Learning Portfolio 1B

Strength

One area of strength on Exam 1 was my ability to correctly apply L’Hôpital’s Rule on limit problems. I was confident in my process and my final answer matched the expected result, which gave me reassurance that my preparation in this topic was effective. This alignment between my confidence and my score showed me that I can trust my reasoning skills when I practice thoroughly and review my notes. It also reminded me that careful algebraic simplification and substitution can reduce mistakes. Even though my overall exam grade was not where I wanted it to be, celebrating these correct steps is important. It proves that I am capable of solving challenging problems and just need to transfer that consistency to other areas of the test.

Area of Growth

Since my exam score was below 60, I need to reflect on five major questions where I lost points. The biggest issues were with integration techniques, including integration by parts, Simpson’s Rule, and partial fractions. For example, on the Simpson’s Rule problem, I misunderstood how to apply the formula correctly, leading to a major error. On integration by parts, I often mixed up which term should be chosen as uuu and which as dvdvdv, which caused my final solutions to collapse. Another challenge was with definite integrals, where I set up the problem but did not finish evaluating correctly. To improve, I need to carefully write out formulas before plugging in values and practice each type of integral repeatedly with feedback from tutors. I also plan to review class examples and redo the incorrect problems step by step until I can explain them aloud without notes.

Weekly Overview

My weekly routine usually starts at 6:00 AM when I wake up and exercise. By 8:00, I prepare breakfast for my family, and then I take my daughter to school. After that, I dedicate time to studying until around 10:30 before heading to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, I go to the computer lab from 4:00–6:00 to complete homework before returning home for dinner, a nightly routine, and more study time. Although I have been putting in effort, the exam results show me that I need more targeted practice, especially in integration. Going forward, I will implement tutoring sessions and active learning with peers and tutors, so I can work through problems out loud and fix misunderstandings quickly. I will hold myself accountable by scheduling these sessions each week and tracking whether I can correctly solve exam-style problems without notes.