The Tertiary Education Thread

[StarPhoenix]

What did you think of the questions?

[Tribble]

I knew you would press me for an answer. I agree they are not difficult but there were a few sneaky ones (like the if function) that people on a beginner level would not be able to do. To be honest - I know people coming on my adv courses that cannot do the if function and it is the best function out there (apart from lookups (both v and h) and the new sumif/s functions).

Look, just because they are basic questions, don't downplay your mark. 100% is brilliant regardless. You have a right to be a little proud

[StarPhoenix]

I am surprised that they find the IF function difficult. I think it is quite simple.....
=IF(TestCondition,ValueifTRUE,ValueifFALSE)

I have not used hlookup or sumif yet, but learned EXACT two days ago when I needed to compare text strings.

[Tribble]

Exact is lovely. =len(A1) tells you how many characters it is. Also a wonderful function

Find is also an awesome function - I use it a lot. Same with left and mid.

[StarPhoenix]

This is not "Find" as in "Ctrl+F", I take it?

I'll have to look up left and mid.

[Tribble]

Find(what, from where) - really useful. I often use it to find spaces in text so that I can extract the part of the string that interests me.

I use left() and mid() together with find(). Using them with the date() function means you can turn the first 6 letters of an id number into a birth date.

[StarPhoenix]

UNISA has finally changed my qualification code from BSC [unrealistic expectations at the end of last year] to NDP [Non-degree purposes].

I have an exam on Wednesday next week. MS Word and Excel. The EUP1501 lecturer has made some sample papers available
and has issued a warning that those of us who do not prepare by doing these papers stand to get significantly lower marks.

[KatrynKat]

i'm glad the were able to change the codes...
so stop worrying now, study a bit and we all know that you can do it!!

[StarPhoenix]

Study? Why? It's a prac exam. If the sample papers are anything to go by, I am going to be given docx and xlsx files and asked to apply formatting, fiddle with graphs, edit data, enter data and maybe do some really hard formulas such as =A3*$B$2

....much as I had to do for my assignments.
I did a trial run last night while still sick as a dog and can finish in half the specified time....
All this makes me suspicious. It seems TOO easy. What are the lecturers brewing up, I wonder?
One does not even have to know the keyboard combination for inserting a non-breaking space [ctrl+shift+space]
as it is easy enough to insert the formatting symbol via the Text group of the Edit tab on the Excel ribbon.
I shall do all of the sample papers because I have been warned that I am going to battle if I don't......but really....
I gave up a visit to KZN for this? I hope that the paper we write next week is worth it....

I was more scared before the first [Theory, networks, outlook express, internet exploder, windows] paper because there was such a tremendous volume of facts to try to remember....

Maybe I am being overconfident, but paper 2 looks like a paper tiger.....as for the final paper, which comprises 100
multiple choice questions, well I looked at a sample paper sent to us at the beginning of the year and it seemed fairly elementary-bit then these things usually do outside of any given exam room.

I shall report back on this epic challenge next Wodens Day afternoon.

[StarPhoenix]

I have returned from writing my second exam. Now unless the seemingly elementary questions were really cunningly disguised diabolical trick questions, I'd say that it was a walk in the park. I finished in under half an hour. If I somehow
don't pass/get an A, I shall subject myself to jamin's art collection. I may have lost marks in the spelling and grammar check question where I corrected what I consider to be an error, but was not picked up by Word. Either my lecturer
inserted a comma out of place deliberately to test us, or she made a mistake and I may have to hunt her down and throw a copy of "Fowler's Modern English Usage" at her. The sentence in question was "Students, may however, ...." While Word suggested that I replace "may" with "May", what made more sense to me was "Students may, however, ..."
I may be wrong. If so, I'm sure that one of you will correct me.


Only one more paper to go [on 18 November.]

I was trembling so much for the first 5 minutes or so that my typing and mousing was impaired.

[Tribble]

No - you were correct

[StarPhoenix]

Maybe-but will my lecturer see it that way?

Most of the questions came from the two sets of four sample papers I sent you.
Nobody has an good excuse for failing this.

[Tribble]

No - you will do well. Even if you do lose a mark for that (even MS is fussy about making changes they did not ask for) - you will do really well.

[StarPhoenix]

I hope so. I should be getting my results at the beginning of next month. If my marks are acceptable, I'll be going to buy myself a great big helping of ice cream on a cone.

[Tribble]

Oooh that sounds yummy.

[KatrynKat]

and you can have my scoop as well...

[StarPhoenix]

Wouldn't want to deprive you of that, KK - or are you planning on rewarding yourself some other way?

[StarPhoenix]

I got it straight from the proverbial horse's mouth today, that even students doing a module or modules for non-degree purposes are obliged to comply with the rule that says that one has to pass two year or four semester modules in a year to qualify for registration the following year. So....nothing to distinguish studying for non-degree purposes and personal enrichment from trying to get a degree then.

I don't understand it.

[StarBound]

Has anyone tried contacting them via e-mail request because 10 days to reply is 9 days over due imo.

[StarPhoenix]

Frequently. They usually take 2-3 weeks to respond.

I agree with you. You'd think they were based in East London on something.

[Tribble]

I heard one of their adds when I was in Kzn. They don't operate a call centre any more. If you want to contact them it is only via email or sms or on their website.

All study-related enquiries may be sent to the SMS short code numbers or e-mail addresses listed below. You may also complete the online enquiry form:

http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd= ... ntID=16844

[StarPhoenix]

I heard one of their adds when I was in Kzn. They don't operate a call centre any more. If you want to contact them it is only via email or sms or on their website.

All study-related enquiries may be sent to the SMS short code numbers or e-mail addresses listed below. You may also complete the online enquiry form:

http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd= ... ntID=16844

Yup.

A stroke of genius from UNISA. Just as well I have been disqualified from using them next year.

I think I'll use online resources to try to learn what I am going to need to know about HTML and MySQL
before Ragnarok next year.

Signing up for End-User Computing was nuts. I should be committed. Oh wait...

[Tribble]

What do you mean disqualified?

[StarPhoenix]

What do you mean disqualified?

I mean that I shall not be permitted to register for any other modules. Not that I really want to any more.

[Tribble]

And why is that? You are doing so well.