NTU Chemistry Blog

Monday, June 5, 2017

AY2016/17 NTU SPMS CBC Y1S2

Maybe I should change the title of this blog to something like 'Life of a procrastinating NTU student'. I did not really improve on my study techniques AKA still studying last minute and not paying attention to lectures. Many things went wrong with tackling the tests, I probably wasn't really focused on studying throughout the semester. Ok enough of reflections, time for module review 2~

BU8201 | BUSINESS FINANCE | 3AU | GER-BM | S

Class participation (10%)
Group Presentation (10%)
Online quiz (20%) - 7/10
Finals (60%)

Comments:
For this module, lectures are delivered online and there are subtitles in the videos!! Good for people who are bad in auditory learning. I would say it is quite a content heavy course as I spent most of my studying time watching the lectures and doing the tutorials yet it wasn't enough. My experience for this mod is very confusing. ( I think it is just me, or maybe I just cannot do business related mods )
Content:
It is highly recommended to buy the textbook and most of the chapters will be covered in the course, the lecture notes do not include everything that is tested in exams, so study the textbook. Reviews for this course from other websites say to draw mindmaps, so I think you should do it if you want to score an A. Having a financial calculator would be good for this course, although it is not required, but if your Graphing Calculator has the finance app then it's fine too. While this course is mainly on calculations, there would be some questions that require your understanding of the financial market. Like conflicts between stockholders and bondholders and managers, different types of markets, the significance of the gradient of the security market line etc.
Assessment:
As I said above, I was really confused for this mod cos there is no way I could cram everything last minute HAHA. So for the quiz which is held 3 weeks after recess week, I was panicking and the first thing I did was to read the textbook and tried to write out everything (Like what I did for CM8002). Unfortunately it didn't work as the textbook is too thick!! Then I tried doing the past year papers BUT answers are not provided omg. And being the person with no friends and too embarrassed to consult teachers, I was unable to tell whether my answers were correct, and I ended up spending a crazy amount of time doing questions that are no longer in the syllabus -.-. Yeah don't be like me. In the end the quiz was quite straightforward but I didn't memorise all the formulas needed. Stupid me! That explains my marks for the quiz.
For the presentation, we had to form groups and a different group would present the set of tutorial questions for the week. My group was the first group to present and it was SCARY. Ok all presentations are scary to me hahaha, the tutor will decide which question you are presenting so you have to know how to do all the questions in the set of tutorial.
For final paper, I spent like 4 whole days out of the 1 week study break to study for it by doing MCQ questions online. There is one very cool blog with hundreds and thousands of questions, I will share the link later, or you can google it HAHA. But I must not be thinking clearly at that time, since I only did MCQs which was worth 60% of the final paper, and did not touch on structured questions at all. So in the end I breezed through all the MCQs but got stuck at the SAQs. Ugh what was I thinking... Ya so in the end I SU-ed it right after the final paper, although I wasn't planning to do so..

CM1041 | BASIC PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4AU | CORE | B+ |
CA1 (15%) - 7/10 [mean: 7.8]
CA2 (15%) - 20/24 [mode: 21]
Lab (20%)
Finals (50%)

Comments/Content:
For the first half of the course, it is mainly on NMR, and the topic on gases (PV=nRT), and modifications to the ideal gas equation to calculate the values for real gases. Oh and also on solubility, which was taught in JC, and new stuff about how the vapour pressure, boiling and freezing points of solvent changes with the amount of solute added. The content is not difficult to understand except for the NMR parts, I had to look at a few of the past year questions and answers the lecturer uploaded for us in order to get the concepts. ( Or maybe I was just lazy to read through the notes carefully HAHA)
For the second half of the course, it felt like 100% JC chem, with topics like acids and bases, electrolysis and energetics. But the types of questions asked are a bit different. Nevertheless it is quite easy to study for if you put in consistent effort.
Assessment:
The CA1 consisted of 10 MCQs with 8 NMR questions and the remaining 2 on gases. I did not study enough as I only focused on drawing and interpreting the tree diagrams, which is important but the quiz also tested on other areas and I made stupid mistakes. Remember, TMS is tetramethylsilane and FID is free induction decay. And 1 mol of gas is 22.4 dm^3 at stp!!
For CA2, I think many of the questions are repeated or found online, and also attend the tutorials as worksheets were given which gave examples of questions that would be asked in CA2. Everyone did well for this test so aim for full marks if possible.
For the final paper, the first half is still mainly NMR, while the second half only tested on topics that were not tested in CA2, which means that we have less to study yay. And also the questions are sometimes repeated so must do the pyps! I didn't put in much effort in studying for this uh cos it looked easy ><. And also no mood to study.
For lab, there are 5 lab reports to be submitted and 1 literature experiment which you have to learn how to make use of the search engines online to search for articles and chemical compounds.

