[RyanC]

ELECT 3TQ4: Probability and Stochastic Processes
Overview:

Interesting, but lacking

Course Structure:

3 lectures a week, one tutorial, one lab (alternate weeks)

Tutorial is basically a TA writing down answers from solution manual. This is the time where you get help or make sure you understand the tutorial questions fully (do them ahead of time).

Professor should not be teaching this course.

Lecture notes are insufficient.

Textbook is very comprehensive but needs more examples. You really need to know this thing backwards and forwards because its pretty much all you have to go on.

Lectures:

The lack of quality of lectures is what breaks this course. The content is very easy, but Professor Field is not good at covering what needs to be covered: either the content is very easy and could be studied in your own time, its abstract to the point of uselessness, or its useful but you've already fallen behind in the course where it doesn't matter. Not sure how he is for other courses, so don't let this affect other course selection. Do not rely on lecture notes; they're basically his point form notes of what he uses to teach -- lectures consist of trying to take point forms of point forms... your time is best spent just paying attention in lecture, or not attending lecture at all, but doing textbook questions. The thing is, once you don't attend class (applies to any course) you'll forget about it, and think you can make up for it later..

Labs:

Worthless. He basically picks random MATLAB question at the end of the chapter and have you write code based on a concept. First 2 are pretty easy, but after that, you're going to find yourself needing the solution manual just to understand what the question is asking. If you've been keeping up to date and doing back of the book questions, you'll be fine.

Tutorial:

Sleep in if its at 830/930. Not worth your time, unless for review or midterm takeup.

Course Material:

• Textbook - Worth buying. One of the few study sources.
• Lecture notes - Scribbles
• Supplementary Notes - iUse internet to understand concepts that book goes over poorly

Examination:

Labs (4)
Midterm (1)
Final (1)

No formula sheet. :(

Past Tests:

Midterm 1 is easy, study tutorial questions and things referred to in class.
Final is based off midterms, past exams, and lecture notes. There will be a twist on these sample sources, so you need to be familiar with the underlying theory and supplmentary textbook questions, otherwise you'll be confused.

Overall impression:

Don't take this course if you don't have to, if the same professor is still teaching it. Its historically harder, but better taught, so keep that in mind.

Honestly, I'll tell you exactly what to do and you'll find it funny. Right before the exam, forget everything you learned and practiced and just look at the Prof's last lecture slide. He'll post 6 questions from which you have to complete 4. He'll explain the questions in some pretty good detail. Dig through previous tests and text book problems and figure them out because they'll be almost exactly the same!!!