Exams

Darkbloom

Grimes wrote:

Well personally I have the exams month cleared of all commitments and i would assume most serious students would have done the same. But sure any excuse to claim to be screwed over by the college.

As a Masters student who has to start into a major project pretty much the minute she's finished exams, I take particular offence to your dig about serious students. They've messed up here. End of story.

griffdaddy

Steibhin wrote:

How do you know that? I spent 4 years in NUI, Galway and have never experienced delays like this. I think its unacceptable, but it is interesting to see that they are students so willing to defend the College admin. They obviously have very low standards and expectations for this University. Yes the sun will still rise tomorrow if the timetable is delayed (again..) but I still still think I deserve better for the money I am paying.

NUI Galway is neither the biggest university in the state, nor is it in the process of implementing one of the biggest shifts in its academic structure in the history of its existence. I don't have low standards and expectations for this university, quiet the opposite. I've been nothing but 100% satisfied with how my course has progressed so far, i've had nothing major to complain about, I'm incredibly happy with the two departments I study under, I've been relatively happy with all aspects of administration. Perhaps it's not that I have very low standards and expectations, rather perhaps it's that others have little to worry about if this is such a controversy that it whips them up into a frenzy of protest and victimisation. I went to arguably reputation-wise the two best secondary schools in the state, there were similar problems in both, late exam results etc. No-one demanded their money back or anything, they just got on with it. Organising something for a huge amount of people, particularly during a period of change is never going to be as easy some of the people here would like to think it is. The way some people are moaning you'd swear they're doing it vindictively or something. Grimes is right, what's the big ****ing deal?

beanyb

Griffdaddy I'm glad that you've experience no problems with your course and departments but that is by no means the case for everybody. The frustration about timetables isnt merely based on the fact that we dont have timetables. It's the result of being screwed over by UCD admin again and again and just being incredibly sick of it at this stage.

Horizons is no excuse for incompetence. The system shouldnt have been implemented at all if they hadnt prepared for the possibility of maybe having to organise exams. You know, that thing that they do every May. It's their job to organise things like this, so it should be done on time.

rainbow kirby

beanyb wrote:

It's the result of being screwed over by UCD admin again and again and just being incredibly sick of it at this stage.

Horizons is no excuse for incompetence. The system shouldnt have been implemented at all if they hadnt prepared for the possibility of maybe having to organise exams.

QFMFT.

Stepherunie

With all due respect to Griffdaddy and Grimes and your arguments that they've had a big academic shake up and stuff but I'm not modularised. I don't do horizons or have electives. I don't see why non modularised students should be having such issues. They're timetables shouldn't be a mess like this, modularisation has caused huge issues with timetabling but it should be pretty much standard for all 3rd and 4th years because most things are running in a similar vein to previous years. Thus there excuses for not having timetables up are, in my opinion, null and void with regard to these years.

I didn't sign up to modularisation, I didn't sign up for doing my exams,being told I can get results one date and then having to wait over 3 months from the date of my last exam to the date I received the results of those exams even though they had been corrected and returned from the external examiner over a month and a half prior to that.

I didn't sign up for constant course revisions and the like but I got those too. Now in a way it's great because I've ended up in a course where the final two years have become uniquely tailored to my class and this course will never be done again but in others I wonder has the quality of my degree suffered in comparison to other years due to this.

So modularise away, implement new procedures, new systems, new ideals, but give students and the importance of exams and information the respect they deserve rather than useless bureaucracy.

And people wonder why applications to UCD went down this year.

Darkbloom

UCD provide us with a service. I earned my place here, I pay my fees. Three week delays would be unacceptable from any other service. I do envy those whose lives are so engagement-free that they can shrug off these issues and look down on the rest of us for having jobs, holidays, family celebrations or indeed lives of any sort.

griffdaddy

Stepherunie wrote:

With all due respect to Griffdaddy and Grimes and your arguments that they've had a big academic shake up and stuff but I'm not modularised. I don't do horizons or have electives. I don't see why non modularised students should be having such issues. They're timetables shouldn't be a mess like this, modularisation has caused huge issues with timetabling but it should be pretty much standard for all 3rd and 4th years because most things are running in a similar vein to previous years. Thus there excuses for not having timetables up are, in my opinion, null and void with regard to these years.

But by having to concentrate on a majority modular students it means that there isn't as much time to concentrate on non-modular students, and also, jsut because you're not modularised doesn't necessarily mean you have priority over those who are.
I don't really think this argument in general is gonna go anywhere, some people are outraged, I personally think those people are being reactionary and ridiculous. I have an essay to write and JSTOR just picked an apt time to expose its shítness to me so i'm not gonna comment any further on this for the meantime. Maybe they'll make it up to you all with a really nice exam timetable, and what's been taking them so long is that they've been interviewing everyone in our personal life and trying to work out a timetable that suits us in every way

Stepherunie

A large proportion of the student population are still non modularised. They should be taken into account end of. We've been treated in a fairly shoddy manner by UCD since modularisation came in and for once it'd be really nice if we actually were treated with some respect.

Actually if that did occur I think I'd have an M.I.

Oh and everyone has work to do. I've done 50 lectures in 2 weeks and I've got two weeks to prepare for my exams because mine are being held in review week. And one week of that prep time I'm on clinical.

Steibhin

griffdaddy wrote:

NUI Galway is neither the biggest university in the state, nor is it in the process of implementing one of the biggest shifts in its academic structure in the history of its existence.

