Student Union Christmas Exam Referendum

green909

Hi guys so I'm sure you've seen the su email that went out today about the referendum being held to hold Christmas Exams next year due to the responses of their survey claiming that students were feeling a lot of stress coming up to this exam period.

I for one will defiantly be voting for it!

Boston

I can only hack one round of voting a year.

green909

Surely a 'yes' or 'no' vote is not to difficult ?

Craguls

Boston wrote: »

I can only hack one round of voting a year.

Sadly there's no posters for you to shoop either.

SligoBrewer

I hate the Green Party.
Spineless gits.

p1akuw47h5r3it

I will be voting yes to Christmas exams.

Denerick

Typical SU populism appealing to the passionate obsessions of a tiny minority and the indifference of the overwhelming majority. Which hack was behind this iniative, then?

A Neurotic

Denerick wrote: »

Typical SU populism appealing to the passionate obsessions of a tiny minority and the indifference of the overwhelming majority. Which hack was behind this iniative, then?

I agree completely.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Denerick wrote: »

Typical SU populism appealing to the passionate obsessions of a tiny minority and the indifference of the overwhelming majority. Which hack was behind this iniative, then?

I'd say most ppl want Christmas exams.

Denerick

DanDan6592 wrote: »

I'd say most ppl want Christmas exams.

I would say most people don't care. When will you SU political appartchiks accept that the overwhelming majority of humanity are indifferent to your base political passions?

timmywex

I think most will be voting a yes, as long as theyre before christmas :P

Mark200

Denerick wrote: »

I would say most people don't care. When will you SU political appartchiks accept that the overwhelming majority of humanity are indifferent to your base political passions?

Everyone I've talked to in my course wants Christmas exams. I haven't heard of anyone in my course who doesn't.

And you can't call them "SU political appartchiks" either... I think about 3 (out of ~30) voted in the SU elections.

Jammyc

Denerick wrote: »

I would say most people don't care.

Sorry, gotta cut across there. Anybody Ive spoken to seems to have quite the view on it.

A Neurotic

Denerick wrote: »

Typical SU populism appealing to the passionate obsessions of a tiny minority and the indifference of the overwhelming majority. Which hack was behind this iniative, then?

Denerick wrote: »

I would say most people don't care. When will you SU political appartchiks accept that the overwhelming majority of humanity are indifferent to your base political passions?

p1akuw47h5r3it

Denerick wrote: »

I would say most people don't care. When will you SU political appartchiks accept that the overwhelming majority of humanity are indifferent to your base political passions?

I'm not in the SU and only voted in their elections cos I was more or less forced too by my mate (who was campaigning for Jenoky or someone???)

SligoBrewer

A Neurotic wrote: »

devinejay

I like to bitch about the SU as much as the next guy (unless I happen to be sitting next to Denerick, he takes the biscuit) but I genuinely want Christmas exams, and within reason, will accept whatever format they can come up with over the current system. So the SU is actually working towards an achievable and relevant and truly beneficial goal? I'm pleasantly surprised.

Denerick

SligoBrewer wrote: »

Do you ever wonder why people never thank your posts?

Fo Real

The SligoBrewer attitude to a debate: "I can't articulate an argument with my monosyllabic vocabulary of words so I'll just post this clichéd picture that I robbed from another forum. Am I cool yet guys?"

So how's first year going for you? Hopefully you and your buddies get a fresher sub-forum soon so we no longer have to suffer your childish pictures that plague this forum. You're not in the college long enough and thus not experienced enough to have an informed opinion about anything Trinity-related. Hence your undying allegiance to the SU hacks. Lurk moar.

lucernarian

Fo Real wrote: »

Lurk moar.

Lol at the irony.;)

Also, yay for Xmas exams. I don't know what the SU think they can do to make the college do anything about it... Writing a strongly worded letter, as Mick McCarthy in the ad asks, never got in the way of TCD doing their own thing as it suited them. So it strikes me as being possibly pointless.

