Jamie:
Hi Martha, do you have time to talk?
Jamie:
We have to submit our evaluations of our course next week and I thought it'd be useful to discuss what we both think.
Martha:
Good idea, that would help refresh my memory, especially about things we did in previous years.
Jamie:
I agree, so let's talk about the modules we took.
Jamie:
What about statistics for environmental research?
Jamie:
I've always been hopeless with numbers so I thought that I'd learn a lot.
Martha:
But you know, it wasn't at a high enough level for me.
Martha:
I actually had to do a lot of reading on my own.
Jamie:
Me too, I had to get an additional reading list from the tutor.
Martha:
Now, sewage and drainage systems, I wasn't looking forward to that one.
Jamie:
Not exactly a pleasant subject, but you know, the module convinced me that it's an essential topic to understand for both cities and rural environments.
Martha:
Right, and in the end, not a boring subject.
Jamie:
Not at all, it was quite a revelation.
Martha:
The module on agriculture and food security could have been good.
Jamie:
But the assigned readings were only those ancient government publications.
Martha:
And the lecture notes clearly hadn't been updated for years.
Jamie:
What about the module on sustainable energy?
Jamie:
I really got into the project we had to do to invent something functional.
Jamie:
I devised a windmill to power my laptop.
Martha:
Yep, the projects were great.
Martha:
Though the personal battery charger I built never really worked.
Jamie:
Too bad, but I'm sure you learned a lot nonetheless.
Martha:
And the government policy module?
Martha:
I wish it had included policy in other countries.
Martha:
It was a bit inward-looking, I thought, focused just on this country.
Jamie:
I mentioned that to the lecturer, but she said it was best to concentrate on one country in depth at first.
Martha:
And there was that module called water management.
Martha:
I must admit, I got lost in the discussion about the issues of groundwater levels and flood risk management, which weren't that essential.
Jamie:
You weren't the only one.
Martha:
I thought some aspects of the course organisation were particularly helpful.
Martha:
Can we talk a bit about that?
Martha:
Actually, I was disappointed that I couldn't take any module whenever I wanted.
Jamie:
But the variety of modules on offer was a strong point and meant I managed to cover a lot of subjects.
Martha:
More than I expected.
Jamie:
I had wanted to finish the course early by doing an extra module each term, which would have been useful, but unfortunately that wasn't allowed.
Martha:
I had to wait to do some modules, which I found hard to schedule.
Martha:
And I think more assigned reading for the modules would have made the lectures easier to follow.
Jamie:
That would have been good.
Jamie:
But I was pleased that the course organizers were able to provide modules focusing on real life issues, which we can apply later when looking for jobs.
Martha:
And I would have hated it if it had all been theory.
Jamie:
What about the written paper we had to do for Dr. Brown?
Jamie:
Are there any things we could suggest to improve the way that's handled?
Martha:
Well, I got lots of help from Dr. Brown and his assistant in narrowing down what I wanted to write about.
Jamie:
Yes, they stopped me from doing something too ambitious.
Jamie:
But choosing a topic right at the beginning of the module was difficult.
Martha:
Maybe he could postpone the decision until halfway through the term.
Jamie:
I was happy with the word limit for the assignment though.
Martha:
Well, as usual, I could have written on and on, but the limit made me refine my thoughts, so it was OK in the end.
Jamie:
I wish I could have had a session with Dr. Brown after he'd marked my written paper.
Jamie:
I know it would be time consuming, but it would have been really useful.
Martha:
Actually, I was satisfied with Dr. Brown's written feedback.
Martha:
It was amazingly detailed, so I don't think I needed more.
Jamie:
But I wish they could arrange sessions where students get together and help each other before submitting their written work.
Martha:
If they provided time for that, it would be quite convenient.
Jamie:
Now that we've almost finished our course, it's time to think about our career prospects.
Jamie:
What type of organization do you hope to work for?
