CMOD6001 Week 03 - Lab DNET

We started at 12.15 because Colin was a bit confused about where he was supposed to be.

Students worked on getting the bulk of their job exercise done and dusted.

Handouts: 6, 63 (for later use)

BBADMIN3 Web Apps Week 03 - Class 1 A

I got assigned this module at short notice so I wasn't very well prepared.

I introduced myself, but there were actually very few student in class to meet.

Each student started a blog at blogger.com. Students will be expected to make at least one blog entry per week. The entry can be about anything.

CMOD6001 COM1 Week 02 - Class 02

Students discussed their job description assignments in small groups.

I talked briefly about the Learning Resource Centre.

I reminded students that they must make a blog entry every week.

Handouts 4 & 5. Students discussed parts that they fely most applied to them. We wrapped up at 0945 because no one was prepared to discuss anything.

CMOD6001 Week 02 - Lab DCOM

Each student set up a blog at blogger.com

CMOD6001 DCOM/DNET Week 02 - Class 2

For the first part of the class students worked in groups on their job assignments and outlined to other members of their group what they have figured out so far.

I explained about the Learning resource Centre. Details on request.

Handouts 4 & 5. Students read the handouts and each didentified one thing that they felt applied most to them.

CMOD6001 DCOM/DNET Week 02 - Class 1

We played RizLa with name tags so students could get to know each others names.

CMOD6001 Week 02 Lab ITS

Each student set up a blog. Many students did this last week already, but some came to CIT class for the first time today.

CMOD6001 COM1 Week 02 - Class 1

Class was canceled at 1317. Only half of the class turned up, but the plan for today was a group exercise that required the whole class to be present. Those students that were present had their attendance recorded as present, all other student were marked absent.

CMOD6001 Week 02 - Lab DNET

Each student set up a blog at blogger.com

CMOD6001 COM1 Week 02 - Lab A

Each student set up a blog at blogger

CMOD6001 Attendance

10%/60% of the project mark will go for attendance. Students are expected to attend every class. The grade for attendance will be calculated as follows. If A is the percentage of classes a student attends then the grade will be (A - 45)*2. Up to a maximum of 100%. If a student attends 60% of the classes the grade for attendance will be 30%. A 95% attendance rate is sufficient to get a 100% grade.

This grade forms part of the project mark.

CMOD6001 Blogs

Each student is expected to make at least one serious blog entry per week. 10% of the final grade for this module will go for the personal blog. The blog mark will be calculated as follows: If the number of weeks an entry is made is W then the mark is (w-5)*20, up to a maximum of 100% and a minimum of 0%. For example 5 weeks is worth zero. 6 weeks is worth 20%. 8 weeks 60%. The quality and size of the entries may be considered also. Entries that are too short might not count. But students who take this exercise serioulsy should not have any problems

This grade forms part of the project mark.

A list of the blogs is at http://mcom.cit.ie/staff/computing/cmanning/com2009-blogs.html

CMOD6001 COM1 Week 02 - Lab B

Each student set up a blog at blogger.com. Students should e-mail the URL of their blogs to Colin.

CMOD6001

Talked about Erasmus and RPL.

Worked through example job spec for Assignment 1

Bad Opening Week

This week was not a great start to the semester. Things were all over the shop. [Insert whinge]. This was probably a week when I really needed blog entries to keep clear in my head what I did with which class. But with fractions of classes having fractions of their classes I think I will just start afresh next week.

Some notes though
CMOD6001 DNET/DCOM gave hello talk. explained Erasmus. gave out assignment 1
CMOD6001 COM gave hello talk.
CMOD6001 ITS set up student blogs

COMP6026 Don't even know if this is going to run. Had 2 students and now only 1 by the look of things

Web Publishing Exam Friday

The Web Publishing Exam will be on Friday 4 September at 1400.

It will be a closed book, written exam. It is worth 30% of the overall mark.

Location: check back later

SOFT6008 Assessments Due Friday

Just a reminder that the assessments are due tomorrow. The standard CIT late policy applies. It it's late 10% is subtracted (e.g. 55-10 = 45). If it's more than 1 week late 20% is subtracted (e.g. 55-20 = 35).

The penalty is the same for being 1 day late or 6 days late.

More than 2 weeks late gets zero.

Learning Support Centre

The learning support centre is open over the summer. It offers free help with maths and programming.

http://learningsupport.cit.ie

BCCAD

On my way to the CCAD degree show last Friday I walked past the now empty Beamish & Crawford brewery. I had an interesting thought. The brewery would make a wonderful new home for the art college. Heineken might be interested in turning the bad news story of the closure into a good news story. And it would continue the history of patronage. Afterall the Crawford in Crawford College of Art & Design is the same one as in Beamish & Crawford.

Met with External Examiners

I met with external examiners earlier in the week. I was very impressed with how thorough they were, despite have lots to get though and things being a bit disorganized. Over the years I have become accustomed to external examiners being interested only in my passing as many students as possible. They have usually only been interested in students' marks and have rarely taken an interest in their actual work. I have for a number of years now considered external examiners to be an important part of the conspiracy of mediocrity that pervades higher education in Ireland.

This year the externs wanted access to all of the students' work, and if that wasn't practical, at least, representative samples. I was quite embarrassed because I wasn't prepared for this. I was able to put my hand on anything the externs wanted to see, but I should really have at it available for them to browse at their leisure. As usual they were interested in students that were hovering around the threshold of passing or not. In the past this was invariably because they felt that anyone within an ass's roar of 35% should be looked at again, and I would find myself having to defend each fail mark. I have to confess that slowly over time I became accustomed to just dragging those extremely weak student across the finish line in order to save myself the hassle.

This year it was clear that I had set the standard too low. I was attempting to pass students that I knew didn't really deserve it. The good thing is, that I was caught red handed. This was embarrassing, but the best outcome none the less. It's good to know that in the future when I try to uphold the minimum standard there will be some stake holders there to support my efforts, rather than undermine them. Overall this has been an annus horribilis for standards and academic integrity at CIT. For the first time in months I am guardedly optimistic.

Next year I think I will give the external examiners access to student work as the semester goes along. This will save time, but it might also allow me to get some useful feedback more quickly.