn about gamete formation, and the initial steps that occur during and after fertilisation. This includes the initial life of the zygote, how it develops and turns into an embryo, and the formation of the main cell layers.

After that, the focus is more on how individual cell types develop from these layers. Germ cells, muscle cells, nerve and neural cells, spinal cord and connective tissue cells, epithelial cells, blood and blood vessel cells, bone cells and stem cells are all covered. The last week is mostly revision.

Unfortunately, I found a significant proportion of the lectures fairly dull. Some of this is due to the subject matter, which I do not blame anybody for, but some of it was also because there were times when the lecturer was just reading from the lecture notes. In those times, it honestly would have been better had I just stayed at home and used the time to learn things by myself. There were some good lecturers who tried to explain things well, but these were in the minority, in my opinion. Also, a fair amount of the work in this unit requires rote-memory, which is something I don't particularly like to do (and there's a lot of content as well). In addition, I feel the lecture structure wasn't the best. There were just a couple of lectures that seemed 'out-of-place' given what we had just studied.

The labs were optional. I attended most of them in the first half of semester. You need to attend at the beginning in order to collect your cell slide. Most of the rest of the labs just consisted of us filling in our lab booklets with answers to questions, from the various posters put up around the lab. I think the material was designed to complement the stuff you learn in lectures, but after a while, my motivation for that decreased. The lab in the week before the midsemester test really helped for the test though. My lab demonstrator was very helpful and friendly, and pointed me to a good resource (Functional histology by Jeff Kerr). Honestly, I stopped going a week after the midsemester test.

There was one thing the labs were very good for, however: they provided a good amount of time to get work done on the Cell Profile Report. This is a written report on a cell type that you are assigned to when you first come in to the lab at the very beginning of semester. Basically, it's more like a research essay, but it's not like you're trying to research a topic you're really unfamiliar with (like in the BIO1011 and 1022 essays). You will write on the functions of your cell type and how it comes about from the initial fertilised egg. You then get a section to write on your own research choice for your cell type (and when I say your own choice, there have been some very creative and diverse choices in the past).

You also use a high-powered microscope to take pictures of the slide you collected (that's one of the good things about the lab time, the microscopes are there in practically all of the weeks). You're meant to annotate these pictures and use them in your report.

I didn't really consult the textbook much, so I can't really comment on its quality, but it seemed to explain some of the concepts fairly well.

The online Moodle tests are doable as long as you have your lecture notes with you. The mid-semester test isn't too bad either, as long as you've revised. It has a few questions from the lab the week before.

The final exam is divided into four parts. One consists of MCQ questions (and is worth around half the exam mark). The other three parts are short-answer (1-1.5 pages was what the lecturers intended) responses. In each of the three parts, you respond to one out of six prompts. (so there are 18 short-answer questions in total, but you answer three). I felt that this probably saved me from failing in the exam, because it meant that as long as you knew a few areas quite well, you could find something to write decently about. Some MCQ questions were directly recycled from the online and midsemester tests. I honestly was very lazy with this subject and ended up cramming for it on the night before the exam (please don't do that). I wouldn't suggest to take this unit if you're just looking for something to do. It genuinely seems like it'd be quite taxing if you didn't have a real passion for it.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:21:32 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #111 on: June 30, 2013, 01:51:36 am »
+6
Subject Code/Name: PHY2021 - Body Systems Physiology (Recoded as PHY2042)

Workload: 
3 x 1 hour lectures per week
1 x 3 hour lab per week (There are only about 6 labs, and 2 weeks where the lecturer will go through the theory behind the prac (which usually takes around 1 hour). So, you effectively get 4 weeks off.

Assessment:
11 online Moodle tests (your best 8 are counted) - 25%
5 Lab Reports - 20%
4 Online Learning Tasks - 5%
Final theory exam - 30%
Final prac exam - 20%

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture

Past exams available:  No. However, there were lots of practice questions and sample exam questions on Moodle, for both the theory and prac exams.

Textbook Recommendation: 
E. P. Widmaier, H. Raff, K. T. Strang, Vander's Human Physiology - the mechanisms of body function (12ed. in Sem 1, 2013)

Not compulsory to buy. Did not use much during semester.

Lecturer(s):
Homeostasis: Wayne Sturrock
Autonomic nervous system: Marianne Tare
Cardiovascular: Roger Evans
Respiratory: Farshad Mansouri and Ross Young
Renal: Kate Denton and Yvonne Hodgson

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating:  5/5

Your Mark/Grade: Unknown at this point.