CM1051 | BASIC BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY | 3AU | CORE | A |
Midterm (25%) - A- [average: B-]
Class participation (15%)
Final (60%)

Comments:
This is just H2 bio but easier. I studied for it by copying down everything from the online slides and pdf. All the lectures are carried on online, and we only had an 1 hour tutorial per week which I usually skipped. This course is easy to study for, just be prepared to write a lot when making notes, and highlight and circle your notes afterwards. Repeat until you are confident that you can do well.
Assessment:
The quiz is just 20 MCQs and 2 SAQs with 5 marks which we only had to do one. The final paper is just 40 MCQs and 4 SAQs which you choose 2. I finished the 2.5 hours paper in 35 minutes HAHA. It was that easy. So nothing much to say about this course. I think I got low marks for the class participation since I didn't ask any questions on the discussion forum at all, luckily credit is also given if you complete the quizzes for each online lesson, or I wouldn't have done so well.

GC0001 | INTRO TO SUSTAINABILITY | 1AU | GER-CORE | PASSED |
Comments:
6 modules to complete, but you only need to complete 5 if you attended a talk. A quiz with 15 questions at the end of each module which you have to get at least 11 correct to pass the module. No other assignments submission is required.

HT9102 | LANGUAGE FOUNDATION FOR TRANSLATION | 3AU | UE | B+ |
Midterm (25%) - 64/100 [average: 75]
Class participation (10%)
Group Presentation (15%)
Final (50%)

Comments:
This module consists of a 2 hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial per week on the same day. I think this is the most interesting module I took for this semester! Many hilarious examples were shown during lectures and the lecturer encouraged us to read beyond what was required. The lessons are conducted in mandarin but the group presentation can be done in either English or Chinese. It was fun to compare the original and target text by looking at the different forms of words used. I learnt to look out for things that I have never noticed in sentences before!! Would definitely recommend this module.
Assessment:
For class participation, we had to complete 2 online activities that require the use of laptop webcam to answer a few short questions. And also to do the LAMS for any 3 lessons on NTUlearn.
For the group presentation, we were divided into groups and each group had to present the weekly tutorial answers at least once. I think all the groups really put in a lot of effort in preparing for the presentations, cos they looked so good that I was quite worried HAHA.
For midterm, the format would be similar to the pyps that the lecturer uploaded online, the main reason why I did so badly was because I forgot 中文的主导词是动词，英文的主导词是名词 (result of not studying enough haiz). Otherwise the test was not difficult.
For final, it actually was easier than mid term HAHA. ( use the oxford advanced learner's english-chinese dictionary as 4 out of 6 sentences in the paper was found in the dictionary, yes, with the answer included) In fact I felt that I was like cheating, but theres no restriction to the types of dictionary you bring, as long as they are hard copies. So I guess it really depends on your luck~

HW0128 | SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION I | 2AU | GER-CORE | B+ |
Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography (25%)
Assignment 2: Review Paper (35%)
Assignment 3: Presentation (25%)
Class Participation (15%)

Comments:
This course is quite useful in guiding us on the methods of content delivery to different target audience, in the form of writing and presentation. I have gained much from this course. Everyone is required to buy a course guide ($10) before the course commences. Something funny is that the Review paper is supposed to be pair work but there was an odd number of students in the class so I ended up doing it alone HAHA. I think can get B+ not bad already since I didn't ask or answer any question in class, which means class participation marks gone ><.
Assessment
For Annotated Bibliography, we had to evaluate 1 out of 2 given articles and do peer marking on the next lesson, where our classmates wrote on each others' work by giving comments and suggestions. I suck at marking!! My classmates were able to give me constructive feedback though, I felt a bit bad as I could only spot spelling errors.
For Review Paper, we had to compare the 2 articles given, can use more articles if you want. There is also peer marking. A suggestion for all assignments is to avoid using words that are too difficult, and keep the sentences short. Take note on the referencing format.
For Presentation, I used a research paper on a super sensitive sensor made from graphene and silly putty, it was quite fun hahaha. (But presentation was scary) We were allowed to use a maximum of 8 slides and a time limit of 5 minutes for the presentation.

