Exam 2008 - issues

When I had to contact Prof Lubbe before he got very aggressive and defensive - trying to say that the reason why the model answers were completely incorrect was because the "book was wrong?" the book is about the only good thing about this course, and he said they were going to change it.

I think its absolutely no use talking to him - he almost certainly didn't read the syllabus or look at the assignments during before setting the exam, and because he personally doesn't like the book he never used the lecturers resources for the book.

We have to go over his head before he writes a long list of excuses.

Yebo -- I am very disappointed myself. I work in IT I am a national manager for a Bank and I must say if one of my System analysts gave me a plan like that I would take Diss action. I can tell you that a first meeting with stakeholders normally will give better minutes to the meeting than the spec we got here. It was not well setout having said that it is an exam? so it should be diff. I have the habit of reading the entire exam before I start and having done that and seeing the last 2 questions I was just dumb struck. It affected the rest of my exam. The subject matter is from chapter 8 and that was clearly mentioned as a chapter we did not need to look at.

The question is though that in reality what will UNISA actually do about this? I have a strange suspicion its going to be nothing?

but yes it was very disappointing.

Hi.

I also agree that the exam started off very well. It was in the same format as the assignments and could be followed easily. But then the fill in section, although stated that it was going to be in the exam, was very difficult to prepare for because I felt that some questions actually needed two words and others had more than one answer.

I believe in order to get all these questions right, you had to have a photographic memory and had to have had studied the whole textbook.

Also, The last question of the last section, where we had to draw a table, was quite unexpected. I was prepared for all the others, but that really got me. And the worst part was that it counts for 20 marks, that's 20%.

I just hope I passed, as I guess we all feel. I do agree that the layout and way that the questions were asked, especially the model question were ambiguous.

Well, this is just my opinion.

Well I am sure this will fall on deaf ears as UNISA is prep'ing for an influx of enrollments for this module next year after this crap they dished up....I think they should give everyone the marks for the last 2 questions they sucked out of their thumbs!

I was under the impression that I had no idea about the last 2 questions. The missing word questions were also a little vague. Basically I totally agree with most of the stuff here. I tried some stuff for the last question, but I was not 100% certain I had ever seen it.

What I am nervous about was that the last two questions were actually in the exam tutorial letter and I didn't query it at the time. I thought they would never actually give out the real questions in a tutorial letter so I didn't worry about it. Now that I didn't query it - I'm worried.

Just to add my bit as well, i am with everyone in this. But now can we get an official answer or stand on this. Although supposedly Prof Lubbe replied in Afrikaans to an individual email, some of us cant understand a word of Afrikaans, so it would be better if they posted an official stand on this issue just to put away student's anxieties. I'm sure they visit these forums as well, so why not just acknowledge this disaster and explain how they will right this or something. Personally I think its only fair to award full marks for those particular questions period. Re-taking the exam will involve logistical and administrative overheards that both the university and students would rather not.
Mistakes happen and hopefully they will learn from it and whoever benefits from this good for them, but if you performed badly anyway it cannot rescue you from failure its that simple.

Here are my 2 cents :

1. MCQ mark reading sheet had no UNIQUE number (strange)

2. English/Afrikaans together made the exam more confusing.

3. Fill in blanks sections was ridiculous, Why couldn't they have been included in the MCQ section?

4. The last question was so long and confusing. I kept going back to read if the application was the Webstore or the Customer Tracking System.

5. Entity whatever I never answered that one.

I am willing to sign a formal complaint. I think this needs to go to the Registrar : Academic or the Dean of Students.

fran13: I felt the exact same way about the case study. The question referred to "this application" but I had no idea what "this application" was actually referring to.

Another thing that I would like to add, reading desiganp's post, was the fact that the instructions on the paper were to fill in the MCQ's on the paper with an X. But the handed out a mark reading sheet. I don't know who sat where, but from what I could notice, they fetched my whole row's sheets and we never used them. This is an unwanted distraction and extra confusion. Who else found this odd?

Frankwas i just realised something. I did not answer the MCQ on the exam paper but in the Mark Reading sheet!!

How many other people may have done this! It gets more ridiculous.

I totally agree with you, all students should be given full marks for the last two questions.This was a very unfair exam,students should not suffer because of one person mistake. We should all stand together and get to the bottom of this.

At our venue we weren't given mark reading sheets. In the question paper it said to mark with an x on the page next to the correct answer.

Just want to add to what everyone was saying. I fully agree.
Question 1 was cool,the same format as assignments.
But the last 2... ?
They were extremely vague ,&some of the stuff was not even our in the syllabus.

&what was up with the question about brainstorming, the ERD thing.
AND question2? Was this an IS paper or an english comprehension test,seriously.Why not just make that part of the mcq?

