COS214 with its whole 'design patterns' BS was like someone who studies humanities and claims it's a real science.
Are you somehow implying that Computer Science is not a Science or did you just hate the idea of design patterns? As with all things there is a practical and theoretical side. COS214 was aimed more at the practical side. I know similar modules exist in engineering because I did two of them, namely ERS220 (Digital Circuits) and EMK310 (Microprocessors), both of which was pretty much the same as any COS module aimed at practical work IMHO. Those two modules were as much science as COS214 IMHO, which is to say it isn't. You put into practice theory.
Wish they would rename CS @ Tuks anyway, should really be called Software Engineering because we do too much engineering in CS and too little actual CS. Although it has improved somewhat recently with things focusing more on branches of mathematics concerned with computers, algorithms and computability (eg. they've added more math, science and statistics and changed the CS modules to be more theoretical with more challenging practicals).
All those modules are fairly easy but it is true that many EE/CE students have trouble passing them (especially COS214). But it has since changed to COS121 which might be easier, so hopefully things will go better.
I think the problem really is they focus on other modules. Same thing happens in CS, students keep failing modules other than CS modules (well unless they are useless and don't belong there). Most of the time they don't feel compelled to study said module. Was my experience at least. I had to do accounting which I found tedious (soooo boring, my personal hell would be attending FRK lectures for the rest of eternity) and obviously got much less attention (eg. didn't even attend class). Others were better tho, thoroughly enjoyed the two engineering modules I did, although I feel a few things should be different (like using actual microprocessors rather than PIC and using a programming language rather than assembler). Especially liked building circuits, something most CS students hated but I learned plenty from that experience (for example when I started building my first ERS practical circuit I couldn't understand why it didn't work, anyway I didn't understand pull up resistors back then, must have been really funny to the Eng. guy we asked to help us, some 4th year guy, when he saw what we did. Digital circuits are a lot more analogue than I had thought in my mind
).
Anyway gl to the OP, if you like tinkering, you'll certainly enjoy Eng. I made the mistake of doing CS, after doing 2 Eng. modules I realized that should have been my field of study but I was already committed. Now I'm stuck with a CS Hons (well actually I'm done, gonna start working) and find it quite boring and little challenge (at least in Eng. I got to work with my hands).
It is important to do many modules first year so you can be sure what you like!
