Daniel Kemp

So far all is not well.

The course officially started yesterday but I have been reading the first part of the module since it arrived, in the middle of last month, and attempting to answer some of the questions.

Part of it involves sending back to the university four TMA’s, short for Tutor Marked Assignments. All four have a set time to be sent back to be assessed.

With the first part that came through the post, a paper TMA arrived. This was just a dummy TMA to send in to practice using the system of completing it in good time and showing your tutor you could do this ‘simple’ task.

As instructed I scanned it, in truth my granddaughter scanned it, and I sent it in by using the links that were posted. Then I sat back, congratulated myself and travelled on with my studies.

Some time last week my tutor introduced himself and informed me I had sent the dummy TMA back in the wrong format. I had sent it as a PDF, the only format a scanned paper document is converted into. No good! Word doc or Word docx.

Three or four times over Friday and Saturday he and I swapped emails about the problem of turning a paper document into a Word doc. all to no avail. I am now waiting for Monday to come and he tells me how on earth I do this. 

Several times I have questioned my judgement over the decision to take on the challenge of a psychology course at my age, not just because of the complexity of what it will entail, but the time needed to qualify.

It could take me up six years during which time I must stop writing. I cannot do both. Now it seems I have to learn how to work with technology that is utterly alien to me and nor really do I want to understand how a paper document gets on the computer as a document that can be written on.

I have never given up on anything without a fight, but some fights are not worth the fighting. I will give this one some serious thought today and tomorrow.