Lectures and Tutorials

Lectures

Before the lectures

The students are expected to prepare for the lectures. The preparation includes a reading assignment and simple (possibly written) preparation tasks which will be used for class-room activities.

During the lecture

A typical lecture consists of two parts:

1. The teacher presents an overview over the topic, summarizes the main aspects of the reading assignment, and provides additional information if required.
2. In-class activities (group work, student presentations, etc.) based on the preparation assignments addressing the details of the topic.

Tutorials

A set of typical problems will be assigned for each tutorial session, and as preparation you are asked to prepare a solution before arriving at the session. During a tutorial, the teaching assistant (TA) will lead a discussion among the students on how to solve each problem in the problem set. The problems are usually chosen from a collection of old exam problems.

Ticking Sessions

Three “ticking” sessions will be held during this course. The class will be divided into three groups (Group A-C). In a ticking session a set of three problems are handed out a week before the session. You are then expected to attempt to solve these problems such that you are able to go to the board and explain your solution approach. You do not have to get the correct results; however, you must be able to explain and justify your approach to solve the problem and to lead a discussion with the other students as to how the problem is to be solved. You can work together with other students in order to prepare for the sessions; however, at the board you present your solution approach as an individual.

Before a session you tick off the problems that you are willing to explain at the board. By the end of the three ticking sessions you will have collected at most nine ticks. Based on your ticks, you will be credited with bonus points on the exam and re-exams as follows:

If it is clear to the instructor that you have not prepared for the session, your ticks for that session will be erased. Note that in this case you will not be able to collect more than 6 ticks, which correspond to 0.5 bonus points on the exam. You are allowed to use any bonus you have been awarded on all exams in this course attempted during the academic year 2014/15.