Was Semesterisation a Good or Bad thing??

p1akuw47h5r3it · 23-03-2010 8:03pm #1

Not sure if this has been debated before but...

Did u prefer the way TCD was last year. I'm a freshman so I have no experience of last year but personally I hate the way the year is done in TCD. I'm a BSL student so I basically got no study week as a result of exams which is really **** and unfair in my opinion.

I also hate the way there is no Christmas exams, resulting in you being tested in things in May that you did back in November.

But anyway what do you think??

ninebeanrows · 23-03-2010 8:07pm

Pointless when there are no christmas/summer exams, all it does is make everything crammed into 2 11 week segments and it simply isn't enough time.

As has been the case you simply end up with a load of assignments to hand in around March and then loads of exams.

Seems stupid.

andrew · 23-03-2010 8:11pm

Bad. Reading week exams can go fuck right off.

electrogrimey · 23-03-2010 8:47pm

I wouldn't know, seeing as Trinity hasn't been semesterised. Put in Christmas exams, and it'd be brilliant. At the moment it's a joke. DCU is showing us up in this regard.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 23-03-2010 8:57pm

electrogrimey wrote: »

I wouldn't know, seeing as Trinity hasn't been semesterised. Put in Christmas exams, and it'd be brilliant. At the moment it's a joke. DCU is showing us up in this regard.

Well watever the new format is called...wat is the proper name for it??

Larianne · 23-03-2010 9:10pm

Too much cramming. You can see lecturers skipping over stuff in lectures to fit everything in.

Boo.

A Neurotic · 23-03-2010 11:21pm

Seems like my course (Medicine) is one of very few to be properly semesterised. I was examined on last semester's material last semester. I have 4 exams (including a short MCQ) this semester. Makes sense.

It seems plain stupid that this isn't the case for the vast majority of courses.

ronivek · 23-03-2010 11:22pm

The lack of Christmas exams is a failure of epic proportions. It wouldn't be so bad if they then "took it easy" on you in the second semester; but instead they cram everything in and as is the norm don't set your final pieces of coursework until the last two ****ing weeks of term.

Lecturers will point to university degrees being in part an examination of a student's ability to manage their time alongside all the academic buzzwords that makes the educator types go weak at the knees; not that there are many educators within the ranks of the TCD staff...

In reality however; the way it's structured at the moment is less an examination of your time management skills and an examination of how much you can forget over a 20 week period and then cram back in in the 17 hours they've given you between your two worst subject's exams.

Bitter? Me? Never...

BlueCam · 24-03-2010 12:34am

electrogrimey wrote: »

I wouldn't know, seeing as Trinity hasn't been semesterised. Put in Christmas exams, and it'd be brilliant. At the moment it's a joke. DCU is showing us up in this regard.

It has been. Semesterization only refers to teaching terms, not to exam/summer terms which every college has even if it doesn't name them. You may also be confusing semesterization with modularization, which you would be correct in saying has not happened.

Mountain_Surfer · 24-03-2010 5:54pm

In a couple of words, Bad thing.

Various reasons, the loss of holidays between Hilary and Trinity terms (meaning there is only one ski trip per year as opposed to the traditional 2), the shambles of exams being after semester 2 rather than after both semesters, the change of Schols, the fact that we are not in college for Trinity Term any more, the loss of sunny Pav Fridays because term ends earlier meaning it is not as bright late on or as warm... I could continue but I should really get back to an assignment

Craguls · 25-03-2010 9:44am

Science was semesterised last year so things have been running pretty smoothly this year; we get MCQ's each term marks from lab reports etc etc.I'm fairly pleased anyway, that said I'm in a better position than most people having sat all my subjects at LC level.

AFAIK there's a SU referendum coming up soon about Christmas Exams so they could be brought in as early as third year. (Turn around over Christmas seems a little unlikely)

Steve Higginson · 25-03-2010 10:18am

There's a survey on the SU website about this very topic. The responses it gets are what the Union will be telling college what to do, so if you haven't responded to it yet take five minutes to do it now: http://www.tcdsu.org/index.php?s=1&p=212

Denerick · 25-03-2010 10:50am

I think complaining about it is in vain - one cannot stand in the way of an Americanised, mediocre Academic future. It's the way of our world. Poor old Trinity might try to hold on to our old and glorious institutions, but considering the shoddy state of its student society elite and SU political corruption, I think we deserve to be on the same level as UCD. Trinity doesn't deserve a place on the pantheon of great universities. Not anymore anyway.

gaeilgeboy · 25-03-2010 12:50pm

Craguls wrote: »

AFAIK there's a SU referendum coming up soon about Christmas Exams so they could be brought in as early as third year. (Turn around over Christmas seems a little unlikely)

Word travels quickly, it seems! Yeah, the SU are bringing a referrendum asking if people want them to campaign for Christmas exams:

“Do you support the Students’ Union to campaign on the ‘Semesterised Examinations Policy’?

