A trial run of Stanford’s newest engineering course, CME 69, concluded Friday to overall praise, and a few moans, from students. The course was intended to be an intensive introduction to vector calculus and physics, featuring evaluating curves, exploring concavity, and solving two- and even three-body problems.
“This was my first time taking an engineering class here,” said Burbank resident Colleen Segretti. “It went a little faster than I expected, but it was less painful than I thought it would. Overall, it was a pretty pleasurable experience,” she remarked. Her response was typical of students in the course, who reported to the Flipside that they generally enjoyed the experience but had small suggestions to improve it.
Some students, however, were more critical. “I was hoping to be able to ease myself into the class, but it was a lot more activity than I expected, and turned out to be reaIly tiring. I tried really hard to stay up for an entire section, but I never could. I ultimately wound up having to withdraw early,” complained an embarrassed Trancos resident. “The homework was often hard, and the only time I could find the privacy to finish it was late at night, under the covers, with a flashlight, because I didn’t want to disturb my roommate,” commented another freshman. “And I really didn’t like how ashamed I felt crawling out of bed the next day to turn in my psets.”
In light of this feedback, future offerings of CME 69 will offer a slower, longer lead-in, and additional literature to help students be more prepared to come to class. Due to the amount of interest, the course will also be restructured to offer more openings for entrance.