Boston

sligoboyo makes Denerick look good.

Denerick

Boston wrote: »

sligoboyo makes Denerick look good.

Are you suggesting I'm ugly?

Boston

Yes.

SligoBrewer

Fo Real wrote: »

The SligoBrewer attitude to a debate: "I can't articulate an argument with my monosyllabic vocabulary of words so I'll just post this clichéd picture that I robbed from another forum. Am I cool yet guys?"

Fair enough, this **** has just got "fo real".

We, in Trinity, are the only college, as far as I am aware to have the system of semesterisation but not modularisation in place for most courses, and to me at least it's clear that it's not working.

The change to modularisation has changed college life in Trinity. We start college later than everywhere else, but still finish earlier as well. If you're taking Business or Economics or a host of other courses you have no break from January to May bar a measly two days for Easter and a solitary day for St. Patricks Day cause of the reading week exams and that.

The system that was in place last year, seems to be to have been better than the one that we go through today. The two week break before Trinity term gave all undergrads the chance to catch up, do schols, **** off for two weeks, get drunk without the fear of labs next day,.. whatever. A break is needed by people.

And on to the Christmas exams issue, we seem to have fudged it, by taking a step sideways, and then backwards again. Any benefits there were in having the Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity terms as separate "Terms" have been eradicated as the college year seems much more concentrated. I hear older years speaking of lecturers skipping material cause they haven't the time to cover everything.
The benefits of moving to structured semesters have been also lost as we have all our exams at the end of the year, dragging the two semesters into one. Students should be able to look back on Michaelmas and go, "Yup, that's done and dusted now onto January", but they can't.

That's why I'll be voting Yes on April Wheneverth.

Fo Real wrote: »

So how's first year going for you?

It's going quite well thanks very much.

Fo Real wrote: »

Hopefully you and your buddies get a fresher sub-forum soon so we no longer have to suffer your childish pictures that plague this forum. You're not in the college long enough and thus not experienced enough to have an informed opinion about anything Trinity-related.

I'm not entitled to an opinion basically is what you are saying.

Fo Real wrote: »

Hence your undying allegiance to the SU hacks. Lurk moar.

Ha. Not really.

Thirdfox

Everyone I've spoken to thinks that Christmas exams is the better idea.

Incidentally I'm in final year and really do not like the fact that we have a 4 month gap between finishing a course and doing the exams for them.

Though - I heard from the law school that one reason we don't have Christmas exams was that the SU lobbied to have them all in summer? Many professors are unhappy about the current situation too.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Thirdfox wrote: »

Everyone I've spoken to thinks that Christmas exams is the better idea.

Incidentally I'm in final year and really do not like the fact that we have a 4 month gap between finishing a course and doing the exams for them.

Though - I heard from the law school that one reason we don't have Christmas exams was that the SU lobbied to have them all in summer? Many professors are unhappy about the current situation too.

ye one of my TA's was saying the same thing. She was basically saying a lot of the Lecturers were really unhappy the way the year is set out.

Would it be possible to change it by next year? Or are we looking at 3rd year as the earliest possible time?

Fo Real

@ SligoBrewer: Again, this is your first year in college. You can't compare this year's structure to last year's. You don't know any different.

Why don't you just "get wasted" in Spy and live the college lifestyle that the SU is selling to you. Junior Freshmen are the only people that go to these shítty club nights promoted by the SU, lining the pockets of the ents officer.

SligoBrewer

Fo Real wrote: »

@ SligoBrewer: Again, this is your first year in college. You can't compare this year's structure to last year's. You don't know any different.

Why don't you just "get wasted" in Spy and live the college lifestyle that the SU is selling to you. Junior Freshmen are the only people that go to these shítty club nights promoted by the SU, lining the pockets of the ents officer.

I hate €nt$.

