GENG107 Engineering

Skills and Ethics

Topic 1: Introduction, Study Skills
Reading: Ch.2 in Textbook

Prof. Ramazan Kahraman

Learning Objectives

1. Making the Transition from High School to

College
Realize that in high school most of your learning took place in class,
whereas in college most of your education takes place outside the
classroom

2. Budgeting Your Time

Describe effective ways to manage your time so that you can have a
fulfilling college experience and have adequate time for studying,
social events, and work

3. Study Habits and Strategies

Explain study habits and strategies that would lead to good
academic performance

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Why GENG107?
— To help you in starting up your engineering degree
successfully
— To introduce you engineering and learn about its
different disciplines
— To introduce you to engineering ethics
— To begin building skills that are necessary for engineers,
such as:
◦ Oral and written communication skills
◦ Problem solving and design skills
◦ Research and literature review skills
◦ Initiatives, creativity, and community service, etc.
— To have some activities and fun!
University vs. School
— You belong to an elite group of students now because you are studying
to be an engineer
— Independence: In university, you are expected (indeed you have) to be
more independent and autonomous than while being in school
— Efficiency: You should be an efficient learner, taught materials in
university are much more than in school. University lectures give you
only directions and general outlines on where to go, they do not
provide you with everything; It’s your responsibility to move forward
from there!
— Time management: You should manage your time effectively to
handle pressure and requirements of your study
— Responsibility: You are responsible for registering courses, preparing
for exams, submitting assignments in due time, taking leadership and
serving community, etc.You are responsible of being aware of University
policies and regulations as described in the students handbook
University vs. School
Knowledge resources
Such as textbooks, internet,
Professors, TAs, etc.
Making the Transition
from High School to College
— You will be taught to look at your surroundings
differently

— You will learn how to ask questions to find out

√ How things are made
√ How things work
√ How to improve things
√ How to design something from scratch
√ How to take an idea from paper to reality and
actually build something

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 Making the Transition
from High School to College

— What you do for the next four or five years will

affect you for the rest of your life
— How successful and happy you are will depend
primarily on you
— Take responsibility for learning
In college, most of your education takes place outside the class

— Have good study habits

Develop some new study habits and get rid of some old habits

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Modern Theories on Effective Learning

— You can’t learn effectively unless you EXPERIENCE

what are you learning à Theory of Experiential
Learning
— Solving sample problems, sample exams, completing
design projects, engaging in activities, working and
studying in teams, teaching others, developing
questions, etc. are all activities that provides you with
learning experience
— Reading the notes and the textbook is the first step
to learning. ONLY reading the notes/textbook is
poor method of learning
Modern Theories on Effective Learning
— Learning is all about strengthening
and/or creating new neurons
connections
— Repetition and iterative learning will
help in this
— Learning happens through different
sensory channels, such as:
◦ Aural
◦ Visual
◦ Read/Write
◦ Kinesthetic
— Incorporating more channels in the
learning process increases
effectiveness of learning
Learn and Practice Effective Study Skills

— Create a good learning environment

— Prepare before class and get the most out of
your textbook
— Take notes during the lecture
— Learn by teaching!: Explaining a topic for other
students is excellent way to master this topic
— Use technology, e.g. computer software such as
Matlab, Maple, Mathematica. Use internet
technologies such as Blackboard, GoogleDocs,
Facebook, etc.
 Study Habits and Strategies

You start studying and preparing

from the very first day of class!

— Read the material before the class

— Study the material after the class on the same day
— Attend your classes regularly
— Get help right away

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 Study Habits and Strategies
(Cont.)

— Form study groups

◦ Study on your own first, and then get together with your
classmates to discuss and explain key ideas and concepts to
each other
◦ Everyone in your study group should agree to come prepared
to discuss appropriate materials and contribute to the
discussions
◦ Explain ideas and concepts in your own words to others in
the group
◦ Be an active learner, don’t be a passive learner

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 Study Habits and Strategies
(Cont.)

