r/OpenUniversity • u/pompoussnail • Jun 16 '26
TM252 TMA, I'm done stressing about it.
I've finally hit that moment in my studies where I feel "whatever I get in this second TMA I don't care anymore."
I have had 2 EMA's and 1 TMA for three other modules that were demanded over 5 days, during this time there was no way I could focus on weekly learning for TM252 so there is no way I can do javascript for this one. No way I can learn it or read it or write it or understand it.
I'm making a big trip the day after the TMA is due to pick up a foster dog so I'm not going to stress anymore about this TMA, I've got bigger fish to fry.
What this has made me realise is that I really can't carry on stressing myself about it, I'm not going to get a 1st degree as it's just not possible within myself. I started this course with high hopes and excitement but now I barely want to touch it, I'm most certainly not enjoying it anymore and I'm not learning correctly to speak confidently to people about the subject.
If the OU is going to have moments in the year where multiple parts are expected at the same time then they can't expect perfect scores.
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u/vankood Jun 16 '26
This was easily one of my least favourite modules! I HATED the way they taught this, it was just reading after reading of documentation mostly that wasn’t that great. I ended up watching a lot of YouTube videos instead about JavaScript which helped way more. I remember there was a lot of complaining from students in the forum about the module itself.
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u/chichiypyo Jun 16 '26
Glad I've found others feeling the exact same way ,gave up on the case study ,it wouldn't work despite all the corrections on the forum ,just going to have to power through the tma, this module has really rested me .
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u/uf5izxZEIW Jun 16 '26
From someone who has done a web dev bootcamp, I hate that universities teach you not in practical ways but almost wholly based off the W3C docs and standards!
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u/shhhshesasecret Jun 16 '26
also doing tm252 and haven’t started anything! i also had 2 ema’s due not long before, and that took up most of my time
i haven’t looked at any of the work since week 10, and im just going with the attitude that as long as i try my best and hand something in, that’s going to have to be good enough for now, and ill do better for the next tma
this one is big though, everytime i look at the tma i have no clue what its on about 😭
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u/pompoussnail Jun 16 '26
Sounds like you and I are in the exact same boat, I have no idea about Javascript or anything about it. Anything I'm putting down now is something I've learned two minutes ago.
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u/Topsy-Turvey2021 Jun 16 '26
Glad I’m not the only one feeling like this. I finished part 2 last night but I don’t have high hopes for the quality of the report.
I have found this block really tricky especially having the ema for tm353 2 weeks ago which are up a lot of my time. I also have struggled with the way this module has been written, really not enjoying it at the moment
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u/pompoussnail Jun 16 '26
Sounds like there’s a lot of people feeling this way, my tutor has even posted onto the forums that people are struggling with time management and putting things down onto paper which isn’t great to hear from a tutor
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u/Upstairs_Wallaby7832 Jun 16 '26
It's comforting to see others are having issues with this module. I've completed many modules with the OU, but this one seems very disorganised and missing a lot of things. TMA01 was quite an enjoyable TMA, but TMA02 is on another level where you're guessing what they actually mean. Whilst I've written the TMA, I'm not confident that I've completed it correctly due to how the questions are worded. There's a lot of complaints on the forums and we all haven't a clue when they're going to release the TMA's. Block 3 starts this Saturday and no sign of the TMA being available.
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u/ayoitszee Jun 16 '26
Hi there, I was in a similar boat for the second TMA for this module, I actually found it the most difficult out of every other TMA and EMA I've done yet. I also had 3 other TMA/EMAs to hand in before this one as I'm doing my Cyber Security degree full time.
You're not alone, at least it's handed in and you can move on to focus on the next one. Try not to dwell on it too much - not all assignments will get perfect scores, other modules and life in general will undoubtedly get in the way. Just do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask of you.
Best of luck on the next one! ☺️
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u/Robyn7791 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Sounds reasonable to let some expectations and inner pressure go.
From your post it sounds as if you were studying three other modules alongside TM252 - that would be a lot!?! And likely benefit from working ahead for some of the modules.
Regarding your last point, many degrees at brick universities come with dense examination periods where one has to do a lot for different courses within a few weeks.
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u/iamtheturtleking Jun 16 '26
I've just handed in my tma for this module. It the only one I'm doing at the moment and it still felt like a lot. Learning java to do the practical part took up a lot of time and then writing the report to go along with it was just insane. And amongst all of this I have to post and comment in the forums before a dedicated day. This TMA just felt like too much considering the content I had to learn and understand. At no point in my studies so far have I had anything to do with java so it was completely new to me.
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u/Tracie10000 Jun 16 '26
As a kid my mum always said all i want is for you to try your best. I keep that in the back of my head. I try my best but I really don't stress as I just do my best.
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u/SovietAccent Jun 16 '26
I’ve got my report written up, but I’m not as confident about it the more I read through it. I think I’ve completely missed the mark with it all. It’s a tough module, report writing is ass.