Thirdfox

Fo Real wrote: »

@ SligoBrewer: Again, this is your first year in college. You can't compare this year's structure to last year's. You don't know any different.

Why don't you just "get wasted" in Spy and live the college lifestyle that the SU is selling to you. Junior Freshmen are the only people that go to these shítty club nights promoted by the SU, lining the pockets of the ents officer.

I am a final year student - having studied in 3 different universities and 3 different exam systems and I have to say that the current one we have seems illogical at best and dangerous at worst.

To quote your signature:
"if this subject is a little too personal and evocative for you to discuss maturely perhaps you should reconsider contributing."

Fo Real

Thanks for that contribution ThirdFox. Having studied in three different universites, your opinion holds some weight. I personally have no problem with this year's structure. I feel like I'm well prepared for exams.

I wasn't getting emotional in my previous post. That would be asinine and would be counter-productive to discussion. Although this poster clearly is:

SligoBrewer wrote: »

I hate €nt$.

Again showing his inability to articulate himself. It must be frustrating not being able to communciate with the outside world. Perhaps you should just revert back to posting childish pictures?

Jammyc

Fo Real wrote: »

Although this poster clearly is.....



....Again showing his inability to articulate himself. It must be frustrating not being able to communciate with the outside world. Perhaps you should just revert back to posting childish pictures?

To be fair, your just attacking the poster, not the point. Just because SligoBrewer or myself are only in first year, doesnt mean we havent found the year tough. Sure enough, we've nothing to compare it to, but people can still recognise unnecessary stress/workload when exposed to it.

electrogrimey

Do dodge the usual shit that goes on in this forum when it comes to student politics, I'm very in favour of Christmas exams. Semesterisation doesn't work without them. I would assume that there will be an overwhelming yes vote.

underthetides

Christmas exams ftw. This year, I took a module from Sept-Dec and since then have not been in contact with any of that module's lecturers or done any work regarding that course. And yet, I, and everyone else in my position, is expected to do as well in this module as in the modules which ran from January-April; the modules which are fresh in our minds and the material with which we have been consistently engaging with for months. Argh.

Denerick

I don't understand the drama involved here. I suspect those who complain need to take a chill pill or two. Either that or drop a dove. This is a very exaggerated problem.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Denerick wrote: »

I don't understand the drama involved here. I suspect those who complain need to take a chill pill or two. Either that or drop a dove. This is a very exaggerated problem.

Well no it's not. Some people have a LOT of exams as a result of not having Christmas exams.

I know one person, for example, who has 12 exams. This is simply too much (and he is a first year too).

I have been told of another person who has 14, however I haven't confirmed this with the actual person so I don't know how true it is, but it wouldn't surprise me. But having that number of exams is quite ridiculous imo.

Also due to not having Christmas exams, I don't get a study week. I know people in all the major Colleges in Ireland (DIT, UCD, UCC, NUIM, etc.) and I am the only one who failed to have a study week. In my opinion this is ridiculous. The study week is very important, or is for me at least, as it (would've) enabled me to catch up in certain subjects and generally get re-organised.

TCD is supposed to be the best Uni in Ireland and one of the best in the world yet it is badly run (in terms of the structure of the year). I understand that this is the first year semestarisation was implemented, so maybe these are just teething problems, but it better be sorted out for next year. In my opinion it is not a problem that is difficult to fix. We just have to be brought back in maybe 2 weeks earlier, simple as.

Denerick

Yes, TCD IS the best university in Ireland. The new exam structure will seperate the men from the boys. If you cannot hack it, please join one of the inferior educational institutions. I'll never understand this spoiled Celtic Tiger perception that 'life is supposed to be easy'.

Tarka

I've 11 anyway, 6 of which are in courses which have been finished since Christmas. Examining the subjects once they're finished being taught is just common sense.
It'd certainly lead to an increase in test scores if they were done in two chunks instead of bottleknecking them all in at the end.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Denerick wrote: »

Yes, TCD IS the best university in Ireland. The new exam structure will seperate the men from the boys. If you cannot hack it, please join one of the inferior educational institutions. I'll never understand this spoiled Celtic Tiger perception that 'life is supposed to be easy'.

