Module Review Year Two Sem 1 (AY2015/16)

Yay! Finally not freshman anymore.

I have been slacking much this sem, much to the extent that I won't be able to give proper reviews like the past two semester. Lazy to churn out reviews now too.

Will keep this post reserved for future updates, if one day I am able to feel strongly about the modules to give reviews. :D

Update: 24 Dec 15 >>>>Added module reviews
Update: 16 Apr 16 >>Deleted Grades attained
Modules for this semester...

Module Title		MC
IE2101	Introduction to Systems Thinking	4
IE2110	Operations Research I	4
CS1020E	Data Structures and Algorithms	4
ES2331	Communicating Engineering	4
no review	GEM/SS//UEM/Breadth	4
TOTAL		20

IE2101 Introduction to Systems Thinking

First thoughts on this module, lost and still lost. There are no tutorials but tutorial sessions are conducted once in a fortnight. There are long lab sessions in SMAL Lab and another computing lab, once in a fortnight. You will use software iThink to complete the lab assignments in groups of 3. These assignments are graded and returned+discussed during the tutorial sessions. Before you start cursing and swearing, I actually got a decent B+ for this.

I guess I am lost because IE2101 is not a typical module I would 'choose' to take. The concepts on systems thinking are abstract (i.e. no textbook approach to solving a problem using systems thinking.) No mathematical formulas, no scientific theory. Basically, you are taught how to use iThink and that you need to identify factors leading to the main 'stock'. Quote//Stock – entities that accumulate e.g. money. //Unquote. Then, you are left to complete a project in your group of 5. Project comprises of an interim report 1, detailed report 2 and oral presentation 3. 1 is the least important, just introduce your project to the prof. 2&3 are co-graded with CELC. My advice is to force yourselves to complete the project progressively.

Lastly, there is an end of term quiz which is easy if you have been following the labs (or at least bother to read through what your group mates did).

IE2110 Operations Research I
Topics covered:
Part 1 by Prof. Adam Ng

• Intro to Linear Programming (LP),
• Solving LP by graphical methods and excel,
• Simplex Algorithm- Simplex tableau, Artificial variable, Big M method, Two-phase method,
• Sensitivity Analysis and Duality.

Part 2 by Prof. Ng Kien Ming

• Transportation problems- NW corner method, Minimum cost method, Vogel's method, Transportation Simplex,
• Assignment problem,
• Network models- Shortest Path using Dijkstra's Algorithm, Max-flow using Ford-Fulkerson method, Project scheduling using Critical Path, Minimum Spanning Tree Algorithm,
• Non-linear Programming (NLP)- Convex/Concave functions, Matrices.

Mid-terms test for Part 1 but will still be tested in finals. CA consists of regular assignments to be completed by groups of one to three members (have to be the same group throughout semester), and a term paper by groups of six. I enjoyed this module. The course is well-structured and Prof. Ng K.M. teaches very well. I attended all lectures since there were no webcasts. Taking notes is important! The ppt slides does not clearly explain the algorithms, you got to write down step by step for your reference.

My only regret is doing a last minute revision. I only started finals revision for this the day before IE2110 exam. Managed to to complete revision but no time to try past year papers... This C+ is a thorn in my heart because I seek average grades. Anything lower than B is a heartbreaker.

CS1020E Data Structures and Algorithms
Teaches Object-oriented programming (OOP) using C++ by Prof. Tan Sun Teck. He is the best Prof. I have seens so far. He spent endless hours out of class to conduct voluntary help sessions. I attended most and found them very useful as revision for finals. The chief TA, Ivan, also spent many unofficial hours to conduct help sessions.

Progressive learning is needed. At the bare minimum, you should complete the graded take home lab assignments. For me, I attempted ALL take home lab questions, though some incomplete. The tutorials are quite difficult, I did not do most, not even review them for finals. I did well for almost all labs including the final Practical Exam.

I did badly for mid-terms but kind of scored average. For finals, I did all the qns I could do but still left many blanks. Feeling salty of my grade... if the module is solely based on practical assessments, I would have gotten an A. Least did I expect to get a grade below B+!

ES2331 Communicating Engineering
This is a CELC module exclusively offered to Engineering undergraduates. It is compulsory. Very light workload, just attend classes to talk. No need to take notes (or just pretend to be taking). You learn the importance of communication. CA all the way and class participation marks are quite useful when you need to pull grade.

