Module Report
This module ran for the sixth time in 2004/05, with:
Overall, the module went very well; the average mark (56%) and the distribution of marks were satisfactory, and the coursework exercise went well.
Module evaluation was undertaken by questionnaire in early February, shortly after the end of the Autumn Semester.
53 completed questionnaires were returned – a reasonable response. Students' opinion was generally very favourable. There was significant agreement that a good module outline was provided; the module was well organised; the objectives were clear; the guest lecturers were good; students gained understanding and interest in the subject, and learnt to appreciate that many issues are associated with the provision of transport systems; the module contributed well to a balanced course; and the workload and the pace of the module were just right. Additional comments were mostly favourable; the subject matter, discussion opportunities and the guest lectures were particularly appreciated.
The form of assessment was felt to be appropriate, though some respondents indicated that they felt the requirements of the coursework exercise were not clear enough. The lecturer feels that some students – perhaps ‘brought up' on being told exactly what to do – may confuse lack of clarity with the fact that how to solve the problem posed is deliberately not specified, so it is for them to invent a method, and the better the method they invent, the more marks they may earn; thus the coursework brief inevitably has a somewhat open-ended character.
The module web-site was used for the fourth time, and there was very strong agreement that it supported the module well. No technical handouts were provided; the only three documents handed out (apart from a couple of literature articles) were the initial handout, the coursework brief and the prepublished exam questions, and these were reproduced on the website.
For the third time, the exam questions were published in advance, in late November, and there was very strong support for this approach. Pre-publication of the exam questions is consistent with the lecturer's philosophy of encouraging student-centred learning: deliberately forward-looking exam questions are set to encourage revision in the form of individual research into new ideas.
There were no student comments in this respect. The classes each week were in C-C19, which was well equipped with presentation technology.
Subject to resources, the web-site may be developed further during Summer 2005. Experimentation regarding use of class time, and the order in which topics are covered, will continue; this is often made necessary by constraints on the availability of guest lecturers. With transport issues being naturally contemporary and topical, the content of this module will logically always be developing. After a satisfactory start, the slightly more adventurous approach of advance publication of forward-looking (research inviting) exam questions will be continued.
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Transport Issues
last modified: 18-Oct-2006
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