Thursday, December 21, 2006
Bwahahahaha, University of Windsor's 4th year ECE courses...
...are shameful.
A final exam for the summer 2003 offering of ECE 446 (Advanced Computer Software Systems) can be found here (PDF).
I wish my fourth year courses had this kind of piffle. Examples of the questions:
Multiple Choice
1. "Java programs must be saved with the following extension:" (choices: .java, .doc, .txt, .xls)
Fill In the Blank
1. Class _______ provides methods for drawing.
...
6. The ________ method of the Graphics class draws a line between two points.
7. GUI is an acronym for ________.
Answer to 1: Graphics.
Answer to 6: drawLine.
Answer to 7: graphical user interface.
A 4th-year core course with 4 questions that _anyone_ can answer? Ridiculous. And if you took a Java programming class in high school - no worries, you'd ace this exam.
Even if you didn't, the exam is full of poorly-worded questions that would allow language lawyers to argue for marks as well as redundant questions that would allow students to hedge their bets.
I'd say it was pathetic if I could convince myself this was for real. Here's the course description:
"88-446. Advanced Computer Software Systems
Operating systems; batch systems; multi-programmed batched systems; time-sharing systems; parallel systems; distributed systems; virtual machines; real-time systems; designing real-time systems; concurrent programming; exceptions and exceptions handling; message-based synchronization and communication; memory management; system threats; threat monitoring; encryption. (Prerequisite: fourth-year standing) (3 lecture, 1.5 laboratory/tutorial hours or equivalent a week.)"
Odd - sounds like a real course, not a "Teach Yourself Java in 21 Lectures(tm)" course. In fact, sounds a lot like ECE354 at Waterloo.
A final exam for the summer 2003 offering of ECE 446 (Advanced Computer Software Systems) can be found here (PDF).
I wish my fourth year courses had this kind of piffle. Examples of the questions:
Multiple Choice
1. "Java programs must be saved with the following extension:" (choices: .java, .doc, .txt, .xls)
Fill In the Blank
1. Class _______ provides methods for drawing.
...
6. The ________ method of the Graphics class draws a line between two points.
7. GUI is an acronym for ________.
Answer to 1: Graphics.
Answer to 6: drawLine.
Answer to 7: graphical user interface.
A 4th-year core course with 4 questions that _anyone_ can answer? Ridiculous. And if you took a Java programming class in high school - no worries, you'd ace this exam.
Even if you didn't, the exam is full of poorly-worded questions that would allow language lawyers to argue for marks as well as redundant questions that would allow students to hedge their bets.
I'd say it was pathetic if I could convince myself this was for real. Here's the course description:
"88-446. Advanced Computer Software Systems
Operating systems; batch systems; multi-programmed batched systems; time-sharing systems; parallel systems; distributed systems; virtual machines; real-time systems; designing real-time systems; concurrent programming; exceptions and exceptions handling; message-based synchronization and communication; memory management; system threats; threat monitoring; encryption. (Prerequisite: fourth-year standing) (3 lecture, 1.5 laboratory/tutorial hours or equivalent a week.)"
Odd - sounds like a real course, not a "Teach Yourself Java in 21 Lectures(tm)" course. In fact, sounds a lot like ECE354 at Waterloo.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
The Canadian Engineering Accrediation Board sucks...
...for requiring 4 mandatory natural science courses in an undergraduate engineering curriculum.
I'm all for science, but it seems that scientists can't write textbooks for shit.
Example:
Just in case you couldn't make it through that paragraph, here's a summary:
# of commas: 31
# of rivers painstakingly listed by name: 19. Nineteen.
# of times you are told rivers are important: 2
# of references to international drinking parties: 1
"The names of these rivers, and many others great and small, ring with a thousand images of history, geography and poetry." What right does that sentence have to exist at all, much less exist in a textbook?
"In the past couple of decades, however, river ecology has, as all youthful sciences do, exploded with published research, competing theories, controversies, and international symposia and now claims a well-earned place beside its more mature cousins." Durrrhh... science causes debate! Ironically, the conclusion to the paragraph is the only thing that's textbook material - and then only as an example of how to pad out your word count by saying nothing meaningful with lots of words.
Even though it tries to be lyrical and full of imagery, the paragraph isn't very engaging to read. Let's rewrite it the way one would expect an expository paragraph in an engineering textbook to read:
"Rivers are important. River ecology is also important. However, as a relatively young branch of ecology, it's full of theories that no-one agrees about."
Much less painful -- and only 2 commas!
I'm all for science, but it seems that scientists can't write textbooks for shit.
Example:
"We become aware of the importance of rivers in human history and economy as we name the major ones: Nile, Danube, Tigris, Euphrates, Yukon, Indus, Tiber, Mekong, Ganges, Rhine, Mississippi, Missouri, Yangtze-Kiang, Amazon, Seine, Zaire, Volga, Thames, Rio Grande. The names of these rivers, and many others great and small, ring with a thousand images of history, geography and poetry. The importance of rivers to human history, ecology, and economy is inestimable. However, river ecology has lagged behind the ecological study of lakes and oceans and is one of the youngest of the many branches of aquatic ecology. In the past couple of decades, however, river ecology has, as all youthful sciences do, exploded with published research, competing theories, controversies, and international symposia and now claims a well-earned place beside its more mature cousins."M. Molles, Ecology: Concepts and Applications, 3rd Ed.
Just in case you couldn't make it through that paragraph, here's a summary:
# of commas: 31
# of rivers painstakingly listed by name: 19. Nineteen.
# of times you are told rivers are important: 2
# of references to international drinking parties: 1
"The names of these rivers, and many others great and small, ring with a thousand images of history, geography and poetry." What right does that sentence have to exist at all, much less exist in a textbook?
"In the past couple of decades, however, river ecology has, as all youthful sciences do, exploded with published research, competing theories, controversies, and international symposia and now claims a well-earned place beside its more mature cousins." Durrrhh... science causes debate! Ironically, the conclusion to the paragraph is the only thing that's textbook material - and then only as an example of how to pad out your word count by saying nothing meaningful with lots of words.
Even though it tries to be lyrical and full of imagery, the paragraph isn't very engaging to read. Let's rewrite it the way one would expect an expository paragraph in an engineering textbook to read:
"Rivers are important. River ecology is also important. However, as a relatively young branch of ecology, it's full of theories that no-one agrees about."
Much less painful -- and only 2 commas!