Comments:
This unit is largely divided into five sections:

Homeostasis is mainly a revision from first-year biology about homeostasis (what else?) and its role in allowing organisms to function. It also covers cell-cell communication and signalling, and goes into a little bit of detail about the various ways in which extracellular molecules interact with the cell membrane.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is about why we need such a nervous system, the division and difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and where all the nerves that lead to various organs are found in the brain and spinal cord (you're not meant to memorise all the positions). The main neurotransmitters, how they are synthesised, released and broken down, and their receptors are also covered for the ANS. These main concepts are applied to situations such as control of the bladder, heart and sexual response. There's also a bit about energy storage and release at the end.

Cardiovascular is an introduction into the structure and function of the heart, and goes through the cardiac cycle, how the heart contracts, blood flow through the heart and body, blood pressure and pulse, the role of the various blood vessels, and how these are all controlled. The knowledge here is applied to situations such as exercise and injury. Towards the end, there is also a bit on some heart diseases and their proposed causes, which is also meant to be an application of the knowledge you've learnt.

Respiratory is an introduction into the structure and function of the lung, and goes through the airways from the trachea down to the alveoli, how breathing is actually accomplished, how we can measure breathing capacity, the roles of some cells in the lungs, how gas exchange with the blood is accomplished, and how the body can regulate breathing. Throughout, the case studies of various lung diseases are used to help with understanding the concepts. Towards the end, there are applications such as being underwater or on a high mountain.

Renal is an introduction into the structure and function of the kidney, and goes through how substances are filtered from the blood into the kidney and how the kidney selectively reabsorbs substances. Water and sodium balance form a major component of the theory for this section, and the hormones, receptors and mechanisms by which this is achieved are covered. Also covered is a bit of acid-base homeostasis, and applications of water and sodium balance to various situations in the body.

This was also a very enjoyable unit. At the beginning of the unit, we were told "The more you understand, the less you have to memorise", and understanding the principles to apply to specific situations was a focus and a real highlight for me. All of the lecturers taught with this focus in mind, and it was probably the only thing keeping me awake throughout the lectures (as they were all at 8am or 9am).

The labs didn't reach this lofty standard, but were still decent. It's mostly done in groups of three or four (just whoever happens to be sitting at your table). When you perform the experiments, the data is logged into a computer at your table, and you email the data to yourselves. Then, you use the data to complete the lab reports (which are more like worksheets). These are usually due on the Friday two weeks after the relevant lab. The labs mainly reinforce the theory. On a couple of occasions, there will be a tutorial session a week after the lab, where the lecturer will go through the prac. Taking notes here is well worth it, as it really helps you to answer the worksheet questions well, and helps with prac exam revision.

I didn't really use the textbook much either, except for a little during SWOTVAC. I actually found the lecture notes and the lectures themselves more coherent than the textbook.

In terms of assessment, the online tests are reasonable, if you have your lecture notes in front of you. There are usually one or two more difficult questions in each test, just so everyone isn't getting 100% for that component. However, your best 8 marks out of 11 are counted, so it's not too difficult to get a pretty decent score for this section.

The prac reports are a little time consuming (expect to spend at least three hours if you want to do them well), but aren't overly difficult either. Almost all the questions you'll have to answer will come either from the theory, or will be explained by the demonstrators/lecturers at some point during the lab.

The online learning tasks are a really awesome revision tool. There are four of these, and each examines how a different body system works to maintain homeostasis in a specific situation (when I did it, it was when the body is exercising). The good thing about these is that as long as you put in a decent effort into answering all the questions, you'll get the 5% regardless of whether you're right or not. Suggested answers are provided after you submit each task. These are also a bit time consuming, it took me just over a full day to get through all of them.

The theory exam is divided into three sections. There's the MCQ, the short answer responses (I'd say you're expected to write around a page for each), and the extended responses (I'd say around two pages for each). For the short answer responses, you answer 5 out of 9 questions (there's usually two questions on each topic except for Homeostasis, you pick one of them). For the extended responses, you answer 2 out of 4 questions (one for each topic excluding Homeostasis.) It isn't particularly difficult, but you do have to know each system fairly well in order to be able to write the longer response questions.

The prac exam is just divided up into sections from each prac. If you go over the lab reports you've made in the semester, you should be well on your way to getting a good mark. For both exams, there are a fair number of revision and sample questions on Moodle. Taking a look at these is a good idea.

On the whole, this unit exceeded my expectations, and was the best biology unit I've done, by far.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:23:16 am by alondouek »

nerdgasm

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #112 on: July 01, 2013, 02:22:44 am »
+7
Subject Code/Name: MTH2021 - Linear Algebra with Applications 

Workload: 
3 x 1 hour lectures per week
1 x 2 hour tutorial per week (starts Week 2, not strictly compulsory, but you'll be attending a few weeks anyway)

Assessment: 
Three written assignments (6%, 7%, 7% respectively)
One midsemester test (10%)
Final exam (70%)

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture.

