After Thanksgiving, my pathway program is only 3 weeks left. At this semester, I study some academic courses in computer engineering and some courses of English language. It is a special experience which differs from any studying experience for me in China and subverted my many views and cognition. Reflect all the semester there are two significant things impact on me are the purpose of the study, the way of study.
In American, the propose of study is using which different from Chinese. This semester, I have an undergraduate academic course which name is Digital System Design. Actually, I have studied this course in China, so I thought it may be not very hard for me at first. However, I was wrong. I think it just has 20% as same as I studied in China. The must different part is the American class teach us more new technology which can be used in the real case and more real example such as simple Traffic Light Controller, which differ with Chinese which forces on foundation and does more exercise. For example, in China, the Digital System Design spent half of the time to teach Basic Logic Gates, and another half-time to teach truth Table, Boolean Expression, and Karnaugh maps. There are all very important and basic. However, American just spent 6 lectures to talk about these, then the other 20 lectures to teach about VHDL, Multiplexer, Encode, decode, Flip-Flop, and so on. There is all the new technology which are using in the Electronics. This kind of propose of teaching is useful.
Furthermore, the way of study is also open the door of a new world for me. There are various of the way in GMU’s class, except listening, homework and exam, a group working, presentation, project, poster, paper and so on all are also a very great way to study. Group working can work out the ability to divide work and the ability to merge others. The ability to organize be practice in presentation and poster. The project can make us use the academic knowledge which was studied in course in real cases. Through different way of study, while learning the knowledge, I also exercised a variety of skills.
All in all, the semester of the pathway is a very interesting, useful and growing experience. In the time, I not only study much academic knowledge and improve my writing and listening ability of English, but also take in an absolutely new view of the study. I believe the experience will make me join in the graduate program of computer engineering.