So, I got my results back and I should be happy. I got 71% for Tm352 and 70% for Tm470. I was surprised at the mark for TM352 because, as I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I felt that it was a "bit of a dog's breakfast". Not being sure that I understood all the questions, I didn't expect to do very well. The main thing that I felt I would fall down on was the analysis of Amazon AWS with regard to the network required. I ended up with a diagram that was pretty much the same as in the books but my description was liked and I scored quite well.
I was a bit disappointed with the TM470 result as I had previously sent it to the tutor for comment and he didn't really raise anything. The little he mentioned I addressed so I was a bit surprised to get 70%. However, the feeling is that if you get a bad result in the first TMA then you generally do well at the end. No one has said what happens when you get a good result so I will keep going.
OK let's move from the past to the now.
TM470
I am currently preparing for TMA 02. This just builds on TMA 01 but needs 4,000 words so the content is increasing. I have found a means of preparing for this. I have created a BLOG, where I try to explain what the project is all about. Thus, much of what I am writing there will be useful for the TMA. My project plan required me to have a structure to my project and I did this by describing an iterative process for the software build. I am currently at the end of Iteration 1 whereby I needed to have the basic network structure built with the static data installed in the database and displayable on a temporary web front end. I also needed to have a basic result from the decision engine - also displayable. This is all working now and can be tested on the project web site. The web site is HERE and the prototype software can be accessed HERE.
I guess you can see that I am comfortable with the current situation and expect to have the TMA completed on time for the 12th April.
TM352
This is a different kettle of fish. I was saying, in the last blog entry, that I thought that the course was lightweight. Well, I was wrong! Not my fault, I hasten to add. We are currently trying to build web apps for an Android phone. What they did for this block was to give us three parts that discussed mobile phones in the community. They then gave us one part on how to set up a project for a phone app and then one part to build one. This has resulted in an explosion of questions and cries for help across the whole student body on this course. I can't remember seeing so many forum posts about one part of a block or about a TMA.
Forget about the TMA, I can't get past part 5 of the block. We are being asked to construct an app that has a timer, a photo button and a map. I can do the first ones but cannot get the map to show. The problem is that they have given us a long Javascript program which I can read (being an experienced programmer) but they have given us no teaching on how this was constructed. Then they ask us to insert into this the code to make the map work without, it seems, much instruction on the whys and wherefores of how it all works. It seems a pity that they wasted 3 parts of the block chatting when this was coming up. I am completely stuck on this and time is running out. This TMA is due on the 13th April so it clashes horribly with the other one. The trouble is that the TMA builds on the project in the block and as I can't do the project........
There is one way out and it seems a bit of a cheat. I have 79% and 71% for my two previous TMAs. Add these together and average them over three TMAs and I have 50% for each. I only need 40% average to pass the TMA side so i could drop out of this TMA. There is a second part to it and that requires me coming up with a simple phone app, comparing it to others with the same functions and getting some potential customer feedback. This is worth 35% so if I do well on this and get some bits of the rest done I might climb up to 50% which would give me nearly 66% average. I could live with that but I shouldn't be having to mess around like this. The EMA is probably going to build on this but that doesn't conflict with a TM470 TMA and isn't due until June 1st so I could spend a good bit of time sorting this out.
Opinion so far on TM352 - very poorly constructed - too much time waffling and too big a jump in demands at the end. I will be happy with a grade 3 pass but I really ought to do better than that given my experience. Those two 70%+ results should have continued into the 3rd block to give me a 2 at the end but, there we are. Onwards and upwards!
Results and problems
So, I got my results back and I should be happy. I got 71% for Tm352 and 70% for Tm470. I was surprised at the mark for TM352 because, as I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I felt that it was a "bit of a dog's breakfast". Not being sure that I understood all the questions, I didn't expect to do very well. The main thing that I felt I would fall down on was the analysis of Amazon AWS with regard to the network required. I ended up with a diagram that was pretty much the same as in the books but my description was liked and I scored quite well.
I was a bit disappointed with the TM470 result as I had previously sent it to the tutor for comment and he didn't really raise anything. The little he mentioned I addressed so I was a bit surprised to get 70%. However, the feeling is that if you get a bad result in the first TMA then you generally do well at the end. No one has said what happens when you get a good result so I will keep going.
OK let's move from the past to the now.
TM470
I am currently preparing for TMA 02. This just builds on TMA 01 but needs 4,000 words so the content is increasing. I have found a means of preparing for this. I have created a BLOG, where I try to explain what the project is all about. Thus, much of what I am writing there will be useful for the TMA. My project plan required me to have a structure to my project and I did this by describing an iterative process for the software build. I am currently at the end of Iteration 1 whereby I needed to have the basic network structure built with the static data installed in the database and displayable on a temporary web front end. I also needed to have a basic result from the decision engine - also displayable. This is all working now and can be tested on the project web site. The web site is HERE and the prototype software can be accessed HERE.
I guess you can see that I am comfortable with the current situation and expect to have the TMA completed on time for the 12th April.
TM352
This is a different kettle of fish. I was saying, in the last blog entry, that I thought that the course was lightweight. Well, I was wrong! Not my fault, I hasten to add. We are currently trying to build web apps for an Android phone. What they did for this block was to give us three parts that discussed mobile phones in the community. They then gave us one part on how to set up a project for a phone app and then one part to build one. This has resulted in an explosion of questions and cries for help across the whole student body on this course. I can't remember seeing so many forum posts about one part of a block or about a TMA.
Forget about the TMA, I can't get past part 5 of the block. We are being asked to construct an app that has a timer, a photo button and a map. I can do the first ones but cannot get the map to show. The problem is that they have given us a long Javascript program which I can read (being an experienced programmer) but they have given us no teaching on how this was constructed. Then they ask us to insert into this the code to make the map work without, it seems, much instruction on the whys and wherefores of how it all works. It seems a pity that they wasted 3 parts of the block chatting when this was coming up. I am completely stuck on this and time is running out. This TMA is due on the 13th April so it clashes horribly with the other one. The trouble is that the TMA builds on the project in the block and as I can't do the project........
There is one way out and it seems a bit of a cheat. I have 79% and 71% for my two previous TMAs. Add these together and average them over three TMAs and I have 50% for each. I only need 40% average to pass the TMA side so i could drop out of this TMA. There is a second part to it and that requires me coming up with a simple phone app, comparing it to others with the same functions and getting some potential customer feedback. This is worth 35% so if I do well on this and get some bits of the rest done I might climb up to 50% which would give me nearly 66% average. I could live with that but I shouldn't be having to mess around like this. The EMA is probably going to build on this but that doesn't conflict with a TM470 TMA and isn't due until June 1st so I could spend a good bit of time sorting this out.
Opinion so far on TM352 - very poorly constructed - too much time waffling and too big a jump in demands at the end. I will be happy with a grade 3 pass but I really ought to do better than that given my experience. Those two 70%+ results should have continued into the 3rd block to give me a 2 at the end but, there we are. Onwards and upwards!