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.

Comments:
Ha! That is the greatest exam ever. I also like how they misspelled the course name: "Advance Computer Software Systems".
 
PS: That was me (Rodney)
 
Here are some questions from an exam given in the fall of 2001 at the University of Georgia in a course called "Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball" which was taught by Jim Harrick Jr., the assistant coach of the men's basketball team at Georgia:

How many halves are in a college basketball game?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

How many points does a 3-pt. field goal account for in a basketball game?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the State of Georgia must pass?

a. Eye Exam
b. How Do the Grits Taste Exam
c. Bug Control Exam
d. Georgia Exit Exam

In your opinion, who is the best Divison I assistant coach in the country?

a. Ron Jirsa
b. John Pelphrey
c. Jim Harrick Jr.
d. Steve Wojciechowski

According to the authors of Freakonomics who tell the story of this exam in their book, Mr. Harrick Jr. and his pa were fired shortly after the exam was written and every student received an 'A'.

Hey, that's no way to treat a couple of good ol' boys.

Dad
 
cdizzle,
now that you are in the seatac area we expect more blogs out of you.

here's a medical joke since your in the land of Seattle Grace:

A man wakes up post surgery and says "Doctor I can't feel my legs!!!!" The doctor replies, "I know sir, we amputated your arms."

Bwahahahhhahahahah that.

LG
 
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