Past exams available:  Yes, two available. One has answers.

Textbook Recommendation: 
H. Anton, C. Rorres, Elementary linear algebra (applications version) (10th ed. in Sem 1 2013). Not a compulsory buy. Did not consult much throughout semester.

Lecturer(s):
Weeks 1-6: Tim Garoni
Weeks 7-12: Jerome Droniou

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating:  4.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: Unknown at this point.

Comments:
This unit basically extends upon the concepts covered in part of MTH1030 (the matrices, Gaussian elimination, eigenvalues/eigenvectors part), and also tries to generalise some of the concepts of vectors into a more abstract sense.

The ordering of topics here doesn't quite reflect the order in which they will be covered in semester, but rather, a grouping that reflects the links between the familiar and the more abstract.

Interpretation of linear systems, Gaussian/Gauss-Jordan elimination, elementary row operations, matrix operations, determinants and inverses (largely a revision of MTH1030 bringing everyone up to speed, this will be at the start of semester).

General vector spaces - introduces the idea that there are really a LOT of things that can be called 'vectors', goes through some of the properties of these, including span, linear independence, basis and change of basis, dimension, subspaces. Links back to matrices are found in row space, column space, rank, nullity. This is really the foundation of a lot of the unit, so it's good if you understand the concepts here.

Dot products, angles between vectors, scalar and vector projections, magnitude and distance between two vectors are then covered, which is also revision from Spesh/MTH1020/MTH1030. There are a couple of new things (like the matrix of orthogonal projection), but most of the stuff is revision. Later on in the semester, these concepts are learnt in a more abstract sense. Instead of dot products, you now have inner products and inner product spaces. Instead of perpendicular vectors, you now have orthogonal vectors. Instead of magnitude, you now have the norm of a vector.

Matrix transformations/linear transformations - using matrices to transform vectors into other vectors (think rotations, reflections, stretches and skews, as well as just turning vectors into other vectors). Later on in the semester, we get the more abstract 'general linear transformations'. Now, we're no longer just mapping vectors from R^m to R^n, but from any vector space to any other vector space. Isomorphism, onto and one-to-one transformations, linearity of transformations and change of basis are covered here.

Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, eigenspaces, similarity and diagonalisation, as well as applications to quadratic forms, internet search engines, multivariable calculus, solving systems of differential equations. Later on, this gets combined with inner products/orthogonality to form 'orthogonal diagonalisation' (one of the best things Jerome will ever say with his French accent).

Finally, the last chapter is about some other applications in probability (if you remember Markov chains from Year 12 Methods probability, and how we used matrices there, it's a bit like that), and a bit about coding, and a bit about fields and modular arithmetic.

On the whole, this was also a pretty good unit for me (compared to MTH2010, for example). Both Tim and Jerome put in a decent effort to explain things, as opposed to just filling in the lecture notes booklet. On that note, I highly recommend you get the lecture notes booklet, and fill it in as we go through the course. Basically, it will have the theory already there, and the examples/proofs will be filled in by Tim and Jerome as you go through the course. I just found it to be a nice, organised way of having all the lecture notes with you at one time.

The tutorials were OK, you collect a particular week's problem sheet, and bring it to the tutorial where the demonstrator is there to help with any questions/do some examples on the board, etc. I don't think they're strictly compulsory, but you have to attend the tutorials sometimes anyway (in order to hand in assignments and sit the midsemester test), so you may as well stay :P.

I honestly didn't use the textbook at all, except for a bit of leisurely reading before the start of semester. It's definitely not required unless you want to learn more or consolidate your knowledge; the lecture notes booklet is what will be used.

In terms of assessment, the assignments are quite doable if you have your lecture notes in front of you and you are capable of following the steps/working out involved. There's usually one or two slightly more difficult questions on each assignment, just to provide a bit of challenge. For one of the assignments, you are encouraged to use a computer to help with your results, so if you can get Mathematica or MATLAB or something of that sort, it might make your life a little easier. (The use of computer software is not compulsory, however).

I found the mid-semester test to be quite doable, as long as you understand the concepts. University maths (from the science faculty at least) is really about understanding the concepts. Some of the more abstract stuff might make your head spin at first (it honestly did that to a lot of people, myself included), but if you can try to have it make sense in your mind, it really makes your life a lot easier. Apparently the median mark for the midsemester test was a fail, so please, please, try to understand the concepts.