‘Semesterised Examinations Policy’
The current annual examination structure should be replaced with a fully semesterised structure, where workload, assessment and examinations will be evenly distributed between the two teaching terms.

Christmas examinations would be introduced in an effort to reduce the workload at the end of the academic year.

This will be applicable to all courses and modules unless it is determined, in discussions with College authorities, that the quality of the course would be negatively impacted upon (e.g. professional accreditation, placement, practical and final year project modules, etc.).

Any changes to the timing and structure of the Supplemental and Foundation Scholarship examinations as a result of replacing the current annual examination structure should preserve the idea of balanced workload.”

gearoidof · 25-03-2010 12:56pm

I was investigating how they do it in europe, and an example I found which I liked was:

7 weeks college, 1 week study, 1 week exams.
Rinse wash repeat, and that's your semester.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 25-03-2010 1:10pm

Craguls wrote: »

Science was semesterised last year so things have been running pretty smoothly this year; we get MCQ's each term marks from lab reports etc etc.I'm fairly pleased anyway, that said I'm in a better position than most people having sat all my subjects at LC level.

Oh great so I'll have 1 year were I have crimbo exams!!!

AFAIK there's a SU referendum coming up soon about Christmas Exams so they could be brought in as early as third year. (Turn around over Christmas seems a little unlikely)

Oh great so I'll have 1 year were I have crimbo exams!!!

Steve Higginson wrote: »

There's a survey on the SU website about this very topic. The responses it gets are what the Union will be telling college what to do, so if you haven't responded to it yet take five minutes to do it now: http://www.tcdsu.org/index.php?s=1&p=212

ye the survey is were I got the idea for thread though thanks for the link

gearoidof wrote: »

I was investigating how they do it in europe, and an example I found which I liked was:

7 weeks college, 1 week study, 1 week exams.
Rinse wash repeat, and that's your semester.

That's the way i thought it was done aswell!!!

Craguls · 25-03-2010 3:19pm

Denerick wrote: »

I think complaining about it is in vain - one cannot stand in the way of an Americanised, mediocre Academic future. It's the way of our world. Poor old Trinity might try to hold on to our old and glorious institutions, but considering the shoddy state of its student society elite and SU political corruption, I think we deserve to be on the same level as UCD. Trinity doesn't deserve a place on the pantheon of great universities. Not anymore anyway.

You took the SU bait within an hour, I'm impressed.

gaeilgeboy wrote: »

Word travels quickly, it seems! Yeah, the SU are bringing a referrendum asking if people want them to campaign for Christmas exams:

Aoibheann linked me to the agenda. She wanted me to run for EC and become a bigger hack.

DanDan6592 wrote: »

Oh great so I'll have 1 year were I have crimbo exams!!!

BSL degrees are 4 years are they not? You'd have Christmas exams in JS and SS then.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 25-03-2010 5:33pm

Craguls wrote: »

BSL degrees are 4 years are they not? You'd have Christmas exams in JS and SS then.

Ye but I'm in Russia in 3rd year!!

Mark200 · 25-03-2010 6:15pm

gaeilgeboy wrote: »

Word travels quickly, it seems! Yeah, the SU are bringing a referrendum asking if people want them to campaign for Christmas exams:

When's that referendum going to take place?

Steve Higginson · 26-03-2010 10:14am

Mark200 wrote: »

When's that referendum going to take place?

The last week of teaching this term, dates to be confirmed. Details should be in next week's SU email.

antiselfdual · 26-03-2010 11:07am

Why do people find it so much harder to remember material from October and November for exams in May now than they did during the good old days of the previous term structure?

p1akuw47h5r3it · 26-03-2010 11:37am

antiselfdual wrote: »

Why do people find it so much harder to remember material from October and November for exams in May now than they did during the good old days of the previous term structure?

I may be wrong about this but I thought before this year there was Christmas exams.

So for example a person doing a module in Maths and Stats would get a Christmas exam in Maths and then a summer exam in Stats...Not a summer exam in both??

gaeilgeboy · 26-03-2010 5:08pm

DanDan6592 wrote: »

I may be wrong about this but I thought before this year there was Christmas exams.

Not for Mathematics or Physics students after first year. We only had Summer Exams.

antiselfdual wrote: »

Why do people find it so much harder to remember material from October and November for exams in May now than they did during the good old days of the previous term structure?