Just hope they gonna do something about it...

I agree that the exam guidelines were misleading as to the actual content of the paper, the last questions vague in to what system should be described and that the fill-in-the-blank questions had more than one correct answer. I was very stressed during the exam due to this and most definitely did not do as well as i could have.

None the less I did all the questions and would like to receive merits for my attempt.

Hi All!

I cannot totally agree with everything that is being said in this post. The questions in the exam matched the work discussed in the assignments, not completely, but close enough to be doable.

I have to agree that the Webstore/Customer Tracking System was a bit ambiguous, although the discussion clearly stated your input was required on the Customer Tracking System only.

I feel that those students who did well in the last two questions will be unnecessarily negatively affected should there be a re-examination.

I cannot think of a solution right now, but will wait and see what the lecturers have to offer !? Not having the last two questions count will have adverse effects to those students who did better in the last two questions than in the rest of the paper.

Im going to mail exams@unisa.ac.za I suggest you all do the same as they may take note of the influx of complaints and do something about it. Whereas they can ignore one.

I'm willing to be part of a complaint action if needed. Because Q2 about ERD was was not a part of this module. I looked at the book and it was discussed in chapter 8 which was not covered in this module. The exam paper especially last part was not consistent with what was said about exam paper will be in tutorial letter. It was a very unfair exam and I do not want to fail and extend my studies for 1 year just because of a wrongly prepared exam.

Ok guys, so MOSTLY everyone agrees.

that brings us to what now? Who to we contact and who's going to lead this. It does not matter if we vent here... it's not going to change anything.

Is someone going to try and find out what our course of action is or will a couple of us phone and find out??

M

If you handed in your MCQ reading sheet then they have to mark it. But it just compounds all the problems.

Furthermore, EyeOnGoal you are making a point. However, I cannot think for a moment that any student could have done better in the last two questions, or even just the last question, than the rest of the paper. The rest of the paper WAS in the syllabus. But it was the way it was asked and the ambiguity of the questions that is the main reason for concern I think.

We should nominate for a letter of grievance or something of the nature. A letter of grievance in any normal company or business is taken very seriously, as long as the grounds of the letter are valid. Also, all facts, dates and views from the students/clients need to be stated clearly. I have seen grievance letters reach quite high in an organisation.

I am also willing to be part of a complaint action if needed.

I think if one wants to write a letter of grievance, it needs to be sent to the Legal Department of Unisa.

But I'm sure if we phone we can find out exactly.

I have also sent an email to exams@unisa.ac.za. Will wait and see what comes from that. I also think the more people that sends email to exams@unisa.ac.za, the better our chances of achieving something.

Hopefully someone will be able to help us from there, will just have to wait and see.

I knew of the entity diagrams only from studying a 3rd year module INF303D. But I knew it wasnt in the sylabus and wondered if perhaps they meant system diagram but the marks assigned were too low. And the last question, well now. I have no clue. A table with 2 headings in one column....I wrote on my exam paper something to the effect of: * I'm not sure what is required in the last question and find it poorly asked.
I really dont know what they wanted. If someone can tell me how to go about complaining I am willing to do so cause i feel a third or so of the paper was not in the syllabus. Plus was candidate keys studied at all??? I know it was the answer to one of the fill in words(again from INF303D).
This is the second year I am writing this subject and I assure you last years paper was a lot more clear. The write up they used was very vague, giving first 5 external agents(which they referred to as entities) then taking one away, as it was temporary used.....er WHAT?!?!?!?!
Also noticed 4/5 people leave within the first hour of the paper...not normal for a 3 year paper

I agree with everyone so far too. The questions overall were very vague and the last 2 questions were way out there. I knew a bit about them since I have a few years of actual comercial experience but it didnt help me much without a reference document or something to refresh my slow old brain with the exact formats.

I am not in South Africa so I am not sure what the correct point of contact for complaints could be but here is one possibility. Those who are local could even go and see the ombudsman and get direction on this.


From the university documentation it appears that it used to be Advocate SA Mlonzi.
UNISA Ombudsman

i am very concern about last 2 question of the exam 2008 it was not in our syllabus i wonder why we did found it in the exam

i do agree to u people de lsat 2 question was not part of our exam cause it is from chapter 8.then let something be done so that everyone has fair and deserved exam

i do agree to u people de last 2 question was not part of our exam cause it is from chapter 8.then let something be done so that everyone has fair and deserved exam

The last section was just a horror movie. I didn't understand the story, it had three systems and I didn't know which one was the main one in the context diagram. What on earth were we supposed to do with the last table? I had no clue. I think we should re-write. The ERDs are in chapter 8 and chapter 8 is not part of the syllabus. They also lied in the exam tutorial letter. When we study, we study according to it & the exam tells a different story... I think I failed big time