When did I ever say life was supposed to be easy. I do Russian.I didn't expect it to be easy, quite the opposite. I didn't chose to do Business because I thought it would be a doss and I would have to do **** all.

There is a difference between common sense and and simply making things easier. It is common sense to have Christmas exams for subjects that are taught up to then.

Denerick

DanDan6592 wrote: »

When did I ever say life was supposed to be easy. I do Russian.I didn't expect it to be easy, quite the opposite. I didn't chose to do Business because I thought it would be a doss and I would have to do **** all.

There is a difference between common sense and and simply making things easier. It is common sense to have Christmas exams for subjects that are taught up to then.

You should have thought of that before you decided to study Russian.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Denerick wrote: »

You should have thought of that before you decided to study Russian.

Thought of what?

I knew Business with Russian would be hard but I was attracted to the challenge of the course amongst other things.

electrogrimey

Denerick wrote: »

Yes, TCD IS the best university in Ireland. The new exam structure will seperate the men from the boys. If you cannot hack it, please join one of the inferior educational institutions. I'll never understand this spoiled Celtic Tiger perception that 'life is supposed to be easy'.

Denerick wrote: »

I don't understand the drama involved here. I suspect those who complain need to take a chill pill or two. Either that or drop a dove. This is a very exaggerated problem.

Denerick wrote: »

You should have thought of that before you decided to study Russian.

I don't get it...You're arguing against something that would benefit you greatly, just for the sake of lame trolling. I can't think of one downside to Christmas exams, and apparently neither can you, so you're just making bad jokes just to keep up your reputation of an annoying troll. Kudos.

Fo Real

Tarka wrote: »

I've 11 anyway, 6 of which are in courses which have been finished since Christmas. Examining the subjects once they're finished being taught is just common sense.
It'd certainly lead to an increase in test scores if they were done in two chunks instead of bottleknecking them all in at the end.

Why? So you can "forget" the knowledge as soon as possible? This is symptomatic of the new Celtic Tiger breed of student. They learned essays off by heart for the Leaving Cert in grind schools and when they gained entry into Trinity, they thought they could apply the same tactic. And now they're whinging on an online forum when they realise it doesn't work like that :rolleyes:

Don't you realise that if you truly learn and understand something it doesn't matter whether you are tested on it next week or in 6 months time. Employers are constantly complaining that students are graduating without the sufficient knowledge or skills for the workplace. Everything these students rote-learned in college went in one ear and out the next. They graduate as stupid as when they came in.

This is why I'll be voting no to Christmas exams. It will cut off all the fat and reinvigorate the college, leaving behind only those students of actual intelligence worthy of Trinity.

Denerick

electrogrimey wrote: »

I don't get it...You're arguing against something that would benefit you greatly, just for the sake of lame trolling. I can't think of one downside to Christmas exams, and apparently neither can you, so you're just making bad jokes just to keep up your reputation of an annoying troll. Kudos.

Because I'm not a welfare junkie who relies on some nanny institution to save his ass all the time. Because I believe in personal responsibility.

lucernarian

Just looking at it objectively, what are the negative consequences of Christmas exams? Is there a credible basis behind thinking that degree quality is compromised by examining material at the end of the relevant semester rather than examining everything at the end of the year?

By the way, I've seen threads on Boards which have their fair share of people with chips on their shoulders and egos and all the rest of it, but any topic of trinity's SU seems to enter a league of its own. And seeing as it's the Internet, I will never understand the "serious business" attitude that people carry on to it. Give the rants a rest?

antiselfdual

I'm looking forward to people trying to study for both Schols and Christmas exams, with the library refusing to open over Christmas and it snowing loads so that college postpones exams at the last minute again...

