CS371g Final Entry

How well do you think the course conveyed those takeaways?

In the last few projects, the test, test, test principle was really apparent as we had to rely purely on our own test cases to determine whether our code was correct or not. Additionally, the point that collaboration is essential to code quality and ease of work really hit home. I really agree with the policy of giving 5 extra credit points for simply having a partner, as it would incentivize those who tend to lone wolf projects to actually try pair programming. However, the other takeaways I feel like, although stressed a few times in lecture, weren’t really applied enough during tests or assignments to really cement into habit.

Were there any other particular takeaways for you?

I didn’t really feel any other major takeaways, besides perhaps the fact that there will inevitably be some unforeseen obstacles when writing programs, so it’s always best to start early. This way, even if you underestimate how easy something will be to develop, you get an earlier encounter with road blocks and sufficient time to revise plans.

How did you feel about two-stage quizzes and tests?

Two-stage quizzes and tests seemed to try and foster a collaborative environment to learn about what went wrong during the individual portions. However, I found that for my group specifically, we simply exchanged the correct answer and never bothered to discuss how it was achieved. When learning about how I could have gotten the correct answer, I instead would rely on explanation of the quiz in lecture. Likewise for tests, I learned more by studying the solutions for part 2 in preparation for retests rather than actually consulting during the second part of the test. In the end, the two-stage format provides nearly 50% free points, so I can’t be complaining. It removed a lot of the stress behind potentially flunking tests and quizzes and made my experience in the class much better.

How did you feel about cold calling?

Though it makes the lectures a bit slower paced, I think in practice its a good way to keep up attendance and engagement. The only issue I can see is that a rotation takes many classes to work through, so it’s actually pretty rare to get called on.

How did you feel about office hours?

I really enjoyed the office hours extra credit, as I’m sure many students simply wouldn’t even check in at all without them. The one time I went to help debug my Collatz code, Dr. Downing was very helpful and solved my issue within 5 minutes without even telling me what exactly was wrong.

How did you feel about lab sessions?

I personally haven’t been to a lab session since they weren’t mandatory. I feel that the same system of extra credit for participating in one session (maybe specifically only for the ones before tests) would be very useful in incentivizing students to check them out.