Your Course Organiser

Nicholas d'Ambrumenil is in charge of all the teaching. Michael Pounds (PS102), the Director of Student Experience, is available to help with any issue which affects you.

Teaching

After two years at Warwick you will be familiar with our teaching methods and the use of questionnaires to obtain feedback on the individual modules. You are reminded that if you feel that there are serious problems with a course that should be addressed immediately you should discuss the matter with the person giving the module, with your Personal Tutor, with the Director of Studies, or raise it with one of your Staff Student Liaison Committee representatives.

Your Personal Tutor

Normally you will retain the same personal tutor you had in the previous two years. Whilst your personal tutor will not organise group Academic Tutorials this year it is important that you remain in regular contact with your tutor. You should see them at least at the beginning and end of each term to discuss your progress and option choices.

During this year you will be actively considering what to do when you complete your degree, be it seeking employment or following a further course of education or training. You will almost certainly be asking your tutor to act as a referee (your project supervisor is another common choice) so it is a good idea to discuss your future plans with your tutor and keep them informed of any progress.

Examples Sheets

Example sheets are distributed as a complete set (comprising 2 or 3 examples for every three lectures) by the lecturer at the beginning of a particular module. The purpose of these examples is three-fold:

1. To facilitate the development of skill in problem solving in areas related to the lecture modules
2. To assist in proper assimilation of the module material.
3. To provide valuable experience which will be of considerable help in the April and June Examinations.

Copies of the solutions will be distributed to pigeon holes by the Undergraduate Office (Room 565), during the week after the module has finished. If you have difficulties with these problems you should consult the relevant lecturer.

Physics Project

You will chose your project at the start of term 1. You should go to see your project supervisor with your partner as soon as possible thereafter to discuss your project and to arrange to start work on it.

As you will see from the programme regulations your project is a very significant part of this year's programme contributing up to 25% of the marks. It is therefore vital that you devote appropriate effort to this part of the course. As a guideline you should be working on your project for about 2 days per week during terms 1 and 2. Your supervisor will be monitoring your progress and in extreme cases lack of effort may result in formal 'Requirement to Withdraw' proceedings being initiated. Of course it is also important that you do not devote so much time to your project that the rest of your studies suffer.

Normally any problems with your project will be resolved in conjunction with your supervisor. If you feel this is not happening you should consult your personal tutor or Professor Balakrishnan, who is in overall charge of the projects.

The assessment of the project is based on two reports; an interim one and a final one. The interim report will be marked by your supervisor who will then provide you with feedback on it. The final report will be marked by two members of academic staff, who will also examine you orally. The marks from all these components contribute to your final mark. A prize is awarded each year for "An Excellent Project".

Past Examination Papers

Past papers are available on-line. This collection also contains model solutions to one set of papers

Reminders

In your first year you were informed of the department's policy towards the late submission of assessed work and the University's regulations on cheating. These, of course apply equally this year, so remember that the University wide penalty for late submission of assessed work is a deduction 5% of the original total available credit off per day (or part day) late. You are also reminded that the marks you obtain this year count 60% towards your final degree classification and thus a good performance this year may significantly improve your overall classification from its level after the first 2 years. You should also note that to be awarded a BSc honours degree you must perform satisfactorily in the final year. This normally means that you must have fewer than 37.5% of your final year papers below 30%. A prize is awarded each year for the best overall performance by a student on a Physics based BSc programme.

Option Choices

You will see from the course regulations that there are 60 CATs of core modules. All the other modules are selected (according to the rules prescribed) from option lists. Enough modules should be taken to bring your total possible credit up to the normal load for your course (120 CATS), and your Tutor will give guidance on your choice. More modules can be taken than the minimum required (up to a maximum of 150 CATS). Any decision to commit yourself to a significant extra load should be discussed with your Tutor.

It is recommended that you at least 'sample' more options than you are required to take before committing yourself and you may, if you wish, attend a complete module and not register for the examination.

In addition to the options listed, it is possible for students to take certain other modules, offered by other departments, as so-called 'Unusual Options'. In particular you are reminded that the Language Centre offers modules in a wide range of languages. If you wish to avail yourself of this possibility you must consult Dr Robinson, in advance, in order to obtain the necessary permission (you will also need to obtain approval from the department offering the module). You will not be permitted to take more than one language module.

---

[ Top of Document ]