On that point though, Chris, before we had 6 full year courses, so the material in the first and second semesters were closely related. This year, we don't necessarily have 6 courses split in two. I think I'm doing 10 different courses between full and half year courses.

antiselfdual · 26-03-2010 8:52pm

DanDan6592 wrote: »

I may be wrong about this but I thought before this year there was Christmas exams.

So for example a person doing a module in Maths and Stats would get a Christmas exam in Maths and then a summer exam in Stats...Not a summer exam in both??

Oh well not college wide, I can see how it would be annoying if a degree had Christmas exams in some courses and then had them taken away.

I'm just a bit meh about the idea of bringing them where they weren't before, I think they'd just encourage shorter-term retention of course material. I am biased as the majority of courses I've taken need a full year to actually get into a subject properly and I can't see the point of examining them half-way through... I can vaguely empathise with Cathal's point though, but still not sure in general. Also the idea of coming to college, having 12 weeks leading up to exams, then a short break, then another 12 weeks leading up to exams is just really unappealing... (and I'd like to think that if Christmas exams had been brought in this year people would be complaining about them being too rushed/crammed/different/new anyway).

And Cathal you can't use my real name here, this is the Internet.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 27-03-2010 11:46am

gaeilgeboy wrote: »

Not for Mathematics or Physics students after first year. We only had Summer Exams.

Well I was talking more about Business students as it's the course I do but thanks for the info:)

antiselfdual wrote: »

Oh well not college wide, I can see how it would be annoying if a degree had Christmas exams in some courses and then had them taken away.

I'm just a bit meh about the idea of bringing them where they weren't before, I think they'd just encourage shorter-term retention of course material. I am biased as the majority of courses I've taken need a full year to actually get into a subject properly and I can't see the point of examining them half-way through... I can vaguely empathise with Cathal's point though, but still not sure in general. Also the idea of coming to college, having 12 weeks leading up to exams, then a short break, then another 12 weeks leading up to exams is just really unappealing... (and I'd like to think that if Christmas exams had been brought in this year people would be complaining about them being too rushed/crammed/different/new anyway).

And Cathal you can't use my real name here, this is the Internet.

Well I was under the impression that Christmas exams were there last year?? I'm a first year so I don't know!!!

But on ur point about having long year courses fair enough, but what if you dont??!!

Should there not be Christmas exams for those subjects that are only thought up to the first semester??

Craguls · 27-03-2010 2:28pm

DanDan6592 wrote: »

Well I was under the impression that Christmas exams were there last year?? I'm a first year so I don't know!!!

As far as I'm aware, save for a select few courses Trinity never really had proper Christmas exams. Instead they'd class tests usually only worth about 5% as part of CA.

DanDan6592 wrote: »

Should there not be Christmas exams for those subjects that are only thought up to the first semester??

That line of thinking would probably work best. As for my own situation I know that next year I'll have to sit eight hour and a half biology exams as the courses only run half a semester each. As you can imagine I'd much prefer four and four but meh I'll manage I guess.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 27-03-2010 6:22pm

Craguls wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, save for a select few courses Trinity never really had proper Christmas exams. Instead they'd class tests usually only worth about 5% as part of CA.

That line of thinking would probably work best. As for my own situation I know that next year I'll have to sit eight hour and a half biology exams as the courses only run half a semester each. As you can imagine I'd much prefer four and four but meh I'll manage I guess.

Well that is really ****!!:mad:

as is that!!!!
:eek::eek:

Kwekubo · 28-03-2010 9:00pm

Craguls wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, save for a select few courses Trinity never really had proper Christmas exams. Instead they'd class tests usually only worth about 5% as part of CA.

That really depended on your course. In some of our subjects the Christmas exams were worth 30% of the grade for the year.

Jonathan · 28-03-2010 9:05pm

Computer and Electronic Engineering was fully semesterised and has now gone back to having all the exams at the end of year.

Denerick · 30-03-2010 12:19pm

I've only ever had one Christmas exam, and it was worth 0.5% of my overall mark. Arts courses by and large don't 'do' X-mas.

p1akuw47h5r3it · 30-03-2010 12:26pm

Denerick wrote: »

I've only ever had one Christmas exam, and it was worth 0.5% of my overall mark. Arts courses by and large don't 'do' X-mas.

Bahahaha

Lucky i do Business then!

Tar.Aldarion · 30-03-2010 10:10pm

Jonathan wrote: »

Computer and Electronic Engineering was fully semesterised and has now gone back to having all the exams at the end of year.

That would suck so much. If I didn't have exams in elec+comp at christmas of second year in NUIG we would have had 16/17 exams in summer.

Was Semesterisation a Good or Bad thing??

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