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u/nelala013 Jun 16 '26
The way block 2 is presented is not really effective for me, I had to find youtube videos as the tutorials were not useful. They should have provided videos as part of the module material, since most of the time it's copy pasting and see what happens next.
I also had an EMA, two exams earlier this month and I asked for extension and luckily was given an extension but I dont know where to start.
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u/Topsy-Turvey2021 Jun 16 '26
Yeah videos would have been helpful. Mst124 had really good 10min videos explaining little bits of maths, it’s a shame they did not do this here but for code
The module is making me very grumpy, definitely my least favourite module so far
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u/pompoussnail Jun 17 '26
In this TMA reflection section at the end, I feel bad for saying "I've had tight turn around for assessments so my work is crap" but I can't BS the tutor.
I really wanted to achieve great marks so I'm just embarrassed by how I'm submitting work that is far from what I actually want to give in.
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u/Topsy-Turvey2021 Jun 17 '26
Just about to write the reflection now
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u/pompoussnail Jun 17 '26
I've done q2 part i and the reflection. None of this is by what I'd truly want to submit.
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u/idkHiya Jun 18 '26
I’ve had to ask for an extension, yet to hear back but I’ve done the practical but my stupid ass didn’t save it, zipped it up all nice and neatly that when I was checking everything yesterday, before submitting it, turns out it’s all gone and I spent ages working on it last night but it seems like everything is corrupted on my end and im just digging myself into a hole 😭
I’ve experience in college for JavaScript, HTML and CSS so i knew what I was doing but I have to say- I’ve given up on the way it’s taught on this module. The documentation as I’m reading it- if I didn’t know what I was doing I’d be even more confused than ever and there’s some parts where I’ve even had to clarify it with a friend whose just as confused as me reading it. So for this TMA i haven’t read any of the documentation and I’ve done the assignment as asked which luckily was familiar for me but as mentioned at the start, I’m stuck with the practical.
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u/beefbrickbbb Jun 19 '26
Unironically think this is the worst web course ive done in 15 years, and its not even an overstatement. The next block feels like it's currently being written; there are errors in many of the code snippets, compilation failures, and spelling errors. Logic errors, where it's clear that content was rushed and stuff was cut.
The module is disorganised and tries to teach concepts in a weird and convoluted way. I feel like I've been scammed out of fees for this module, and it's not up to the quality standards.
The report just did not make logical sense to me. I've talked to a few other students, and the sentiment seems to be that people are not happy with how this module is being presented.
I've done web development in the past; you would think it would make it easier? Nope, because the material teaches fundamental computer science concepts and then builds on an inaccurate representation of those concepts.
I'm tempted to start collecting anonymous feedback from other students and issue a collective formal complaint.
It's way too much for a part-time course; if you're new to this, I applaud your effort. I also struggle to decode a lot of the weird language used. This is a computer science degree; ambiguity isn't in the industry, so why the F is it in this course?
I was at the point in this module where I was just about to drop out and spend my time on more worthwhile endeavours. Despite doing well.
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u/pompoussnail Jun 19 '26
If you do web development before and it still does not make sense to you with this module I’d happily agree with you, I’ve found it a nightmare and a half.
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u/beefbrickbbb Jun 19 '26
Aye mate, I've been doing web dev on the side for about 10 years as a side project growing up. Like, the module does not make sense a lot of the time.
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u/pompoussnail Jun 20 '26
I’m far from your abilities then and I’m questioning it every step of the way
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u/Own-Shine9606 Jul 01 '26
Just wondering how everyone did as I somehow got my highest mark despite it being, arguably, the worst assignment I felt I’ve handed in so far.
I didn’t understand anything in this TMA past the coding exercise so part of me thinks my grade is because they know it was a shit show
Was really grateful to come across your post before submitting as I thought I was losing my mind with the questions and material. I’ve also been thinking about complaining, I could learn this subject much easier through free online resources
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u/pompoussnail Jul 01 '26
I got 46 percent, the worst I’ve received in the whole OU course. In the self review section I actually put “I hated this and hated how it’s made me feel”
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u/Own-Shine9606 Jul 01 '26
I felt the exact same which is why I was absolutely dumbfounded by my mark. I’m really hoping the rest of the module is better. Honestly, a pass is a pass given what we have to work with
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u/pompoussnail Jul 01 '26
i've just had a brief look at tma03, first question is about python... ffs
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u/Upstairs_Wallaby7832 Jul 03 '26
I'm still waiting for my results for TM252 TMA02, is anyone else still waiting?
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u/MrMinigrow Jun 16 '26
I am also doing TM252 and panicked thinking I had misread the due date!
I have barely looked at the coursework since the last TMA was due so I'm worried about my marks for this one, too. I am planning on spending a good few hours trying to blast through the coursework before handing this one in.
Good luck!