...and breathe. exams over

So exams are over. What do I do now? Hoping to do Privacy* Law in summer school. Have a feeling a sanding block will be shoved into my hands shortly. Before I discover the joys of weatherboard some exam related comments.

Could do better.

I can’t believe how bad the University of Auckland web site(s) are. Around now the most important information a student wants is the exact location of their exam. For a course with significant numbers they shard students across many different physical locations. These are all over the varsity and often in places students have never been before. Exam locations are not provided until 5pm the day before. It’s posted physically in a number of places around campus - but for most students the web provides the look up. So…
Is there a big obvious link direct from the home page? No.
Does any search result with perms of exam, schedule & location provide the info? No.
In fact the university have excelled in obscuring the information, as even a site specific google search is ineffective. It takes 5 friggin clicks from the homepage to find it.
Come on, surely the university can do better. The whole site looks like a badly designed intranet for a BDC circa 1997.

What do you call a 28yr old with a loud-hailer?

Last Thursday Clocktower 039 was the location for me. We’re just underway, 20 minutes into applying the Contractual Remedies Act, when the National Party rock up outside with a loud-hailer. I’m not sure if it was the wandering mob of Nikki Kaye’s, couldn’t see them. But we could hear them. So I agree with John Key. There is a real need for greater literacy. At least amongst their campaign workers - who had no idea what all the “Quiet Please. Exams On” signs meant.

* BTW: Nat Torkington is leading a Technology and Privacy Forum for the Privacy Commissioner’s Office in Auckland November 20.

Nat's slides and text of his Web Meets World: Privacy and the Future of the Cloud talk are available from SlideShare. Select fullscreen mode for the text.