Noulakaz

The blog of Avinash, Christina, Anya and Kyan Meetoo.

What do you think of the yearly system…

By 41 Comments

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… at the University of Mauritius?

More precisely, what is your opinion on:

  1. Having one year long modules?
  2. Having exams at the end of the year only?
  3. Having three hours long exams?
  4. Having six yearly modules per year?
  5. etc.

Another thing I want to know is your opinion on the number of students in a class. What do you think of classes with 55-60 students?

I really want to know.

16 April 2007: an important update

  • Thanks to all who have commented. We have decided to take the matter at departmental level.
  • I have deleted a number of comments which are not directly relevant to what I was asking. For example, I have deleted comments which explicitly cite names of lecturers even if they are positive.
  • Comments are now closed.

13 July 2010: another update

  • Comments are allowed again.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 1. Sucks
      2. Sucks
      3. Sucks big time
      4. Sucks
      5. Sucks etc.

      I personally don’t find the number of students in a class to be an issue (except when you are the classrep and you need to have everyone sign the MRS). Compared to universities abroad where lectures are carried out in amphitheaters with 100 or so students, it’s not that much huh?

    2. i’ve been in this system since 3 yrs..

      1 yr long module = too much to memorise..some modules are very bulky, eg , computer networks..

      last year we did PL and DAA, while those are fundamentally related. we failed to c the link between the two..they were like two modules completely different, with 2 different lecturers, having 2 very different methods of teaching..also these two modules were taught on alternate weeks..which was not a good idea at all..

      i think the semester system was a good idea..for exams u dnt have that much load of things to revise..besides..am pretty sure..many student tend to revise only at abt 1 month from the exams..if not even after..this is cause we also have assignment to do..and in our case..final year students..soon as we finish with the project..we have loads of assignment to complete..and soon as we finish that the exams are here..

      like u said yesterday in class..we should be the prime focus..ie for teaching..bt i dnt think that in this system we are the primary focus..it seems like the financial crisis of uom is the major concern

      3hr long exams are tiring..bt i think it is enough for the length of the paper..unless of course u are stuck in a paper whr u dnt know anything..

      six yearly modules is a lot..

      even in 3rd year..the 4 yraly modules are a lot..last week we were talking to a lecturer who used to teach the computer networks modules earlier..he said the modules then as networks 1 and networks 2 were already bulky..now in the yearly system its even more bulky

      having too many students is not that much of a good thing..(specially wen u come late and c there is no desk available :s). in the 3rd yr class, the population is rather stripped down..since there are many students doing different elective

      i find these classes much more enjoyable..perhaps is it cause the class is less crowded, or that the lecturer knows almost all the students..that i dnt know..

      we were the “cobaye” as we (together with IS) are among the very first yearly courses proposed at uom..i think they were testing how much less costly it wouldve been..and they found out it was much less costly and hence put all the courses in yearly mode.

      the bad thing is that
      if ever a third year student gets a resit in final year..
      he/she has to stay for 1 more year..just for that module..
      i think there should’ve been exams in the fist semester for resits..that would really b a good idea..

    3. Hi

      I’m not a uni student but I’m not afraid to say that a yearly system seems pre-historic and as someone stated its probably being introduced to cut costs as regards to organisation of exams every semester. Doing a module, revise and then sit for the exams is I think perfect since it allows students to go on collecting enough modules until it becomes a degree. For example, I’m not sure if it happens in Mauritius, I could skip a semester to work and then resume the next semester.

    5. i totally disagree wiv the yearly system. First, we have lots 2 reviz and we tend to take studies seriously only in the 2nd semester. Like sundeep said, resit in a module and u have to do it again in 1 year. Unlike in DCDM wer students have their final exams in November n in case of resits, they may sit for the exams in January. So they dont have to wait 4 a whole year for that resit module.
      Also, wiv exams approaching we have to go through all wat we did in the 1st semester while keeping pace wiv wat we’re actually doing in the 2nd semester. N dat wiv assignments n tests week in week out. So lots of pressure on us..
      About the 3 hour exams, its bcoz of the yearly system. Again i dnt agree. A 2 hour exams in each semester wud be much better..