MH1801 | CALCULUS FOR THE SCIENCES II | 3AU | CORE | A- |
Midterm (30%) - 28/30 [average: 23/30]
Class participation (10%)
Matlab/group project (10%)
Final (50%)

Comments:
I only attended 2 lectures out of the whole semester, and there is actually no need to watch the lecture recordings to understand what is being taught as the textbook is sufficient. Can try to buy the textbook from the SPMS second hand book sale~ I got it for just $35 yay~ Oh and many of the tutorial questions were from the textbook.
Assessment:
Midterm was easy, although the lecturer said it would be more tricky than last year's. I lost marks cos I didn't know that I have to use partial fractions to derive the differential equation for logistic growth... Cos never read lecture notes ._.
We were given the option to do a group project on application of differential equations in real life, or Matlab, a programming language. I chose the latter but since the computer lab is always crowded, I could only sit at the back which means I cannot see or hear much of what the TA said. So in the end I had to ask my course mate for help, but :(
For class participation, the tutor asked us to make a summary of everything we learnt in the course. The problem is that I remembered the deadline wrongly and only rushed through the summary on the date of submission. I probably didn't get good marks for that HAHA.
For final, I think I managed to do all the questions and it wasn't difficult. But I did all the tutorials more than twice each. (A shortcut for someone who didn't go for lectures) Since the answers for all tutorials are provided, this is quite an effective way to score well for the final exam. I feel that the reason why I got this grade is cos of the matlab and the summary :(

Thursday, December 29, 2016

AY16/17 NTU SPMS CBC Y1S1

Examination results were out yesterday and I'm gonna share and record some of my thoughts about the modules I took this semester.

CM1021 - BASIC INORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4 AU | CORE | GRADE: B

CA1 (15%) - 7/10 (mean: 6.7/10)
CA2 (15%) - 8/15 (mean: 8/15)
Lab (20%)
Final (50%)

The content taught during lectures in the first few weeks was similar to what was taught in JC, but in greater depth. For CA1(MCQs) most of the questions required us to apply the formulas we have learnt to do calculations such as finding the energy absorbed when an electron is excited, or finding the wavelength of a particle. My advice is to read through all the slides given even when the lecturer says those are not going to be tested(I skipped a few of those slides and it came out for CA1). Also, attempt all questions available in Masteringchemistry because a lot of calculation questions and answers with explanations are given. It would definitely help in preparing for CA1.

For CA2( SAQs), the topics tested were taught by another lecturer for the second part of the course. There are blanks in the lecture notes which I think should be the lecturer's way of making us pay attention to the lectures(which I failed to do so HAHA, that was why I did quite badly for CA2). You need to know how to determine valency, oxidation number, coordination number and formal charge, as well as be very familiar with molecular orbital theory, which is an entirely new concept.

For final exam, everything in CA1 and CA2 was tested plus two new topics, transition metals and infrared spectroscopy. We only covered the basics for both topics and the questions should be manageable as long as you have practised and done the past year papers. However, I noticed that some of the answers for the papers were contradictory so I had to search the web a few times to look for the right answers.

For lab, I think I did quite badly from the number of crosses I got in my lab reports, even though the lecturer said it is actually not difficult to get full marks for lab. I actually agree with him as both my lab partners got a 'very good' in their reports. I guess I shouldn't have left the reports till the day of submission before I started doing them. This is probably the reason why I got this grade ><.

Tutorials are conducted once every two weeks like CM1031, there would be pre-tutorial questions that we are expected to completed before each tutorial, a new set of questions would be given during the tutorial for students to discuss and present their answers.

Random ramblings for this course:
Last year's CA2 looked so easy that I didn't bother to study for it, and I only started revision on the day of the test. ( I'M SUPER LAZY HAHA) And this year's paper was much harder haiz.

CM1031 - BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4 AU | CORE | GRADE: A-

CA1 (10%)- 55/70 (mean: 49/70)
CA2 (15%)- 34/50 (mean: 30/50)
Online quizzes (5%)
Lab (20%)
Final (50%)

I actually thought I would score the worst for this course as I felt that the finals was really difficult, so I was surprised to get this grade. In my opinion, there were a lot more information to memorise than CM1021, and the number of reactions and mechanisms are like 5 times the amount learnt in JC.

For CA1(MCQs), more emphasis was placed on determining the R, S configurations, the types of isomerism, and stereochemistry of cycloalkanes. Make sure to review previous tutorials and do past year papers. The lecturer was very kind to accept multiple answers for a few questions after discussing with the students, so I got 10 marks added.

For CA2(SAQs), mechanisms are tested as well as reagents and conditions to convert the starting product to the end product. Take note not to neglect the factors affecting acidity and basicity of reactants. Basically just study everything in the notes and do (and redo if you have time) the practice papers uploaded.

For final exam(SAQs), it is the scariest chem paper I have ever taken. A lot of content to remember, and you have to be very familiar with all the reactions to do well. For those who are bad at memorising, make summaries and reaction tables and highlight and draw on them to remember better. Make multiple copies if possible. ( This method may not work for everyone, as I learn best through repetition). Doing past years papers is important as one of the past questions came out for the final exam.

