USASK RE-ENGINEERED First Year Engineering
GE 102 Introduction to Engineering I
Assignment 1.7
Math Module 1 Test Wrapper (Reflection)
Due: Oct 28, 2022, 10:00 pm in Crowdmark*
*NB: We will accept submissions in Crowdmark for grading until 11:59 pm. Any assignments
submitted after this time will receive a grade of zero.
Assessment Type: B+
RLOs Assessed:
1.4 reflect upon experiences in order to plan for the future
Assignment Details
In this assignment, you will write a brief reflection on your performance on the MATH133
Module 1 Test and on the effectiveness of the study strategies that you employed to prepare
for the test.
For the “What?” portion of your reflection, complete the tables and questions 1 - 5 below
as instructed.
Focus on the “So What?” portion of your reflection in your answer to questions 6 and 7.
Focus on the “Now What?” portion of your reflection in your answer to question 8.
The numbers provided should be estimates. Do not spend a great deal of time trying to
determine exact hours or percentages.
Note: If you are not currently taking MATH133, please indicate which other module test
you are reflecting upon here (e.g. GEOL102, CHEM142, GE152)._________________
1. Approximately how much time did you spend preparing for this test? 4 hrs
2. How far in advance of the test did you begin preparing? 5 days in advance
3. What percentage of your test preparation time was spent on each of the following
activities? Note whether each activity was done passively (e.g. just reading the text without
any planning) or an active manner (e.g. applying SQ3R when reading or creating review
questions to answer while watching lectures). Answer in Table 1.
Table 1: Study Activities
Study Activity
% of Prep Time % of Prep Time (active
(passive)
– SQ3R or other)
a. Reading textbook sections for the 0
0
first time
b. Re-reading textbook sections
0
10
c. Reviewing homework solutions
0
40
d. Solving problems for practice
N/A
50
e. Reviewing your own notes
0
0
f. Watching lecture recordings for 0
0
the first time
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g. Re-watching lecture recordings
h. Other (please specify here):
0
N/A
0
N/A
4. What percentage of your test-preparation time was done alone, and what percentage was
done with one or more persons? Answer in Table 2.
Table 2: % of Time Studying Alone vs With Others
% alone
% with other(s)
90
10
5. Now that you have looked over your graded exam, indicate which of the following
mistake types you made on the test. Answer in Table 3.
Table 3: Type of Mistakes
Mistake Type
a. Lack of understanding of concept
b. Not knowing how to approach the problem
c. Algebra or arithmetic errors
d. Careless mistakes
e. Not following instructions closely
f. Not communicating work well enough
g. Other (please specify here):
Place an X for each applicable type
X
X
X
X
6. Which of the mistake types above were the most common or problematic for you on this
test and why? (~200 words)
Upon reviewing my graded work, I realized there were a few common errors that I
committed during the test. One of them included the fact that I did not organize my work
as well as I would have liked to. Adding to this, for one of the questions specifically the
final question, a Type-C problem proved to be a hiccup for me. This was because I did not
know how to approach the problem at the time, however, after discussing it with other
students I realized the concept that had to be applied. Another mistake was algebra errors.
While I had only committed one algebra error, it turned out that the error was the main
reason why I was not able to attain a full grade on that particular question. If I had
rechecked the method at the time, I am sure I would have been able to obtain a full grade
on that particular question.
7. a) I believe that my efforts (what I did to prepare) match my outcome (grade): No
7. b) Why or why not? (~300 words)
After reviewing the time that I had spent preparing for this test, I can safely say that my
efforts do not match my grade. However, my grade could have been the result of anxiety
or some amount of nervousness as this would be my first written test in university.
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Moreover, with the amount that I did study along with a foundation of calculus already in
place from high school, I expected a better grade on my end. I can put this result down to
a few reasons. As I touched upon it above, nervousness or anxiety was a factor. It is
common for many students including myself to be nervous before a test. While I do not
think it was a major factor, it did play a part in my final grade. Another factor was the
pressure. While it wasn’t a final exam, it was the first exam that I was answering at a
university level. Finally, a bit of overconfidence on my part did not do me any favors. I
was confident in the concepts that I learned but I could have gone over the lectures again.
Using self-assessment tools such as flashcards and mock tests could have helped me
improve my score.
8. What are at least 3 specific things you will do to prepare for your next module test and
why? This reflection should accurately connect the preparation strategies you used on this
test to the types of mistakes made on this test. You should also explain how the test
preparation strategies that you hope to employ going forward will address the types of
mistakes made on this test. (~500 words)
Three specific things I would like to work on for my next test would be: (i)
Understanding concepts at a better level
(ii)
Using self-assessment tools such as flashcards, and mock tests.
(iii)
To keep a cool and collected mind but at the same time not be overconfident.
Understanding concepts are essential to acing a test. They enable a student to answer
questions with ease such that they are almost second nature to them. Practicing this will
help me to answer questions with ease while also at the same time maintaining a good
speed so that I can finish the test on time. While I did solve problems for practice, I wish
to build on this by solving problems using other sources such as reference books to get a
better, well-rounded understanding of different types of questions that can be framed for
the test. Finally, keeping a calm and collected mind can help in doing well on a test. While
one may know all the answers to a test, it is normal for a student to get nervous and do
poorly on the test. I was nervous about the math test and as a result of that, I committed
some extremely careless mistakes which dropped my grade in the end. Hence, for future
tests, I would like to work on mental preparation along with the preparation I do with the
course material so I can avoid making mistakes in such a manner. Other steps I would
employ for future tests would be organization and paying more attention in class. Keeping
a regular schedule to review lecture content as well as a daily practice of the content will
help me to be prepared for tests and keep stress to a minimum. While I do pay attention in
class, I find myself on my phone during class at times. I have now realized with my grades
that I may have missed some important points because I was distracted by my phone. I will
aim to avoid using my phone during class to not miss anything important which can be
useful to the test. While devising a strategy is half the work, putting these strategies into
practice will be easier said than done. I hope to follow these strategies diligently. These
revisions in my test preparation strategy should be able to address the key failings in my
current strategy and hopefully will result in a higher grade across all courses.
Assignment Logistics:
Your deliverable should use this Word document template and answer each question where
it is asked. Answers should be typed using a font size of 11 or 12, 1.5 spacing, and margins
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of at least 1 inch on all edges. Your submission should be a PDF version of this completed
Word document template.
For some extra resources on study strategies and academic (and other) supports available
to you as a student, see the page called “Contact Info for Support Resources” under “First
Year Engineering Information” on the GE102 Canvas page and
https://libguides.usask.ca/studyskills/home.
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