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Should decision maths be scraped?

Wilsoncw1997

Now, we all know that the up coming maths in a level would not have decision modules in it as it is considered a useless module by universities. While I do believe that D maths doesn't really use a whole lot of math skills, it does give a foundation to programming students particular CS students.

So do you think it was right to scrap it?

Reply 1

davros

Original post by Wilsoncw1997

Then it should be in Computing A Level!

(And actually, if you've seen how professional programmers write code, the stuff in Decision maths is pretty awful - it would have to be "untaught" at University!)

If the admissions tutors for the Computing courses say it's not teaching the skills that they need, then you can be pretty confident that they're right - if they genuinely needed more students to study it, they would be keen to say so :smile:

Reply 2

Jammy Duel

Yes, it serves no real purpose and I reckon is there as a Labour initiative to push grades up. As Davros has said, it belongs, if anywhere, in CS, however, at my Sixth Form, people who picked up FM in A2 to do as AS had to do decision, just so they would all be doing the same thing rather than having to mess around with some doing M1 and others doing S1. Friends I have that were doing CS basically said that D1 was just stupid, and isn't even the way they would do it in CS.

Reply 3

Dilzo999

I did computing and D1. And it did not help 1 single bit.

Reply 4

Damien_Dalgaard

Wilsoncw1997

scraped

JammyDuel

scraped

0/2 anyone else want a go?

Reply 5

Jarred

I did both and without a doubt, D1 was the easiest AS module, and D2 was the easiest A2 module. In fact I only got an A* in Further Maths because I spent like £50 entering into D2 at the last minute. I think on those grounds alone, it is worth getting rid of, at least in its current form. It's just too easy, and it's pretty useless too. Mechanics acts as much better preparation for any STEM degree, and pure is even better than that.

My main issue with Decision is it has so much wasted potential. I did enjoy it, but it didn't reach the levels of the other modules. It doesn't provide particularly good preparation for a computer scientist either. The issue is that it turns you into the computer, you are literally just taught how to run 5 or 6 algorithms, and then in the exam you do just that: you become a computer and you run an algorithm. You don't think outside the box, you don't get a problem and come up with a solution. Very little understanding is required, you just follow a recipe til its end, the same recipe each time. But that's not what good CS is about. It should be about coming up with that recipe in the first place, no? Knowing how to do a dry-run is nice but you shouldn't have two modules based on something so simple and skilless. What Decision really needed was a stronger weighting towards the problem solving aspect of computer science and some more of the rigour found in the type of discrete mathematics you'd encounter at undergrad, then it would be a great addition to the qualification, but in its present state it made sense to get rid.

Reply 6

TenOfThem

Original post by Wilsoncw1997

*Scrapped*

Interestingly the degree modules I did in decision maths (that started with some of the D2 stuff and went on) were in Economics, not CS

Reply 7

Damien_Dalgaard

Original post by TenOfThem

*Scrapped*

Interestingly the degree modules I did in decision maths (that started with some of the D2 stuff and went on) were in Economics, not CS

Is it only game theory :u:

Reply 8

TenOfThem

Original post by Damien_Dalgaard

Is it only game theory :u:

There was a lot of game theory and linear programming

Reply 9

Damien_Dalgaard

Original post by TenOfThem

There was a lot of game theory and linear programming

Is LP in Econ much? I thought only the basics - not too in depth.

Reply 10

TenOfThem

Original post by Damien_Dalgaard

Is LP in Econ much? I thought only the basics - not too in depth.

This was 30 years ago and I just did it as a subsidiary in my Maths degree

Reply 11

Damien_Dalgaard

Original post by TenOfThem

This was 30 years ago and I just did it as a subsidiary in my Maths degree

Oh ok

Reply 12

Sulfur

Original post by davros

Whilst reading your posts on this thread and the other one, I do agree with you now. I don't think that it should be scrapped, but just "pushed" somewhere else as you said and modified to suit that course, if it can't be modified to suit A Level Maths.

Reply 13

TenOfThem

I like the decision maths - though I think the content of the 2 modules could be condensed into 1 AS option for the FM

Reply 14

Gantal

Yes, if only because those exams were my lowest marks :/ Not enough time, man

Reply 15

maggiehodgson

As an ex computer programmer I can safely say that D1 has no merit whatsoever as it stands, for computing at a high level. In programming it is essential to know how sorts work and although I never wrote a route finder I imagine some of the algorithms in D1 could come in. But everything in D1 is so basic with respect to programming and, as a previous contributor has mentioned, some of the coding elements in D1 would have to be un-learnt.

Move it out of A level and put it as GCSE computer studies (is there such a thing or is it just IT these days).