Kinesiology 1A03/1Y03 - MacInsiders - Student-run McMaster University Help Forum

Willmountain

Okie dokie, I'm a first year Kinesiology student, and I'm forced to take this course, and it is the best course that I've ever been forced to take. No question.

You start with Dr. Parise, who is far and away my favorite prof I've had this semester. You start with embryology and histology, and he makes it so clear that I remember it really well now, even after 2 months without him. He was pretty awesome.

Then comes Dr. Macdonald... She isn't bad... But her delivery is probably the least exciting thing since watching grass grow. As soon as she took over, my marks on the weekly tests dropped from about an average of 12-14/15 to anywhere from an 8 to an 11... It may just be me, but it seems weird that I have no idea what her material is aimed at, and I can explain Dr. Parise's material much better 2 months after I learned it. But she's OK as a lecturer, nothing special. I personally didn't like her all that much...

The weekly tests were a great idea, to me, however the problems are probably irreprable. First, the test questions varied in difficulty an unbelievable amount from test to test and person to person. Some get an easier ride, but I don't know how that would fix things. As well, since everyone gets put into 20 minute time slots over the course of 4 hours or so, people in the later time slots can get an idea of what will be on the test for them through other people. But I'm not sure how this problem can be solved. I'm no genius...

TO SUM UP!

Pros: Parise is a beast, the textbook is the only one I actually used more than once, and i'll keep it for a long time, the material is exceptionally interesting, and the labs are absolutely awesome. Christiane (lab technician) is really great, and the TA's are also really helpful. Best labs hands down.

Cons: Weekly tests may not be for everyone, Macdonald may not be for everyone, and the tests range in difficulty from time slot to time slot, from week to week, and from test to test...

Very very good course though, and I recommend it strongly. Can't wait for 1AA3

notredame · 04-21-2009 at 07:05 PM

Dr. Parise was my favorite prof this year. He's hilarious and has awesome stories. Dr. MacDonald was alright, she was nice but just wasn't as entertaining as Parise. Weekly tests were decent and the labs were really interesting. Cadavers and testing our blood were an experience.

Overall, awesome course. Even if you're not in Kinesiology, I'd recommend this course. It's really quite good.

lankan_4lif · 05-24-2009 at 01:43 AM

Are the weekly tests multiple choice or a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions?

Cristina_n13 · 05-24-2009 at 06:22 AM

The weekly tests, which are 20 minutes in length are a combination of multiple choice, matching & fill in the blank. I found some of the fill in the blanks to be completely unfair because of the length/difficulty of the word which you must spell correctly. Any one letter off, and you get the answer completely wrong.

lankan_4lif · 05-24-2009 at 03:07 PM

How many marks are each test worth?
Thanks for the feedback.

KRan · 05-24-2009 at 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lankan_4lif

How many marks are each test worth?
Thanks for the feedback.

Overall, the tests are worth 25%. There are 11 tests, and the lowest mark is dropped, so each test is worth 2.5%. If you miss a test with a valid reason, your exam mark is entered in place of those missed tests.

mumbojumbo · 06-01-2009 at 02:26 AM

Great course! I enjoyed it so much that I actually kinda miss the stresses and laughters in lectures. Parise was a great prof. McDonald, on the other hand, tried hard to be engaging and approachable to the class and I kinda notice it didn't really worked. My grades in the weekly test were significantly higher in Dr. Parise's part of the course than Dr. McDonald (well...that may account for the midterms I had to study perhaps

). There were no midterms just weekly tests which I think were very useful in the end for the exam in this kind of course that's mainly memorizing facts. Applying concepts is not a big useful tool here. Just practice your anatomy and you'll do fine! A big hint: use the book's online quizzes. This will help you visualize the kind of questions you will see in the quizzes. And also, read the book! I got 100% in most quizzes because I read the concepts the week before. Overall, I recommend the course for anyone. Don't treat this as a bird course because it is not! Study hard and know your anatomy!

P.S. I had an embarassing moment in the Anatomy exam where I was giggling most of the time in the exams room; everyone in the room was looking at me weirdly because the exam was the funniest I've ever seen thus far at Mac. What I mean by "funny" as in the questions subtlely make jokes and it made me laugh.

LBJ.MVP · 06-25-2009 at 11:38 AM

Is it easy to get a double digit grade in this class with good work put into it? Also how is the workload?

kanagaap · 06-29-2009 at 08:49 PM

i waz jus wondering... which of the courses does Dr. Parise teach the 1A03 or the 1Y03

jhan523 · 06-29-2009 at 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanagaap

i waz jus wondering... which of the courses does Dr. Parise teach the 1A03 or the 1Y03

I believe the courses are cross-listed. So they are technically the same course.

eycc11 · 06-29-2009 at 10:24 PM

Yeah, Kin 1A03 is the same as Kin 1Y03. "1A03" is the course code for those in the Kin program.

lankan_4lif · 07-02-2009 at 12:25 AM

What kind of labs do you do in KIN 1Y03? In terms of the tests, they are 20 mins in duration and they are a combination of multiple choice, matching and fill in the blanks? How many marks is each test out of, not the weight of the test towards your final mark?

lankan_4lif · 07-03-2009 at 09:23 PM

Hello, i was wondering, this course is now full. This course is extremely popular as it seems and i don't know if anyone would drop it by the beginning of semester? Is there any chance of me getting into KIN 1Y03? Will i have to wait for someone to drop it when SOLAR reopens and/or by the first weeks of September?

jhan523 · 07-03-2009 at 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lankan_4lif

Hello, i was wondering, this course is now full. This course is extremely popular as it seems and i don't know if anyone would drop it by the beginning of semester? Is there any chance of me getting into KIN 1Y03? Will i have to wait for someone to drop it when SOLAR reopens and/or by the first weeks of September?

You'll have to wait until someone drops. I believe on August 13th, people have already been kicked out of the course if they haven't confirmed their Payment agreement atleast once. So keep on trying, never give up. It took me a really long time to get into English 1A03 last year, but I got in a week before school started.

eycc11 · 07-03-2009 at 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LBJ.MVP

Is it easy to get a double digit grade in this class with good work put into it? Also how is the workload?

Overall, I wouldn't consider this course to be "easy". You have to keep up with the material every week in order to do well on the weekly tests. A lot of the material that is considered "testable" are always mentioned during the lectures in class, online (oh yeah, they did a COUPLE online lectures throughout the semester last year -- 2008/09), and in the labs. So you pretty much have to go to every class (and not be late), unless you have a friend you can get notes from. This course covers a LOT of material, but since you have weekly tests, it really helps you to be well prepared for the exam.