M256 Block 2

Units 5 to 8 (M256)
Just quickly skim read unit 8 as it mainly contains more examples of the work done in units 6 & 7.
I feel more confident with Block 2 of M256 than with Block 2 of M362. I still have detailed notes to produce for both courses so that will provide me with the chance to go over the material again & hopefully for it to sink into my overloaded brain!
Right onto the TMAs now then. Only four weeks until the TMA for M256 is due. Not worried as the first TMA took me less than a week to complete. Fingers crossed TMA02 goes just as well.

M362 Block 2

Units 5 to 8 (M362)
Just finished reading units 5 to 8. Don’t think much of it has sunk in the first time round, but I have 6 weeks until the TMA is due so I should have enough time to go over large chunks of the text while making some detailed notes.

M362 Block 1

Units 1 to 4 (M362)
The reading started off well then due to other commitments got left until just before the TMA was due. The TMA was rushed & I completely skipped all of the programming questions. Bye Bye to my degree classification that I had dreamed off…..a first! Oh well…could always repeat the course I suppose.

---- Got the TMA result back…..50%. Not bad seeing as I only completed about 60% of the questions. Will try harder! ;0)

M256 Block 1

Units 1 to 4 (M256)
These units seem much more readable than the units for M362. I can definitely tell the difference between the level 2 and level 3 courses. Really enjoying this course so far. I answered the TMA fairly well and think that I should hopefully get a good result for this course, although I really need to work on my exam & revision techniques….but I still can’t understand the reason for a hand-written programming exam, where you are unable to test your code.

---- TMA result 86%! WOW! I wasn’t expecting that.

My OU journey to date

I started my studies with the Open University in October 2004, shortly after getting married. My first courses were M150 Data, Computing and Information & TT280 Web applications: design, development and management. A month into the courses I discovered that I was pregnant, which added an extra twist to my attempts at returning to education. Despite this I was hooked & though the idea of a break from studying was tempting, I decided that I would carry on.

In 2005 I studied T171 You, your computer and the net, M253 Team working in distributed environments & TT282 The server-side of application development. Then 2006 saw me studying TT380 Databases within website design & M255 Object-oriented programming with Java.

In 2006 I was made redundant from my job, which I had gotten all too comfortable in. This lifestyle change made me more determined than ever to see my degree through to the end. So in 2007 I signed up for T205 Systems thinking: principles and practice, M257 Putting Java to work, M366 Natural and artificial intelligence & LZX193 Rundblick: beginners' German. Due to the way the Open University structures its ‘semesters’ these courses ran into 2008 & my new course, M364 Fundamentals of interaction design. Studying 110 points at once is hard going when you have a family & a full-time job. At the time I also had a part-time business to run. I definitely felt the effects of over doing it, so between October 2008 & February 2009 I had a few months break between courses.

This brings us up to my current commitments, which are M362 Developing concurrent distributed systems & M256 Software development with Java.

That just leaves T306 Managing complexity: a systems approach for 2010 and then hopefully I will graduate with a BSc (Hons) in Computing & Systems Practice. At last the end is in sight, but I must admit that I have loved studying with the OU & can’t wait to start some new courses away from computing.