I definitely agree with this statement as at this point in the semester I can assemble a functioning page with little help from Professor Port. I find myself putting to use good habits that I have established earlier on in this semester such as organizing my directory and ALWAYS saving changes to my code. My understanding of the integrated terminal improved as I was previously saving changes and stopping my terminal to refresh the changes to my browser but I was picking up additional tricks such as installing nodemon.
Regarding actual programming, I improved in the way that I triaged problems in my webpage. For example, I could narrow my problem checking through my terminal, inspect console in my browser or even whether or not I referenced the correct file name. Another improvement would be creating a separate navbar.js file which I would “call” in my Emmet boilerplate rather than copy/ pasting the navbar code. I felt this was a creative way to simplify my code and reduce the room for error.
Lastly, I was constantly trying to improve on my code’s formatting and the actual commands/ code itself. Through my constant work with my functions, I did the extra credit and created a functioning server.js that validated my data. I think this was the biggest improvement in programming concepts as I was able to implement the various labs and WODs in my Assignment1, knowing which concepts to apply.
I need to work on organizing which part of the Assignment I will be working on. For example, I found myself working on 3-4 different files all at once just to add a couple more files until it became too hard to narrow down on specific things to work on. I also need to further my knowledge of concepts in screencasts and other resources even though I have no time to watch an hour to two hour screencast. However, even when I do watch the screencasts, the examples aren’t always helpful for these Assignments so I may need to work on just understanding the concepts in general. For example, the actual functions I used in Assignment1 were dramatically different than the ones we went over in class and in screencasts/ readings.
Half and half, half of the time I try to watch the WODs first because I’m a visual and kinetic learner. I wouwld attempt the WOD with the screencast then attempt the WODs on my own. Along the way I apply faster or more efficient steps which further complement the WOD that I had viewed first.
To be honest, no… The labs are great for learning concepts but making them due right the next class and sometimes even when we haven’t finished it in class is not helpful at all. This is especially true when we are busy with other assignments for this class AND other courses which actually causes me to rush through it and not absorb the knowledge. There are gaps between the WODs and Assignments so I am not always confident as labs, like I said, are great for learning concepts but not for building confidence for actual assignments.
Nope, no, and negative. Assignment 1 and perhaps one more Assignment should have been the final assignments and big portions of our grade, leaving out Assignment 3. Even Assignment 2 is pushing it, Assignment 1 was not hard but we basically had 1 week to do it because Lab 12 & 13 weren’t covered (granted the server and data validation became extra credit).
I noticed for the 12:00 PM class, most of the class time is spent talking & catching up on previous labs or concepts. At 12:50 to 1:00 ish is when the lab really starts and it goes by so fast and we end up in a cycle where we have to push back our labs while our assignment dates stay fixated. This is not good at all, especially during Assignment 1 where we still haven’t finished Lab 13 TWO classes after it was due.
I think more time should be allocated to the Assignments as we have approximately 2 weeks for each one and we have other classes, midterms, finals, and projects to complete. All of my time during Spring Break and the week after was dedicated to Assignment 1 and it took a toll on my other classes and NO it was not poor time management on my part.
Honestly, I feel Assignment 3 may not even be necessary at this point or should be modified to be shorter/ simplified. I also do NOT think making these 3 Assignments worth 50% of our grade with that many requirements is a good move. We already had 11 WODs and will have around 15-16 Labs with around 10-11 quizzes. In no way is this proportionate grading and all of the following really made the class less enjoyable (no offense).
I mean the quizzes? Those took forever and affect a significant portion of the grade, HOWEVER, there are unlimited submissions so while that is helpful I wonder if it is necessary because we are already being tested on our knowledge through the WODs and labs.
I appreciate the recorded lectures and Professor Port’s office hours, it really reassures me that he is always willing to help me with problems I may have. The recorded lectures make the labs much easier to complete especially when I don’t have time to revisit every single screencast, readings and etc.
I also LOVE the WOD screencasts because knowing that there is a way to ensure I am on the right track really keeps me from feeling despaired whenever a new WOD is assigned. I think the instructions are always pretty self-explanatory and clear which is always helpful in such a technical course.