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Higher cert Mechanical Engineering WIT
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24-08-2011 3:09pm#1
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Scooby18: Im just finished year 1 of that course and if you have any interest in how things work then you'll love it.
Maths in the first semester is handy enough and the lecturer you'll probably have Declan McGrath is one of the best maths lecturers in the college if not the country!! He explains everything in depth and has a good teaching method so what he teaches you will remember if you put in the work. If your any bit iffy about maths 100% attendance is crucial as if you miss a lecture or two you'll find it hard to get into the next area ( he structures it so that each module links into the next ) Plus he's fairly good for the continuous assessment mark which will help the lads who are not as good at the maths. His continuos assessment is made up of a combination of the following :
1. Attendance
2. Weekly practical attendance
3. 3 or 4 tests he gives you during the semester. ( the tests are very handy as he gives you a full a4 sheet of problems the week before that you work away at in your own time over the week and he picks 3 or 4 questions from it for the test ) So if you put in the effort you will have no problem with these.
If I remember right you can have a score very near the pass mark in your xmas exams if you do well in the continuous assessment
Some of the subjects I can think of are, Algebra, Trigonometry,complex numbers, indices and sine waves fairly basic leaving cert stuff !!
In semester 2 your maths module moves onto calculus which I found difficult myself ( but Im a mature student and had been away from learning for a good few years )
If your willing to attend you won't have any problem with the maths as there will be a few mature students in the class and he will start with the basics and work from there. The practical classes are a must though. You will find Declan to be the best lecturer you'll ever have in maths. Just remember to switch off your phone cos if it goes off in a lecture he'll kick you out. The college has a maths learning centre where you can go if your finding the maths hard. Oh and i think only one or two lads in my year done hons maths in the leaving
There is a few other modules you'll have in the first semester and ill try give you as much info on these as I can remember.
Semester 1:
Maths: as described above.
Machine systems:
Goes through the workings of engines,turbochargers,gearboxes,clutches,compressors,air systems,hydraulic systems,levers, Braking systems including abs systems and bearings. There is a lot of writing and a good few formulas to learn. It is a very interesting module but I will recommend that you be there for as much as you can as there is a lot to take in. Bryan Raliegh is the lecturer on this module and he knows his stuff and is willing to help anyone who needs it.
Material science :
Goes into the make up of various materials i.e. irons and plastics. Its a module split between labs and lectures. The labs show you how to test various materials with the specialist testing equipment. The lectures don't have much maths in them and any maths are simple.
Workshop:
Over in the campus in the industrial estate. Most likely you'll have Pat laracy for this module. This module you get instruction on use of hand tools,Pillar drills,metal lathes,Milling machines, power saws and cnc lathe. You will have two pieces to make which will incorporate using the machinery you've learned how to use. Excellent module and handy enough to pass.
Electrical systems:
Basic electronic and wiring principles and theories, Another handy module. You'll have a few labs building basic electronic circuits showing how different capacitors/resistors react under different circumstances.
Learning Skills:
Split between 2 lecturers a class room lecture on report writing and harvard referencing and a computer class in the It building ( ECDL stuff when the lecturer showed up, Sick most of the time ) I and everyone else thought that this was a complete waste of time, the lecturer Cathriona couldn't teach a bloody thing nor could she control a class. For this you will have to do a written report of 1500 words and a stand up presentation before christmas. Last year she only gave a few lads a feedback on their reports and promised a feedback on the presentations which of course never materialized. She gave lads in the class pure s hit e scores at christmas even for lads who done perfect reports and presentations. You have to do this module unfortunately so you will have to sit through it.
Thats all I can think of right now for semester 1, I won't bother ya with semester 2 right now but its handy enough too. One thing I will say to ya though, The course has one of the highest if not the highest dropout rate in the college! This is mainly due to a few things :
1. Students coming down thinking they will be working on engines and cars all the time, The machine systems is kinda misleading as he usually kicks off with the 4 stroke engine and he works through gearboxes and turbos etc for the first few weeks. If thats what your expecting then maybe its not for you, I know all the lads who started with me with the same thoughts were gone by christmas!!
2. Not showing up for lectures, There is a lot to take in and missing a few lectures can leave you trailing behind and eventually you get so far behind that its impossible to catch up. Only the regular attendees in the lectures in the first year made it into 2nd year!!
If this hasn't scared you off yet then Ill hopefully see ye all in a fortnight. But one thing to remember if I can get through 1st year at 30 years of age and having been out of school since I was 17 then anyone can get through with a little bit of work. Its a great course and all the lecturers are sound and will help you out wherever they can. Its one of the few areas where job prospects are very good. All the lads I know graduating this year have got good jobs out of it!!
There is no books to get apart from the electronics book but that depends on the lecturer you get some give you notes and others get you to get a book (which all the 2nd years have if ye fancy buying second hand. 60 quid new) The rest of the lecturers will either write up the notes to be taken down and other will give you handouts.
A few things you should get yourself for the course:
A good scientific calculator
A few a4 refill pads
A USB memory stick
and the usual stationary
If you have any other questions let me know.0 -
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callaway92 wrote: »^ ^
but the main thing is...are you going to be spinning the beats in O' Keeffes tonight!!!!!
Not tonight lad. But maybe the weekend 0 -
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In semester 2 the drawing consists of a 50/50 split of mech drawing with t square andset squares leaving very stuff and he starts with the basics for your summer exam you need to have a certain amount of drawings that you can do in the class. The cad drawing stars off with the basics and works it's way up to a full assembly but again you have plenty if time in class to finish the drawings. If you have access to the net have a look for a copy of "siemens solid edge st" there's plenty of not so legal free copies on the net and have a play around with it. But if not the lecturer starts with a box and works his way from there. 0
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darragh o meara wrote: »Just remember to switch off your phone cos if it goes off in a lecture he'll kick you out.
After he makes you wait at the door, so the whole class can say "Bye, Bye!" first
Its a good idea to get the same calculator Declan uses in class. I cant remember off hand the model but its the Casio one in Tesco's for €9.99 atm.
http://www.mathcentre.ac.uk/ is a handy site, it covers a lot of the maths course material.
http://www.dairyscience.info/harvard/referencegen.php#ref is a Harvard reference generator for your assignments.
You'll also need some stuff for the tech drawing classes T-square, A3 paper, folder, etc and you cannot do the workshops without overalls, safety boots and glasses.
As Darragh said, show up for your classes and put the effort in. There's a lot of stuff covered in 12 weeks and if you fall behind, its very hard to catch up. Stay on top of things, work in groups to get stuff done and you'll be fine.0 -
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