Musings from someone bored

A bored NUS Electrical Engineering student!

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

1

Module Review: EE2023 Signals and Systems

This module is mathematically intensive. If you're allergic to calculus, you may struggle. However contrary to what others may say, I find this module significantly easier than EE2028/PC2020 and you will definitely score if you spam practice paper. 

Instructor and lesson format
This module is divided into two parts; signals and systems and is conducted seminar style; there are no fixed tutorial or lecture slots as it is dependent on the class's pace. My instructor, Prof Lawrence Wong is very experienced in this field. If you were to read his CV, he was the former big boss of the ECE department. He always emphasizes for us to look for him if you’re struggling. He also made himself very accessible: he shares his phone number and replies to emails promptly. For those who require extra help, he conducts extra "clinics" (remedials) in evenings and weekends. The lessons are recorded and it’s extremely useful for revisions. He's one of the best Prof (in terms of teaching) I have encountered in NUS and you can’t go wrong if he teaches your class.

Module content
In the signals part, the first few lessons focuses on proofs for Fourier transform properties. Honestly, it's fine if you get lost. I personally find little use to fully grasp the proofs. A superficial understand will suffice. Afterwards, the focus is shifted on how to apply the Fourier transform properties to convert the signal from t to f domains and vice versa. To score well, it is important to master the exam formula sheet. What I did was to print out the formula sheet (not referring it from the laptop screen) and use it for all the tutorials, assignments and past year questions. Another tip is to continuously practice the replication, convolution and sampling properties in tutorials and past year papers as these are guaranteed questions that will appear in examinations. The systems part is more complicated. You can think systems as a processing box that takes in an input, transforms it and output something else. Instead of using Fourier transform, it's now Laplace transform to transform functions from t to s domain. There are many plots to master in this part. The most annoying ones are the bode diagram. There are also 1st and 2nd order systems with different types of damping and their respective responses.

Midterm and finals
Many students will struggle with this module. To be ahead of others, the key is to do well in midterms as others will stumble. The midterm weighs 25% and only focuses on signals. Practising past midterms will help a lot. You will see a "pattern" where the same few questions are repeated. For my batch, the midterm paper was easier compared to previous semesters. Despite that, the average marks were kinda low (imo) and this was an opportunity to get a head start in terms of raw marks. There is also a 15% graded assignment on the systems part. Given that it's a take home assignment, most students will get close to full marks. Like the midterms, the key to score for finals is to spam past year papers. To directly quote from the lecturer's final exam feedback: 
 It is clear that students who had spent a lot of time practicing past year papers did much better than those who did not..
Unlike midterm, answer for final papers were not given. Because my Prof runs extra lessons during weekends and evenings, many students will be queuing with past year's questions for him to go through during the examination period. If you are resourceful enough, you will know where to find the answer keys even if it's not provided. :)
 
 
Madness!!! :(
Additional remarks
The only major change we have because of COVID-19 (other than E-lessons) was the change to an E-exam. Our midterms weren’t affected. As it's impossible to fully proctor through Zoom, the exam was made open book. I think the phrase "open book" can ignite the excitement of some students, but what is important is not to fall into the trap of printing all the notes and not organising it. You will lose precious time during exam and it may come back to bite you. Or worse still, is to have the mentality that because its open book, there's no need to revise and just print out the tutorial solutions. That's the path to failure. They also made sure everyone's answers are different by randomising the questions based on our matric number.

To conclude, while this module is indeed intense, you need to consistent, continuously be on task and clear your doubts with the Profs to do well. Good luck.

My rating:

Difficulty: 3/5

Workload: 2/5

Teaching staff: 5/5 

Overall: 4/5

Graded components:

Midterm: 25%

Assignment: 15%

Finals: 60%

Expected grade: B+

Final grade: better than B+

 

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4

Module Review: ES2531 Critical Thinking And Writing

Introduction 
This module is the biggest burden for me this semester. I don't really get the point of it. As far I know, it's compulsory for all engineering students and the only way you can avoid it is to enrol into the RCs. To be honest, there is really nothing much to say here as I did not learn anything from it and urge my juniors to avoid this if you can. There are three assignments, which are graded from your final written report and a "midterm" test (they don't call it midterm, but you can treat it as such). 

