Physics@Brock

Here is a summary of our expectations of you, which are your responsibilities. You are expected to:

attend each scheduled lecture and laboratory session;

do your work honestly and maintain academic integrity;
Academic misconduct is a serious offence. The principle of academic integrity, particularly of doing one’s own work, documenting properly (including use of quotation marks, appropriate paraphrasing and referencing/citation), collaborating appropriately, and avoiding misrepresentation, is a core principle in university study. Students should consult “Academic Misconduct” section in the Undergraduate Calendar to view a fuller description of prohibited actions, and the procedures and penalties. The University takes academic misconduct extremely seriously and will follow its strict procedures to the letter in all cases.
A helpful website explains Brock's Academic Integrity Policy. Please consult it, as all students are expected to know and abide by its provisions.

complete each test, using only the materials that have been authorized for use, such as a non-graphics calculator and writing instruments;
attend labs (PHYS 1P91) having prepared in advance by reading relevant parts of the lab manual, and having completed the prelab problems.

And most important of all, you must take responsibility for your own learning. The lectures are there to guide you and assist you, but only you can actually do the hard work of learning the course material. To get the most out of the course, work on it a little bit every day. Daily work is key for placing your learning in long-term memory, where it will be readily available to help you to advance your knowledge in second year and beyond - and acing the final exam, of course. Cramming on the night before may place the material in your short-term memory and you might even do fine on a weekly test, where the amount of new material is relatively small, but this approach will fail miserably on the final exam.
Your instructor will provide weekly textbook chapter references; read through those section. The best way is to read them twice: once before the lectures, just to orient yourself in the material, to identify those parts that seem like they might need extra time and attention. Make a note of the questions that arise in your mind. The lecture should answer some of them, and if it does not, raise your hand and ask! It is likely that many others have the same question. After the lecture, read the textbook again, with a pen and paper in hand, repeating all derivations on your own, trying every solved example before looking at the solution, then solving every follow-up questions at the end of the section. Only one half of them have answers; you must learn to have enough confidence in your skills to solve even those problems where the answer is not known in advance. The odd-numbered problems will allow your to make sure, and the even-numbered ones will allow you to test yourself. Both are integral to the learning process.
Use your time effectively. Study smart, instead of hard. Ask questions in class. Your instructor has an open-door policy, so outside of a few restricted hours, you are always welcome to come and ask a question one-on-one. Do not wait until you have a "worthy" pageful of questions - that's too long to let them fester unanswered. There is also a Physics Help Desk, with TAs available to help out. Find out where and when it is held, and come often. It is better to come three times with one or two questions than once with a list accumulated over the past several weeks, when things get too desperate. Asking questions is a sign of active learning, not a sign of weakness.