Ok Ok, I know GC 120 is a simple course to some, but I am having a little trouble with solidworks. Are there any tutors available on campus for this course? I tried the open lab in Poe 400, but there were just computers.

1/25/2010 8:38:09 PM

just hit f1

1/25/2010 8:46:38 PM

What do you need help with?

1/25/2010 10:06:40 PM

Mainly getting started with solidworks. I have a few assignments that I have fallen behind on b/c the instructors instructions were quick and vague.

1/25/2010 10:13:18 PM

who is your professor?

1/26/2010 10:48:35 AM

words...

The built-in help and tutorials are pretty good. You can usually find a bunch online as well. Have you tried that yet? Have you tried talking to your instructor during office hrs or scheduling an appointment? How about talking to classmates and asking them for help? if not, you're letting some of your best options/resources go to waste.

If the instructor is vague or quick, ask them to repeat what they said. Or pull them aside while they're walking around and ask them to go over it with you. If they've been vague up until this point, that's not going to change. And if the instructor really is going too quick or being vague, I'm sure there is someone else with the same question.

If you're actually having trouble, that's probably not going to change much either. While 120 won't get as complex as solidworks can possibly be, everything will build on itself and get a little more complex as you go. If you're having trouble now, you may have trouble even if you get caught up.

Or, maybe you were slacking off/not paying great attention initially and just need to get caught up to the class.

Regardless of what combination of the those it is, I'd talk to the instructor. Let them know you're a little behind and need some help. If they know that you're trying to fix it now instead of bringing it up at the end of the semester, he/she will probably help you more along the way. And a lot of instructors will give you a little credit if they know you tried and came to them early on, unlike the people who will undoubtedly show up at their office at the end of the semester or even after grades are submitted whining about their grade as if they had no idea all semester. They'll get nothing, whereas you may get an A- instead of a B+, etc.


Out of curiosity, who's the instructor?

1/26/2010 11:03:10 AM

Pope I think his name is.

Another problem that I am having is the course is apparently (untold to me) a hybrid course. The instructor basically tells us what our assignments due next week will be, and then ships us out the door. We watch online tutorials pertaining to the information. I learn better hands on and with instruction, not watching a video. I ask questions, hard to do that on vid.

That being said, ^'s idea about talking to the instructor may help. I'll see what he says.

1/26/2010 12:54:38 PM

yeah, Pope's a lecturer. I think they only use him to umm... "teach" (more like supervise) a section of that course. I'd try to make use of his office hrs if possible and see if he's more helpful in that setting.

You're using this site? - http://courses.ncsu.edu/gc120/common/solidworks_labs.htm

1/26/2010 1:19:48 PM

Yeah, thats our site. He does not have office hours for some reason, I can only get in contact with him via email.

1/26/2010 3:14:12 PM

you may want to see if you can switch into another section if you can fit into your schedule. The evening sections are all going to be taught by lecturers. If you can get into a section with Scales or Matthews (actual professors with office hours and who are around most of the day anyhow), or even a grad student you'd probably be better off.

edit: just saw that yesterday was the last day to add or drop a course. You may still be able to work something like that out. I've taken a course with one instructor but went to a different section with a different instructor. It came down to a scheduling conflict, and they were both fine with it since it was a class like this where everything is pretty much the same regardless of who is teaching. And the department may be able to move you from one section to another anyhow.

[Edited on January 26, 2010 at 3:55 PM. Reason : .]

1/26/2010 3:45:17 PM

^ Dr. Scales is awesome. She's one of my favorite professors that I've ever had at NCSU.

1/26/2010 4:34:53 PM

Whew, still having trouble with this class. Allot of trouble actually. Hell, i'm making an A so far in CHM 201, but this class is kicking my ass.

Anyone want to help? I can pay with car detailing or beer.

2/15/2010 6:21:51 PM

do you just need someone to help you out with solidworks? what kind of stuff are you modeling?

2/15/2010 6:50:25 PM

Solid works help mostly, but if anyone had pointers in the actual class that would be cool as well.

As far as solidworks, we are doing small parts. Should be simple, but I am missing it for some reason. It is shit like brackets, hangers, angles and stuff.

2/15/2010 8:14:56 PM

i think learning proE after solidworks might have fucked me up, but if you post some problems some of us can probably give you direction.

2/15/2010 9:18:42 PM