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Network Emulators
CNDS site

 

 

 

cnds feedback form results (2002/2003)
[Less detail] [PDF Version]

These are the results of the on-line questionaire.


General module information

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

1. Overall assessment of the module?

0

4
[3%]

28
[21%]

59
[45%]

40
[31%]

Comments:

Explained an area I knew nothing about really well, so I have gone on to do a CCNA course.

The material presented was very interesting, especially future trends. A bit mind warping at points, but i think thats me as opposed to the material.

Really interesting module

Good idea to give a project, search by his/her own is really good.

Most interesting / professionally delivered / current module I have studied @ SoC.

Easy to concentrate on particular sections at specific junctures.

Liked the fact that you could do assessment revision online.

Helpers useful reason being the work is somewhat difficult.

I found the 2nd assessment very confusing, I seemed to have revised the wrong things for it.

Fair and stricly covered LA's and topics.

Seems too in depth for Multimedia students.

We can have quite good results if we work correctly. And very good results with personal work.

 

Result: 76% rate the module as very good or excellent.

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

2. How would you rate the quality of the teaching pack?

 

2
[2%]

2
[2%]

22
[17%]

59
[46%]

43
[34%]

Comments:

Extensive and informative

Excellent and easy to follow

As part time no lectures so found pack very good

sometimes there were double meaning in the book.

It gave me a headache every time i tried to read it. Too small a print. [Bill: The PDF's for the notes for normal type size is on-line, and can be printed]

Bills presentation style & the quality online resouces should be a model for other lecturers

Teaching pack contained additional info, not in lectures. Saved buying a book.

Superb although answers to the multiple choice questions at the end of each section would be nice.

The best I have had yet. I dont grudge the £2 :-D

Text was really small.

We can find all draws and informations you told us in it. Very useful

Too much content

Lots of info!!

I didn't know anything about networks before this module but it was well taught and i now feel that i know a lot.

I could not read it. the writing was much too small. the content of pack was excellent. [Bill: The PDF's for the notes for normal type size is on-line, and can be printed]

 

Result: 96% rate the teaching pack as good or better

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

3. How would you rate the organisation of the module?

 

8
[7%]

30
[25%]

49
[40%]

38
[29%]

Comments:

having everything web based is excellent

Very well organised

Extermely well organised

it was a little hit and miss getting organised at the start. leaves you unsettled.

Deadlines set too tightly in respect of other course work.

Couldn't fault Bill. He's by far the best teacher we have ever had. I only wish our other teachers were like him.

received emails of any changes/other important info in plenty of time

step by step.from the beginnig (physical) to the end (evolution, security).

The assesements were changed throughout the module. Which was inconvenient when it came to study plans (especially relevant to other subjects)

Loved the informal web site!

I like the e-mailing system - very well organised - easy to know what going on at all times

the church is not perfect to listen your class

First exam was not on a day that the lecture was on. This made it more difficult for Part time students. Apart from that it was fine. although maybe a few to many people

on-line submission is very good

Superb up-to-date information through E-mail

 

Result: 69% rate the organisation of the module as very good or excellent.

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

4. How would you rate the quality of the lectures?

 

3
[2%]

23
[18%]

47
[37%]

53
[43%]

Comments:

This is not my main area of interest but Bill managed to make all lectures interesting

Very Good lecture and excellent for continued support

enjoyable and interesting

good lectures with funny bits to keep the interest up. projected at everyones level of ability.

bill is funny and gets the information across

The lectures were fun and interesting and made learning far more enjoyable and worthwhile.

drawing and demonstrations ... helped the lectures to be interesting.

Couldnt hear very well

Bill, you have a talent for this!

too crowed, sometimes difficult to have a place or to hear correctly or to ask questions

its a subject i enjoy so that helps - but lectures were enjoyable and humerous and included practical examples and insights which was good

William Buchanan if one of the best lecturers I've never seen in my life.

None better - the lecturer actually seemd to be enjoying giving a lecture, and had put a lot of effort into making them interesting and informative.

good examples, give interesment to learn more about network

Very amusing.

First class none better.

Amazing. The first time that I have a teacher that 'preaches' instead of 'teaches' may be the fact that it took place in a church, anyway, I really enjoyed the teaching style, thank you :-)

 

Result: 80% rate the lectures as very good or excellent.

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

5. How would you rate the knowledge of the lecturing team?

 

12
[10%]

30
[24%]

84
[66%]

Comments:

What Bill doesn't know on cnds isn't worth knowing!