Lesson format
There are several problems with this module. Firstly, it's too theoretical. Tell me which engineer out there will look up for leadership frameworks in their line of work? Next, the class is extremely boring. Imagine, two hours of non-stop talking on leadership theory in the middle of the day. Not helping was the tutor, who wasn't engaging at all. The classes were so boring that I took the time to work on other important stuff. In fact, when the tutor disperses us for group discussions, everyone starts to discuss just about everything except the module itself.

Graded assignments
The first assignment (35%), is the "midterm". It's a 1.5h individually timed assignment where you examine a case study and critique it is using an engineering leadership framework. Did not put in much effort into it and the assignments marks were not released as well so I cannot comment on how I fare; but not too well, I guess. 

Assignment 2 consists of individual and group components. The main task is writing a paper on UN's "Sustainable Development Goals". Basically, you pick one goal and come out with an engineering solution to the problem. In the paper, you delegate one chapter to each group members and the draft you come out with is your Assignment 2A marks (15%). The combined chapters from your group mates is your final written report that weighs 35%. Because I didn't pay much attention to this module, the final report was a mad rush. Given that EE2026's final project has a similar deadline, time was tight. However, EE2026 project was definitely priority one, but not failing this module was important too. Although we pulled through, after reading the final report, all I can do was to shake my head in shame. It was painful to read and riddled with grammatical, logical and formating errors, that we decided it wasn't worth our time to fix it. 

The final Assignment 3 (15%) consists of forum posts, final reflection paper and in-class participation marks that I have no clue how it was calculated. 

Additional remarks
Other than allowing me to work on schoolwork, the only other good thing about it is how they revamped this module. We are the first or second batch to try out this new format, where there is no final examination and the tutorial sessions reduced. Imagine having two-hour leadership theory lessons twice or thrice weekly and having a final examination to end it! ðŸ˜¡ðŸ˜¡ðŸ˜¡

My rating:
Difficulty: 2/5
Workload: 2/5
Teaching staff: 1/5 
Overall: 1/5

Graded components:
Assignment 1 (Midterm): 35%
Assignment 2: 50%
Assignment 3: 15% 

Final grade: B (S/U option exercised) 
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Thursday, 16 January 2020

1

Module Review: EE2027 Electronic Circuits

Introduction 
This is an introductory module of various evicting electronic components and semiconductors like PN junctions, BJTs, MOSFETs, diodes and operational amplifiers. It also goes into the nitty gritty details of how these works and the "science" behind it. (yes, the periodic table will reappear here!!)... 

Concepts learned in EPP (EE1111 etc) such as KCL/KVL, circuit analysis and solving are very relevant here, so it's a good idea to brush up on it. While I feel there were too many things to digest, the good news is the module is well structured and ran by experienced professors that gives clear explanations of the concepts. The bad news is as lectures and tutorials were conducted in classrooms, there were no webcasts and you may get a little lost during revisions as you cannot recall what they said few weeks ago. :( 

Unlike JC students who may find this module a little overwhelming (but not as bad as EE2028 though), poly peers have probably learned it before, giving them an edge. The key in scoring in this module is understanding instead of spamming past year papers. The prof teaching my class always emphasise that exam questions are always set very differently, which is indeed so. This also means things that were touched and go during classes could come out in the exams.

Grade assessments and lesson format
The module has many CA components, including one midterm (20%), two labs (10%) and four graded homework (15%). Majority will get close to full marks for the labs and homework so do aim for that. The main variation comes from the midterm and finals. While answer keys were provided for midterms, they were not given for finals. However, many questions from the finals are repeated in tutorial questions, so you can practice from there. 

One annoying thing about these tests are the 10 marks worth of true/false questions, that deduct marks for wrong answers (probably to punish students who guesses). No cheat sheets are allowed but an extensive formula list are provided. Some "shortcut" formulas that make calculations a little easier are not provided, so some memory work is needed. 