Major assessment is on CEP 1 and CEP 2 tasks.

CEP 1. In groups of three, interview an engineer with voice recording. Nope, this is not graded, just a prelude to CEP 1. However, please do not be a sucker to feed on your teammates because there is peer review for it to affect your class participation marks. The information gathered from the interview will be used to prepared for a panel discussion (the CEP 1). All interview transcripts will be made available on IVLE. You will be required to cite your sources during the discussion.

CEP 2. Prepare a presentation consisting of persuasive speech on a topic related to engineering. It was fun preparing the slides. Imagined myself as a communication master who would use all possible tactics to achieve my objective of manipulating the minds of my audience. Please dress formally (blazer is optional), although smart casual is 'said' to be accepted.

Feel free to leave a comment if you are seeking something which I have not addressed.

First Step to Investing- ETFs

Hi readers,
This post is 1 week late from when I promised. Let's move on...

Most student does not have much savings in cash. It is perfectly fine, investment can start from $100! Today, I will be introducing the Exchange Traded Funds. This will not be a technical lecture on each ETF but it is sort of a walk-through for you guys to follow and get started. I am proud of myself because I self-learnt all these and more in 3 months summer vacation.

Intro to ETFs
Exchange traded funds aimed to mimic the performance of indices, for example the Straits Times Index. It resembles unit trusts but could be traded on SGX, unlike unit trusts. ETFs hold assets. Let's take G3B (Nikko AM STI ETF) for example. G3B holds shares belonging to several blue chips listed on SGX. These counters are also major components in computation of the STI. By buying units of G3B, you are indirectly investing in those blue chips. Like any other counters, G3B pays dividends as well.

How to buy ETFs?
I strongly recommend you to start with an ETF, preferably Singapore market. I believe there are only 2 ETFs that tracks STI, G3B and ES3. Both should be equally safe and yields almost the same profits but I choose G3B because it is offered under Regular Savings Plan of POSB/DBS.

This RSP is currently charging 1% sales fee on each purchase of G3B. You decide the monthly investment amount, starting from SGD100. There are no management fees and when you want to liquidate your holdings, the 1% fee does not apply. You may enrol/terminate/adjust the RSP anytime through ibanking. This method employs dollar-cost-averaging strategy, which eliminates the requirement to "spot" the correct entry price. Having such an arrangement is very convenient, no need to think much, just keep track and review annually.

I recently convinced myself of a better method to get invested in G3B. Using the SCB (Standard Charted Bank) trading account. Just bring your IC and head down to any branch to open accounts. Just tell them you want to open a trading account. Please note that a compulsory opening of esavers account is required if you are not a current SCB customer. New T&Cs, from 28 August 2015, we have to maintain average daily account balance of minimum $1000 in esaver account to avoid $2 fall-below fee. Literally just park $1000 in it and don't touch will do. If you have problem coming up with this extra $1000 to park, stick with DBS RSP first. The catch of SCB trading account is that it does not charge minimum commission on all trades! Other brokers are charging $18 to $25 per trade. SCB charges 0.20% per trade, which allow us to do DCA with even lower cost than the RSP. We can also have some control over the time of entry while RSP die die have to purchase every 13th of the month. However, min trade lot size is 100units. Taking current price of G3B at $3.26, that would be $326 per trade instead of a lower $100 using RSP. I will reduce my trading frequency to accommodate my limited cash balances...

Of course, there is another hardcore method to buy ETF. This one will suit the rich kids. Do your own maths, min broker's commission is $25. The good part is, you get to keep the units in your CDP account. Not like it can yield higher profits but you will not be exposed to the bankruptcy of SCB. The probability is very low, so I took the 'risk'. By the way, SCB does not offer CDP linkage. All shares are under the bank's custodian account. This means you will be unable to get invitation for AGMs and hard-copy statements. All statement are published online, so fear not.

My next post should be covering either REITs, Dividends or Blue Chips.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Feel free to ask any related questions in comments.

Signing off.

Financing in your Uni Life.

Hello to All!

Since there are not that so many module reviews to write, I might just share anything that might interest you readers. This time, it is about personal finance for undergrad students. Below are some topics I shall cover but not limited to these.

