M256 TMA01 part 1 done!

A record for me, I completed part 1 of the TMA01 which has to be submitted in isolation to the remainder of it, and the module hasn't even started yet. I couldn't even submit it because I haven't had my tutor allocated to me yet. It's good to get ahead though, because I now don't have to think about M256 much until March.

Progress Update

I feel like it's time for a progress update!

I've been struggling with M208, not really enjoying it, and I'm finding the workload a bit heavy. Most of my weekends are now ruined with OU work. The scary thing is that I have 2 more modules starting in February, so it's only going to get worse! Still, I'm about 60% of the way through TMA03, and there are only 4 more after that, so I'm closing in on the halfway point.

Christmas was a write-off, as was the week before, and week after, since I was suffering with an abscess on my tooth which would not go away despite visits to the dentist and 2 doses of antibiotics.  I found I couldn't concentrate for more than a few seconds because of the pain. I would read a sentence, then realise I couldn't remember a word of it, re-read it and immediately forget it once again. So in the end I gave up.

I have, however, done quite a bit of research for my TM470 project, and officially I needn't have done that at this point, since the module has not yet started, but my project is challenging, and I need to get a lot of things clear in my head, since I will struggle for time otherwise. So I'm fairly happy at this point.

I did have an unpleasant episode related to my TM470 project, when an update to Windows 8 on my PC caused Bluetooth to stop working (a clue to one component of my project there). It took me a number of hours to resolve it. In a nutshell, I ended up editing the registry because the Bluetooth Support Service had the wrong account. This had been working on Windows 8, so it must have been cause by one of MS's wonderful update patches.

For my own reference:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv

set

ObjectName = NT Authority\LocalService

(was LocalSystem without the NT Authority part)

M256 Materials, Netbeans vs Eclipse

The M256 hard-copy materials arrived today, including yet another Netbeans guide, and a Netbeans CD. I'm not a fan of Netbeans, and I actually avoided using it altogether on M255 and used Eclipse instead, but on M362 I didn't have time to mess around with Eclipse and Glassfish, so I reluctantly used Netbeans where I had to.

One of the reasons was that cutting/pasting code from the editor into a word document (or in my case LibreOffice) for the assignments worked way better with Eclipse than Netbeans.

I've a hunch I will be able to get away with using Eclipse for most of M256, except I believe there are parts which use the Netbeans GUI builder, in which case I will have to relent.

M256, the £5K fee barrier and student loans

So I registered for M256, and this along with TM470 will be the last two computing modules that I undertake if everything goes to plan. The total fees paid have now topped £5000, and that is under the transitional fee arrangement. Still, it's a lot to fork out of your own pocket.

It got me thinking about the fee structure, and I concluded that if it had not been for the fact that I started on this before the university funding started, I would have had to take out a student loan. Given that I'm already the wrong side of 50, that would have been pointless, and consequently I would not have gone down this road.

I really wonder how the new fee structure will work for the OU which has a vast majority of mature students. How many of them a will be put off entirely by the price? My guess is that it will be affected severely. Still, there is no point me worrying about that, I'll just plough on regardless until I'm done and hopefully then I will get my life back.

TM470 Project Idea

TM470 consists of a self-chosen project, and I've had something in mind for a while, so I'd already given it some thought. Prior to the module starting, we are asked to post our project ideas on the module forum in order to get comments from other students and the OU forum moderator.

So....last night I posted my idea, an this morning there was a comment from the moderator, who simply agreed that it was something that should provide a good basis for a project. Good news at this stage. Not all students project ideas were so well-received. I looked at a few others, and some were really lame, and didn't seem challenging or innovative to me.

I won't reveal any more about my project at this stage, at least until it's official, but stay tuned...

Breaking open the piggy bank - TM470

Riding on the crest of the wave caused by my M362 result, and in a fit of madness I registered for the TM470 (The computing and IT project) module starting in February 2013. This will be my penultimate module in computing, with just the level 2 M256 remaining, which I also plan to start at the same time.

TM470 is the second most expensive module I've registered for. At £775 (under the transitional fees) for a lowly 30 credits, it works out at a whopping £25.83 per credit, compared to the average of around £15 per credit. £775 is over double what I paid for M208, which is a mighty 60 credits!

Why is that you might ask? And rightly so, because it comes with no hard-copy materials, and there is no exam, just 3 hefty TMA's to complete. I find it hard to justify paying this out of my own pocket, but it's mandatory for my degree program and that's that, so I'd just better get over it.

M362 Result

My first level 3 module, and I scored 90% in the exam. Add that to my 92% for the course work, it it makes for a comfortable distinction. This is the highest overall score I have had to date, and at level 3, counts for a lot towards the grade of my final degree (should I ever get there).

I am more than pleased, and that gives me just the boost I need to book a place on another module in February 2013.

As a foot note, I do admit to doing more than my usual amount of revision for a computer exam, however, I far from over-worked on the course work, although I gave it my best on each of the TMA's.

A pretty good module, interesting in parts, and informative too.