The following is a letter that Sturges posted to WebCT when I had EM 324. Its pretty long but it verifies what kind of robot he is. Although he was actually helpful once I worked up the nerve to go to his office.
Message no. 38
Posted by Leroy Sturges (EM324) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 12:04pm
Subject: EM 324 "Rules and Procedures"
A casual observation over the past couple of weeks indicates that only about 50% to 60% of the students registered for the class actually come to the class on any given day. So this seems to be the only way to reach the entire class. This of course assumes that those not attending class at least check WebCT once in a while. Perhaps everyone at least checks after the exam to see what grades were posted.
Anyway, what follows is a set of "rules" and "comments" about how the class is going.
1. The notes posted on WebCT are not a substitute for coming to class. The notes posted are just an outline of what I do in class. At the very least, you need to write additional notes on the pages as you follow along. Better yet, look over the notes before coming to class, then leave the notes at home and take your own notes in class. You still know that you can fill in some of the details from the posted notes if you miss something.
2. If you must miss class for some reason (or if you simply decide not to come to class), you must get notes from someone else in the class or at least talk with someone else in the class to find out what is happening in class. Any announcement made to the class is presumed made to everyone in the class. Such announcements will not normally be posted on WebCT.
3. Coming to my office for help is not a substitute for coming to class. If you must miss class (or simply decide not to go to class), then you must first read the book, get notes from another student, and talk with another student about what was done in class before coming in to see me. I will not do "personal, individual" lectures for each of the 100 or so students who are not attending class.
4. When you do come in to see me for help, bring your notes along. When you ask about something you don't understand, I may ask to see your class notes on the subject. If you missed class, then you should have notes that you copied from someone else. Bring them along.
5. I am still getting questions about whether I am going to adjust the grading curve in the course (probably from the students who don't come to class). As I said in class, I will not change the grading schedule simply because the class average comes out low. "Mediocre work does not become acceptable simply because a majority of students do mediocre work." The average on the first test should have been between 80% and 85%. Problem 1 should have been very simple. Problem 2 was an example problem from the statics book. Problem 3 simply required substituting the correct angle into two equations on your crib sheet. Problem 4 was the only problem that actually required much work, and even that problem should have been straight forward.
6. As I said at the beginning of the semester, statics is a prerequisite for this course and statics knowledge and ability is expected. It appears that a large number of you are not well prepared for this course. Perhaps the multiple choice tests in statics and physics are partially to blame. I don't think that the multiple choice tests can properly test: whether you are drawing a correct and complete free-body diagram; whether you are writing the equations of equilibrium; whether you can solve for the correct answer or are just able to
pick the correct answer out of a short list; etc.
7. I think that another possible problem is your reliance on calculators. You spend to much time punching numbers in you calculator trying to find a commbination that gives the correct answer and too little time analyzing the problem and understanding it. I think that this process may have gotten you through physics and statics with their multiple choice tests, but it is not serving you very well in this course.
8. Your grade in this class will not be that you did well considering your poor background in math or physics or statics. Your grade in this class will be based on whether or not you show me that you understand the principles of mechanics of materials. That is, do you know when to use one equation rather than another... Do you know whether to use an angle of -37 degrees (problem 3 of exam 1) instead of +37 degrees or +53 degrees... Do you know the difference between normal stress and shear stress... Do you know whether to use the cross sectional area or the surface area or some other area to find stress... All of the things that we talk about in class. I generally emphasize the things that I feel are important and that I will be looking for on exams. In fact, I generally emphasize them several times in class. Of course, you won't know that if you don't come to class, or if you come to class and sleep, or if you come to class and do the daily crossword.
9. The aerospace engineering department is starting to get complaints from the
mechanical engineering department and from the civil engineering department. They are wondering how you can get A's and B's in statics and not perform simple tasks in their follow-on courses. Specifically, they mention that you can't draw proper free-body diagrams, that you can't solve simple statics problems, that you can't analyze simple problems the way students could 5 or 10 years ago. I don't intend to have them ask how you can get an A or a B in my class without knowing the difference between stress and strain or the difference between normal stress and shear stress or any of the basic principles of mechanics of materials.
10. You may have been told that the teacher stands in the front of the room to teach you mechanics of materials (or whatever other course you are taking). If so, you have been told wrong. The teacher's job is to help you learn. The hard work (and learning is hard work) has to be done by you. I will do whatever I can to help you learn. But if you just sit back and watch me solve problems, you will probably not learn the material.
o You need to read the book BEFORE coming to class so that you have some idea of what will be talked about and what you have difficulty understanding.
o You need to try some of the homework problems BEFORE coming to class. The
example problems in the book may look clear and simple, but starting a problem on your own may not be so simple.
o I will try to highlight those things that I feel are very important and/or I think you will have difficulty with, and I will work and explain additional example problems.
o If you don't understand something in the book and/or in the lecture, you need to ask about it.
o Don't wait for someone else to ask questions when you don't understand something. Probably there are a lot of other people who don't understand it and are also timid about asking questions. Even if everyone else does understand it, that doesn't help you. It's your education. You need to participate.
o You need to work the homework problems until you understand the material. It is not enough to just play with the numbers on your calculator until you get the answer that is given. (As Charlie Brown observed, "The answers in life are not in the back of the book.") You need to work on the homework problems until you truly understand why you are solving it the way you are.
o You need to look at the answers you get and ask yourself if they make sense. Why does it work that way.
Most of the observations above are not unique to this class. You are paying a lot of
money to get an education at Iowa State University. Paying the money doesn't buy you
the education. Even attending class does not give you the education you are paying for.
Even after paying all of that money, you still have to work for your education. You must
participate in the process. It is not enough to just sit on the curb and watch the parade
go by.
L.D. Sturges