Don't know how many people have started Assignment 4 for this module but since when is the last assignment for a module compulsory? The header above the questions states: "You must submit this assignment to obtain entrance to the examination."
Yes, I know about the way the assignments count toward marks but if you read the headers above each of the assignments, the last one is required for exam admission.
Did this module last year and the year before but had to drop it because of time constraints. Both 2005 and 2006 the final assignment was compulsory.
I think it is because the learning curve is pretty steep in this module - it starts with some nice theory and basic java in the first two assignments and suddenly leaps to more advanced concepts - I figure they make the last assignment compulsory to make sure students don't scrape through on the first 3 and leave the rest and hardest part of the work to just before exams.
Thanks for that info. I must say that I have noticed that the last assignment is quite a bit more advanced than others. Probably is the case that they want to make sure you're sufficiently prepared.
I understand that this might be the thinking of the lecturers, but I don't agree that it should be compulsary. They stipulate that you need 100 credits, and that you must submit an assignment before a cutoff date (10 May?). If you have done these 2, then you have "proved" that you have been working "enough" to write the exam. The fact that the learning curve rises steeply towards the end of the year, well, so what. The results from you exam will determine if you understand this work or not.