    6. interesting topic :)

      as fadil said:

      Having one year long modules?
      >> sucks

      Having exams at the end of the year only?
      >> sucks

      Having three hours long exams?
      >> sucks

      Having six yearly modules per year?
      >> MEGA sucks!!

      Having no industrial training inbuilt in the system?
      >> sucks!

      written exams have 70% and practical 30%
      >> sucks!!

    7. Learning 6 modules in paralell takes the hell out of the students. We are not able to deliver the best of ourselves.
      also we can’t really get in depth in any of the modules…

      As sundeep said we were the “First ones” to test the yearly system. I wonder if the average level of our graduates are the same as the 4-year semester wise.

      Am in Cse3B and frankly your hands are enough to count the number of guys who can really write decent codes!!

      There is A problem in the system and i wonder when lecturers and management will notice that and really take actions to restructure the course!!

      Lets think how we reach this stage?? where’s the problem??
      How come some1 not written any piece of code come – up in 3rd year??

      1. Crappy system that doesn’t give importance to practical work.. Go read books and vomit in ur exam paper even if you don’t understand anything!!

      2. Sadly enough.. Lecturers not really bold enough to penalise those copy paste assignment!!! for gods sake for 3rd level final projects if some1 copies they are not given their degree.. If some1 can’t present their assignments well and if ask to change the behaviour of the program can’t do it.. but if lecturers start given Zero for cases like that.. well.. it might deter student from just copying

      Emphasis on programing.. and having a solid base at level 1 itself.

      just like lecturers are organised and have groups doing several researches.. Maybe students also can be encourage to form groups and do some real reach in a particular domain, each group having a mentor or head who can be a lecturer or a 3rd year student. I mean don’t limit learning to what is done in classes, people tend to understand lots of things when they learn by their own.. Unfortunately wi th 6 modules per year we are not left with enough time :(

    8. Having one year long modules?
      Whether one year or two years or one semester.. doesn’t matter, the only problem is.. there are too many modules at the same time.

      Having exams at the end of the year only?
      Nice, you get to learn a lot morei n one year than in 1 semester (if you are not lazy).

      Having three hours long exams?
      3 hours of exams is bad from the point of view of an epileptic.. as being on the same thing for quite a long time tend to increase the probability of a seizure. But 3 hours is nice (as hopefully is the paper isn’t too long also) since .. you can answer with answers that you have thought of, and not answering as fast as possible as if in a race against time.

      Having six yearly modules per year?
      6 yearly modules is way too much (atleast for me.. and it seems to be the case for many other students). 4 modules yearly seems humanly possible and without the need to do enourmous amount of sacrifice.. with 4 modules, this way we can study for learning, and not study for marks.

      What do you think of classes with 55-60 students?
      Doesn’t matter, we don’t need spoon feeding, even if it is a class of 100 students, its not a problem, as long as the student can have the time to learn on his own. I am in a class of ~62 students, never had any problem with that, the problem was only that there was no synchronization between modules, every modules seem to start to attack that the same time.

      +$3|v3n

    9. hey ,im mauritian, came across this blog. im in a foreign uni.i usually have to take 5 or 6 modules per semester and i can tell you its 14weeks of hell.as for exam i tend to learn fast, which makes me forget everything that i did the previous semester.lol. but in my humble opinion, having exams after 1 year sucks.
      cheers

    11. I really think we should get rid of that outdated system of high-school like teaching at UOM.

      Why not opt for the Lecture + Tutorial System?
      1.5 hours for the lecture and 0.75 to 1 hour for the tutorial. As simple as that but I don’t think the CSE dept would consider working on an even more complex timetable… hmmmm

    12. Hi,
      I did my LLB University of London External Programme yearly, with 3hrs written exams. Compared with students doing semester wise, I just to myself, oh man, what chance they have.
      Yearly MAYBE has its advantage that I didn’t find till now compared to semester and vice versa.
      Also, we didn’t have any assignment or dissertation which was really prejudicial to us. Adding insult to injury, you cannot judge a student academic ability in a 3hrs hours written exams!!!
      What may happen if on that particular day he fell ill, or days before he met with any kind of problems, be it personal or professional. All these factors are not taken into consideration.
      To me, I totally do not agree with the yearly basis.
      Avinah being a lecturer, I don’t know if it’s an advantage to you!? Less tests to prepare during the whole academic year maybe!? less trouble? who knows! :p just kidding!
      cheers.

