The Art of Acing the Class

I love when students earn A's in my classes. I enjoy plugging A's into Highlander Pipeline at the end of each term. But I don't just give out good grades for nothing. You want an A for your effort? I am happy to help you!

Here's How.

1. Attend every class.

So you think that just because I upload some lecture notes to my website that you can blow off class and just read the notes later? Let me shatter that myth. I use my lecture notes to CUE myself what to talk about during class. The words that come out of my mouth don't appear on the slides. Neither do the class discussions that I encourage. Slides are a bunch of facts, but they don't capture the WHYS of engineering design... the stuff that convinces you to make the right technical and ethical decisions...the stuff I expect to see in your final exam essays.

I also review how to do homeworks in class - I have noticed a strong correlation between attendance and homework grades...poor grades result from not being in class when the assignment was discussed.

Check out this recent chart of actual student grades. Attending every class is associated with a A in homework grade. Start missing classes, your grade falls. Why? We discuss how to do homeworks at the start of class.

2. "But Dr. Simone, 8:30 is too early."

Is that what you are going to say to the customer you are meeting in hopes he/she will buy a boatload of your product? Not a good impression.

Welcome to the real world. Complaining and regular late arrivals and absences are a great way to get fired. I didn't choose 8:30 am either. Deal with it.

And if you haven't figured it out by now, at 8am there are ALWAYS traffic delays on 280, 80, 78, GSP and the Turnpike. Plan that an accident will delay you. And you KNOW that rain always slows down the roads. So be professional - set your alarm earlier, get to school earlier, grab something to eat/drink, and sit in the classroom/student center and review the last lecture. Talk with your team mates about your project. Or study another class. Whatever. But I start talking about engineering design at 8:30. I'd really like to see you there.

3. Ask for feedback.

If you don't understand my grades or comments, ask. If you don't understand the assignment, ask. If you want advice on a final paper/presentation/etc., ask BEFORE the deadline. If you wait too late to raise a problem, I might not be able to help you.

4. Take notes in class.

"Why should I bother taking notes if I can just download your lecture notes?"

See #1. The meat is in the verbal discussion. No one has perfect memory of verbal information. You'll also want to make a note when I say, "This will be on the final." Our discussions will make you think about your own projects, and you'll remember your thoughts later.

5. Proofread your work, and don't plagiarize.

This means taking other's words and using them as your own. Don't go there. Don't even go CLOSE to there. We will discuss this in class, but be aware that I cruise Google and I also use the Turn It In service (that NJIT subscribes to) to check for plagiarism. The honor code spells out assignment failures and course failures for the first offense, depending on severity. Yes, students have failed my classes for plagiarism.

6. Study regularly and not just before tests.

After every class, review your notes. It doesn't take long, but research has shown that repeated exposures to the same material over time help you learn and remember it better. Cramming everything before the final is tough, as you know. Unfortunately, I have seen good students blow their A with an average final exam performance.

7. Participate in class.

I don't mean favoritism or trying to make an impression for me...if you are engaged in class and you think about what we are discussing, you will end up having questions. Ask them. Participate in discussions other people start. All that brain energy helps you learn the material, and makes your study time shorter. Bottom line - you are stuck in class, why not use that time to learn as much of the material as possible?

8. Pay attention to instructions.

I am surprised sometimes when students don't follow project/homework directions, after I think I've done a good job writing the homework, discussing it in class, and posting it on the internet.

Bottom line - after you think you're done, go back and re-read what you were asked to do. Common problem include incomplete work, not using document templates, incorrect reference formats, and just plain not turning in the assignments!

9. Don't fall behind.

Some classes, Capstone Design in particular, are a lot of work. I've got two semesters to teach you the basics of design engineering as it is practiced in the real world. That includes the language of design and documentation, all the steps of the design process, how to make sure your design/product will be sellable, ethics, medical research, etc., AND on top of that you have to develop, build, and test your OWN design project. If you fall behind, you will confuse the design steps and the process can fall apart, and it is difficult to get you back on track.

I accept most assignments late, although not at full credit. Assignments are due hard copy in class, not after class unless by arrangement. Some assignments are due via email. Format will be announced.

10. Respect your team.

See Effective Teams.

11. Don't assume the whole team gets the same grade.

Team-based classes have individual components. For all classes except FED, it is very common for the final grades to be different for members of the same team. Homework, attendance, and performance review are significant contributors, so don't think you can just coast if you are on a "good" team. And yes, it is possible for some team members to pass and others fail on the same team.

12. Are you really interested?

This may be a hard one. If this program does not interest you, why are you here? Are you in the right major? Are you doing what you really want to do? Yes, a 'D' is a passing grade, but what engineering firm wants to hire an engineering student who is getting a 'D' in the culminating capstone project in their "chosen" field?