If you could change one thing...

[theshadowhost]

If you could change one thing about university policy what would it be?

Personally I would remove permission to proceed for anyone caught wearing flip flops or sandals who wasn't at (or heading to) the beach.

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[DrAlex]

Anyone who attempts to invoke the Arts vs Science debate not in jest should be enrolled in all Philosophy/Biochemistry modules for one term (whichever is opposite to that person's opinion).

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The Sinner: Where no one ever learned "if you haven't got any thing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

[Jono]

I'd change the semester system back to the old days; No reading weeks; a straight run from January to May; no stoppage for exams.

I work better under large amounts of pressure...

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I disagree with you in principle.

[Bizarre Atheist]

I would banish the 20-point scale back to the deepest level of hell from whence it came and introduce something that has some bearing on the real world.

Or indeed simply apply common sense to it, so 10/20 might mean, (wait for it, this is wild) 50%, instead of "67.2%, except on Wednesdays or if your surname has a 'u' in it, where it's worth your birthdate divided by 5.5".

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[RandomMusings]

I'd change things back to the way they were before bloody health and safety came into force.

Risk assessment anybody???

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I like paper.

[Frank]

I'd figure out a way to get rid of the module system, trim the 'totally bizarre' lecture-combinations and move for a more intensive (but better integrated/mutually cooperating) degree structure.

I'd also be tempted to shift degree classification from a credit weighted mean to something more...coherent. (I.e. semi-finals?)

I haven't really thought it out...

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"There is only ever one truth. Things are always black or white, there's no such thing as a shade of grey. If you think that something is a shade of grey it simply means that you don't fully understand the situation. The truth is narrow and the path of the pursuit of truth is similarly narrow."
Also, some years later:
"here we are arguing about a few uppity troublemakers with a bee in their bonnet and a conspiracy theory."

[Hennessy]

I would get rid of "courswork" essays consisting of 50% of the potential mark for the course and replace it with one exam at the end of the course, and maybe have two or three minor tests throughout the course instead. Coursework doesnt test what you've actually learned during a semester, it more or less just tests if you know how to write an essay on a given subject within a given period of time.

Given enough time and access to a library, of course, anyone can pretty much write an essay on anything in an arts subject.

[hr]

"What happened to Spoon?"
"There is no Spoon"
Dog Soldiers

[munchingfoo]

I'd make it so that the only way people could move around is to use one of the "ministry of funny walks" movements.

For those that are in a wheelchair, I would propose that one wheel move at twice the speed of the other.

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“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[Spike]

i'd add another 3 zeroes onto the end of the union's grant, giving it a massive £12,500 to use.

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From Rock to Opera

[DrAlex]

Quoting Spike from 18:14, 22nd May 2008
i'd add another 3 zeroes onto the end of the union's grant, giving it a massive £12,500 to use.

The Union's grant is £12.50?

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The Sinner: Where no one ever learned "if you haven't got any thing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

[exnihilo]

Quoting Hennessy from 17:56, 22nd May 2008
Given enough time and access to a library, of course, anyone can pretty much write an essay on anything in an arts subject.

If you'd marked as many essays as I, you wouldn't say that. It's a very real skill and not one that everyone can learn. That said, I sat finals, and I'm all for them, but written work throughout the year is important and entirely worthwhile.

[Hennessy]

Quoting exnihilo from 18:25, 22nd May 2008

Quoting Hennessy from 17:56, 22nd May 2008
Given enough time and access to a library, of course, anyone can pretty much write an essay on anything in an arts subject.

If you'd marked as many essays as I, you wouldn't say that. It's a very real skill and not one that everyone can learn. That said, I sat finals, and I'm all for them, but written work throughout the year is important and entirely worthwhile.

Absolutely essay-writing is a very real skill, but it's not a degree at this university, and although being able to communicate your ideas clearly is crucial, it should be something learned earlier at school, not during University.

[hr]

"What happened to Spoon?"
"There is no Spoon"
Dog Soldiers

[exnihilo]

So you think we should offer degrees without testing that skill? It's integral to degrees, not a degree in its own right.

[Mehmsy]

I think all physics and astronomy students should be appointed a motivational guide during exam period, so we have someone to give us a pat on the back while we trawl through hundreds of equations.

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http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37106593

[rob 'f*ck off' wine boy]

Start a thread. *pat on back*

[careba2010]

Actually get someone with some common sense to devise the exam timetable. IE not have two exams from one school for one year group on the same day such as the wonderful planning that led to EC2002 and EC2003 both being yesterday

[exnihilo]

Really? Two sub-honours exams on the same day? How did you cope?

[rob 'f*ck off' wine boy]

Quoting exnihilo from 22:46, 22nd May 2008
Really? Two sub-honours exams on the same day? How did you cope?

You did SC4001 'Elementary Sarcasm' lololol

[exnihilo]

Excuse me, I have a masters in sarcasm.

[Bizarre Atheist]

Quoting exnihilo from 22:46, 22nd May 2008
Really? Two sub-honours exams on the same day? How did you cope?

Remove graduates' right to criticise undergraduates' perfectly legitimate whining on the Sinner, because such middle-aged smug superiority has no place in a community of students for whom sub-honours exams may be the biggest academic event in their lives thus far. Some people get pretty fucking stressed about exams from SATs to Senior Honours, and you have no right to be so derogatory, however many letters you may have after your name.

Remove graduates altogether.

I believe you can't teach good essay writing. I have always found essay composition a completely natural process and have never bothered taking advice or training to improve my style. My grades therefore reflect the fact that my degree only tests one of my best skills.

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