** boring alert **

Yesterday I handed in the first bit of coursework for this semester (2nd semester of 4th year of 5yr degree) and wondered what it was worth in terms of my entire degree. I sort of got carried away……………………………

I was told today that the programme specification (here) is not correct as the department has not “finalised” two of the mandatory courses for my final year. My year is the first to go through a new system so I suppose I should remind myself to encourage change even in light of problems that (over worked) department staff encounter but it still annoys me.

I dug up the degree info and knocked together a spreadsheet giving me what things are worth. This was emailed to Head of Civil Engineering Group, also my tutor, who put me straight on a forgivable, but incorrect, assumption. I figured the misfit extra 3 credits in year two from the geology trip over the summer would effectively be ignored by being put else where (less fat credits that semester if you like). A minor change to my spreadsheet and everything is correct, and everything is umpteen decimals long. Table 1 shows what each semester is worth based upon their weightings (nota bene: on placement in years two and four).

(Notes: yr2 sem1 has an extra 3 credits, ‘marks towards semester’ column is ‘uni credits’ x 100/6, ‘marks towards degree’ column is ‘unit credits’ x ‘marks towards semester’, ‘% of degree of semester’ column is ‘marks towards degree’ / 2015, ‘% of degree of 3 credit unit’ column is ‘% of degree of semester’ / (’unit credits’ / 3). Got it?)

From table 1 here is a chart showing what each of the years are worth:

The last column in table 1 gives a three credit unit (course) as a percentage of the entire degree (so double it for a six credit unit) for each semester. From this we get table 2: a list of courses in the final three semesters. I suppose it is callous of me to indicate my expectations of each course but things do change. This semester is testament to that as like what I expected to dislike and visa versa. Excuse the mystery courses 1 & 2 - hopefully rectified before we start the final year in seven months time.

I have shaded the options I do not intend taking.

It is now easy to see that the essay handed in yesterday is 1.042% of my degree:

1.737 x 60% = 1.042

Hence it follows that I have 65.955% of the degree left:

{ (Yr4 sem2) + (Yr5 sem1) + (Yr5 sem2) } - 1.046 = 65.955

That’s lots - lots to play for but very little time in which to play, err, as the next chart shows:

This chart is the percentage completed for each category. By ‘competency’ I am alluding to the value I place on the learning so far and the expectations of learning to come.

So when will I be at the half way mark? Well, technically it will be just before the last thing I hand in at the end of this semester as the fifth year is 49.628%. I think my natural building materials exam is the last one; therefore the halfway mark is 78.6% through that exam.

My dissertation is 12.470% of my degree. Yeah, I need to do well in that one. I think I might do a soap film and cotton thread interaction form finding type thing.