Seemed to be very clued up on the whole topic

for Bill only; had no communication with other members; very enthusiastic and fun to listen to!

Speaking about lecturers only the answer would be 'Good' however the assistants (well some of them) do not know enough to me they are just there to keep students quiet

I've never met a better teacher. Serious.

well, Its headed by Bill Buchanan. At this level of education cant expect anything other than professionalism

you know a lot of things, what is the rest of the teaching team ??!!

Bill is a monster. His assistants, in some cases, had a fair knowledge.

After so much books, we have so mach to learn

amazing

Seems to know what he's talking about... ;)

Different class compared to other modules

 

Result: 90% rate the knowledge of the teaching team as very good or excellent.

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

6. How would you rate the help you received from the teaching team?

 

 

1
[1%]

8
[7%]

30
[24%]

50
[41%]

37
[28%]

7. How relavent was the module for your education in computing/ engineering?

 

 

5
[4%]

15
[12%]

23
[18%]

45
[36%]

38
[30%]

8. How would you rate the interest of the tutorial sessions?

 

 

4
[3%]

11
[8%]

43
[36%]

45
[36%]

23
[17%]

9. How would you rate the information that you received on the module (such as the module organiser, timetable, and so on)?

 

 

1
[1%]

5
[4%]

29
[24%]

47
[38%]

42
[33%]

10. How would you rate the usage of email and WWW support?

 

 

1
[1%]

11
[9%]

21
[18%]

93
[72%]

Comments:

Wish all the lecturers did this.

I wish all modules offered the support that this one did

Excellent communication throughout

website very complete

spot on. the web material was refreshing this being my first time seeing such things.

A model for all other modules

E-mails were occasionally recieved too late to act upon. but web support was excellent ask questions could be asked at any time. replies were prompt. MSN service when Bill was available was very helpful to. I wish all lecturers were as available!

best website by far for module information

msn and email was excellent couldnt imagine any other lecture using this though

perfect!

This was great

Very good, always fast responses to questions.

excellent! Keep it up. I wish all modules had this approach
Best site. Best real experience about how to use technology and networks for educational purposes.

Useful for Part time students

this is how all modules should be organised

Couldnt have asked for any more, Bill went beyond the call of duty to provide support

Brilliant. WWW support was superb! Quizies and excersises on the web were a GREAT help!

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

11. How would you rate the provision of on-line material?

     

12
[10%]

26
[21%]

87
[69%]

Comments:

The Flash games were fantastic. :-)

On-line material is very good but can seem a little daunting with so much information available

Wicked. Online tests were a great way to learn as well as test your knoweledge- actually made revison fun which has never happened to me b4 @ uni

sorry, I have answered this already. it was a breath of fresh air. not having to wade through loads of paper and carry it in my bag was a plus.

Initially I found it hard to navigate around the website. There are still times when I can't find something I have just looked at.

provision of on-line materials surpasses any other module i have taken

Use of flash and other media to explain the material was excellent

Again .. in a different class from the others

Some who actually uses and develops multimedia to actually teach. It makes a nice change.

perfect!

Great, especially the online tests.

Second to none!

Again, excellent

This was also useful for part time students.

superb

Great for revision.

I dont think I would have passed if it was not for this

Assessment information

Please gives your comments on the class tests.

 
No comment
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Excellent

12. How would you rate the information that you received about the details of the class tests (such as exam outline, and so on)?

 

3
[3%]

20
[17%]

57
[47%]

42
[31%]

13. How would you rate the fairness of the test papers?

 

3
[3%]

9
[8%]

19
[15%]

63
[50%]

25
[19%]

14. How would you rate the relavence of the coursework?

 

3
[3%]

4
[3%]

22
[19%]

61
[48%]

33
[25%]

15. How would your rate the level that assignment has increased your knowledge of this area computing?

 

3
[3%]

6
[4%]

23
[19%]

60
[48%]

30
[25%]

16. How would you rate the quality of the support in the practical sessions?

 

4
[3%]

11
[9%]

39
[32%]

44
[34%]

22
[17%]

17. How helpful was the on-support for the tests/coursework (such as through MSN/Email/WWW submissions)?

 

1
[1%]

18
[15%]

42
[36%]

61
[48%]

Comments:

no other module has so much soppurt via email web or messenger

Fantastic

having chance to submit one assignment and it working is enough to say that I am happy with it. I can see others have already theirs submitted so it must work.

had more feedback for this one module than all the others combined!

