My Progress In Programming Report

06 Apr 2021
  1. My programming skills have greatly improved in the following ways: I have learned to approach new problems and tasks with methods that I have learned in class or through WODs. As long as there is some similarity that I can latch onto in the task, I am usually able to solve it. I have been able to do the WODs mostly on my own and then reference them at specific points and problems instead of being completely lost and watching the screencast to help me get started.
  2. I need to work on the following to improve my programming skills: I think that making sure I have a deeper understanding of the syntax and how things work before I am faced with a task is most crucial in the continuation of developing my programming skills. I think that extra practice with different scenarios would also help me to improve.
  3. I can SOMETIMES do the WODs without looking at the screencast solutions first. Often, I am able to get through the WODs about 75% before I run into a problem that either makes me go over the DNF time or I am too stuck to continue on. However, it is more often that I figure out how to do it on my own… although very slowly.
  4. The labs have helped me to learn and I am able to complete them with confidence. I am able to complete the labs with confidence depending on what type of questions/requirements there are. Sometimes the lab questions are based around the concepts learned in the preparation, other times they require me to put my code.
  5. I feel ready I am ready to work on the next stage of complexity in programming (building small web applications like Assignment 1). I think that I still have some gaps in my knowledge but they are steadily being closed when I meet the professor for office hours or discuss problems that I am having with my fellow classmates.
  6. I think the class can be improved to help my learning in the following ways: I think that holding the class to the preparation requirements is crucial in order to maintain the structure of the class that was so heavily emphasized at the beginning of the semester. I started out the semester very diligent in my preparation prior to class but was disappointed when the majority of class was spent explaining concepts to unprepared students. This continued for many classes until I became incredibly unmotivated to prepare for class. Additionally, I think that this class has too much content to cover. In my accounting studies, I have had to go through an introductory 200 level series of classes before reaching the intermediate 300 level series. The progress of this class in the future would greatly benefit from a prerequisite that teaches the students the basics of coding. With that, ITM352 could focus more on teaching students how to use the skills they learned in the prerequisite to build web applications.
  7. These are things that work really well for my learning in this class: The powerpoint presentations allow me a reference to look back on when I would otherwise have to scrub through the video for help if I am confused with a detail of the lesson. I also think that the screencasts help me to not only learn how to do what is asked of me in teach assignment, but also how to think critically and efficiently, as is displayed by the professor in the screencasts. I think that having the WODs and Labs build on each other is also very useful for my learning because I am able to build something “from the ground up” with the guidance of the professor in class as well as the screencasts.