Lecture or Tutorial: Which to Miss?

[pivoxa15]

If you have a clash and can only attend a lecture of a pure maths subject or a tutorial of a physics subject both equally important subjects to you, which would you miss the lecture or the tutorial?

Assume the lecture notes will be on the web but no recording of what is done in the tutorial is recorded.

Here is what tutorial classes are if you are not familiar with the terminology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutorial

 

[JasonRox]

I never go to tutorials, so I vote lecture.

I'll probably start going to tutorials this year because it's my fourth year and I know I'll need to work at it.

Also, I vote lecture because if you ever did need help in the other class (which has the tutorial), you can always go to open office hours. Keep in mind to just ask for what you need help with and not try to score a free tutorial and waste his or her time. If you need lots of help, then... you're screwed.

 

[oedipa maas]

It's an upper level math class, there can't be too many people registered. Why don't you see if the tutorial can be rescheduled?

 

[jostpuur]

I've succeeded in passing some courses quite well without going much to lectures, but I did do almost all exercises that were given in the courses. Exercises are good way to prevent you from fooling yourself about how much you know, and then lectures are not nessecary. Well, they can be useful, but not nessecary.

 

[symbolipoint]

Maybe the terminology needs clarification (as reference to the website), and maybe the situation is unclear, at least to me (graduate level course/class), but a normal set of class or course lectures is essential and normal for a course. Missing lectures but attending tutorials is the wrong way to manage learning. Lecture time is for the teacher or professor to discuss lessons, provide subject matter guidance; lecture time should treat the topics and examples of the assigned exercise problems; lecture time has certain portions of itself dedicated to assessment (examinations and quizes). I would say, "Attend the lectures; also attend any tutorial sessions which you feel may help you, but better to miss a tutorial than a lecture".

 

[daniel_i_l]

I think it depends on the professor. There're some professors who basically just says what it says in the book (if there's a book) - in that case I'd go to the tutorial which gives you tips and tricks you won't find in the book. But if it's an interesting and thought provoking (in a good way) professor then I'd go to the lecture.

 

[pivoxa15]

I don't know about you people, normally I am completely lost in a lecture and I am just copying symbols down without understanding anything.

In tutorials at least I have to think about the problem but usually by success with them is not good either as I am usually always behind couple of weeks of material or more.

Maybe for me the deciding factor comes from the fact that the particular maths lecturer usually puts up everything he writes in the lecture on the web but nothing done in the tutorials will be on the web. So from this point of view, had I miss the tutorial I have to get the notes from someone else but if I miss the lecture, there won't be any of that bother as the lectures will be on the web. So soley from this reasoning I should miss the lecture?

 

[cristo]

If you really have to choose, why don't you skip the lecture one week and the tutorial the next? Or, as mentioned above, why not ask for the tutorial to be changed since you have a clash?