Comments for OpenMusings

Comment on Bring on the Nightmare… by Phil

Phil — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:35:48 +0000

I’m just getting ready for my M255 exam, and M253 is on my list for next year. I was a bit put off by the comments too!

Comment on S186 First Impressions by Bryan Morton

Bryan Morton — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:52:30 +0000

Haven’t got that far yet – still working through the early chapters, which is all plate tectonics and volcanism – but it’s fascinating stuff. Just what short courses should be.

Comment on S186 First Impressions by Laura

Laura — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:52:45 +0000

I’m going to sign up for this later in the year, just as a fun filler as I’ve already passed S260/SXR260. I just want to learn about tsunami’s!

Comment on S186 First Impressions by lee

lee — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:24:48 +0000

I know that feeling!!!! good luck.

Comment on S186 First Impressions by Bryan Morton

Bryan Morton — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:16:07 +0000

Depressingly, I haven’t had the chance to look at it again since I wrote this piece – M359 has gotten horribly in the way. That said, I’ll hopefully have M359-TMA01 out of the way this week, which should give me a chance to get to it.

Comment on S186 First Impressions by lee

lee — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:37:50 +0000

I’ve just registered for this course today to start in may when S103 ends I look forward to hear what you think.

Lee

Comment on Headbanging by Bryan Morton

Bryan Morton — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:51:00 +0000

Honest answer: I spent 5 years working on an IT helpdesk & now in networking, so there’s a certain amount of professional pride involved in trying to track down the cause myself – to see if I still have the ski11z, as it were.

I have admitted defeat, though, as it really does look like it’s a problem at cpdn’s end that I can’t do anything about from here – so OU Computing Helpdesk have been advised, and they’re raising it with cpdn. Should get a fix one way or t’other…

Comment on Headbanging by Pete Smith

Pete Smith — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:28:29 +0000

Why not get someone who can register to ask questions on your behalf?

Comment on Curious Things by John Kee

John Kee — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:54:27 +0000

I think it gives the student the chance to resit the exam. If you had felt that your TMA score were great but due to lack of revision your exam score in low 40’s some people are happier to resit. I thought you had to get 15% or so so probably picked 4 multiple choice questions they were certain of and answered them . If you pass the exam and TMAs you cant retake the course no matter what.

It could also be a condition on funding from a sponsor that the student must attend the exam. A person may have found that it just was not their cup of tea.

A few years ago for some of the maths course there was a stop press which stated along the lines of turning up for the exam gives the OU more govt. funding. If you don’t turn up the student is classed as not finishing the course hence less money for the OU. So perhaps they were supporting the OU

Comment on Grading of Passes by Bryan Morton

Bryan Morton — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:02:29 +0000

It’s not that I’m against feedback against the outcomes, I just wish they’d continue with the scores as well. When I got my result for S197 recently (last presentation of that course that will issues scores), along with the percentage mark we also got feedback against each question & where people had made common mistakes in answering the ECA questions – that’s the best of both worlds, really.

As for employers: I’m working towards a named degree at the moment (the SSC’s are just for fun, really), and in my own experience all they’re interested in is the class of the degree. Certainly as far as my funding’s concerned, it’s a simple case of “Get a 2:1 or pay it all back”. Learning Outcomes have never come into it…