— Prepare for examinations

◦ There is no substitution for daily studying
◦ Don’t wait until the night before the exam to study
◦ The night before the exam is the time for review only
◦ Get a good night’s rest
◦ Ask your instructor ahead of time
– what type of exam it will be
– how many questions there will be
– what suggestions she or he has to help you prepare better
◦ To reduce the anxiety, prepare well and consider timing yourself
when doing your homework problems

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Tips to Excel in Engineering Degree
— Use students’ support facilities at the
University, its free of charge!
— Open your horizons, search for extra resources
and information through the internet, from
your library, from other professors and TAs
— Focus, define goals, concentrate on them and
always evaluate your progress in achieving these
goals
— Study on weekly basis; NEVER postpone your
study to only one day before the exam!
— Have some time for your leisure such as: Sports
exercising, celebrations, etc.
Tips to Excel in Engineering Degree
— Read the relevant parts of the textbook and
lecture notes in advance of the lecture
— Solve, solve, and solve! as many problems and
sample exam questions as possible
— Work in team with other students, study and
solve problems together
— Ask for feedback on your understanding and
solutions from your colleagues and your
instructor
— Be organized!, use a day planner, Prioritize your
duties and activities
Budgeting Your Time

— Time is like money – invest it wisely

— Education is an expensive investment

- responsible management

— Learning is a lot of work

Not much fun (beginning) à Joy and Self-esteem

— Learning and understanding new things can be

downright exciting

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Time Management: How to Prioritize?
— List all of important things you need to do:
◦ Tomorrow
◦ Next week
— Label any MUST-DO tasks as A
— Label any IMPORTANT tasks as B
— Label LESS important tasks as C and D
depending on how much they can be put off
— Now order the list by priority. For an item
within a classification, prioritize them depending
on importance as 1, 2, 3, etc. (e.g. A1, A2, B1, B2,
C1, C2,…)
Time Management: Hints
— Make a schedule, and follow it!
— A three credits course hour needs about 4-5 hours of
weekly study (sometimes less, sometimes more)
depending on course difficulty à so make sure to book
in the necessary time for study in your schedule
— Do NOT put off scheduled course-related items (e.g.
homework, in-advance reading of a textbook, exam
preparation, etc.) when you feel pressured!. Instead drop
some of other leisure items, remember to Prioritize!
— If you complete your university and study duties on or
before planed time, reward yourself!
— Limit/resist distractions, e.g. unplanned visit to a friend,
too much watching of TV, etc.
Time Management: Day planner
 Sample Weekly Calendar Template
Day/Time Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
6:00-7:00
7:00-8:00
8:00-9:00
9:00-10:00
10:00-11:00
11:00-1200
12:00-13:00
13:00-14:00
14:00-15:00
15:00-16:00
16:00-17:00
17:00-18:00
18:00-19:00
19:00-20:00
20:00-21:00
21:00-22:00
22:00-6:00
An Example
of Weekly
Schedule for
a Freshman
Engineering
Student

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Your Graduation Plan
— Know your school’s admission process
◦ Admission to the university
◦ Admission to the college or school
◦ Admission to a specific engineering program
— Know the requirements for each level of
admission
— Meet with your academic advisor and plan your
graduation
— Understand the prerequisites for each class and
in which semester a class typically is offered
à A program flowchart will be quite useful
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Be an Aware Student!
Student Catalog
— The majority of students’ policies and procedures are available in the
student catalogs
— Student catalog at QU University is available at the following site:
http://www.qu.edu.qa/students/catalogs
— Its important to read the student catalog
— Scheme read the whole catalog, but have some focus on the following
sections:
◦ Chapter 1: About the University
◦ Section 2: Campus Services
◦ Section 3: Student Support and Services (know the student service centers)
◦ Section 6: Academic Integrity (know the student responsibilities listed)
◦ Section 7: Academic Policies and Regulations
◦ Section 8: Academic Advising
Know what’s available to students at QU

http://www.qu.edu.qa/students/
Post-Lecture Activity
— Read the undergraduate student catalog
— Check and visit Supporting and Sports facilities
at QU
— Check and visit the students career service at
QU: http://www.qu.edu.qa/students/support-and-development/career-
services

— Check and visit the students learning support

center at QU: http://www.qu.edu.qa/students/support-and-
development/student-learning-support

◦ Academic support
◦ Writing lab
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