SOFT6007 Autumn Repeat

The repeat assessment for Web Development Fundamentals will be held on September 6 2010 at 0930 in IT 1.3

SOFT6008 Repeat

The repeat for this module is project based.

The specification is now available.

Details of how and when to submit will be posted later.

SOFT6007 Repeat Autumn 2010

The repeat assessment for this module will be an in-class lab exam. This assessment will be worth 100%.

This assessment will not be organized by the exams office, so it will not appear on your timetable. For details of the time and location of this assessment students should check this blog closer to the date.

So far the expected date is in the first week of September.

SOFT6008 Review

This module was not a big success. Many students struggled right from the beginning and never really got on top of things. I think they many have lacked the required programming skills coming into the module. The results for this module were disappointing but not surprising. I haven't yet figured out what I will do differently next year to improve matters.

Many students did not attend class often enough. There is not a lot I can do about that.

We should have dealt more with the Document Object Model and modifying CSS properties. I don't think we did enough of that. Next time this module is offered I will try to get more of that in.

I believe that a small number of students cheated. Some withdrew their submissions and some others had their work referred to the Registrar's office for further investigation. Continuous Assessment is a much better form of assessment for some subjects. However it can be easily undermined by cheating. At present at CIT the consequences of cheating are so few, that the cost-benefit balance makes cheating profitable, in the main. I think the tide is turning, however, and perhaps word will get out that cheating is riskier than students think.

SOFT6007 Review

I was pleased with how SOFT6007 went this year. I think I and the other lecturers teaching on the module to other students did a better job of it this year than last. We also did a good job of ensuring that all the students taking the module did much the same.

I think the assessments this year were more realistic and provided enough of a challenge to the students while still being easy enough to do. I got much more CSS done this year than last year. I had been kind of avoiding it a bit up to now, but if it absolutely necessary that students learn CSS early. I think we did just the right amount of JavaScript.

I found that I progressed very quickly at the start of the semester. But although I was making great progress, I did not bring all the students with me. I will have to watch that in future, and take it slower at the beginning. I think I will have to be stricter on attendance next year. Attendance is the key to success for a module like this.

The results were poor. Students that passed did very well indeed, but they were few. The evening class did better, but that is not surprising. Evening students are a self selected sample and they can drop a class more easily. So that alone can account for the difference. However there was a marked difference in worth ethic also. This year's COM1 class is probably the least interested group of Computing students I have ever encountered.

I believe that a number of students cheated on Assessment 3 for this module. I did not have sufficient evidence to refer the issue to the registrar's office. I might, however, have fewer open lab based assessments in future. I will certainly have to watch students more closely if I do.

SOFT6007 EV Week 12

We an an in-class assessment

This was our last class for this module. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you all properly.

Good luck with your plans for the future

SOFT6007 Assessment 2

This screen shot shows the list of Assessment 2 submissions that I have to date. If you submitted, but your folder does not appear here please e-mail me.

SOFT6007 Class 45

We used this class time for student hand ups of Assessment 3. There were may fewer submissions than I was expecting.

After today Assessment 3 will be late. Students should try to find me in person or should e-mail me a zipped version of their site.

There will be no labs this week. There will be no lecture on Friday morning.

SOFT6008 Class 48

We used class time for students to hand up Assessment 2.

I advised students that anyone who wanted to withdraw their submission for Assignment 1 was free to do so.

I also advised students that as part of the assessment process some students might be asked to meet with me and go through the code they wrote.

SOFT6008 Classes 45, 46, & 47

Monday was a holiday

SOFT6007 Class 44

[Friday 30 April]
Students worked on Assessment 2.

Most were running their code through the validator. Ensuring that code in compliant is probably the most useful things students can do with their time at this stage.

Some issues that came up:
Google maps will generate bad code. As long as the rest of the page is otherwise compliant it's OK
Colin's sample form is very shabby. Code modeled on it will also be shabby, but this is OK


ALL the other pages should validate and be 100% strict xhtml 1.0. If the validator is happy, I'm happy. If it is not, I am not.

SOFT6007 Class 42 & 43 A

We had an in-class assessment

SOFT6007 Class 42 & 43

We had an in class assessment.


SOFT6007 COM Group B Assessment 3

SOFT6008 Assessment 1 Submissions

This PDF shows all the SOFT6007 Assessment 2 submissions I have received to date.

If you submitted this assessment and it is not on the list please send me an e-mail.

Does anyone want to claim ownership of "AAA"?

SOFT6007 Assessment 2 Submissions

This PDF shows all the SOFT6007 Assessment 2 submissions I have received to date.

If you submitted this assessment and it is not on the list please send me an e-mail.

SOFT6007 EV Week 11

We looked at the coins example.

I asked students to do a variation of this where the coins are thrown twice. If the fist throw is the same as the second the player wins.

Some students continued to work on Assessment 2. I worked with them until 2035 at which time I asked them to submit or defer until next week.

SOFT6007 Class 41

We looked at the coins example and students wrote a variation of it as an exercise.

SOFT6008 Class 44x

We had an extra class in C128 at 1800

SOFT6007 Class 41

We looked at coins.html

I specified a variation and asked student to write the code for it.

SOFT6008 Class 44

Following discussions with the class we opted for an out of class assessment for assessment 2.

There will be an extra class at 1800 for students who want it.