How to Get an A in this Course

• Read the assigned material before the class in which it is covered.

  You will read the material sooner or later, presumably before any examination that covers the material. If you read the material before the class in which the material is covered, you will get much more out of the class. Indeed, I presume that you have read the material before class because:

  • The text generally is comprehensible. Spending time in class going over definitions and examples therefore probably is a waste of time for serious students.
  • We spend time in class answering specific questions on material for which the book's explanation was inadequate for some students.
  • We spend the remainder of class time applying the knowledge: solving problems; this is where students need the most help/instruction.

• For each key term and result, make a flash card and use it to memorize the key term or result.

  One course goal is to achieve a level of literacy in the material: knowing the key terms and results. This is like learning the core vocabulary of a natural language, such as English or Spanish. However, in this instance, it is computer science/engineering core vocabularly in the language of mathematics. Such achievement, particularly knowledge of precise definitions, facilitates applying that knowledge to the solution of a problem and learning other knowledge that depends on it.

  The key terms and results are listed in the back of each chapter. Make the flash card as you are reading the material. I would put the key terms and results in flash card format for you. But, making the flash cards for youself gets you half way to memorizing their contents.

  When you add flash cards (at least twice a week), go through all of them until they are all memorized.

  To further motivate you to learn key terms and results, a part of the examinations will be devoted to testing this knowledge. Since it is relatively easy to memorize such things, these are cheap points. I do this because I firmly believe that memorizing precise definitions and results aids your learning process. (I understand that many students disagree.)

• Take the homework assignments seriously:
  • Make sure that you understand a solution to each homework exercise. If there is some aspect that you don't understand, by all means, ask me or the TA.
  • If your solution is not completely correct, make sure you understand why it is not equivalent to the given solution.