The lessons are conducted seminar style, i.e. there are no fixed tutorial or lecture lessons. It's dependent on the class pace. However, when the lesson is a tutorial class, there will be graded homework that needs to be submitted. There are also two lab sessions, which wasn't too difficult. For the second lab, you will be issued with a toolbox with resistors, opamp, multimeter etc  and you're expected to build the circuit yourself and compare the results with a circuit simulator (LTspice).
 
Additional comments
You will do well if you put in effort in digesting the concepts. I did the "rote-learning" style and struggled, especially during exams. If you're someone like me who likes to slap a formula, manipulate the math and derive the final answer, you find this module indifferent... This module is.. How would I put??... Your typical, average EE module.. The typical electrical engineering type of stuff that your friend from FASS envision you're doing everyday.. You know that EE stereotype? Yup, that's EE2027 in a nutshell.

This isn't the worse module out there and being consistent in lessons will go a long way. The finals was a surprise with some unexpected questions for me. The most difficult questions are the one relating to opamps and the prof says it's the easiest to mark as many students left it blank. I did average for the midterms and I presume, the same for finals. The final grade I got was also average, which wasn't surprising. My personal opinion is if I have put in a little more effort understanding what's going on, I will probably get at least A-... As my circle of friends (many who I think is in my calibre in terms of academics have gotten A- and above..)...

My rating:

Difficulty: 4/5
Workload: 4/5
Teaching staff: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Graded components:

Midterm: 20%
Lab: 10%
Homework: 15%
Finals: 55%

Expected grade: B+

Final grade: B+


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Tuesday, 7 January 2020

14

Module Review: EE2028 Microcontroller Programming and Interfacing

Hell Module?! 
The first hell module EE students will encounter (surprise surprise, PC2020 is the other). Don't just take my words for it, go Google for past reviews on EE2028/EE2024 (old module code). Your base board from EE2026 will be upsized into something of monstrosity. Big, bulky and with many accessories. There are two graded assignments, both pair work. Start searching for project partners early because you don't want to be randomly paired with the leftovers for obvious reasons 🤔. For Assignment 1 (20%), you will start with assembly language, which will be taught in lectures and has a simple syntax. But the assignment isn't as simple due to complicated requirements, which was to implement a circular buffer for my cohort. My suggestion is to start early and ask around if you are stuck. There's no time to waste. For Assignment 2 (30%), you will use C language to interface with various peripherals on the main board to create a device based on the project requirements. My year was to detect movement and temperature changes in a simulated environment. In between assignments are labs, where the GAs will give hints so that you're a familiar with controlling the board. 

EDIT (2022): On NUSmods comments...
Saw some recent reviewers sharing that EE2028 isn't as bad as what others are saying, but just want to emphasize that they took the module during Covid where everything was open book, open computer. With things reverting back, I am not so sure it will be that simple again. A large bulk of (my) suffering was cramming for the closed book, no cheatsheet finals. Cheers and have fun! 

Lab Assignments
Project demonstrations and written reports are expected for both assignments. The most annoying part are the Q&A by the GAs during the demonstrations, where random questions are asked, sometimes with no relevance to the project. My guess is these are to ensure you're not blindly coding and know the fundamentals behind what you're doing. They also asked seemingly simple questions that many of us got stuck. Questions like where is the temperature sensor, or microphone etc located on the board . My experience with the demonstration wasn't positive. I got assessed by a GA who does not understand simple English and got into an argument with him. To mask his language deficiency, he started raising his voice which probably cost me some marks. Anyways, I wasn't the only student who has issues with him. Just pray you've a good assessor. I did slightly below average for both assignments and they won't tell you why, which was another annoying part. 

While the projects are time-consuming, you do not have midterms to contend with. I'm not sure if that's a good thing because I was lost throughout this module and it was a mad rush catching up for finals and not helping were other difficult core modules like EE2027 that took a lot of time as well. 

