Honours, Undergraduate or Postgraduate

I was thinking of this. With computer science, you typically take a year to do a module, which = 1 credit. But BCom modules are only a semester, also for a credit. It therefore takes longer to do comp science or IS? Does it then count as a 4 year degree? It is confusing, because it is still 3rd year level, but compared to a bcom, it takes longer to do a comp science degree, especially as you need the same amount of credits???

Actually, whether it is cos, inf, or any other module for that matter, it is still counted as a credit. UNISA has a stupid system of having their science modules run annually.

Many other universities have all their modules run semseterly. So a BSc degree within a scientific field is still a 3 year degree in SA. What is stupid is to compare a ND IT to a BSc IT(cos and/or inf).

I knoe, its crap. With a BCom, you can get 2 credits for a year's work, but for cos or inf, you can only get one.

Even on honours level, each year module for inf was 1 credit. I also too INFMAN-A which is a business management course, and it was a "paper" not a module. I got 2 credits for 1 year's work, and less work than any INF module as well!

I could be wrong but I believe this is how it works...


I think you will find that many of the bcom subjects are broken up into parts that follow one another and are prerequisites.
You will find that if you try to actually plot a course based on these prerequisites that the best you will be able to do is 6 modules per semester and that the course will infact take 3 years...
The only difference being that you will write exams twice a year instead of once, and have less time to slack off on your assignments as they are crammed into half a year instead of a full one. I personally prefer only writing once.

Eg/ you will have accounts 101 and accounts 102 both of which are first year subjects.
Accounts 101 however would be a prerequisite for Accounts 102 so you cannot take them at the same time.

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"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"

I agree completely malcolm, you cannot do it in less than three years. What I am saying, is that effort wise, a cos or inf degree is more. You could maybe do 12 modules a year, but they are year modules. You have to work twice as long to get the same amount of credits? Maybe I am just misunderstanding

an example:

1st year = 12 credits

1 module = 1 credit

BCom = 12 modules of 6 months each = "6 man years"
coms of INF = 12 modules of 1 year each = "12 man years"

what would that be in dog years?

are man years different to woman years?

You are assuming that a year module automatically means more work then a half year module though, while in reality this may be true it might also be true that a year module is the exact same amount of work or less work then a half year module (EG/CEM101A is a year module but in reality is only a days work to write all the crappy little tests for it) except with less time to do that work in.
IE/ Both the year and half year module will have 4 assignments of similar sizes.

In the end the workload probably pretty much balances out between the two in my experience. There might be a valid argument that BCOM's in general are easier then BSC's (Yes Iva I am suggesting another generalisation - bite me) however I don't personally think the length of the modules has any effect on this but rather the content.

In other words I don't think making computer science modules half year would make the actual degree any easier at all.
The only real benefit I can see to half years, is that if you fail one less time is lost in recovery then if you fail a full year module. (Instead of falling a whole year behind you just fall half a year behind and can catch up at the next set of exams)
I am sure there are also benefits to not full years though to counter this benefit of half years.

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"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"

Personally, I feel semester modules are more beneficial simply because you don't have to fall a year behind if you fail a module, as Malcolm pointed out. Also, if you do the same year module in half a year, you are more focused and won't be demotivated and burnt out by August. You could probably even push out more modules in the year, as long as those modules are not prerequisities.

I've seen around 8 semester modules as a requirement in some engineering subjects that has to be done or you fall behind

What becomes really akward is when you have a mixture.
EG/ 10 full year modules and 2 half year modules, and all 10 of your full year modules have assignments due in the week that you write the half year exams

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"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"

Tracey Wrote:
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> what would that be in dog years?

 
  ,= ,-_-. =.
 ((_/)o o(\_))
  `-'(. .)`-'
      \_/

http://ilanpillemer.com
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem

I know what you mean malcolm.....I did a BCom (information systems), so my economics/accounting type modules were half year, and my INF were year modules. Kind of sucks!

PS: Just interested, but are you a fan of Karl Popper?

Well I wouldn't say I am a fan. (no pom pom's)
I do like many of his ideas though and respect the influence that he had on the philosophy of science.

--
"Knowledge has much better uses than self-pity and superiority"

malcolm Wrote:
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> There might be a valid argument that BCOM's in
> general are easier then BSC's (Yes Iva I am
> suggesting another generalisation - bite me)


Tut tut... Are you generalizing again, malcolm. There's a big difference between generalising and bashing Afrikaans people, Einstein
(sorry should i rather say: C++ coding god ; BYOA)

There is nothing I can do to change this education system. I must say the assignments due with the exams coming up wasn't that pleasant. Does Honours have many open book exams? Never had one and still an open book virgin.

Does Honours have many open book exams? No

Does it have ANY open book exams?

Does it have ANY open book exams? No

INF has a few.....INF482, INF450...I think there was another....

I think open book exams are harder, as they focus on interpretation, not recall...

no cos honours subject has open book exam

You should do INF then

My personal feeling is that the INFs are much easier than the COSs. I have very high respect to these doing the BSc computer science, which must have all the COSs. Luckily I had the mix of the INFs and COSs.

I agree, some INF's are easier, but it depends on your amplitude, some people find INF more difficult. I for one enjoyed, and therefore found easier, cos type modules such as INF482 (formal logic).

how do i get my study materials

answers

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