... all the time ready to answer ... even if you have sometimes already-made answers.

This was much easier than having to print it out and hand in.

Support was good for first two tests. Online tests and games etc were invaluable.

Makes a nice change from not being able to talk to lecturers outside class time

Invaluable

Again, couldnt have asked for more

Very exceptional

Subject area interest/ unit material

In order for us to enhance the module, we would like to know which subjects were the most interesting:

 
No comment
Not so
inter-
esting
So- so
Fair
Inter-
esting
Very
inter-
esting

18. UNIT 1
INTRODUCTION

           

19. UNIT 2
NETWORK TYPES

           

20. UNIT 3
ETHERNET AND ATM

           

21. UNIT 4
NETWORK DESIGN, SWITCHES and VLANS

           

22. UNIT 5
IP/NETWORK LAYER

           

23. UNIT 6
TCP/TRANSPORT LAYER

           

24. UNIT 7
SECURITY

           

25. UNIT 8
MOBILE COMMS

           

Additional questions

 
No comment
Well below average
Below average
About the same
Above average
Well above average

26. How does this module compare with other modules that you have studied?

 

2
[2%]

13
[10%]

52
[41%]

60
[47%]

Comments:

Help provided was an inspiration compared to some of the modules on our course.

The one module that actually uses IT and multimedia to teach rather than just talking about it.

its a little more testing than the others. I found it difficult but necessary.

This module was how I expected teaching at Uni to be. It was pitched quite high, however the downside was that it became all consuming and put a lot of pressure on to the student.

Bill was approachable, well organised, funny, an excellent lecturer and the module was very interesting i feel i gained a lot of knowledge from this module.

This module is highly technolcal and linked in well with other (less technical) modules.

felt the module covered the networking aspects too deeply for a Multi Media course

I found it much harder than anything else I have ever done

The organisation of the module, combined with the learning material online was brilliant - Made learning easier and more enjoyable.

Although, I felt the coursework was too much, I would have much preferred a third test.

The first module I have sat to make use of the internet, and teach in a more accessable way.

best i have studied

I wish we had more teacher like this, so involved in their work and good at what they are doing.

 

Result: 88% rated the module above average, compared with other modules. In fact, the majority rated it well above average.

 
No comment
Well below average
Below average
About the same
Above average
Well above average

27. How would you rate the help you have received from the Teaching Staff on this module?

     

20
[17%]

43
[36%]

56
[47%]

Comments:

Help provided was an inspiration compared to some of the modules on our course.

I found that they could answer any questions I had asked and that they gave me good support when it came to needing help.

Bill is an excellent teacher. For multimedia students we questioned the relevence of this subject for us.

as i said have had more useful help/feedback for this one module than all the others combined!

Brilliant. Bill was available to answer questions almost 24hrs a day!! And he always provided an answer to my questions.

Bill was regularly available for questioning on msn messenger which is a far more instant medium than email.

Help provided was an inspiration compared to some of the modules on our course.

If we compare to the ##### module about staff, it is another world.
exemplary

Far more than you could expect

 

Result: More than half of the students rated that help they received was well above average. In fact, even though there were over 400 students on the module, 83% rated that the help they received was above average.

General comments (if any)

This course beat all the others hands down...

A very interesting class and very relevant in todays communications driven age.

I found this module very interesting and feel that I have learned a lot, more than I normally do from modules

I do not see the need in changing the module as it is clearly organised in a much better way than the other modules I have taken. In fact, I think that other modules should run in the same way, such as the Q&A section for exams and the online help with MSN etc.

I thought this module was in general well organised and taught. However, I thought it was a bit strange that us multimedia students had to study networking to that level of knowledge. On the whole, it was still a good module to be taught.

The module was a challenge to study every week to perform knowledge. But sometimes I found it hard, the teaching pack should explain in detail the most interesting points. In general the module was very enjoyable and very good structure

It would have been good to know, what questions we got wroung on the Exams, so we know what problems we were having I feel this module had a lack in feedback on exams. Fair and stricly covered LA's and topics.

I was expecting it to also have a bit of a practical side to it...but quite good and interesting overall.

Overall very organised and taught module, though volume of e-mails causes a problem.

Enjoyed the course.... was a lot to learn yet the pressure never seem on (well it was but never that much)

This has been one of the most challenging modules yet, but because it was consistently interesting and relevant to the course i have really enjoyed it.