For lab, it was fun as we made dyes and learnt to use the lab equipment. Do try to familiarise yourself with the equipment as I heard that year 2 labs are conducted individually so there won't be a lab partner to help you. Like CM1021, I wished I had put in more effort on the lab reports. Oh and although lab sessions are allocated 3 hours in the timetable, most of the experiments can be completed in 1 or 2 hours.

The remaining 5% was from online quizzes as some topics were taught entirely online.

Random ramblings for this course: I procrastinated too much and didn't pay attention to lectures, which resulted in me not understanding anything during tutorials, which scared me a bit so I crammed a lot a few days before both mid terms.

PH1801-FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS I | CORE | 3 AU | GRADE: PASSED

CA1 (20%)-51/60

Homework and weekly quizzes (20%)

Final (60%)

To me, this course feels like learning O levels Physics for the first few weeks, but gets more complex afterwards. For the first half of the course, we were expected to complete a LAMS sequence every week before the lecture which consisted of videos teaching the content and self check quizzes. Then the lecturer would go through clicker questions with us during lectures and also gave interesting demonstrations during lessons.

We were allowed to choose the difficulty and the format of the mid term test(20%), and of course most people chose the easiest option. Every week, a tutorial is to be submitted for grading as well as a weekly online quiz, which contribute 20% to the final grade.

The final exam(60%) consists of MCQs and SAQs. The MCQs were manageable but the SAQs were surprisingly hard. Nevertheless, many people left 1 hour after the exam commences even though the time given was 2.5 hours. Since this is a pass/fail course, I did not study much as you only need 40% to pass.

At the end of the semester, we had to design a device using what we have learnt during the semester, the top three winners will get prizes from the lecturer. The 3rd prize was a drinking bird that makes use of evaporation to allow the bird's head to bob up and down continuously.

MH1800-CALCULUS FOR THE SCIENCES I | CORE | 3 AU | GRADE: A

Quiz 1 (5 marks) - 1.5/5
Quiz 2 (5 marks) - 5/5
Quiz 3 (5 marks) - 2.5/5
Tutorials attendance (36 marks) - 36/36
Weekly quizzes (36 marks ) - ??/36
Final (50%)

We learnt about limits, differentiation, integration, many many theorems and applications. The content is delivered through weekly online lectures and the physical lectures were used for answering 5 clicker questions. There were 12 weekly quizzes and each quiz contributes 3 marks to the total, there were also 3 quizzes during tutorials worth 5 marks each, attending each tutorial earned us 3 marks. The full marks is 50 marks but the highest possible number of marks that can be obtained is 87, so there is no need to attend all tutorials or complete all online quizzes to get full marks.

There were many difficult questions in the tutorials but luckily we had a good tutor who explained the answers to us in an effective manner. I studied for the final exam(50%) by redoing the tutorials and past years papers a week before the exam. Do not worry if you think your math is not good as I did really badly for my H2 Mathematics but still managed to score an A. The key is to practise.

Random ramblings for this course: During the last lecture the lecturer gave us 10 clicker questions and said if we can answer those correctly then it means we are more or less prepared for the final exam, but I got only 2 correct so I got scared (AGAIN) and started doing tutorials like mad.

CM8002-FORENSIC SCIENCE | GER-PE STS | 3 AU | GRADE: A+

Mid term(20%)- 12/25 (Mean:17/25)
Final (80%)

This course is automatically allocated to all CBC students, which is really lucky for us as I heard many people wanted to take this course but couldn't get it. This course consists of weekly online lectures for 8 weeks and there would be guest lecturers coming after recess week. The guest lectures are not recorded so I feel that it is best if you attend all of them as they were very interesting and some of things mentioned may be tested in the final exam.

The mid term test(20%) consisted of 25 MCQs which tested on everything from the online lectures as well as the articles uploaded to the course folder. I kind of underestimated the test so I didn't really study for it and got 12/25... Then I got worried and started mugging like mad for the final exam which was worth 80%. The exam had 40 MCQs and a case study worth 40 marks where we had to deduce who was the murderer. I think it was quite a fun exam. I studied for this course by writing down everything from the powerpoint slides in a notebook, then highlight and circle everything. ( A weird method but it worked!) It is essential that you read all articles with asterisks*.

Fun fact: This is the only course that is conducted in the Nanyang Auditorium, probably due to the huge class size (~1700 students)

Random ramblings for this course: The seats in NY audi are very comfortable~

ML0001-ABSOLUTE BASICS FOR CAREER | GER CORE | 1 AU | GRADE: PASSED

This course is conducted entirely online and has some hilarious examples, sometimes the way the lecturers talked is funny too. I believe this is useful in helping us get a better understanding of the appropriate actions to take when looking for a job. There is a graded assignment that needs to be submitted by a deadline or you cannot pass the course.