PS7 Responses

What are you most pleased about regarding this course?

What are you most displeased about regarding this course?

I like the cool Turing machines.

There is nothing bad about this course.

I have enjoyed learning about the broader scheme of computer science and am glad that I have been exposed to different programming languages. In my previous CS courses, I have learned a great deal about Java, but in this class I can see how all languages have common roots.

I find that some of the problem sets are difficult to start without examples. I have attended office hours which help, but perhaps more concrete examples of how to solve similar problems would aid in kick-starting some of the problem sets.

This class has been an eye-opening experience for me. I am extremely happy to have gotten a really hands-on feel for programming and learning different languages. If I had to choose one thing that I am most pleased about in this course, I would have to say that I highly admire the group dynamic of this course. The website is interactive which provides students and the professor to comment back and forth which I really enjoyed (I have never had a class that has such a useful and communicative site as this). I enjoy the class lectures slides- they are both very informative and engaging and span both actual code and intricate details relating to programming languages but also include the history of and the major players in the development of computing and programming. But, undoubtedly the part I enjoyed the most was getting to figure out problems with my peer classmates. There is nothing more satisfying than putting heads together to eventually solve a complicated problem (at least to me)!

Not too much to complain about in this course. I guess I was often discouraged and overwhelmed sometimes due to the problem sets and/or exams. But, as challenging as they were for me, I do feel that I learned a lot mainly due to their level of difficulty.

I am most pleased with my sense that honest efforts are rewarded in this class.

I'm not sure if displeased is the right word, but at times I disliked that the textbook was written by the professor, only in that I couldn't turn to the textbook for an different explanation if I didn't understand the one provided in the lecture, and vice versa. That being said, the consistency also has important advantages, so perhaps a supplemental book or something would help.

I really liked how the course itself was actually pretty laid back. I still learned a lot, and I have to say that a class environment that manages to be this comfortable yet still manages teach me so much is just a great way to start my day.

Well I don't really have much to complain about. I guess the only thing is that we never really got to the programming languages that we would be seeing more of until this late in the course, although I sort of understand why since Scheme is a great way to start people into computing. I would have liked to use Python a lot more.

I am pleased with how cool and accomplished I feel when coding and talking about problem sets! Also, I am pleased that I got to take a class I would not have otherwise taken!

I am displeased with how hard this is for me, but also it is pleasing because it has made me think in a different way. All in all I am so happy I took this class!

This class has definetely taught me to think differently and I also loved working in groups for the assignments because I never get to do that in my other classes

This class was one of the most time consuming. However, I feel that I have learned a very valuable skill so I didn't mind putting in the time.

There is always help available form either Coach Evans or the TAS everyday.

The amount of work. I spent most of my week in Rice Hall working on problem sets.

I am truly pleased with the proficiency that this course facilitates in multiple programming languages. By touching on Scheme, Python, and Java, I feel that this course has provided a very solid grounding in computing languages, and knowledge of languages from the different "trees" of computing (functional versus imperative) has helped me to understand the underlying elements of computing in itself. The skills I picked up in this class (particularly in semi-teaching myself Python) will help with learning even more languages down the road.

This kind of ties in to what I also like about the course. Scheme seems a little over-emphasized from a practical standpoint, simply because very few jobs (as you yourself demonstrated) stem from the knowledge of the language. It works well as a teaching tool, but even then I feel like beginning with Python might serve a better means of facilitating, er, a love of programming. Knowing Scheme is certainly a positibe, but this courses' emphasis on this language uses time that could be spent learning more applications for the more career-oriented languages of Python or Java.

I am pleased that I have a grasp on a new field.

I felt that the analogy to a sprinkler is incorrect, a firehose is more appropriate.

I learned a new language and a half!

The problem sets take a long time, and they make me very sad. At least they do when I'm trying to figure it out, but I suppose it's just a part of the process. Other than that, this class is enjoyable.

I am very pleased with how helpful everyone is (i.e. Dave, all of the TA's, and other students) and how hard they try to help everyone succeed.

With the above being said, I think a change needs to be made to the office hours. No matter how helpful the TA's are, the fact is a TA is just one person and can't be in multiple places at once. I think that instead of having longer office hours, we should have more TA's there during given time slots. This would allow mutliple people to recieve help without having to wait. This way everyone could be more productive!

I'm glad that I've acheived a level of patience previously unknown to me.

I'm displeased because I've discovered that computer science is beyond my realm of comprehension.

What I am most pleased with about this course is the breadth of material that we have covered so far this semester. Being introduced to three different programming languages is not what I had anticipated, but the integration of so many different concepts has been very enlightening. I also like the fact that we have covered topics that I may not have previously associated with my notion of computer science, such as history or, most recently, logical proofs.

The flip-side of learning so much material is that I sometimes felt like classes were moving too quickly and I felt like I didn't have time to fully process what I was learning. I think the metaphor that was given at the beginning of class about this, at times, being like drinking from a fire hydrant is definitely something I can identify with.

I am very much inspired by the Information book. It's great! I also like the seemingly random links to stuff and contextual ventures (history etc.).

I am not specifically displeased with anything. Very specific suggestion: make the class blog to have a flexible width of page. Specifically, I would like to have a problem set page on half of my screen, and shell on the other half. However, the page does not scale well now; it is just too wide. If the text could reflow into thinner page, if needed, that would be nice.

