20151014

Online reading assignment question: helpful/unhelpful Midterm 1 physics study tips

Physics 205A, fall semester 2015
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a bi-weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

Describe something notable that either helped or did not help with studying for this midterm. Selected comments may be discussed in class. (Graded for completion.)

The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited.
"Reviewing everything you post on your twitter account."

"Easy-cheesy weight force"

"I really think that the sample midterm problems helped me the most in studying, especially because it showed me what needed to be included in every answer. I wish there was more practice problems worded like the midterm, because even though the quiz questions are helpful to learn concepts, there are really different than what is expected on the midterm"

"Reading the material again and working out problems so that I know how to do them by myself. Reading comprehension is also an essential skill that I need to study in order to master."

"POF OST ITO for newtons's 3rd law."

"The example midterm questions will definitely help to study for this midterm."

"Review the concepts that were focused on in the quizzes."

"Doing the Midterm 1 worksheet first and then consulting with Dr. Len helped me understand the concepts more so. I found that I could actually explain my answers on things that were difficult for me."

"a cheat sheet"

"My best form of studying is reviewing each section in detail a week in advance it made me feel well prepared going into the midterm."

"not reading the book definitely did NOT help me"

"Something that is helping me study for this midterm, is that I went back through your website and re wrote all my notes for chapter 1-5, did examples along the way, started reading a "physics for dummies" book when I got stuck on certain topics, and practicing the midterm practice problems until I fully understand them."

"Something that will help me study for this midterm, is reviewing the practice problems that I have already completed and talk them out in my head on how I received that answer."

"PRACTICE! I was totally lost on projectile motion problems until I worked through them a few times and really focused and then I realized that basically all those problems are the same but just different numbers. It would be nice if you could provide answers to the midterm worksheet as a study guide rather than a sheet to work out problems. It would be nice going in to it to have a detailed thorough explanation of all the things we went over; to fully understand the problems. I know you go over them in class however, sometimes I miss some the things you said and end up confused as to why that is the answer when I'm reviewing my notes. I know we can e-mail you but I think it would be more fair if the whole class had accessibility to what you provide in your e-mails. Having a review sheet rather and a problem worksheet would be extremely beneficial and ensure that I am doing the problems correctly."

"I think that just review everything that we've worked on in class and maybe reading some parts of the book to understand the concepts more will help with the midterm."

"The 3 point checklist: POF-OST-ITO"

"going through past blogs and practicing the practice midterm questions"

"What will help me the most is doing a lot of previous midterm and quiz questions that are similar to the review problems you assigned, and treating each one as if it is on the midterm (meaning working it out fully, drawing a f.b.d., not looking at notes, writing explanations, etc.)."

"Speeding up objects have a smaller normal force."

"Practice examples and problems until they become easier and faster to execute."

"I studied a lot of different scenarios for Newton's laws. Looking over and solving examples is the best preparation."

"I am just going throughout all the midterm practice questions and then I will skim over the chapters in the book and look for formulas and stuff"

"the things that help are the review and problems done in class"

"I appreciate the worksheets. These are helpful in the sense that I have an idea of the format which better prepares me."

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