1. Planning for tuition fees?
2. Work & study?
3. Managing your money,

It time for me to sleep, stay tuned for my next post by this weekend.

Yours,

JiakBaVehFree

Module Review Year One Sem 2 (AY2014/15)

Modules for this semester...

MA1506	Mathematics II	4
IE2140	Engineering Economy	4
ST2131	Probability	4
GEM2900	Understanding Uncertainty & Statistical Thinking	4
EC1301	Principles of Economics	4

Update: 16 Apr 16 >>Deleted Grades attained

Before I start, note that you will be entering SEM TWO! I mean no more grade-free semester, more effort is needed to survive as students generally pull up their socks then. But still, not much stress if you follow me, just aim for 'B's!

MA1506 Mathematics II

Pretty much the same lecturers as MA1505. Follow Prof. Chew's lectures, his notes are concise and well-structured for your learning, though it is very different from the official notes. Webcast is enough, attending lectures not important. Tutorials must go! Just crash any tutorial slot, usually the classes will only be at most half-full (because alot of smart ppl no need go).

All the students gained lots of experience from MA1505, I say they all leveled up. Sem 2 has no more SU and more students will be hungry for A. Blur freshmen no more! So, you gotta put in more effort in this than MA1505. For illustration of what I mean, median score for mid term test of MA1505 is about 6/10 while that for MA1506 is 8/10.

Mid term test will only cover Chapter One. Unlike MA1505, content tested in this test is still examined in the finals. Make sure you do at least 4 Past year papers to score average. It shouldn't be difficult to score full marks if you like. The final exams will be more tricky. Past year papers will help you secure about half of the marks with ease. The rest is up to you. I left almost half of the paper blank, yolo! However, I still think I have no regrets because I did proper exam preparation.

Topics covered:

• Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs): 1st & 2nd order
• Population Models
• Laplace transformation
• Matrices (much more than your JC H2 maths)
• System of linear ODEs
• Partial differential equation

IE2140 Engineering Economy

Engineering economy is like an intro to decision making. I assure you, there is nothing in relation to A Lvl econs. You will learn about choosing between alternatives, the alternatives involves cashflows.

Group project carries quite a big weightage, which is a good thing, means less stress during exams. Groups of 6 will start any project you like and do the financial analysis, present in front of professors at the end of semester. Group mates can be chosen or random, up to you, but I suggest you make sure the group has  a mix of genders. You will know why, I will leave that a mystery now.

I did okay for mid terms but that landed me at below average with an all-ISE class. Finals is chaotic, I did not really do a thorough revision. It was the last paper and I guess I slacked. Many mistakes and doubts during the exam but my instinct tells me I was not be alone.

Topics covered:

• Time value of money (interest rates, blah blah)
• Determining if a project is viable
• Comparing 2 or more projects
• Monte Carlo Simulation using Excel (all about probability and randomness)
• Capital (how projects get financed? bonds, shares and how they work)
• Estimate (learn estimation of cost)
• Real options analysis (nothing technical here)
• Replacement analysis
• Tax (learn how income tax is calculated)

ST2131 Probability
If you have read other module reviews, you got to read mine, definitely boost your morale. I was taunted by those reviews back then. Then, as I dwell into the semester, I start to doubt if those reviewers are trying to add rigor to the module in order to satisfy their ego... Let me assure you, this module is very much manageable.

Webcasts or lecture is fine. Make sure you attend all tutorials, even if you can do the questions. And make sure you go for slots taught by lecturers, very useful. They will show you how to tackle each qn efficiently.

I did horrible for mid terms (30%), got red flagged as lowest 25th percentile. I blame my lack of sleep. Finals (70%), was easier than I expected, I see a good chance for my comeback. No need to rush for finals paper, I did every qn slowly and carefully, then still got half an hour left to think about the more challenging qns. Some students will experience mental block because they rush the paper, end up cannot do simple questions. Past year papers with answers will help you best for exam preparation.

