I am a lot more comfortable writing code from scratch. I am more familiar with the tags that I need to use to create certain formatting in my HTML pages. Although I have a long ways to go in regard to mastering js and json files I have found that I am a bit more experienced with the format and continue to understand how to utilize them with each class period. I have become more comfortable utilizing functions and well as recognizing how to set them up and specify conditions. I feel exponentially more comfortable writing loops within my functions as well. I also have a better understanding of how to incorporate styling elements and css coding in my HTML pages as well.
Overall, I think it would be best if I improve my commenting skills. I would like to be more detailed in the way I write my comments describing how my code works so that when I look back on my work, I know exactly what I did and why. I think that I need to become more familiar with json formatting as well as understanding how servers work and the coding need to create working js files. I would also like to become more familiar with a larger breadth of functions built in to js and html so I can implement them into my code. I think I need to get more familiar with creating functions to do more complicated things like collecting errors and directing a user back to a homepage if they enter incorrect quantities. I think overall, I just need to practice coding more and get more familiar with coding algorithms.
I would say, yes, for the most part. Throughout all of the WOD I probably referenced the screencasts about 3 times total. The last 3 WODs required help from Professor Port but that was mainly a result of me missing too much class due to being sick. Because I ended up going through each WOD multiple times I do feel pretty confident that I could complete them without any help now-a-days. I agree that I have learned a considerable amount of information and skill building from completing the WODS. I would account my learning to trial and error, explanation of skills in the WOD instructions, and extra enrichment from Professor Port when I went in for study help.
Yes, the labs have helped me learn a considerable amount of coding skills. I cannot say that I am able to complete each lab with confidence. I find that I need to go through skills several times to fully have a grasp of it in terms of coding. I have found that when I schedule one-on-one meetings with Professor Port that is when I feel the most confident about my ability to complete the labs. The labs in the first half of the semester were relatively easy for me to complete so I would say that I can complete those ones with ease but the ones after our Algorithms unit take a bit more effort for me to complete.
Yes, I have learned so much from Assignment 1! I really liked using the skills I learned in Lab and in the WODs to create my own coding project. I figured out how to format the way my webpage looks to a user and really utilize div containers and classes to do so. I also got to delve into js coding and server-side processing which was really enlightening. Though I have a very long way to go with server-side processing I do feel like I have a beginners grasp on the subject. I found my self referencing W3Schools quite a bit and learning about CSS pages and functions to use in my code quite a bit which I believe broadened my knowledge of coding a bit more.
I think that the set-up of this class is already very refined. I like how our deadlines are flexible based on where we are in our labs. The only thing that I could think of to improve this course is to go over material a bit slower. I realize that this is most likely a change that won’t be implemented as we only have a set given amount of time in a semester but as coding is such a detailed subject to learn I can see how a slower pace might help students learn better. Something that I do enjoy in my other classes (more so see over the pandemic) is when the professor records their lectures and posts them for the students to watch over again. I find that when I can rewind and rewatch I am able to absorb the material better. Hearing lecture material more than once really locks the new information I learned into my head (repetition). One last thing to improve would be updating the screencasts. I found that some of the screencasts seemed a bit outdated so I would get a bit confused when I needed to reference them. Overall, I think that the course is good as is, students just need to know what to expect before they commit.
This class first and foremost taught me to ask for help when I need it. Once I started getting sick in the semester and missing multiple classes I fell behind. I tried to recover from the missed lab on my own, but I found that this was a very frustrating and long process. When I finally caved and asked for help from Professor Port the help I received was exactly what I needed. Once I realized that I could receive help tailored to my needs I regained my motivation for the course and felt a lot less intimidated by the content we were learning. Thus, I think that the one-on-one help offered in this course is what helped me the most. I also really like the WODs because they cover material we learned in class as well as slowly add on new information and skills. I also found that the resources we were required to read in our modules were some of the most useful pieces of material offered. The articles explained, in detail, all of the skills needed to participate in labs and WODs and understand what you were doing.