    13. @ Vikram

      i wouldnt say that uom ruined my 3 yrs..of course the exams sucked..bt my UoM years were great

      @ Vicks

      The 3 hour paper was just enough (i remember every1 still writing till the last min) for some papers such as S.E and Web tech..however..it was way too long for first year modules..

      @ Selven

      There is a difference between learning more and study to earn marks like u pointed out..the 4 yearly modules would be much welcomed..

      The modules are set in a yearly structure but it is sad to notice that course structure ain’t suited. Some lecturers, i wnt pinpoint any1, just download the slides from the textbook’s web site and just read it off in the lectures..this is not the way it should’ve been done IMHO.

    14. The yearly system was there sum time back, b4 the semester-wise 1 but think wen we had a resit we could take it again just sum months after the results which was a good thing. But let us not forget that in the yearly system wen we retake a module whatever grade yu get is taken as it is and counted in yur cpa unlike the semester-wise 1 wer even if yu got an A+ in a resit module it wud still count as a pass (or an average taken frm wat yu had previously n now, need to chk that not too sure about it) and added up to your cpa …

      But its true Yearly System sucks,
      Can’t find any logic in combining Object Oriented Techniques with Software Engineering (1 about programming n the other fully theory)

      According to UoM web site (http://www.uom.ac.mu/programmes/Courses/FOE/rtf/E311.rtf) I find Programming Methodology being a prerequisite to Software Engineering. Wud like to know wat happens if sum1 fails Programming Methodology and goes to 2nd year where he is expected to take Software Engineering ???

    15. Much has already been said and some hold valid arguments here, and i second them. One thing i’d like to know is why uom swapped from a semester-based system to a yearly one? what’s the academic reason, if any, behind such a decision? Were students consulted, or at least probed in some way before imposing such a drastic decision on us?

      So let’s summarise, bulky bookish modules, barely any hands-on experience, 3 hour long exams papers with 2 combined modules which at times are not related at all (Java+ Soft Eng combo) and having to drag 1-year worth of so-called knowledge and spit it all out on our papers. And our performance being evaluated on our very capacity to spit same.

      We are entangled in a system that does not care about us. Call a university, I call it a course-dispensing machine.. The very way teaching is done has to be reviewed, course materials need to be more concise, updated and to the point (flush the bla-bla literature), Labs (pff,where do i start..!!). In short, teach us things we’ll use at work, teach us things we’ll WANT to learn or at least give us some taste to do what we do. En gros, l’Université de Maurice merite de se reinventer!!

      We sadly evolve in a tertiary environment ruled by despotic minds. I’d have written you pages on same had i been convinced that my words would somehow matter here.. But our arguments, however valid they may be, flatly fail to convince those at the top. May I humbly blame you, lecturers & management, for having allowed things to happen this way. You’re jeopardizing our future, think about it..

      PROPOSALS:
      1. Revert to semester-based system, and that too asap.
      2. Provide for resit papers 1 month after the 1st attempt
      3. Trim down & review contents of modules + provide for hands-on practice (real practice like configuring a dummy server + working on it t implement whatever we need to..)
      4. Don’t act like robots and show some humanity towards us. Talk to us, share a joke or a cigarette, the way things are at Chambre de Commerce & D’Industrie
      5. Let’s do things together (like developing the CSE site, we could have helped and learnt too..)
      6. Get us involved in your research work (at least the basic parts)
      7. We know we are not as good or as performant as you would expect us to be, but please, we deserve a little share of respect too. Some lecturers make us feel like shit..

      (sorry for the harsh terms, but jst try to feel the frustration out here, sir. I (we?)however expect a reply from you nonetheless..)

      Respectfully Yours..

      Sundeep

      p.s: We’re NOT asking to be spoon-fed, we’re simply craving for opportunities..

