The best aspects of the course included the passionate professor and teaching assistant, as well as the fair lectures and class textbook. Students also enjoyed the chal enge of the material. The worst aspect of the course was the occasionally dull lectures that were textbook driven. Even though the textbook was somewhat helpful, students felt that the book could have been clearer and inclusive of more examples. Prospective students should be prepared to do lots of weekly homework problems and should have a strong background in algebra.

The material was interesting and the instructor was wil ing to adjust the course structure to benefit the students. Many students rated the instructor as the best aspect of the course. Though interesting, the material was chal enging, and some students thought a timed exam did not serve them wel . The most common suggestion was better preparation from Advanced Algebra I, or a more thorough review at the start of the semester. Prospective students should be sure they have a solid grasp on Advanced Algebra I before starting this course.

The best aspects of the course included the exposure to a broad range of topics, the guest lecturers, and the introduction to MATLAB. Students appreciated the professor’s flexibility, humor, and energy in the classroom. However, several students agreed that his teaching seemed disorganized and that topics were presented in a very scattered way. Suggestions for improvement included expanding the MATLAB component of the course, scaling back the amount of legal topics covered (as well as the mock trial), and having the professor interact more with the students. Students should expect to gain a general introduction to different areas of mechanical engineering, though with less depth and rigor than they might want or expect.