And when think you're done with the module after the crazy project and its demonstration, you suddenly remember you have the final paper, with all the wonderful theory you've been neglecting since week 1!!! :') 

Don't worry; I have no idea what I was coding as well :'(

Final Examination
This module is dense in content as there are many interfacing protocols to memorise. The instructors always claim no memory work is needed to do well. But they forgotten to mention they have been repetitively doing the same thing for many years, of course they have it committed to memory while we barely have 12 weeks to digest everything. Past year papers are provided, but no solutions are given. The biggest nonsense is the ban on cheatsheet. They are inconsistent with the reason on this. Sometimes they claim there's nothing to memorise. Other times will say all the required information will be provided. 

There are not many resources publicly available and sadly those who can memorise content will do significantly better. However, there's a Prof who goes through past year exams for his class. So make friends with students from his class to take advantage of that. 

During finals, I basically vomited everything I memorised. I think I did more writing than any other modules I have taken so far, which is sad given that this is an EE module. I was writing so much till the point that I have no idea what I was doing or whether the "story" I wrote had relation to the question!!!  I just threw everything I got hoping to score some marks. 

Conclusion
What I can say is this. Many of my friends struggled in the module, so please do not panic if you're in the same predicament. The most important tip to survive this hellish module is to be resourceful. Ask around for videos, tutorial answers and help if you're stuck. There's even a complication of exam solutions screenshoted from these videos, turned into a PDF which was very helpful for me. 

Right after finals ended, the EE cohort chat group was buzzing with students looking for lab partners for the next semester because they are certain they will fail. But one effect of everyone struggling is the bell curve. Despite doing so-so in lab assignments, having back-to-back exams for three straight days, and skipping some questions during the exam, I got a pretty decent grade, which I am satisfied with. 

My rating:

Difficulty: 5/5

Workload: 5/5
Teaching staff: 3/5
Overall: 2/5

Graded components:

Assignment 1: 20%

Assignment 2: 30%
Finals: 50%



Expected grade: B+ 
Final grade: Higher than B+

 

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0

Module Review: GEQ1000 Asking Questions

This is a 4 MCs module that has a 1 MC workload. This is a compulsory pass/fail module and unfortunately, many students just don't give a freak about it. (RVRC students must take a letter graded GEQ1917 in place of this though). I have a friend taking this module at a 4pm slot, which was unusually late. Out of curiosity, I asked why. The response was that it allows for a nice afternoon nap before heading home. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

Not that I encourage, but you can afford to skip several graded components and still pass it, I think. Graded components include making a paper wallet, folding origami, reflection essays and participation in the online forum. There are also fortnightly quizzes on LumiNUS but not to worry, you can join the famous GEQ1000 Discord group where everyone share answers discusses the questions. I am sure the instructors are aware of it and randomises the questions. Not everyone will get the exact same questions. But not like it matters if you get full marks or not. 

 

This is a pass/fail module and there's no A grade to aim for! You can even skip the quizzes if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it as it makes you look bad. :( The workload is so little that you sometimes forget this module exists. In place of physical lectures are online lectures which I don't remember viewing them. :3 Tutorial is fortnightly and at times it slips my mind I have lessons. By the time I remember it, I am 30 minutes late. But no issues, other making the tutor a little pissed, I still passed this module with flying colours! 

 

The tutorial is extremely dry, though at times there are interesting activities to keep you awake. One intriguing observation was seeing some students vigorously taking down notes in class. And when I glanced over the computer screen, it was indeed GEQ1000 notes. I know we are expected to be good NUS students but isn't this a little overkill for a CS/CU module? I see many complains that this module is useless, wasting time etc.. but hey! It's a rare 4 MCs pass/fail module and students should be thankful for its existence. If we continue complaining, they might make this module graded like its cousin GER1000 and I don't think our juniors will be too happy about it. 

 

Summary: Low workload module for you to make new friends and destress if you are into that sort of stuff. 

 

My rating: 

Difficulty: 0/5 
Workload: 1/5 
Teaching staff: 3/5 
Overall: 4.5/5 (come on, it's a free 4 MC module. Appreciate it!) 