    16. Hi all,

      Thanks for your replies. Like you and, also like many of my colleagues, I don’t like the yearly system.

      For your information, in some other departments, some programmes are being transformed back into semester-based programmes. I believe that, when the opportunity arises, we’ll do the same thing in CSE too… But this can only happen every 2-3 years and if we can justify the change and this depends, in a large measure, on you.

      Why don’t you massively participate in the student feedback exercise and voice out your opinion? I know that some of you think it’s not anonymous but I can guarantee you that it’s impossible for us, lecturers, to know who has written what.

      You should react on the issue of yearly modules, on the infrastructure, on the level and type of teaching, etc.

      You see, if you don’t react through the proper channel, nothing will ever change…

    17. The yearwise system as it is is like hell for CSE students… Most students are just learning by heart as much as they can (and most of the time just to attain pass marks..)…
      The yearwise modules would have worked if they were spanned over four years, reducing the number of modules per year… Then I think students would have come out at the end of the course saying they have learnt something during those university years, not just with some certificate in hand which they no longer have any idea of what it comprised… If the number of yearly modules could not be reduced, then falling back to the previous system of 6 semester wise modules would have been better… The way things are, like me and other friends mentioned on their blogs whatsoever, the students are not able to give their best, and knowing that they can’t exploit their full potential is frustrating and depressive too…

    19. I’ll tell you something. You are the clients. And if you are not satisfied with the product, then you have to make this known through all existing channels.

      It requires a lot of energy (not to say risk) to change something as complex as a degree programme admitting 100 students every year.

      But, I agree with you all, drastic changes are required…

    20. I propose many things, since our very first year we tried to make our voice heard, via the Student’s Union and also via the lecturer feedbacks, and the result was……..all courses became yearly!!!!!!!

      If not restoring the semester modules, or reduce number of modules to 4..i think a good and viable solution would be to at least give us the possibility to retake any resit on the first semester of the next academic year. I think this is not much asking..

    22. #1. Having one year long modules?

      Very bad system to say the least!!!! It’s not really yearly – they’ve just combined 2 modules and make it become one, and then say “Oh it’s a yearly module”…The materials are too bulky.
      Furthermore, in my opinion there is not a ‘logical flow’ about the contents of the module, I mean the way of teaching most of the modules is rather not properly connected. Sometimes I ask to myself if the modules are designed to really teach the students all the fundamentals required so that they can ‘fly’ on their own later on, or they are designed simply for the sake of delivering the necessary (preset) materials to the students!!! Does the university is aiming at producing professionals or trying in some ways to fail students?? You know, this is the kind of question that pops up from time to time when analyzing the situation closely…
      I think that the system is badly structured in someway or another. In many cases, the student doesn’t aim at learning more or to know more but rather he/she just want to get something (assignment perhaps) done. So it isn’t profitable for the student…you see what I mean…

      #2. Having exams at the end of the year only?
      Not good. Since the accumulation of materials is too consequent, there are too much to learn and retain. I think having exams at the end of each semester is a better scheme.

      #3. Having three hours long exams?
      No problem to me. A day consists of 24 hours…so it’s just one eighth of a day. For yearly modules, I think it’s just enough…not to much for sure!

      #4. Having six yearly modules per year?
      Here I think it’s a bad thing as well…just too much. I suppose the problem is with how the modules are spread out over the whole course. There is no proper balance or equilibrium in each level of study. For example, some modules in Level 2 could have been pushed in Level 3 and vice versa, etc…similar schemes should be devised to balance all the levels of study ‘well’!!! I think that this area deserves a lot of considerations and appropriate measures should be undertaken to alleviate this problem of ‘delivering the right module at the right time’.

    26. imho i dun fink the problem is whether the system is yearly or not, the problem is that UOM kept its old semester modules and simply merged 2 together to giv 1 yearly module. So UOM’s yearly system basically means having 1 exam for 2 semester modules. Very little has been done to restructure the modules and to rethink the way they should be taught.

      sandeep gave a good example, i mean, how is Programming Laguages related to algorithms?? these are two distinct semester modules and i do think that the results last year were the worst obtained for quite a few years!!

