I strongly believe that my programming skills have greatly improved. I remember when first starting off, I was reluctant to alter code we did in class in case of messing up the entire file without knowledge of how to get back to where I was. Now, as I work through the Labs and Assignments, I understand what I am doing and I am able to veer off the basic instructions and experiment with different code on my own.
I am moderately enthusiastic about programming! There are times when I get extremely frustrated because the code I want the server to process is not working. However, when I am able to get my code to work (especially when I am doing it on my own) I feel excited and accomplished!
I can do most of the WODs without looking at the screencast solutions. It has definitely takes me a lot more time if I don’t look at the solutions but I feel I retain a lot more information. However, there are times when I get frustrated and/or stuck in certain WODs and I have to watch part of the screencast to move forward.
I have learned a great amount from the Labs that Professor Port assigns. From Lab 1 to Lab 14, I have come a long way. In the earlier Labs, I felt I could not accomplish much without outside help. As the semester moved further along, though, I was able to complete Labs by myself through trial and error. In the beginning, I was scared to even change my code without Professor Port there to fix any mistakes I made!
I do feel ready to get in a faster pace. Throughout the semester, I feel I have built a good foundation of basic progamming skills and I am excited to use all of my knowledge to try and build small web applications.
I think there are times when the class moves extremely fast and it is hard to keep up. There are times when I am very focused trying to fix a mistake I made and by the time I am ready to move forward, the class is way ahead of me. Although I am faced with this problem, I understand that this class must move quickly in order to learn the necessary skils of basic programming (there is SO much to learn!)
Professor Port is always there to help me. When I had trouble with Assignment 1, he took an hour to assist me with my project. I also appreciate that Professor Port is passionate about programming; it keeps me engaged throughout class.