You may recall my irritation at having to see students in a 'workshop' last week before their lectures this week.

The first of the lectures was yesterday and went well enough.

The other two were this afternoon from 3-4 and then from 4-5. Interesting to compare them.

All computing students in their final year. One lot were doing 'study projects' and one lot doing 'engineering projects'. So the latter tend to produce more techy work. The first lot were lively and interactive and a pleasure to lecture to. The 2nd lot were the opposite. Now it could have been the time slots - who wants a lecture (particularly from the Library at 4pm on a Friday afternoon?) but they weren't *that* different. It could have been the lecture theaters. One was well lit and averagely raked; the other was dim and had a very shallow rake (so the students were a bit further away).

I keep trying to tell myself it was these environmental differences and nothing to do with the nature of the students who might do an 'engineering project'.