The module was a bit technical for me

The help and support Dr.Buchanan offered really was outstanding and his passion for the subject unrivaled. All of the material on his web site was most informative and pertinent, the tests were very, very good and truly served to lodge quite complex concepts well and truly in my mind.

i would like more hands on stuff like configuriing routers or setting up a small network with about 4 computers

Dr Buchanan is a credit to the univeristy. Why aren't other lecturers following his online repository & teaching method? I enjoyed the module immensely, the content was vast, I had to work hard to get the benefit. Id do it again in an instant.

the best teacher we ever had in network computing....

Bill's website was always up to date and very helpful in helping you to prepare for an upcoming exam, definetly well above the standards of other websites in other modules, other websites seemed to be there because they had to be as a pre-requisite of the module but were never updated and never held any useful information at all. This was not the case with the CNDS site.

Very interesting topic for hardware engineers. We have to deal more and more with networking and software in the systems we design, so it was good to understand the basic principles behind CNDS.

Best module Ive studied at napier so far. The online web page was absolutely superb, not had any other module where it was that well organised. Its good to see a lecturer which actually takes an interest in what he is talking about and has such a good knowledge of it. The availability of the help with using messenger for quick questions is brilliant. And then posting the questions on the web page truly helps to think more about the work. If only half the modules were as well done as this one, it would be far better.

high quality of teaching, just one thing, thank you. Espacialy, the project, search by myself new information was very interesting more then write exam. The subject was also very well chose, the Wireless is so the next step of networks

Definitely, the best network teaching we have ever received.

Bill, I couldn't study too much last months, because I've been ill for a couple of months this semester. I've passed all modules but I've got a fair marks. In any case, I've enjoy your module so much. Things have been change on my head: Networks and Distributed Systems will be part of my professional life in the future. Thanks for everything and go on supporting new ways of doing things online.

Thanks Bill - a thoughraly enjoyable module - keep it up!

Well done Bill, I can't say I've been in a more interesting, well organised module than CNDS (at this university).

Bill, I was massively impressed with the organisation, communication and resources availability that byou have incorporated into this module. It really helped the learning experience and allowed us to concentrate on the right areas rather than worry where to get information and study the wrong things. Thank You.

It's an area that i'm very interested in, so that may bias my opinion a little bit, but most probably the best and most relevant module i've done in the past 3 years!

Bill was regularly available for questioning on msn messenger which is a far more instant medium than email.

The CNDS module was perhaps the most enjoyable of the entire MM course. Certainly the best organised.

If every module was as well organised and supported as CNDS, learning would be far easier.

thanks to be a teacher, schools need more people interested by what they teach

As this was not particularly in my line of interest it was essential to have a dedicated lecturer to enthuse on the subject. I felt that all the time spent creating online quizzes, WAP access, email updates and MSN Q&A made all the difference to my understanding of the module!

Undoubtedly an excellent module, especially for those pursuing networking degrees, from the software engineering perspective I found it difficult, although appreciating the relevance and value of networking, to get as involved in the module as I would have liked. This may have been in part as a consequence of, apart from time constraints, having a prdetermined view that I only wanted to have a cursory knowledge or overview of networking and did not particularly appreciate having to explore deeper. As time went by however I began to appreciate that this was a somewhat jaundice and shortsighted view, as the module progressed I beagn to wish I had put more effort into it than I had, although learning much, I could have learned much more as every oportunity was extended to do so. That said, all credit to the module, even though for much of the time I was reluctant to apply myself, I find that I have still learned much and have broadened my perspective. Keep up the good work!

i would prefered if the assignment no 3 was 2 be handed in before xmas. i know that i could have done this bit i knew i could have time after xmas to do it. but i have really enjoyed this module the most this semester

The best module I had in semester one.

My only comment is that there was too much information to really learn anything at a level where you had a complete understanding of the topic, there were always sections that you had to miss out and hope they didn't come up in a test. If this was the only subject that had to be studied it would have been okay, but as we all have another 3 sometimes the amount of learning seemed a bit excessive. But overall this was a fantastic module but also the first module I didn't receive a merit for my tests due to the volume of data and the timescales.

I generally just dont feel this module fitted adequately into a software eng course. though relevant in some areas i could have benefited from a software angled approach on networking with topics on wireless security and mobile computing and mobile networking being large parts of the course as these are areas of concern in the software engineering areas. granted though someone has to write software to implement such networking, its just that that wont be me.

was a pleasure to do the module, really enjoyed the sleepless nights before deadlines - honest!