The final exam was a little easier than I had expected. As Tim Garoni said in our final lecture, "If you want a HD, you will have to be able to do proofs/'show that' type questions. If you just want a C or a D, you can probably get away with just trying the numerical computation style questions." Basically, what he was trying to say is that proofs/'show that' questions aren't a major part of the exam, but will make a difference if you want a good mark. The proofs are usually the easier and simpler-type ones in the lecture, so don't feel as if you have to memorise the incredible number of proofs in the notes. As revision, he suggested going over the mid-semester test (there were similarly-styled questions on the final exam and the mid-sem test). Also, know the key ideas of each chapter well. The vast majority of marks are always for the working out, rather than the answer (I found out to my horror that even in 1-mark questions, you won't get the mark if your working is wrong).

In summary, this unit isn't really all about computations. There is a fair amount of abstract stuff to get your head around, and lots of content is linked, so if you miss a few lectures, it's really easy to have no idea what on earth is going on. The 'applications' aren't the major part of the unit; the theory is. (of course, applications can still be examinable). The content can honestly seem fairly 'dry' and be a seemingly endless maze of "Theory, Proof. Theory, Proof." most of the time. If you like fairly abstract stuff, I think this unit can be a good one to try. However, if you don't, you may find yourself resenting the theory and the way in which it is presented.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:23:51 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #113 on: July 08, 2013, 08:16:56 pm »
+6
Subject Code/Name: AFC1000 - Principles of Accounting and Finance

Workload: Two 1-hour lectures and one 1.5 hour tutorial

Assessment:
  • One assignment (10%)
  • Mid-semester test (15%)
  • Group tutorial presentation (5%)
  • Preparation and participation (10%)
  • 3 hour written exam (hurdle) (60%)

Recorded Lectures:  Unfortunately not. Best to show up though, can be helpful despite being a bit boring at times. 

Past exams available:  Past exams with solutions are available dating back to 2009. Pretty similar across the years, but the emphasis on finance has decreased a bit since 2009.

Textbook Recommendation: Carey, P. (2010). Principles of accounting and finance (2nd ed.). Is prescribed and needed, covers just about everything you need to know, and contains the weekly tute questions which you need to do for preparation marks.

They also recommend this iStudy USB accounting study guide if you haven't done accounting before. This is not needed, save your $15. I hadn't done accounting before and didn't touch it.   

Lecturer(s):
  • John Gerrand - Financial accounting (weeks 1 to 7)
  • Ralph Kolber - Management accounting (week 8 to 10)
  • Paul Lajbcygier - Finance (weeks 11-12)

Year & Semester of completion: 2013 Semester 1

Rating: 4/5

Your Mark/Grade: 85 HD

Comments:
 
This is a core unit that you have to take if you're a commerce student at Clayton. Fairly interesting for the most part, however I can see how some of the content could be seen as dry. I highly recommend keeping up to date throughout the semester. Some of the content and terminology can take a little while to get used to if you haven't encountered it before. Cramming isn't easy for accounting, and with the hurdle on the exam you want to do well on the exam.

Financial Accounting
This is the part of the unit that I hear VCE accounting helps out with. I can't comment on the similarities between the two as I didn't do accounting in Yr 12. Covers the background + ideas of accounting, transaction analysis, debits and credits, the accounting equation, balance day adjustments and ratio analysis. Probably the part of the unit that people have the most trouble with, so again keep up with the course if you can. They use accounting to explain accounting here (the textbook defines a debit as "the left side of an account" which meant nothing to me when I was learning it) and is where the difficulty comes from. The mid-sem covers financial accounting         

Management Accounting
Covers performance measurement, costing and budgets. I actually found this to be the most interesting part of the course. Ralph was my favourite lecturer of the 3 too. Is easier than financial accounting, and is also much shorter at only 3 weeks/6 lectures. 

Finance
Not very much is covered, as this part of the unit has been reduced and is now only 4 lectures. Covers the time value of many, interest rates and compounding, types of investments and risk. The easiest part of the course if you haven't touched accounting before imo.

Tutorials
Tutorials consist of going through the answers to that weeks set questions, and then review of the material which is very helpful. Tutes are worth 15%, which is a good thing imo as it encourages you to show up. 5 of that 15 is a group presentation where you basically answer a question. You get 2 goes at this and only the best mark is used. 

Going into AFC1000 you hear about the 30% fail rate (only was that high one semester I think) and can be a bit intimidated by this unit, especially if you hadn't done accounting before. I sure was. Well don't be. Just keep up to date (hopefully I've drilled that into your head enough :P) which isn't too difficult given the structure of the unit and you may end up liking it. I definitely did.     