Topics covered:

• Counting methods (mostly P & C)
• Conditional probability (Baye's, etc.)
• Random variables (geometric, hypergeom, negative binomial, etc.)
• Continuous R.V. (normal, exponential, poisson, etc.)
• Jointly distributed R.V.
• Expectation, Variance, Covariance, etc. (this part alot of formulas to copy on cheat sheet but end up like never appear for my exam)

GEM2900 Understanding Uncertainty & Statistical Thinking
Cap-puller mod to most students, I dare not say because I am not the kind that would make almost no mistakes in exams. In fact, I made quite a few regrettable mistakes in final exams. But I assure you this is a slack mod, at least for me. Reason being, half of the content overlaps with what I am learning in ST2131.

No mid terms!! Horray! The lecturer also understands that it is a GEM, so he does not go into complex stuff in lectures, even so at a slow pace. Webcast available but I always attend the 8am lectures, I knew I will not follow the webcasts. Don't know why I am so hardcore in attending lectures... Don't say I never give you tip, you may arrive at the lecture theater 20min late. I am always spot on, that is when he (Dr David Chew) finishes his recap on last lecture.

Finals make up 70 or 80%, which I forgot- trait of a B student. The rest goes to weekly IVLE quizzes and 2 IVLE Assignments. All have 2 tries, please triple confirm answers with friends. When in doubt, I go to google or yahoo, managed to score full marks for all these. The finals paper wasn't fully quantitative.

Contents covered:

• Counting methods (mostly P&C, odds)
• Interpretations of probability
• Conditional Probability (Baye's...)
• Data presentation (small part on graphs)
• Sampling (covered in ST1131, std error, margin of error, C.I.)
• Chebyshev's Theorem (like empirical rule, something new to me, surprizing that ST2131 never cover in my semester)
• Important questions (Birthday problem, Matching problems, Syphillis test problem)

EC1301 Principles of Economics
I love slack modules, can't stop loving them. This one fully MCQ module, confirm plus chop. Even weekly tutorials are MCQs. The only thing I would complain is doing tutorial on MyEconlab- an online portal. It is quite slow in loading, please only use Chrome browser, else just hang. The FREE etextbook is useless too, would be better if it is a real book. I am not recommending you to buy, do not misunderstand, notes are sufficient.

Although this is another chance to 'confirm' answers with friends, I highly recommend you to at least try once yourself. Go read through ppt slides, and attempt once, helps your understanding of content. Mid terms was packed with tricky questions, I think I scored 31.something out of 40. It sort of gives me doubts about the difficulty of this module. However, at finals, I feel like I know every single questions. However, my friends say it was a very tricky paper, hmmm. I have like 1 hour left to check answers but I was shy to submit early, though a lot of other students did. I guess the extra practices provided by lecturers are very helpful, MCQs. They are sorted by chapter, just attempt them all and make reference to notes when in doubt. I jot down important points after every practice, easy for exam-day-revision.

Topics covered:

• Demand & Supply
• Elasticity
• Output & Costs
• Perfect competition
• Efficiency
• Monopoly
• GDP & Growth
• Employment & inflation
• Savings & Investments
• Money
• Exchange rate & BOP
• AD/AS
• Fiscal Policy
• Phillip's curve

I forgot to advise that having A level H2/H1 Economics is huge advantage, though it is not a pre-requisite.

End of module review, I hope it is insightful to you. Feel free to ask questions in comments, I am a man with no life, will answer quick. Now I need to think of what for my next post... any ideas? (don't let me feel like I am talking to the wall please)

Module Review Year One Sem 1 (AY2014/15)

Modules this Sem:

MA1505	Mathematics I	4
EG1108	Electrical Engineering	3
CS1010E	Programming Methodology	4
ST1131	Introduction to Statistics	4
GEK1549	Critical Thinking and Writing	4

MA1505 Mathematics I

Compulsory math module for all engineers, so cohort size is about 1600.

Mid Semester test consists of 10 MCQs, Easy if you practice on at least 5 past year papers. But reminder here, I don't aim for A. I say doing about 2 to 3 is sufficient, leave the rest to luck (MCQ bro)! For my case, the test is quite chaotic but I really had superb luck to get an average score.

Final examinations also can be a breeze if you practice enough. But don't get me wrong, just do 2 to 3 papers will be sufficient to survive (just use 1st sem SU* option). Forget about understanding your notes or tutorial first, just print past year papers with solutions. Do it.

