NUS CEG: Year 1 Sem 1

This post was written in hindsight so it's gonna be written in the past tense.

Modules taken:

1. CS1010: Programming Methodology

• Lecturer: Prof. Ooi Wei Tsang
• Difficulty: High
• Grade Obtained: B-

Assessment Weightage:

• Programming Assignments: 30%
• Finals: 25%
• Midterms: 10%
• Practical Exam 1: 10%
• Practical Exam 2: 15%
• Online Quizzes: 10%

Review:

This module basically thought us how to program in C and it was 1 of the toughest modules I've taken in my university life because of the insanely steep learning curve. I did do CS50 by Havard before university started and even then, I felt the learning curve for this module is extremely steep. Unlike CS50, there usually aren't clues to the assignments so you're kinda just thrown into the deep end. You are free to go for consults with the prof though and he will patiently answer any queries you may have. If there aren't many people in the consult session, prof will even look through your code and help you with debugging errors. I honestly did not expect consultations to be so useful and it was unfortunate I only started going for consults towards the end of the semester.

The most challenging part of the mod for me was the weekly take-home assignments. They were usually released on Thursday and due on Tuesday 2359 which meant you didn't have a lot of time to do it. To make matters worse, solving the problem sets usually take a ton of time, especially if you ain't very bright like me. Throughout the sem, I often find myself spending the entire weekend sitting in front of the computer trying to solve the problem sets. In addition, you guys have to remember that this semester happened during COVID where everything is online and since this was also my 1st semester university, I didn't have many friends to discuss with. I was fortunate enough to know 1 guy from jc doing this mod with me but I really can't imagine people doing this alone. Nevertheless, burning your weekends solving CS1010 problem sets really sucks your soul.

Tips for the average/struggling CS1010 student:

• During the PE,
• Go for consultations with the prof, don't need to be shy. It's actually helpful!
• Practice past year papers for both practical and theory papers.

2. CS1231: Discrete Structures

• Lecturer: Prof. Colin Tan & Prof. Li Wei
• Difficulty: High
• Grade Obtained: B-

Assessment Weightage:

• Tutorial Attendance: 5%
• 2 graded assignments: 20%
• Midterms: 25%
• Finals: 50%

Review:

In this module, you'll be introduced to basic discrete math structures used in computer science (data structures, algorithms and encryption). These topics include basic logic, number theory, induction, sets and functions, probability, graphs and trees. This mod is basically math without numbers.

In my opinion, though the module was really well taught and the profs were really patient and willing to hold consults to help weaker students, the number theory and functions aspect of the module were a little too abstract and dry for me and I really struggled to understand them. I basically used the topics of logic, graphs and trees and probability to carry my grade cos any question regarding number theory or proving some abstract math concept usually left me stumped.

Tips for the average student:

• Try your best to understand the concepts as much as possible.
• Study for the exams by doing past year papers. Even though this mod is all about understanding, you still need practice!

3. CG1111: Engineering Principles and Practices 1

• Coordinator: Prof Soh Wee Seng, Lecturer: Prof. Sangit
• Difficulty: Medium
• Grade Obtained: B+

Assessment Weightage:

• Quiz 1: 15%
• Quiz 2: 15%
• Oral Presentation: 10%
• Written Report: 10%
• Critique on Presentation aka Participation: 5%
• Lab Reports: 20%
• mBot Project: 25%

Review:

This was actually the most fun mod of the semester. We mainly learnt about simple circuitry: DC/AC Circuits, Capacitors, Inductors, DC Motors, Op Amps and basic signals. These concepts are then put into practice in our weekly labs. The mod then culminates in the mBot project (pictured in the post) where we have to build and program an mBot to go through a series of challenges. Even though our robot screwed up the final run because of faulty IR sensors, overall this was a really fun introduction to Computer Engineering!

The presentation and report aspect of the mod are graded and organised by the English Department and I guess having good presentation skills is essential for an engineer too.

Tips for the average student:

• Practice solving circuitry questions before the quizzes (even if it means redoing the tutorials)
• Arrange for consults if you don't understand anything. The profs are usually really open to meet and explain them to you.
• Read through the labs before attending them so you can finish your reports in time (by the end of the lab)

4. MA1511: Engineering Calculus

• Lecturer: Ms Adrianna Marciuk
• Difficulty: Medium
• Grade Obtained: B+

Assessment Weightage:

• CA (2 quizzes, 1 test): 50%
• Finals 50%

Review:

This module basically goes more in depth into differentiation and it goes really fast since it's only 7 weeks long. They basically cover a new topic every week. This was especially tough especially having not done math in 2 years.

Tips for the average student:

• Don't lag behind in tutorials
• Redo your tutorial questions when practicing for exams

5. MA1512: Differential Equations for Engineering

• Lecturer: Ms Adrianna Marciuk
• Difficulty: Easy
• Grade Obtained: B+

Assessment Weightage:

• CA (weekly quizzes, 2 graded homework): 50%
• Finals 50%

Review:

This module (as the name differential equations suggests) is all about intergration. You'll learn how to solve 1st order and 2nd order Ordinary Differential Equations, apply these concepts to solve problems on population growth models. You'll also learn about the laplace transform. Anyway, this module is a little old school math in the way where you just have to identify question types and apply the correct formula to solve them. However, the fact that it's straight forward means the bell curve is steep so don't be careless!

6. UTW1001F: Internationalisation of Higher Education

• Lecturer: Prof. Fong Yoke Sim
• Difficulty: Easy
• Grade Obtained: A-

Assessment Weightage:

• Reflective Summary: 15%
• Comparative Paper: 25%
• Proposal Presentation for final paper: 10%
• Participation: 10%
• Final Expository Paper: 40%

Review:

This module is 1 of 2 Ideas & Expositions module I had to take as part of the U-town College Program. To be honest, this module wasn't 1 I thought I would enjoy but it ended up being a really fun module. I think the fact that Prof Fong was really patient and caring really helped too as this module was my introduction to proper academic writing (since I'm not an arts student). The topic of study was also really relevant since we're all in university now and we can really see 1st hand the impact of internationalisation of higher education.