Over the coming months I will be posting my thoughts on the course so far and the general aspects of learning through the Open University (distance learning) and through an online course. (As well as fretting over the assignments!)

10 March 2002
I'm just over a month into the course now and things are going well! Our first TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment) is due in 8 days! I'm panicking a little bit as I had trouble zipping the file successfully but everyone at the OU has been extremely helpful and I solved my problem in no time at all! I'm finding the reading a little heavy going but it's nothing compared to my A'levels! So far ..... so good!

14 March 2002
Have just submitted my first TMA - 4 days before cut-off date so not bad going! Submission process is easy and even a novice like me can use it! Good luck to all other T171 students with theirs and here's to waiting for the results! Cheers! hic!

17 March 2002
I am thoroughly enjoying the online course so far but find the distance learning a little lonely. There are plenty of people in the conferences and my tutor group to interact with but typing onto a computer screen is not the same as talking face to face. We're trying to arrange a tutor group get together at the end of April so hopefully that will help :o) Updates to follow!

25 March 2002
I have got my first TMA results back and am feeling quite proud of myself, and very relieved! I got 85% so I think I'm on course to pass as the pass mark is 40%! Big sigh of relief! Our tutor group has just been given a new activity to do. We are to construct a website based on the material we have covered in Module 1. It's a group exercise and to make it workable we have each been assigned an area to cover. I am doing Moore's Law along with another student. I think this will help loads as our ECA is to construct a website based on what we have learnt from the course!

1 April 2002
It's still the official Easter break at the moment but I am still working hard. I am concentrating on the reviewing my notes of the first Module which I have now finished. It's not due to be finished for another couple of weeks but am a little ahead of myself so am using the extra time to make sure I have understood it completely. We have also been given the ECA (End of Course Assessment) on the course website now. It seems quite a huge task to complete and includes work from each section of the course to be presented in the form of a website! Wow! A lot of work so I am starting to look at the work I have already covered and see what may be of use.

20 April 2002
Well, its nearly the end of module one and I'm doing well (even if I do say so myself! LOL). I've managed to finish my second TMA which is due on 29th April and have started work on the second module. I'm finding this a little harder than the first as it is based more explicitly on the set book which can be hard to understand at times. The computer conferencing is great though as there is always someone there to help! They have answered so many of my silly questions, it's great. If any of them are out there - thank you!!

28 April 2002
The third TMA has just gone live on the website!!! Not saying it's going to be difficult or anything but I think I may start work on it soon (it's not due until 1st July)!!!! It's completely different from the others we have done and the wording on the website is impossible to read! I think someone typed it in their sleep or a drunken stupor! Hopefully the TMA will be re-posted to the site once it's been reworded as it's impossible to understand at the minute! Until then I'm still slowly working my way through the set book and Module 2 and keep attacking the ECA every now and then so I don't have quite so much to do come October! Back to the grind! ttfn! :-)

4 July 2002
Personal nightmare happened over the last few months which meant no PC (thanks heaps to my tutor Reg for helping with this!) and no study being done :o( I have a PC back online now though and things are looking up! I've just completed TMA03 and keep checking the ETMA site for my results... the most nerve wracking bit of the entire course I'm sure!!
I am a bit behind on the course material as I missed a few weeks without the PC but I am slowly catching up. The third and final module has started now and there is a bit of controversy amongst the students about the set book. It is called "Blown to Bits" and a lot of students think it literally should be!!! Personally, coming from a business perspective not a computing one, I think it is a reasonable book and am quite enjoying reading it!

28 July 2002
Have not had much chance to write lately as things were hotting up on the other course (TT280 ECA was due in!)! Although I felt I did really badly in TMA03 I got a surprisingly good mark (90%) so I am well chuffed!
The work has already begun on the next (and final!) TMA. It involves working within small groups in the tutor group to give feedback on others work. I think I can handle the giving feedback fine but I'm not too good at being criticized so hopefully everyone will go easy on me!!! I should be posting that within a week or so and will let you all know how the feedback goes! ttfn :-)

23 August 2002
Well I've just submitted my final TMA (only the ECA to go now) and am feeling pretty good!! I was so far behind at one stage that I never thought I'd catch up but it's not due 'til 2nd September so have submitted it really early! And am feeling pretty chuffed with myself!!! I don't think it's the best piece of work I've done but then again I don't think I could have improved it by much as the final question was fairly difficult to word. Here's hoping for a decent mark!

11 September 2002
I've sort of had my mark back for TMA04 but not sure how well I did yet! It's either 74% or 84%! Something just doesn't add up right on my marks so my tutor is currently checking it out for me! Whatever way I'm pretty pleased with it!
I've just registered for my next course - T172 which starts in February next year. It's only a 30 point course but I'm using it to make up the 60 points along with T171 for the "extra" courses not set in my degree. Looking forward to finishing the ECA now! It's getting me down having to think of different things to say for the reflection parts on each module but I'm sure I'll get there with a bit of perseverance! Back to the grind! :-)

19 September 2002
Have finally had my mark back and it was 84%! Not bad but not quite enough for me to get a pass 1 (although there is some confusion as to whether grades of pass are still being given on level one courses!). Pretty pleased all the same though, it was definitely one of the harder ones! I've just about finished my ECA and am just making sure it looks okay and the word counts are enough before submitting it! Pretty pleased with what I've managed so far but not so pleased that we have to wait until December to get our marks!!!

31 October 2002
T171 all complete! After submitting my ECA and finding some links not working I resubmitted and am happy with it. So thats it! I'm a T171 survivor at last! Not much more to say except that I've enjoyed the course and the people were brilliant too. Thanks to Reg a great tutor (although he's leaving the OU soon - no doubt to concentrate on his holiday house in Spain, lucky guy!), thanks to fellow students for putting up with me and answering so many questions, both technical and personal, and special thanks to Linda who lent me her T171 books and quite a few more besides! They were so helpful that I dont think I could have made it through the course so easily without them - Linda, you're a star! :-) Thanks for listening and if your thinking about taking the course yourself then go for it - its a great course and you virtually "meet" the most wonderful people (as well as get 30 points for your degree LOL)!! TTFN!
PS T172 cancelled and registered on B200 starting November 2002! No rest for the wicked ;o))