Once I finally completed Assignment1, I felt that I made very great strides in my coding skills. After going through all the modules up until this point, a lot of smaller things that used to be difficult and errors that took me awhile to find and rework came a lot easier. Although I still use the internet in order to find things I don’t know or want to implement in my code. I also got better at using the resources I have available to me, by knowing where to go to find the information I need. I also improved on using comments to help myself understand my code, although from a harsh realization and advice from upperclassmen.
I realized a lot of my shortcomings when I took on Assignment1. My previous assumptions of the assignment was that although it’d be difficult to implement the data validation on the server; it was for the most part putting the pieces of the Store1 WOD and server work from Lab12. I was sorely mistaken and I began working with only a few days left to spare. Although I was able to complete Assignment1 a day early with help from upperclassmen and ChatGPT, I was severely lacking in my understanding of the server-side processing. This basically crippled me in my development of the server and made it extremely difficult to move forward with my server without ensuring everything was done correctly. There is another thing that is a bit smaller, but I’d like to improve my typing skills as a whole, both WPM and accuracy, just so that my coding skills aren’t lacking mechanically.
I have most definitely learned a lot from doing the WODs and I do think I’ll be able to complete all of the WODs without copying the screencast, but I admit that I would most likely need a refresher for certain niche parts of the WODs. I did enjoy the WODs and I was able to complete nearly all of them under Rx time with proper preparation beforehand. It was easy to complete WODs when I had a thorough understanding of the concept at hand, but more difficult when it dealt with concepts I wasn’t sure on.
The labs were 1000% very useful in helping me learn new concepts. Almost every single lab gave knowledge that I still am utilizing in WODs and Assignment1, and helped me to understand each piece of code that went into creating a larger picture. I did struggle a lot with the on-your-own portions with the labs, with the concepts I lacked a strong understanding in. This was less of a lack of understanding and more of a total lack of knowledge on how the concepts worked. I often skipped readings and screencasts, which was probably my biggest downfall in completing the labs on my own.
Assignment1 was a big wakeup call and definitely the most difficult but the most rewarding thing I’ve ever made. In two sittings, I worked on my code from 3pm to 3am one night, where I struggled and struggled and finally was able to get my code to work properly. Even with help from peers and the usage of ChatGPT, it seemed that sometimes the more I added to try to fix, the more I exacerbated the issue. It was a moment where the advice from Professor Port on taking things one at time truly came in handy. The most surprising thing was that I learned how complicated, rewarding, and difficult CSS could be. I took inspiration for my website from another and when I looked through all the HTMl and the CSS on that website, I was discouraged in the sheer amount of code, but in awe of how far CSS could be pushed. I do feel ready to work on Assignment2, but I feel like the more I underestimate the work needed to complete it, the more I’ll struggle on Assignment3.
I will say that for the most part the class doesn’t have too much room for improvements. However, in the ways it is lacking, it is quite frustrating. For the quizzes, although they weren’t too difficult most of the time, they were often posted with very little time to complete it. There were also instances of where due dates for labas or WODs weren’t exactly made clear until class time or until close to the deadline. The instructions on the ITM website were also sometimes quite unclear in some ways, and often left me looking for more.
I think that the class itself is formatted very well in that it is very intuitive. The screencasts and readings translate to the labs, and the labs translate to the WODs, and the WODs translate to Assignments and our own knowledge. What helped me most in class was being able to work with classmates and seeing their and upperclassmen’s code and strengthening my understanding of the code and the concepts.