Topics taught:

• Differentiation
• Integration
• Sequence & Series
• Fourier series
• Double integration & Line integration
• 3D-space (Vectors)

Going for lectures is not important because people like me won't understand anything at the lecturers' pace. Make sure you view webcasts at your own pace.

Predicted grade: C

Actual grade: B, then S

*something new here is S/U option in NUS. Allows students to forgo actual grade and get a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade. You will get S as long as you passed the module, Actual grade will never be known to anyone. SU modules do not add weight-age to your Cumulative Academic Point (CAP).

EG1108 Electrical Engineering

'Play-play' module for ise. Alternatives to this module includes EG1109, some physics, chem and material science modules. Popular ones are certainly EG1109 & EG1108. EG1109 requires a lot of physics and have a group project which I hated.

Honestly, EG1108 is a very fun module except the labs.

Topics covered:

• KVL & KCL & Superposition
• Voltage, Current, Resistance & batteries.
• Resistance, Impedance & Transient analysis
• AC Power
• Rectifiers
• Boolean algebra & Logic circuits

Trust me, many students, like me, do not understand a sh*t only until we study for exams. It turns out that the content is actually very light. No webcasts, I always go for the 8am lectures. I do look for 3rd-party instructional videos on youtube to aid bulk of my study for this module.

No midterms. Finals carry 80%. 2 labs will each carry 10%. The labs you can discuss with anyone else for answers. My first lab was screwed up, left the lab report 90% blank! Because my friends also don't know how to do, lazy to think too.

Predicted grade: B-

Actual grade: B+

CS1010E Programming Methodology

Learn fundamental problem solving using C language. Quite tough for students with no understanding of coding at all. Make sure you take this module seriously because you need to build on it for CS1020E in year 2.

Topics covered:

• I lazy to type all, ask in comments if you really want to know.

Consistent effort is required to complete the fortnightly Assessed Labs, which carries a bulk of final grade weight-age. Even if you did not do well, don't worry, many people join you. Same applies to midterm test and final exams, I find them extremely tough.

All in all, the module requires very good logic to create algorithms that will solve the problems. Webcast available but lectures are not boring, can go for them.

Predicted grade: C

Actual grade: B+

ST1131 Introduction to Statistics

As the name says, this module includes many introductory contents in the study of statistics. It is a core module for ise. Note that ise skills are mainly made up statistics & probability application, you will definitely realize in year 2 or 3. ST1131 is not intensive, nothing much to say. General sentiment is that most students will do very well for the test and examinations, I personally am not worried about that because I'm just aiming for a B.

Contents covered:

• Centre & spread
• Empirical rule
• Regression line & Correlation
• Normal distribution
• Sampling Methods
• Simpson's paradox
• Binomial distribution
• Confidence interval, Margin of error, etc. (for sampling distributions)
• Hypothesis testing.

No webcast, advise go for lectures. For me, I catch no ball at all for the sampling distributions part only until I referred to a textbook. I didn't use the recommended text because I don't intend to right from the start but just so I found a statistics for business tb at home.

Predicted grade: B-

Actual grade: B+

GEK1549 Critical Thinking & Writing
Module is specially tailored for engineers by the NUS - Centre for English Language Communication (CELC). This module is a torture to me. Requires much critical thinking, interpretation of abstracts and formulation of an argument.

Really lucky I passed. I didn't do well for assignments and I flung the finals. I literally completed less than half of the paper. Class participation counts for a small part of grade. Just participate, it is not only for the grade but for your own good, else you gonna feel damn bored with 2 X 2hrs of sectional teaching per week. The class style is like tutorials, about 20 students per class.

Predicted grade: fail?

Actual grade: C, then S

End of Module Review Year One Sem 1~

Welcome to ISE survival guide!

Hi all,

Introduction
This blog is created with intend to let people know what does a Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) student at National University of Singapore (NUS) do for their curriculum.

Whether you are making your uni course selection, already in college or still have long time to go, this blog is the right place for you to fill your interest in what studying ise is all about.

This blog will mainly be made up of module reviews (of modules I did).

About me
At time of creating this blog, I have just completed my first year in the course.

I am not a very competitive ise student, I just use minimal effort to survive. Getting B or B+ for exams is my greatest content. You may safely assume that most ise students aim for As.

Disclaimer
My posting are in no way representing any organization but myself. I am solely responsible for what I post on this blog.