TL;DR Pretty good unit; basically accounting with only a little finance attached to the end; keep up to date so you don't have to cram. 
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:24:15 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #114 on: July 14, 2013, 08:08:26 pm »
+7
Subject code/name ATS1001 - Chinese Introductory 1

Workload:

- 1 x 2 hr lecture
- 1 hr tutorial
- 1 hr seminar

Assessment: 

- 2 x 10% oral presentations (either individually or with a partner)
- 15% mid semester test
- 3 x 1% cultural presentation online quizzes
- weekly only quizzes (worth <1%)
- 3 x vocab quizzes
- 3 x 2 hr sessions of using Second Life to practice conversational skills
- 40% end of semester exam

Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture

Past exams available:  No, but you will receive a guide outlining what questions will be on the exam

Textbook Recommendation:  Contemporary Chinese 1 by Wu Z - textbook, exercise book and character book

Lecturer(s): Scott Grant

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1 2013

Rating:  4 out of 5

Your Mark/Grade:  86

Comments:
This unit is the starting point for those that know 0 mandarin - if you have an asian-speaking background (such as being able to speak Cantonese or another Chinese dialect) you will be shifted to the background speakers class

This was a huge relief for me since I was worried that the class would be filled with an asian speaking background that would cruise through the unit for an easy HD. The staff are quite strict on this as they will scan through the role and question you on your last name and background to make this class a fair playing field for all students.

Scott is a fantastic lecturer who is very enthusiastic about teaching and is very active online with emails and conducting weekly online tasks. I was initially worried that I would be picking up Chinese in an Australian-accent from Scott as he's non-native but he has lived in China for 20+ years and has a chinese wife who he speaks to in mandarin so rest assured his accent and knowledge of the language is pretty damn good.

As for someone who already picked up a few hanzi (or kanji) characters from Japanese, I found it pretty easy to adapt to the writing system but this may be the hardest part (and the most rewarding) for most. Scott automatically gives everyone a Skritter account at the beginning of the semester to practice the weekly hanzi we learn. You can use Skritter on-the-go with an iPhone to practice but as an Android user I missed out on this.
The seminar teacher Chen laoshi also provides context behind the hanzi and why they are so which is pretty interesting and helps with memorizing as meaning is given to them

As for the tutes, most consist of The tutorial teacher, Yao laoshi was like the asian-uncle-I-never-had. He may come across as a grumpy asian uncle but he's very hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed tutorials with him. Most of his tutes involve going through the weekly vocabulary from lectures, reading dialogue out loud and having him break down the sentences further for explanation on grammar and how the language works.

I wasn't a huge fan of using Second Life as a means to practice conversational skills and for doing tasks. I personally prefer having a real-human experience with speaking face-to-face with someone - but I suppose this provided a barrier for people to not go all nervous and quiet in front of native speakers since they were hidden behind an avatar. I thought that quite a bit of time was lost in these sessions from technical difficulties and having people lost behind the steps but I think this will all be smoothed out in coming semesters as we were the first semester to use Second Life (I think)

Overall I enjoyed this unit quite a lot and I give a thumbs-up to the staff. The semester load was made up of many little tasks but it makes up with a less-than-50% exam. Would recommend Scott as a great lecturer for newcomers to Chinese
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:24:27 am by alondouek »
2011 : English | Accounting | MM CAS | Further | Japanese | MUEP Japanese
2012 : BA(Japanese&Chinese)/BComm @ Monash Clayton

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #115 on: July 18, 2013, 02:31:39 am »
+8
Subject Code/Name: ENG2091 - Advanced Engineering Mathematics A

Workload:
  • 1 x 2 hour support class
  • 3 x 1 hour lectures
Assessment:
  • Weekly online quizzes - 1% each (10% in total)
  • Week 8 mid semester test - 8%
  • Two assignments due in weeks 6 and 12 (approx.) - 6% each (12% in total)
  • Examination in exam period - 70%
Recorded Lectures: Dr. Alina Donea uses a tablet to do examples and her lectures are recorded with screen capture. These examples are are also uploaded to moodle.

Prof. Paul Cally uses a computer to display lecture slides, however uses a separate (non record-able) projector to do examples on. These examples are scanned and uploaded to moodle, I believe.

Past exams available:  Yes, two, one with solutions as per the science faculty rules. However, more exams are available if you know where to look.

Textbook Recommendation:  Lecture notes will certainly suffice for a good mark, as this is all I used. However, if you are looking for some extra reading for consolidation or just extra questions to do, the recommended textbook is Advanced Modern Engineering Mathematics (4th Edition) by Glyn James, I believe.

