Week End course at SLIIT

From this post I'd like to discuss the week end course of SLIIT. When I was in the 1st year, I did the week day course in the 1st semester and then moved into the week end course in the 2nd semester so that I have experiences of both of the courses.  

When we take the lecturing hours, both the week end and week day courses have the same. What the week day students are taught in 5 days is taught for week end students in 2 days. In-addition to that, week end students may require to participate in a two hour practical or a lecture in a week end. 

When I was doing my 2nd semester, we had lectures from 8.30 A.M to 8.00 P.M on Saturdays. On Sundays we had lectures from 8.30 A.M to 7.00 P.M. In-addition to that we had the ITA practical on Mondays from 5.30 P.M to 7.30 P.M. 

On Saturdays and Sundays we had a break only for half an hour. It was the lunch break which was given from 1.30 P.M to 2.00 P.M. 

There were days where the lecture before the lunch was finished around 1.40 P.M limiting our break for just 20 minutes so that we had to rush to the next lecture as soon as we had lunch. It was so terrible. 

It was really hard to concentrate on every lecture, practical and tutorial as we had to keep our concentration continuously. I think following the week end course is a great opportunity to master your skills on 'how to concentrate'.

Saturdays were not a problem for me as there were practicals within the lectures so that it broke the monotony. But Sundays were worse. After the lectures at SLIIT on Saturdays, I went home around 9.00 P.M and I was half-dead. Then again I had to go to SLIIT in the next day and do the same. I can remember the worst period was the ITA lecture which was at 2.00 P.M to 4.00 P.M on Sundays which began just after the lunch. I was half-asleep for the whole semester during that lecture ( I hope Jagath Sir won't see this :D ). 

The other thing is about the students coming to the week end course. Most of the students came to the week end course were doing jobs on week days. Some were doing academic courses at other institutes and universities on week days. So that there were so many problems when we were doing group assignments in the 2nd semester. 

We had three group assignments and they were the DBMS I assignment, ST I assignment and the ITA assignment. We had no time to do our assignments or even to discuss the progress of them during Saturday and Sunday as we had no free time allocated for the whole two days. The problem was that the marks for DBMS I and ITA assignments were added to the final marks of those subjects so that doing the assignments well was really important. One option left was to meet on week days to do the assignments. But we didn't do it either.  

What I want to tell you is that if you can follow the week day course, it's always better. You'll understand why I'm saying that when I tell you how we did the assignments. I'll discuss it from my later posts.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-

-SLIIT 10'-

How to Improve my Typing Speed ?

The period of the Orientation Program is the best time to increase your typing speed. 

From this post I'll teach you how to increase your typing speed. This is really important because we are stepping into the IT world. When writing programs, you cannot waste time for typing. For example in the 1st semester of your course, you'll have a subject called IPE (Introduction to Programming Environments) and for the final exam of IPE, you'll be having a practical exam. That means you have to type your programs. So if your typing speed is at a low level you'll be wasting so much of time on typing the programs. Then you will not have enough time to write programs for all the questions.

The Solution is 'Typing Master' software. Click here to download it (6.49 MB).

I must tell you something. Some of the SLIIT students do not have a personal computer. This is true because there are students who come from rural areas of the country. If you don't have a computer, don't worry. SLIIT has computer labs and you can use them.

You can install this software in your pen drive. Then you can plug your pen drive to a computer in a lab and run the software. When you are not having lectures, just go to  a lab and practice typing. I have seen many students wasting time with face book when they are in the labs and even during the practicals. I advice you not to do so because you gain nothing from that.

This is a trial version, but don't worry. Start the study program and it will teach you from the very basics. Go on step by step. Then you'll find the study program times out when you go further.

Then you can start the typing test and practice typing. It will really help you to increase your typing speed.

See my typing speed. It's 56 words per minute and the Accuracy is 100% !!!

P.S - When I started doing the SLIIT degree, my typing speed was very slow. All the time I was looking at the keyboard and typing. But after using this software I improved my typing a lot and now I can even type when my eyes are closed. 

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-

-SLIIT 10'-

How to get Printouts at Metro ?

From this post, I'll tell you how to get printouts at Metro Campus.

You need to have a payment receipt for printouts and photocopies in order to get printouts. If you don't know how to obtain a receipt, click here.

First, you need to put the files that you need to get printed into your Z: Drive. If you don't know what is the Z Drive, click here.

Then you need to go to the server room of 12th Floor. The server room is located inside the '12 Lab 1'. You can find the '12 Lab 1' when you are entering  the 12th Floor. It is on your left hand side.

