One exam finishes and another module opens

An blue-green door partially open
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash

I did, in fact, peek at the module website for TM352 Web, Mobile and Cloud Technologies, before sitting my exam for TM256 Cyber Security the following day.

It helped to take my mind off the exam and soothe my anxiety. As I am now waiting for my results, expected towards the end of October, it is proving an enjoyable distraction.

The exam. Wow. Now, that was a challenge. I don’t think it was just me but there did seem to be a lot more to it than either the past of specimen paper. It was harder. No question.

The real challenge, however, was trying to complete it all within the time limit of three hours. There was another half hour for checking and uploading answers. 

From the forum posts following the exam, it seemed a lot of people felt the same. I tried to set myself a strict time limit for each part, proportional to the number of marks.

I overran my self-imposed time limit for the first part, which was only worth 15 marks. Eventually, I had to leave it unfinished and move on to the next part. However, I found time to go back and finish it towards the end. 

Whether I have written enough for each question, only time will tell. However, I thought it best to spread my bets and write something for each. With luck, I will accumulate enough marks to pass.

Incidentally, the pass mark on the TM256 exam is 30% but you need to get 40% on the module overall to pass. There is a very useful calculator on the module website that predicts your result. It stores the marks you have already obtained for your coursework and allows you to put in a hypothetical mark for your exam. 

Still, no rest for the wicked, nor an Open University student. My next module, TM352 Web, Mobile and Cloud Technologies, officially starts in just under a week’s time. However, the module website is up and running and a list of tutorials is available. My tutor has also been in contact.

Only the first block of module materials is available. The materials for the second block will be released shortly before that block starts towards the end of November. So, in theory, the content should be bang up to date.

One of the first things to notice is that there will be a lot of practical work on this module. For instance, we get access to a Virtual Computing Environment (VCE), through the module website, which contains all the software we will need on the module. We can download local copies, but this is not required and there is no guarantee that the module team can troubleshoot all local installation problems.

I usually download the software when I can, which I have found to be useful in the past given that the online versions in previous modules have often been temporarily unavailable. This invariably happens right when you want to use the software.

There will be three TMAs, due in November, February, and April, together worth 50% of the overall mark for the module. An EMA, due in June, will account for the remainder. The first TMA will be released next week, so it will be interesting to see the balance between theory and practical questions. 

The only other thing I would add is that it is useful to brush up on HTML, CSS and JavaScript before the module starts. However, these are recapped in the first block and there are also some links to helpful videos on JavaScript.

TT284 Web Technologies seems like such a long time ago.

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2 Comments

    1. Hi Andrew, my remote exam for TM256 was open book so there was no need to memorise anything. That said, it is a timed exam and I did not have the time to do a lot of searching through my notes or course materials. So, it helped me that I had a system of signposting key points, such as highlights, to help me find the information I needed quickly. The example exam papers or past papers are useful as my remote exam had a similar structure and style of question. So using these for practice beforehand can help you prepare. I recommend something like Microsoft OneNote, or alternatives such as CherryTree or Joplin (the latter two are heavily recommended in TM359 Systems Penetration Testing). I hope the exam went well for you and good luck for your result next month.

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