      Its fine to have a yearly module if it is being taught within a proper yearly system, and not the way UOM does it.

      The resit system should be reintroduced instead of the repeat and students having failed one yearly module should have the opportunity to retake the exams at the end of the semester, or even better, one month or so after results are out! Having sum1 retake 1 whole year is simply illogical!

      3hr long exams are manageable i fink, i remember taking exams for l’alliance francaise, and those were 4hr long…if i remember correctly. Its hard, its tiring, but it can be done.

      6 yearly modules per semester is a bit hard, especially since at UOM it means sitting for 12 semester modules at 1 go…4 or fives yearly modules would be cool!

      The number of students ain’t really an issue, we’re not kids, and we should be able to handle lectures done in the lecture theatre style with more than 100 students. As long as the lecturer is a capable one, its not a problem. But havinf tutorials with 15 or 20 students would be a useful addition coz it means personal contact wiv the lecturer, and the opportunity to ask questions and interact more…but having that system at UOM…lol..not a chance! Neither the students have the right mentality for it, nor do most of the lecturers, and neither would the administration want to be bothered to make arrangements for all this…

      I guess thats wat UOM is all about, we made the choice of coming here, so its basically tertiary education done in the secondary style wiv the typical backwards, adverse to change, mauritian mentality…

      u get wat u pay for…

    27. To Sundeep:

      Form a team of class representatives and send a collective letter to the Head to ask for a meeting with him and the coordinators. Send a copy of this letter to all coordinators. I guess this is the procedure to follow.

    29. Im 100% agreed with what Kevin said about CPA: “those people who are going to employ us in their company, they are going to see results, then performance afterwards”! But as we are “cobaye” of yearly system, we are ALREADY penalised and that is what is reflecting in our result slips today, poor CPA and for some of us, it is indeed very poor! I guess it will become poorer in comming months, lol!

      Noone at the top level at UoM administration is going to cater for us because they have successfully test the yearly system on us and they have achieved their results and objectives as well; facilitate their work! But as a consequence, we are enduring pain instead of learning! They just don’t care now as they are getting their monthly salaries as usual for easier tasks! As if we pay for pain at UoM!

      Most of us are against the yearly system since it is bullshit and need to be changed or restructured accordingly as mentioned above by my friends. But who are going to clean the shit that have ALREADY been split by the yearly system since its introduction at UoM???? Grrrrrr!

      One more thing that Im against, Computer science is mostly practical-based, so why examining the majority potention of a Computer scientist specially programming skill on a 3hrs WRITTEN paper at UoM???

    30. as avinash say and all of us a 3hr test is not the best case to eveluate a student. i myself i see i can program but find it very difficult to aprane par coeur like others.
      @ Vicks
      I think that the exeamnier is the one that gives u the greatest marks according to my supervisor. u say that u can program, mo pane trouve toi dans CSE programming contest. :-)

      @ eXtInCt
      Top sa my friend, i think that u r having the same probs as me. ki pou fr UOM fini penalise us know. try the best of urself.

      @ avinash
      Thanks for all the help, hope that the idea becomes true.

    32. Im a 2nd year CSE student and im the victim of that system too..its difficult to cope with.. Therz too much to study and revise before exams..i.e 2 times as much as semesterwise exams..many of us forgot whatever we have learnt in the first semester, and it takes som time to actually go through all of the first part once more and in addition to study wat we did in semester2 also.. Som modules are pretty bulky(e.g system software) and seems kind of impossible to revise all the chapters just b4 exams..

      At the end of the first semester we are very relax but as the end of 2nd semester approaches we get twice the amount of stress..without forgetting that we hav lots of tests and assignments to submit..we dnt hav much time to concentrate on revisions..

      Concerning the exams paper, it consists of 2 parts which are usually not really related, for instance the module CSE2004Y which consist of PL and Algo..i dnt see any link between the 2.. so why do them on the same paper??!!

      I wish we cud go back to the old system of semesterwise exams.. if DCDM and UTM are still doing it, y can’t we?? We UoM students, we r being penalized unfairly with those yearly exams.. and its tough to improve one’s CPA with yearly exams!

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