Then you need to tell your registration number (DIT or DCN....) to the system administrator in the server room. Then the system admin will open your Z Drive from his computer. If the files to be printed are not in your Z drive, but in a friend's Z drive, then give the system admin the registration number of your friend.

(Sometimes you may be in a hurry to get printouts and sometimes you'll find that it takes so long to login to a computer in a lab from your account. Then you will not be able to put your files into your own Z drive. So put them in the Z drive of a person who has already logged into a computer and ask the registration number of that person. Give that registration number to the system admin.)

Then you need to show the files to be printed and give the receipt for printouts and photocopies. Then the system admin will reduce the amount from the receipt and give you back. You can collect the printouts by going to the printer room. It is located in front of the '12 Lab 1'.

(Sometimes the system admin may tell you to count the number of printouts and come. They you'll have to go to the printer room, count the pages, go back to the server room and get the amount reduced from your receipt.)

You can only get single side printed pages. Currently the cost per single A4 sheet is Rs. 3/=. This may vary but it is really cheap when compared to the price if you are getting printouts from outside.

P.S - Get the important lecture slides printed so that you can go through them anytime. The best way is to get 9 slides per sheet printed in Land Scape mode. Also get the past papers printed and attempt to them before the examination.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

What is Public Drive and Z: Drive ?

Once you login to windows from a computer in a lab at SLIIT and when you go to 'My Computer', you'll see there is a drive called 'Public Drive' and 'Z Drive'.

The 'Public Drive' is the location where course materials and software setup files are stored. Some of the course material may only be available at the 'Public Drive' but not in the course web. The software you need when following courses are also available there. You can copy the software you want into your pen drives and get them installed in your personal computers at home.

The 'Z Drive' is like a hard disk. You may get a capacity around 60 MB. You can store your personal files there. This is useful when getting printouts also, because the documents you need to get printed should be stored in your Z Drive first.

P.S - My advice is when you are working with files, always save them in your desktop. Because if you save them in your Z Drive while working with that documents at the same time, if the file size gets larger when you do modifications and if you are running out of capacity of the Z drive, you may not be able to continue working with those documents. So save your documents in your desktop and after you finish your work, get a copy of your documents in the desktop to a pen drive or copy them into your Z Drive before logging off the computer. If you save them in the Z Drive, you can access it from any computer at any lab. If you have saved the documents only in the desktop then you cannot access your documents from other computers.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

How to get Photocopies at Metro ?

From this post, I'll tell you how to get Photocopies when you are at SLIIT Metro Campus.

You need to have a receipt in order to get photocopies and that receipt should posses enough money for the photocopies you get. If you don't know how to get a receipt, click here.

Currently the photocopy room is located in the 12th Floor. When you enter the 12th Floor, you'll see the photocopy room right in front of you. I think it costs only Rs. 3/= for both sides of an A4 sheet.

I must tell you something about this photocopy machine. That is it is not like the photocopy machines you find at communication centers or where ever. The difference is you need to insert the papers to the machine. That means you'll have to remove the stapler pins from your papers if you have. From this machine, you cannot get photocopies of books because you cannot insert the pages of that book into the machine other than tearing them.

The amount of the photocopies you get will be reduced from your receipt. The available balance will be written on the back side of the receipt. Before you leave the photocopy room, check whether the available balance was calculated correctly.

P.S - You can have more than one receipt to get photocopies. I myself keep two receipts because while getting the photocopies, if the amount exceeds the balance of my receipt, I don't need  to hurry and go back to 16th Floor and get another receipt as I have another receipt. But the total amount of both receipts should be greater than the amount of the photocopies I get.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

How to get a payment receipt in Metro ?

From this post I'll tell you how to get a payment receipt in Metro Campus. Since I am a Metro student I don't know how it is done at Malabe or at the other Campuses.

You'll need a receipt when getting printouts, photocopies, depositing money for library or when paying library fine for late returning of books.

You need to go to the 16th Floor of the Metro Campus (Boc Merchant Tower). There is a receptionist and you can ask from where to make payments. At the moment it is the first room to your left hand side, when you enter into the 16th Floor and turn to your right hand side.

You need to provide your SLIIT Identity Card to the officer and tell the reason for your payment (photocopy and printouts, library deposit, library fine.......).and the amount. Then make the payment and get the receipt. 
Keep this receipt with you until the balance gets zero ( for photocopy and printout receipts).

P.S - To get photocopies or printouts, you only need to get one receipt (I think the minimum amount is Rs. 250/=).

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

How to download SLIIT past papers ?