Lecturer(s):
  • Dr. Alina Donea
I watched a lecture or two of hers online in SWOTVAC when I was looking to learn PDEs, she's a good lecturer who explains the concepts well. She goes through A LOT of examples, so if this is how you learn you might benefit from going to her lectures.
  • Prof. Paul Cally
I went to two of his lectures early in the semester, he was pretty good, it seems as though he takes a more theoretical approach to the concepts, with less examples than Alina. He uses lecture notes which are somewhat interactive (you can mess around with 3D diagrams and such) which is quite helpful, too.
  • Mr. John McCloughan (for a few lectures)
I did not attend any (of the few) lectures he took, so I can't comment on his lecturing ability or style.


Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013

Rating: 4 Out of 5

Your Mark/Grade: HD

Comments:

This unit covers the following topics:
  • Vector Algebra, Scalar and Vector Fields (4 lectures)
  • Derivatives, Gradient, Divergence and Curl (4 lectures)
  • Line Integrals, Double Integrals and Triple Integrals (5 lectures)
  • Surface Integrals, Divergence Theorem of Gauss, Green's Theorem and Stokes' Theorem (6 lectures)
  • Periodic Functions and Fourier Series (6 lectures)
  • Partial Differential Equations (9 lectures)
Edit: Fuck clicked Post instead of Preview, I shall edit in part by part as I do each, stay tuned.

Edit #2: I'm lazy as fuck and have no motivation to finish this. However, it will happen, one day.

Edit #3: Don't worry guys, I promise I'll finish this. It will happen, eventually.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:24:52 am by alondouek »
2011
Mathematical Methods | Physics | Chemistry | English | Business Management

2012-2017
Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) @ Monash University

Current
Transport Modeller @ Arup

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #116 on: July 18, 2013, 03:48:39 am »
+6
Subject Code/Name: ATS1325 - Contemporary Worlds 1

Workload:  one 90 minute lecture
one 1-hour tutorial per week

Assessment:
1. Assignment 1  1000 words   20%   

2. Assignment 2 1500 words 30%   

3. Final Examination  2 hours   30%   

4. Tutorial Participation 10%   

5. Online quizzes 10%

The first assignment was based on two topics. The first topic was looking at the Russian occupation of East Germany and the second topic was looking at the partition of India. The second assignment had about 8-10 options based on the topics covered from weeks 1-10. The exam was split into two sections. Part A had 10 dot points. Each dot point was based upon one major factor/person/philosophy covered in each week. You had to choose 3 out of the 10 options and write ~250 words on them, talking about how the major factor/person/ideology shaped the modern world as well as defining it.  Part B was an essay, you had two options and both of these options were given to you in week 12. This means you have 2 weeks to write/memorise your essay!

EDIT: The online quizzes were a breeze. There were 10 quizzes in total and each quiz only had 3 questions. The questions were very easy! I counted these (as well tute participation) as 'free marks'.
Recorded Lectures:  Yes, with screen capture

Past exams available:  Yes.

Textbook Recommendation: I bought the textbook and it helped a little bit, but I don't recommend purchasing the textbook. The only thing you should really purchase is the unit reader, that is a definite 'must have'.

Lecturer(s): Various

Year & Semester of completion: 2013, S1

Rating:  4 of 5

Your Mark/Grade: Enough to make me aroused. lolwat?

Comments: I really enjoyed this subject. I've never studied politics (formally) before and I really regret it. They cover a wide array of topics  covering post-1945/WWII, with a focus on Eastern vs Western ideology (Capitalism vs Communism) as well as revolutions/oil etc. There is only 1 lecture per week and the lecturers are quite good and interesting. The lectures are full on, they only go for 90 minutes but you cover quite a lot of content. The tutors (from what I hear) are all great fun and really know their stuff. The whole faculty is quite structured so you definitely know what to study as they are direct with their instructions.

You should only do this unit if you're an active reader/writer. I saw a lot of international students struggle with this unit as it is wordy and difficult, so if you are an international student, only do this subject if you're very fluent with reading/writing. In terms of difficulty, the subject can be hard at times. When writing the first essay, I had no idea how to reference and actually write a university style essay (which reflected in my result). However, you do get better with time =)
As for the exam, it's not too hard. I read over the main concepts/topics and then memorised responses ~2 days before the exam. As long as you are good at memorising facts/dates, the exam will be a breeze. I crammed 2 days prior to the exam and still managed to get 94%.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:25:11 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #117 on: July 18, 2013, 04:22:57 am »
+6
Subject Code/Name: AFF1000 - Principles of Accounting and Finance

Workload:
Two hour lecture and one one-hour tutorial.

