2007/2008 U of C Engineering Thread

[nobb]

Yea the calculator thing is the stupidest idea ever. I notice the university seemed to have done alot of stupid things this year. 1)parking price increase 2)credit cards 3)schulich calc 4)mandatory ess membership

Sucking more and more money from our pockets...

[badatusrnames]

I don't have time to go into the calculators... but really, why didn't they even consult with the people that are going to be most affected by the decision - the students? All they had to do was ask one student what they thought of them and this fiasco could've been avoided all together.

Oh - and they went solar due to environmental considerations? What about the fact that you've created an unnecessary demand for 1500 calculators? What about the environmental considerations of having to manufacture all of those??

That being said, I haven't used it for a single test this year... I've never been bothered when using my regular one, but I always carry the schulich in just in case....

[93accord]

so i'm taking ENGG 349 this spring and its a different prof this year >> "Zhongchao C Tan". anybody taken a class with this guy before? the previous prof had open book exams

[nobb]

So anyone know if using a non schulich calculator during the exam would be considered cheating? 317 exam is going to be a bitch tmr with that calc. Dunno if ignorance to read the course outline properly is a valid excuse...

[r0g3r]

I saw one guy get caught during the 407 midterm using another calculator, I think they took his test away?? i wasn't sure I didn't pay too close attention.

but yea I have 317 exam tomorrow too It should be ok.

[boredengineer]

Originally posted by nobb
4)mandatory ess membership

How did they get away with that one That's just nuts the ESS never did crap for me while I was in school and neither did the Student Union. All they did was jack your money and pretend that they were doing some time of "service" to the students.

[IncredibleToad]

/rant

Mandatory use of one of those Schulich approved, universally hated calculators is the worst fucking idea I have ever come across, almost on par with the idea of having enme461 as a mandatory mech course.

I am pissed off on behalf of all of you 1st/2nd years, I can't imagine using that piece of shit for the first two years. For fuck sakes, we got to use graphing calcs in high school, so why downgrade you guys to a scientific one for engineering.

/end rant

461 FTMFL

I don't think ESS really services anyone, except the gomers that basically live in there day in and day out.

[badatusrnames]

^^

[n00bit]

I'm curious to know what sort of calculator abuse was going down that prompted them to dish out these so called inferior calculators.

[badatusrnames]

They spoke of finding people with reams of information programmed into their calculators, or people with bluetooth equipped calculators texting each other. It was probably pretty rare as I've never seen anyone cheat with a calculator in five years of Uni, but it only takes one...

I have no problem using a standard calculator, just get a half decent one with multi line, brackets, auto store, etc...

When I have time I think I might write a letter to the Dean and other members of the administration proposing some sensible change to the calculator regs and also maybe to see if they can be better advocates for their students with the registrar and do something about murderous exam schedules...

She'll most likely be at my work's annual dinner in May, so maybe I can interrupt her conversation with the Minister of Industry or something and approach her about it then

[n00bit]

Meh its just a calculator. No need to get upset about it.

[badatusrnames]

^^ Umm when my grades are at stake it's something to get upset about.

It's not a calculator, it's a tool essential to my education. Would they expect an art student to use crappy materials and tools?

[n00bit]

You're placing the blame of crappy grades solely on a calculator...

You can make all the arguments of needing the calculator you want but the many generations of engineers who graduated before you didn't have electronic calculators... but hey I'm sure they raised a fuss over standardized slide rulers though.

[JoniBoy]

Originally posted by n00bit
You're placing the blame of crappy grades solely on a calculator...

You can make all the arguments of needing the calculator you want but the many generations of engineers who graduated before you didn't have electronic calculators... but hey I'm sure they raised a fuss over standardized slide rulers though.

And they were probably given much different tests. Are you an engineer?

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by n00bit
You're placing the blame of crappy grades solely on a calculator...

No I'm not and I object to your insinuation that I have crappy grades. I'm saying that it is wrong even if my grades are affected in the slightest. I should be able to succeed to the best of my personal abilities and not have to worry about external factors such as substandard calculators impeding me.

Originally posted by n00bit


You can make all the arguments of needing the calculator you want but the many generations of engineers who graduated before you didn't have electronic calculators... but hey I'm sure they raised a fuss over standardized slide rulers though.

You're ignorant. Tests were written completely differently back then with numbers that were either simple to work with by hand and gave even numbers, didn't require completion to a final value, or using no numbers at all and only symbols. People rarely, if ever, used their slide rules during exams, it made no sense to. They didn't expect people to make tens of calculations using big numbers with lots of decimal places during a test like they do now.

Tests and education have changed with the advent of scientific calculators and are written given the fact that it is easy to do long calculations using numbers that aren't easy to do in your head. But now given these shitty calculators, it's tougher to do. I can still do the calculations, but my efficiency is decreased, it takes me twice as long to do a given question, which affects me negatively.

I've already had one class change the nature of the final exam to use symbols instead of numbers given the nature of these calculators. I have no problem with that. But what I do have a problem with is exams written on the basis that we still have the ability to work efficiently with large numbers and complex calculations - just like the 407 exam mentioned below.

[93accord]

Originally posted by n00bit
You're placing the blame of crappy grades solely on a calculator...

You can make all the arguments of needing the calculator you want but the many generations of engineers who graduated before you didn't have electronic calculators... but hey I'm sure they raised a fuss over standardized slide rulers though.

dude these shitty ass calculators make a big difference.. for example everyone who wrote the 407 exam yesterday knows that if they were allowed to use TI's the exam would have only taken 2 to 2.5 hours max which leaves a lot of time(half hour) to check everything over. that extra half hour might just get you the grade you were shooting for.

[gpomp]

you fucking nerds are arguing over calculators?

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by gpomp
you fucking nerds are arguing over calculators?

Damn straight!! A calculator is as important to an engineer as a hockey stick is to a hockey player or a rifle is to a sniper...

[n00bit]

Whoa so much heat over calculators...

No I didn't say you had crappy grades. You're probably on the Dean's list. The gist of it is you are saying that without your preferred super calculator you're being duped and you can't show the system how worthy you are as an engineer. I guess the kids who don't have super calculators are just limiting their educational experience with no hope of impressing the world. But hey what do I know I'm an ignorant son of a bitch.

[JoniBoy]

Originally posted by n00bit
I'm an ignorant son of a bitch.

Agreed, now GTFO