 

Final grade: CS

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1

Module Review: GEH1049 Public Health in Action

Introduction
GEH1049 is probably the easiest module I have taken in this semester. I mean, no tests, no exams, no quizzes... and the list goes on... What more can I ask for? Every week, random guests from the healthcare field will give a talk on their area of speciality. Most of the talks are downright boring and you will find me dozing off or starting to prep for our weekly graded reflection. Something I am proud of is the efficiency of group in writing our reflections. While many groups will take notes or summaries of the content of the lectures (which frankly, a big waste of time), we will just whack and start writing our reflection and by the time we disperse, we are probably 80% done for this week's work. Because of how efficient we are, we tend to leave the lecture theatre very very early and you can see the intrigued stare of others as we gracefully exit the LT. Not only are we fast, the quality of our work speaks volumes as we are getting full marks for the reflections (in comparison, my friend in another group gets around 3 or 4 out of 5 weekly). Before every lecture, we are supposed to read the "required readings" which I am confident nobody bothers about it. 

Graded Components
While there are no exams/tests/quizzes, there are two written, take home assignments and we are given more than enough time complete those. Nothing too difficult, it is just your typical argumentative essay. The key is to follow the marking rubrics carefully. For my cohort, the mean for assignment 1 was 68 and I got close to 90. No marks were released for the assignment 2 but I guess I did well because I got a pretty decent grade. 

And those who think you can pon the lectures, the answer is NO and you need to scan a QR code every week to account for your presence. They are also pretty strict with late coming and the grace period is only 5 minutes before the QR code closes. But if you are smart enough, you will know how to game the system. :)

Conclusion
In summary, I love this module a lot because of the minimal workload and more importantly, zero tests. But I heard they are changing it from AY19/20 Sem 2, so it's better to check before locking on to this module.  

My rating:
Difficulty: 2/5
Workload: 2/5
Teaching staff: 1/5 (freaking boring, non-engaging lecturers)
Overall: 4/5 (I recommend students who are looking for GEH with a good, low effort to good grades ratio)

Module components 
Individual Assignment 1: 25%
Individual Assignment 2: 40%
Weekly Reflection: 30%
Attendance: 5% 

Expected grade: A-
Final grade: A
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Friday, 3 January 2020

1

Rant: Pointlessness of A+, maintaining class of honours and AY19/20 thoughts

It has been a very long time since I touched this blog. Here's some updates. (I'll try to put up some module reviews soon, bear with it).

I have gotten more than one A+ so far and found it gimmicky and pointless. Unlike SMU where A+ students (top 3-5% of the module) are rewarded, NUS and NTU doesn't give anything extra compared to an A student.

I must emphasise that I'm not a smart student and I have my fair share of Bs and B+ that I can't S/U. Hopefully NUS can make some changes so that I can pull my crappy CAP up by a little after this disappointing semester.

This semester is the first time I gotten below A- for my EE core modules. In fact, two of them and one of them is a B. Complacency has indeed set in and I'm paying the price. My CAP tumbled and I cannot S/U level 2000 cores. Thankfully, I have a strong base from year 1 and despite taking hits from two Bs/B+, my CAP is still within the range I want, but barely.

Looks like I will have to let it go. I always thought maintaining a certain range of CAP was easy. But what's the point of pursuing it? I'm not a scholar and my non-academic achievements is a big fat zero, wiping out any chances of a scholarship either. I know my parents will be delighted if I get it and that's my only motivation to still try. The next band of CAP is also considered good I think (or wishfully hope).

I'm not blessed with looks, wealth or intelligence but I have good family/parents/grandparents who showered me with warmth and love for the past 22 years. My grandfather left us in 2018 and I still always think of him. Even at his demented state, he will remember us. I also have friends who I count on, especially those who I met in my NS and JC days.

Well, it looks like I'm destined to be a farmer/peasant/loner for life. It's OK, I'm not asking much. 

End of rant.

Cheers. 
See you soon.

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