Assessment:
1.Major Assignment 20%
2.Tutorial presentation 10%
3.Mid-semester test 10%
4.Exam - 3 hours 60%.


Note: There is a 50% examination hurdle. If you do not achieve 50% or more on the exam the maximum mark you can get is 48%.




Recorded Lectures: Yes, with screen capture.

Past exams available: Yes. Four past exams are available - from the previous two years.

Textbook Recommendation: Carey, P. (Ed.). (2010). Principles of accounting and finance (2nd ed.). BUY THIS BOOK, IT'S YOUR BIBLE.

Lecturer(s): There were about 4, I only remember Ellinor Allen and Ralph Kober.

Year & Semester of completion: Semester 1, 2013.

Rating: -16 out of 5.

Your Mark/Grade: Distinction

Comments: I only did this unit because it is core for BComm/BBus students. I have never done accounting before so it was quite troublesome. Essentially, the first 6 or so weeks are based on VCE Accounting Units 1 - 4, so you cover 4 units worth of study about 6 weeks. This wouldn't be a problem, however, accounting is dry and boring. The only way I could do this subject is by taking long breaks in between my revision. The lecturers (God bless their socks) sucked. The worst lecturer was Ralph Kober. He reminded me of one of those people who think they're funny, but really aren't. His lecturing style was worthless, he would just stand there for 2 hours reading the powerpoint slides. He was also ostentatious, he spent the first 5 slides of the first lecture going over his accolades. This wouldn't be a huge problem, but he made it very clear that he was a douche by titling slide 1 as "Achievements" and then slide 4/5 as "but wait, there's more!".   -19/10 for you, Mr.Kober

The unit focuses on management and financial accounting. You delve into 'finance' during the last 2 weeks, going over complex topics like "calculating simple interest".
As for the assignments, they're split into two parts. Part I was based on a company that didn't know anything about accounting. You had to read through all of their transactions and then fix their errors/use accounting principles to order them. Part II was based on the same company in Part I, in fact, it's a continuation of their accounting transactions. The only difference is that with Part II, you go over adjusting entries (which differ from your normal entries), you also make balance sheets etc in Part II. The assignments overall aren't too hard, I got 18/20 overall and I have never done accounting before.

The tutorial group presentations were so stupid. You're either matched up with international students or people who generally don't give a damn. Luckily, I had a group that had 3 active members and 1 complete jackass. The presentations are essentially tutorial questions, you have to complete the questions and then tell everyone how you completed them/give them advice. Pretty boring and the marks are quite biased/inaccurate. I know people who said ~3 words and somehow got 10/10. The exam was very long - 3 hours of pure focus is required if you want to get a good mark. Why? Because accounting is one of those subjects that require you to make 0 mistakes, otherwise you will ruin your projections/ratios and then answer questions wrong. The exams are all quite similar, you are given a company and you have 8 tasks to complete. I strongly suggest you do the past exams if you're looking for a HD. If I didn't do the past exams, I would not have achieved a decent mark.

tl;dr: If you have done VCE Accounting/enjoy accounting (if you do, there's something wrong with you), this unit is a walk in the park. If you haven't, then be prepared to start memorising the crap out of your textbook. This subject is based purely on memorisation, nothing is abstract or complex.. it's simply memorising definitions....
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:26:23 am by alondouek »

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #118 on: July 19, 2013, 01:21:46 pm »
+5
Subject Code/Name: ATS2668/3668 Syntax - Grammatical Typology and Universals 

Workload: a 2 hr seminar per week

Assessment:
attendance -- 5
weekly homework -- 15
major essay -- 30
assignment -- 25
exam -- 25

Recorded Lectures:  Yep

Past exams available:  none, but there are revision questions given out in week 12. and the exam isn't worth much anyway!

Textbook Recommendation:  Understanding Syntax by Maggie Tallerman. I didn't buy it because you can get it online through the library. I did refer to it quite a bit though.

Lecturer(s): Anna Margetts

Year & Semester of completion: 2013 sem 1

Rating:  3.5/5

Your Mark/Grade: D

Comments: I didn't like this subject, but only because I don't really enjoy syntax -- I'd rather focus on applications of linguistics. In terms of structure, planning, workload, etc, I really don't have any complaints, which is why I am still giving this subject a positive review. If you turn up and pay attention and do the weekly homework, you are pretty much guaranteed an easy P or C (I mean, she practically gives away 20 marks for free just by turning up and doing the homework -- which doesn't even have to be right!). Getting anything more than a C takes effort obviously haha.