I don't see either of those factors as an excuse. Okay UCD is a little bigger (circa 22,000 Vs 15,000) but presumably they will have more staff and recourses as a result. This shift in structure has been undertaken by other Third Level institutions in the past with far less trouble. Its a convient line to cover up ineptitude and laziness in the admin. Its really isn't rocket science. We pay big money to go to this college and have a Exams section who are incapable of producing a exams timetable on time.

I have to tell my employers when I can start working this summers. A few days here and there will make a big difference to me financially. I am delighted that your course is going so well for you. Mine has been a big disappointment and has been compouned by the poor performance of admin in relation to many issues, not just exams.

dirtydress

Stepherunie makes a good point, a LOT of us arn't modularised and seem to be paying the most for all this restructuring. For some of us it's our final year and to be honest, things should be going absolutely as smoothly as possible for us. Instead we seem to be getting the worst of it all. At Christmas many departments gave final years their grades last while first and second years got to enjoy (or regret!) theirs at the end of January..on the official release date, do third years not matter? Personally my Sociology results came out in March. Quite long after the "official" date we were told they would be out. My past two years here have run much more smoothly with timetables out at least earlier than 3 weeks before we start. The admins just don't seem to want to help us out at all, forgetting about those of us who are not under their new super-duper modularisation.
That being said, those of us in final year will bitch and moan but come June we're done and nothing will really be done about all these disruptions unfortunately. I'd also love to see what the Union are doing to ensure the timetables do come out by the end of the day.

Stabshauptmann

Grimes wrote:

yeah the two above posters are right. No point in attacking UCd about this. The timetables will be out today at some stage. Whats the problem?

are you a betting man?

besty

This continued incompetence on the part of the UCD Admin. is nearly comical.

T'would be even more comical if it weren't my finals.

emeraldstar

besty wrote:

This continued incompetence on the part of the UCD Admin. is nearly comical.

T'would be even more comical if it weren't my finals.

yep, tis a joke, but not a ha ha one

griffdaddy

I bet they'll be out after seven on both the sis website and the ucd.ie/exams website, i'd also say that if the server is busy tonight, please wait until after 10am tomorrow morning!

emeraldstar

Provisional Examination Timetables
Provisional examination timetables will be available from 7pm on Monday the 23rd of April via the Assessment and Logistics website at: http://www.ucd.ie/exams/.


hmmmmmm


Important points to note:
1. Please note that this timetable is provisional and is subject to change. We will contact you to let you know when it is final.
2. If you notice a ‘clash’ in your schedule (ie if you are timetabled to sit two or more exams at the same time), please do not worry – this will be resolved automatically for you.
3. A small number of students have been scheduled for more than 6 hours of examinations in one day. If this is the case for you, please do not take any action at this time – the timetabling team is reviewing these cases.
4. Due to the possibility of a high demand on the server this evening, the system may become temporarily unavailable for some users. If this happens, please stop trying to gain access and try again after 10am on Tuesday the 24th of April.

Jonny Arson

emeraldstar wrote:

Provisional Examination Timetables
Provisional examination timetables will be available from 7pm on Monday the 23rd of April via the Assessment and Logistics website at: http://www.ucd.ie/exams/

Where does it say that?

If there's no timetables up 7 minutes I'll be on rant. Fasten your seatbelts.

Riamfada

on the button

Riamfada

actually 4 mins early

rainbow kirby

On the general timetable, I'm missing a subject... there's no exam up for operating systems?

Sinfonia

Grimes wrote:

actually 4 mins early

you get yours grimes?
nothing on my screen


Edit: nevermind, got it

rainbow kirby

Click meh - general timetable for all subjects.

dajaffa

Only my written exams are up, so I only know 3 out of 6...

Health Psychology 29/05/2007 18:00
Neurology 17/05/2007 09:00
Neurophysiology 17/05/2007 18:00

Looking like a crappy timetable already

Blowfish

Mine are all fairly late they are on the 23/25/28. It suits me well enough anyway.

Sinfonia

For some of the economics exams, there's two different times, e.g.

ECON30170 Financial Economics 18/05/2007 Fri 18:00 20:00 02:00 RDS Pavilion 3 RDS Simmonscourt
ECON30170 Financial Economics 18/05/2007 Fri 14:00 16:00 02:00 RDS Pavilions 1&2 RDS Simmonscourt



Anybody know what that's about?

Steibhin

SumGuy wrote:

For some of the economics exams, there's two different times, e.g.

ECON30170 Financial Economics 18/05/2007 Fri 18:00 20:00 02:00 RDS Pavilion 3 RDS Simmonscourt
ECON30170 Financial Economics 18/05/2007 Fri 14:00 16:00 02:00 RDS Pavilions 1&2 RDS Simmonscourt



Anybody know what that's about?

Is fcuked up. They have timetabled exams from Semester 1 as well.

Public Policy is timetabled for both 19/05/2007 and 26/05/2007

Looks like this new system is really working out well. UCD Admin strike again..

Darkbloom

Um...link? I've refreshed constantly and I'm not seeing it.:(

Sinfonia

One of my exams is missing too...
Didn't they release them late so as not to have a load of mistakes?


Darkbloom, see rainbow kirby's post

Darkbloom

Clicked it a mere second after posting. Got an exam on my birthday, boo, but finished early, yay!

Steibhin

So there's no personal timetable as yet? Just that general one which is full of mistakes. Also there is no link to that on either the exams website or SIS.

humbert

A number of my exams seem to be missing too. Of the few that are there I've two on the same day. balls.