Collaboration WAS: E-mail Privacy

[Tim Chown]

In <2604 at maserati.qsp.UUCP> scotts at qsp.COM (Scott Simpers) writes:

>Sorry, Tim, I have to agree with Mike.  Degrees are given on the basis of
>how well you take tests, not whether you really know anything.  I once had
>a well respected professor for a course in Assembly Language.  Grading: 
>5 points per program, 25 points for each of three exams (giving a convenient
>total of 100).  Each exam consisted of 5 questions, worth 5 points each.
>So, the fact that I got all 5 programs nailed meant no more than whether or
>not I got a good score on one exam.  To top if off,  some of the 
>exam questions were trick questions.

>IMHO, the way College degrees are given out has become as f---ed up as our
>elementary schools.  But that's a topic for another newsgroup.

Oh dear.

I think I'm glad I took my degree and PhD over this side of the pond ;-)

Clearly it depends were you do your degree, and generaliastions can't
easily be made (or are US degrees more exam oriented??).  Of my degree
a very favourable 71.5% of the marks came from courseworks.  The 2nd
year group project, the 3rd year individual project and the management
course were all 100% coursework.  Our course puts emphasis on your
own skills and doesn't intimidate you with exams.  In fact our two
semester system turned out so that my "finals" consisted of one exam
in document preparation systems which contributed to 3.75% of my degree!
I would not say this made the degree easier, but you were more likely
to get out what you put in.  

And yes we do have well respected professors, very well respected.  I 
believe a US professor is the equivalent of a lecturer over here - is 
this true?  A visiting professor from California gave me this impression.

Cheers!
	Tim

PS.  Where *should* we discuss this!
--