Overall, I feel as if my programming skills have greatly improved in a lot of ways at this point in ITM352, especially considering that I had no prior programming experience. For one, the concepts that are in programming, whether it be executing algorithms or understanding which functions and codes to use in a certain situation was something I did not see myself doing. At this point, while I am nowhere near as skilled as I want to be, it is something I can say I understand more now due to this class. Another thing I was able to improve, which goes alongside that, is my ability to think more critically to solve problems within a program.
When it comes to certain things I could work on to improve my programming skills, the list could honestly go on and on. For one, while the aforementioned skills are some I am proud of, they are still things I definitely need to work on. In addition to those, I also feel like I need more exercise with constructing an algorithm. While the idea seems basic and easy to execute, I have trouble brainstorming an appropriate algorithm, and this stops me from coding the algorithm altogether. I also feel like I need to expand my knowledge of functions, as I know that I can be more efficient with my code if I were to know more functions.
Honestly, in the beginning, I would have completely agreed with the statement “I can do the WODs without looking at the screencast solutions first,” but seeing where I am now, I can not agree with it completely. I know for a fact that I have had to rely on the screencasts to help multiple times, especially when it came to the later WODs. Overall, I appreciate the screencasts, as they always help me to learn from my mistakes if I failed the first time around.
The labs are somewhat of a different story for me in comparison to the WODs. I like doing the labs, and I can say with certainty that I am able to complete them without needing to do too much extra studying. Overall, the labs have been very beneficial to me and my learning, and I like the way that they are currently structured.
I agree with the statement “I feel ready I am ready to work on the next stage of complexity in programming (building small web applications like Assignment 1) in certain aspects. I fully believe I am able to do so when it comes to constructing the app, but for me, I had the most trouble setting up the server for it, so heading into the future, that will be my biggest challenge.
I think this is just for me since I am admittingly a slower learner and one that likes to correct my mistakes as soon as possible to learn from them, but I think the class can be improved by including more screencasts. It might sound absurd, but I like learning from other people and being able to see them encounter the same problems I am has helped me to learn.
Like I mentioned before, the screencasts have helped me learn really well in this class. I also really appreciate the emails we receive that tell us what we need before each class. That type of interactivity has helped me avoid being too far behind in a class. In summary, thank you for making this class as easy as possible for students.