From this post I'll teach you how to download past papers.

First go to the Course Web, http://moodle.sliit.lk/.
Then login to the web. If you don't know how to login, please click here.
I hope now you know that. Then scroll down until you find the link 'SLIIT Digital Library' and click on it.

Then you'll get the following window.

Then Click on 'Digital Library'. I have circled it in the above image in red colour.

Now select your course from the list, Then you'll have to select the Year (eg: 2009, 2010...) then Year (eg: Year 1, Year 2 ... ), then the Semester (eg: Semester 1, Semester 2), and the type of the past paper (eg: Final, Mid, Repeat).

Then the past papers will appear in .pdf format. You can download them.

P.S - Don't wait till the last moment to download them, because when the exams are coming near, everybody is downloading them and the course web may seem to be very slow. My advice is that you better download them even before the semester begins and get some of them printed. During the semester, attempt the questions that you have been taught during the course. I have practically experienced that some of the questions in the past papers have been repeated and you'll feel confident when you sit for the exams and find such questions.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

How to download lecture slides from the Course Web

From this post, I'll teach you how to download the lecture slides of the particular subjects that you are following.

Go to the Course Web, http://moodle.sliit.lk/ .

You need to login to your account to download the lecture slides. Then, scroll down and select the particular semester under your Course and Year. Then the subjects will appear.

Then select the subject that you want to download the lecture slides. You need to have enrolled yourself for that particular subject in order to download the lecture slides. If you don't know how to do that click here . I hope now you know it. If you have already enrolled yourself, the course material will appear. Then you can download them with a single click.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

How to Enroll yourself for a particular course?

When you want to download lecture slides of a particular course that you are following, first you need to enroll yourself in that particular course in the course web. From this post I'll teach you how to do that.

First you need to go to the course web of SLIIT. That is http://moodle.sliit.lk/

Then you need to login to your account. Your user name is the registration number (eg: dit10c2-XXXX). Your password is the National ID number by default (this may vary). If you have already changed your password, use that to login.

After logging in, scroll down the mouse until you find the particular course.

In this demonstration I'll show you how to enroll yourself for a 2nd Year 1st Semester course in IT. Click the particular link as shown in the above image (eg: 1st Semester of B.Sc Special Honours in IT/IS/CSN - 2nd Year) .

Then the subjects will appear as in the above image. Click the particular subject. Then you'll get a window like this.

You get the above window if you have not enrolled yourself for that course. It will ask you for the 'Enrollment Key' of that subject. I'll teach you how to guess that using an example.

Assume that you want to get enrolled for the subject 'Information Systems and Methodologies'. In short it is 'ISM' (I have ignored the 'and'). Then you need to know the Course ID. It is appearing in the same window. I have marked it in red colour in the above image. For this course, it is '233'.

The Enrollment Key is the combination of the short name of that subject and the Course ID. For this example, it is 'ISM233'. Remember to type the letters in capital. then press the button 'Enroll me in this course' . If the Key is correct, the lecture slides will be visible.

Click on the lecture slide you want to download and it will start downloading. You have to enroll yourself for a particular course only once. After that it will not ask you the enrollment key. If this method doesn't work ask your lecturer the Enrollment Key.

P.S - If the subject is 'Data Communication & Computer Networks II' and the course ID is '206' , the Enrollment key can be 'DCCNII206' . Remember that it is 'II' and not 11.
This method will be useful when you get holidays after completing a semester. Then you can enroll yourself in the next semester subjects, download the lecture slides and go through them before the next semester begins. I myself used this (still using) and it really works !!!

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-

The Course Web

SLIIT maintains a Course Web which is really helpful for your studies. It is called as 'Moodle'. Most of the Universities and Institutions maintain such Course Webs but I have observed that they are not getting updated regularly. But I'm happy to say that SLIIT Course Web is not so.

You can visit the Course Web by the address http://moodle.sliit.lk  

The notices of the courses are also published on the course web other than on the notice board (this is for important notices only). Every registered student of SLIIT gets an account in the course web. You can login to the course web using your registration number (eg: dit10c2-XXXX) and your password. If you are logging in for the very first time, the password can be your National Identity Card number. This may vary, but when I used it for the very first time it was so. After logging in, remember to change your password.

Once you have logged into your account, your registration number is appearing on the top right corner of the course web. You can click that and go to your profile. Then you can change your password and personal information.

You can download the lecture slides of the courses you are following and the past papers also. In my next post, I'll teach you more about the course web.

-Tharindu Edirisinghe-
-SLIIT 10'-