For the assignment, you are given a language data set. You have to decipher it and come up with phrase structure rules, and draw trees, etc. Pretty straightforward stuff if you're a linguistics student. The assignment I REALLY disliked was the major essay but it could be someone else's idea of fun! You had to pick two languages (not English!) and then compare the way they constructed either relative clauses, causatives or passives and write it up in a mini research essay. It was a pain in the butt to format and gloss and put in coherent academic writing, but it was very satisfying to finish. Anna is quite particular about how you set out your research though, so make sure you do what she wants and you will be fine.

I did this unit because I needed it for a linguistics major. You can do this unit at second or third year level, but I'm glad I waited til third year to do this unit, because I'm sure I would have struggled in second year. Do this unit if you like syntax, otherwise you probably won't like it.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:26:46 am by alondouek »
VCE 2010 | BA/BSc, MTeach (both Monash)

Current teacher of VCE maths

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Re: Monash University - Subject reviews & ratings
« Reply #119 on: July 24, 2013, 11:08:03 pm »
+8
Subject Code/Name: MTH1035 - Techniques for Modelling (Advanced)

Workload: The workload was pretty decent. You need to make sure you keep up to date for lectures, and put in the effort for the extra content in MTH1035 compared to MTH1030, but otherwise I would put MTH1035 learning curve about the same as specialist math learning curve. Sometimes you will need to go out to the library and borrow a random textbook to read up on something, but otherwise it's easily manageable for a dedicated student.

Assessment: If I recall correctly, there were three assignments. There was nothing additional for MTH1035 though, 1035'ers just did the same assignments and the 1030 people. The first one being a massive project using vectors and a bit of linear algebra to finish designing a half build square. It had to be typed and every line of mathematics had to be justified with a sentence. Everyone hated the project and I feel sorry for those who must endure it again. The next one was a fairly straight forward answer Q's type assignment. Then the last one had three Q's, one wanted you to explain how matrix reflections related to some mirror image of the apple logo or something, then the last two were sort of proofs.

I did not enjoy the first or last assignments and did not feel like I benefited or learnt anything from them....the second assignment I leanred a great deal from.

Recorded Lectures:  Yes I believe so, but I never used them.

Past exams available:  Yes, there were a few with solutions. Leo did a sample exam in the last few lectures which he put up with solutions as well.

Textbook Recommendation:  Stewart Calculus: Early Transcendentals is the prescribed textbook, but in the beginning of the course they cover a lot of Linear Algebra with is not in Stewart, but is a vast chunk of the course. I just borrowed a book on Linear Algebra from the Hargave Library for this. If you plan on doing MTH2010/2015 - the next maths unit - then you should without a doubt get Stewart. Its contains a majority of the MTH1030/1035 course and is an excellent textbook with Q's & A's for every topic.

However, if you don't want to spend the money, you basically get a free textbook uploaded on Moodle written specifically for MTH1030. This is definitely sufficient in place of the textbook. But I would recommend Stewart if you want deeper a understanding and more questions.

Lecturer(s): Heiko - Vectors, Linear Algebra, Calculus. Leo - Sequences & Series, ODEs. Both Heiko and Leo were very good at teaching their material and exceptional lectures.
Year & Semester of completion: 2013, semester 1

Rating: 4 Out of 5

Comments: It was a decent unit. Pretty much the last 'broad' maths unit before you start specializing in specific maths units in later years, eg Multivariable Calculus or Linear Algebra. Simon Teague takes the MTH1035 Workshops and tutes, he is a good teacher and will ofter go off on tangents about strange and interesting things in mathematics if he is asked by someone in class - which often happens in 1035.

The difference between MTH1030 and MTH1035 is the final exam has two or three out of the 10ish questions replaced with harder ones for 1035. So about 80% of the exam is 1035. Another difference is that in the workshops, you go a bit further into the proofs and mathematics.

The topics covered are:
  • Linear algebra - Vectors, linear systems, matrix algebra, Gauss elimination, transformations with matrices, eigenvalues & eigenvectors. For the extra 1035 stuff we did - Vector spaces & Basis.
  • Integration - Integration techniques, improper integrals. For 1035 we also did hyperbolic functions (Algebra and calculus of them).
  • Sequences & Series.
  • Ordinary differential Equations (ODE's) - First & second order ODEs along with coupled systems of ODEs.

Also, Simon has thousands of question sheets for MTH1035 exam questions which you can get from him leading up to the exam.
« Last Edit: January 28, 2014, 12:27:12 am by alondouek »
2011:|Further Math (34)|
2012:|Methods CAS (35)|Physics (38)|Specialist Math (35)|English (33)|
2012 ATAR: |91.45|

2013 - 2017: |Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering & Science @ Monash, Clayton|