The fact that initially we were told that we won't have a course work and then a few weeks towards the end, we were suddenly told that we'd have it, put us under tremendious pressure.I would suggest that it would be good for student to know from the on set that they will or will not have a coursework or even tests for that matter.

As you've probably guessed by now, i only wish Bill could teach all of our modules as i couldn't fault him as a lecturer. He made learning fun, worthwhile and thus made it easier to learn the topics covered.

I enjoyed this module and found it to be very interesting. I also felt that the lectures were made more interesting and fun compared with some other modules. I also liked the way that we were assessed. However please see my comments above on the last assessment. -I would have preffered another test!

bill is the best lecturer in the uni, most interesting, best support, highest knowledge level

I found CNDS to be a very interesting module with excellent lectures and support provided. Possibly the most enjoyable module I have studied at Napier so far.

If every module I studied here at Napier was this interesting, well structured, managed and delivered, it would make getting my degree a pleasure.

I fet there was excellent support from Bill.He is the only Lecturer that keeps you updated through e-mail.I felt very secure Knowing that I could communicate with Bill through his website.His website is excellent. The only comment I would make is that it took a while to realise all resources were there for tests. The exams were a bit shocking! and not particularly well spread in terms of content .I don't Know if MMT students are ready to have trick multiple choice answers having little Knowledge of the subject compared to Network students.It certainly threw me! I was more at the stage of of identifying if something was right or wrong. I felt I needed to go back and get some real basic information on networks in order to understand the more complex stuff. Overall I thought the module would be excellent for other students other than MMT students, as it is too advanced for MMT. I would have expected to go into this much depth with web design instead.

Overall i enjoyed the the content, layout and way in which the course was taught. However, i would like to have seen more in the way of practical work with the opportunity to see and work with some pieces of network hardware, possible in tutorials

Other lecturers should observe this module and learn a few things. In the lectures the concepts were placed in an interesting way and there was always practical demonstrations including one with a live Wap phone which dialed up on the main screen to show how mobile networks worked.

There were many students on the module but you never felt that you couldnt ask a question from the lecturer. The MSN address is always there to ask a question at most times of the day.

the module was very difficult for me. I find network computing confusing at times. the class was intense but necessary. lectures were interesting and sometimes fun. the addition of some humour made the lesson go in a lot quicker as well as giving a slight wake up call when things turned a little mundane. there was help when I needed it pitched at my level and when I required an actual example, it was given to me. Therefore everything was covered that needed to be.

Help provided was an inspiration compared to some of the modules on our course.

So far it is the best module has ever been in. The continuous assessment is the good thing. At the end of the semester I bet that most of us will remember what was tough which is definitly not the case for the other modules. However try to change less the way students will be assess because most of us do not understand why we went from online tests to report. Finally, Bill Buchannan is very enthousiatic and is always there for us. This is the strongest point of the module ! Best of luck.

A well structured and interesting module to learn. All the exam details etc were well published on the web page and there were plenty of revision materials available.

An very well structured and interesting module, although I am not sure of the direct relevance of it to Multimedia. I am glad to have taken it though as I have learned a great deal and enjoyed the material.

Tests were too hard strugled to get more than 40% and made alot of silly mistakes in the written sections of both tests.

Good rounded module, one of the better ones I studied.

felt the module covered the networking aspects too deeply for a Multi Media course

At the start of the semester I did not think that I would do well in this module as it is not in my area of interest. Bill managed to make the information interesting and understandable and in doing so gave me the opportunity to gain interest and knowledge in this subject.

First class. Years ahead of the rest.

I would say that if it wasn't for the fact the Mr Buchanan is an excellent lecturer, i would of found this module alot harder. The help i recieved was outstanding and the response time of e.mails made all the difference.

Really interesting well supported module... Because of this I and many other student have developed a great respect for him as a teacher.

Personally I think that if all modules were organised as well as this, and as much support given for all modules then, I think I would have no problem getting an honours degree. The support from Bill and his team was exceptional.

This module is the best module I have ever took part in at Napier University. Thankfully, one lecturer is very organised!

Just near of the perfection... I'm french and in my university I never see so many elements to help students to success

My comments

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey. It's not easy to actually know how well a module is going, so a survey such as this helps to see if there are any major problems. I've tried to be as fair to everyone as possible, but with over 450 students on the module I can never win. For some it is too easy, and to others it is too difficult. For some there is too much work, and to others there isn't enough. On balance I think we have done well this year. The marks seems to be spread well, and with a reasonable average.

- To be completed.