just joined

[dc Damo]

hello , im @ college doing an hnc in electronic engineering and thought it would be good to have a look n c what kind of forums there were for support .
it seems a very vast and knowlegable site .
the search bar is superb already found valid info for me n my course ,
thanks .

i think i will enjoy my stay here .

 

[_nox_]

Greetings, and welcome!

 

[Hero999]

Where are you studying?

How will the course be assessed?

I've just finnished an HND at Bedford College and it was totally crap, they let anyone pass and there's virtually no deadline date on course work. I know people who have passed and they can't even do simple arithmetic let alone know ohms law. All work is assignment based and plagiarism is rife.

I passed with a merit and I didn't attend even half the classes. I would've done better but I'm very lazey I couldn't be bothered to do much for the crappy non-engineering subjects like quality management and buisness management techniques. Nearly all of what I've learnt has been from reading it myself or work. Granted I've learnet a bit from college though not as much as I would like to.

I think they should bring back external exams because it would weed out the week and put an end to plagarism. Fair enough some people have problems with exams but I would allow students to take some notes into the exams and give them a decent amount of time. I don't see the point in making studants remember useless things or putting undue pressure on them, exams should be more about problem solving than remembering things.

Assignment would still exist but they would be reserved for assest activities mainly involving designing building projects ir research.

I would abolish the wimpy pass/merit/distinction system and replace it with an A to E grade system. Most people would still pass but only 50% of them will get a grade C or above and that's in a decent college.

 

[dc Damo]

its a unit based hnc , with 2 external SQA exams next year , we get assesed @ xmas on the units but wouldnt get an hnc certificate unless you passed the external exams "Scottish Qualifications Authority"

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I would abolish the wimpy pass/merit/distinction system and replace it with an A to E grade system. Most people would still pass but only 50% of them will get a grade C or above and that's in a decent college.

To be honest, most of these qualifications are pretty meaningless - nobody takes them at face value, you are likely to be interviewed for a job and questioned fairly extensively about things you should know. If you haven't worked and got a proper 'pass', then you're going to look a complete idiot when you can't answer the questions!.

A great deal depends where you do your courses, it's the same at Uni, an Oxford/Cambridge degree is worth more than other degrees. My daughter was invited to an Oxbridge evening at a school, you need four A grade A levels (in sensible subjects) to get in. Some Uni's only want three grade C's, and it's preferable if you're breathing as well!!.

A friend of mine has a HNC or HND (can't remember which?) in computers, and teaches computing, yet he brings his computer to me for help all the time because he can't sort it out!

 

[dc Damo]

i would agree that alot of colleges help students alot more trhan they sometimes should . there was people last year on my cource who didnt try , the first question when gien an assesment would be "whens the resit"
Thats the main reason i decided to change colleges.
Im only 2 weeks in and already i can see a real difference in the style of teaching , for those people who dont apply themselves ,they'll be left behind, because all of the lecturers approach to teaching ,it prompts you to do work at home , first thing in most classes they ask you questions on the week before ,when you answer them they ask you more in depth qustions which prompts you again to look more indepth again.
Its a good college and hope to go to uni for a technitions degree after my hnc "fingers crossed"

 

[fingers]

I'm about to start my 2nd year of HNC at Barnfield College in Luton. Its a technology college so specialises in Electronics, engineering, & manual skills. The tutors there are interested in their subject and people who don't try get put back a year. Many of the technicians at my work have been/ still attend that college.

I've just finnished an HND at Bedford College and it was totally crap, they let anyone pass and there's virtually no deadline date on course work. I know people who have passed and they can't even do simple arithmetic let alone know ohms law. All work is assignment based and plagiarism is rife.

You're right though. A lot (90%) of the work is coursework so there is room for plagarism, although if the tutors do spot the odd American term here and there, they would refer an assignment.

 

[Hero999]

Good, I'm glad there are still good colleges around. I would like to go to university, but I don't think I could hack it after doing my HND at such a Micky Mouse college.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Good, I'm glad there are still good colleges around. I would like to go to university, but I don't think I could hack it after doing my HND at such a Micky Mouse college.

The good universities are well known, and pretty obvious which they are - a good starting point is their entry requirements!. A BIG problem that I see these days is that a lot of old technical colleges have been given university status, these are usually the lowest of the low as far as degrees go!.