Out of interest what is meant to happen regarding supplementals if you fail a Christmas exam?

Mark200

antiselfdual wrote: »

Out of interest what is meant to happen regarding supplementals if you fail a Christmas exam?

In UCD, if you fail a Christmas exam you can do a repeat around the time of your Summer exams I think.

devinejay

I thought there was generally three exam periods, Christmas, Summer and Supplemental. The supplementals would be on around August, and if you failed either Christmas or summer exams, you'd repeat them then.

electrogrimey

Fo Real wrote: »

Why? So you can "forget" the knowledge as soon as possible? This is symptomatic of the new Celtic Tiger breed of student. They learned essays off by heart for the Leaving Cert in grind schools and when they gained entry into Trinity, they thought they could apply the same tactic. And now they're whinging on an online forum when they realise it doesn't work like that :rolleyes:

Don't you realise that if you truly learn and understand something it doesn't matter whether you are tested on it next week or in 6 months time. Employers are constantly complaining that students are graduating without the sufficient knowledge or skills for the workplace. Everything these students rote-learned in college went in one ear and out the next. They graduate as stupid as when they came in.

This is why I'll be voting no to Christmas exams. It will cut off all the fat and reinvigorate the college, leaving behind only those students of actual intelligence worthy of Trinity.

This is all nonsense. Last minute cramming for 12 exams doesn't build intelligence. It brings a college education down to the level of the leaving cert. When it comes to examining intelligence, continuous assessment > annual exams, and semesterised examination is a lot closer to continuous assessment than what we have now. The expected level of exam essays would be a lot higher if we had Christmas exams, because students can't be expected to be writing high quality essays if they have to cram for 30 odd essays, some of which they hadn't studied for months. You trolls are getting annoying.

Denerick

It is extremely dishonest to accuse us of trolling, just because we disagree with your nanny state, delegation of personal responsibility views.

If you had any sense of personal honour, you'd apologise to both me and Foreal instantaneously.

Fo Real

electrogrimey wrote: »

This is all nonsense. Last minute cramming for 12 exams doesn't build intelligence. It brings a college education down to the level of the leaving cert. When it comes to examining intelligence, continuous assessment > annual exams, and semesterised examination is a lot closer to continuous assessment than what we have now. The expected level of exam essays would be a lot higher if we had Christmas exams, because students can't be expected to be writing high quality essays if they have to cram for 30 odd essays, some of which they hadn't studied for months. You trolls are getting annoying.

Wow. You have completely missed my point. Let me simplify it with clear examples for you: I understand basic maths like addition and subtraction. Although it was first taught to me about 15 years ago, you can give me an exam on it tomorrow because I took the time to truly learn and understand it. There was no "cramming" or rote-learning involved.

In Trinity however, we have whingers like you crying because you are being examined on material taught to you last semester. There should be no danger of you "forgetting" the material if you truly learned it in the first place. I did a module on human evolution in first year. You can give me an essay on the topic today and I'll ace it. Some of you are not fit for Trinity it seems. UCD maybe, but not Trinity.

antiselfdual

electrogrimey wrote: »

Last minute cramming for 12 exams doesn't build intelligence.

But last minute cramming for 6 exams twice does? I mean it's not fair to use "oh but we won't have studied that course for months" as an argument against summer exams. It's not like you don't know you have to do an exam in it eventually and can't possibly study something from the first term during the second. Also if you're last minute cramming it's not because the exam structure is unfair, it's because you haven't planned out how to prepare for your exams properly (which is arguably the only thing exams have ever taught me).

Are most people's degrees in Trinity broken down into independent courses which only run for one term (or less) actually? I'm wondering if the actual number of exams people have to take has gone up because of courses that were previously examined together on one paper splitting into two this year... For courses that didn't previously have Christmas exams I can't see how the workload is any greater this year (apart from the layout of the terms making people, or at least me, think they have more time to study than they really do, which is my main problem with semesterisation...)