Something I've really appreciated about this class is that there has always been help available. There have been times where the problem sets have seemed impossible, but TA help and group collaboration has really helped me to understand and begin to "think" like a computer scientist.

I had trouble finding real connections between lecture and problem sets. Although the material overlapped in some cases, I found that writing code was a much different experience than what we do in class.

It does feel like we are given a lot of information very quickly and I am very happy with the pacing. I appreciate the focus on the "theory" behind the scenes instead of focusing on just learning the code.

Even though I try to make every possible TA office hour that I can find in my schedule, it never seems to be enough to fully understand and complete all of the problems. Like with this problem set, it feels like my partner did most of the heavy-lifting and I feel like I couldn't contribute anything significant. I guess I'm just wondering "what am I doing wrong? Why do I always seem to be behind?" I do think that this subject si really cool which makes it all the more frustrating When I can't seem to keep up with any of my partners in the class.

I am pleased with how much exposure we have had to different languages and surveyed computer programming through history

I am displeased with the rate that the course progressed. i would have like more time to master one language

I'm often very pleased when I complete a problem set. Upon completion I really feel like I have a grasp on the material and like I've actually done something useful. However...(see displeased)

that feeling quickly evaporates when I see the next problem set. Maybe that's how the class is designed, to present a real challenge in each problem set. If so, then you're doing a great job; I do appreciate being challenged and by the end of it, I'm glad it was that challenging. But in class I'm usually completely and utterly lost. Everything goes over my head. I'm not sure why.

The ability to work together, the open note exams, and help from your assistant coaches, especially Jonathan!

The information from lecture is still way over my head. I wish we were given more answers for the exams and examples for the problem sets

I am pleased with how much exposure we have had to different languages and surveyed computer programming through history

I am displeased with the rate that the course progressed. i would have like more time to master one language

I feel accomplished when I finish a problem set, because they take so long and are so confusing, so it is rewarding when you complete it!

I am displeased about how lost I get during the problem sets. I feel like there is a big learning curve with how apt people are at getting this, and I am not one of the people this comes naturally to.

The effectiveness of lectures by far. They are relevant, and connected to topics outside of the classroom setting. I also know more about languages we didn't use in class because I understand programming better than I did at the start. Also, Dave and every assistant coach are very available and helpful. I didn't expect that.

I miss the group work, but I guess others weren't a fan.

I knew nothing about computers before taking this class, so I am very pleased that I learned so much about the history of computing and can program (a little)! Also, the handouts were very helpful with keeping focused during lecture.

I am displeased that even by this problem set I sitll needed to go to help hours for help with every question; I wish programming came more naturally to me.

I am most pleased with the wide variety of knowledge and information that we have learned in this class. It's quite a lot in my opinion!

For some of the problem sets or for understanding some concepts that were brought up in lectures, I was forced to use the Internet to help clarify them. I felt that the lectures themselves and the book, while very thorough, didn't help me as much as I thought they would.

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I am most pleased with the new language Python actually. It was a nice change of pace from scheme and it makes much more sense to me. Also, the classes are more interesting now because I have a firm grasp due to a whole semester of learning computer science and I am really starting to appreciate the material we learn.

Nothing in particular. Maybe that it took so long to get to python maybe?.

We are most pleased with the help of the TAs/professor with the problem set. Help is readily available and accessible

Problem sets are incredibly difficult and impossible to do without help.

I am pleased that we are switching to a new language that uses fewer parentheses.

I'm displeased with myself and my own performance. I bit off more than I could chew with credits and hours at work this semester and it shows.

Despite the difficulty of the subject matter, after having no previous experience in programming, I can STILL say that my interest in this is definitely strong enough to pursue the major. I do hope though that the amount of help that is available might still be available to some degree in higher level courses.

Aside from the difficulty itself, which is expected, there is nothing that is terribly displeasing. However, I have heard that this class is actually astonishingly easy in comparison to the rest of the major. I didn't know this stepping into the class, and now, I am frightened.

I have enjoyed the feeling of success when I finally get something to work on the problem sets. I also think you did a good job of making the problem sets about clever or interesting topics

My dependency on office hours is incredibly frustrating, especially because they take up so much of my free time in the week which is already limited to begin with. I think maybe if we spent more time in lecture on stuff that is more directly related to the problem set I think it would make it easier to do more on my own.

What are you most pleased about regarding this course? I get to learn a variety of different programming languages including Scheme, Python and hopefully a lot of Java.

What are you most displeased about regarding this course? There seemed to be too much focus on Scheme language.

I am most pleased about this course learning Python.

While I enjoyed this class a lot and learned a lot that is applicable for my CS career, i was a little annoyed with the expectations on some assignments. I felt it was too high for a begineer course.

I've loved this class for a lot of different reasons throughout the semester~ I had NO clue what Computer Science was about prior to walking into class in August, and to be honest- I was pretty fearful of what this course would amount to.I had never heard of Scheme, never seen code, never studied any science that didn't involve some memorization and maybe a microscope or two- and I was as happy as could be. However, now that I'm almost finished with this course, I'm glad that I was "forced" to take it (because of my major)...I know for a fact I would never have taken a CS course otherwise. This course has given me a greater appreciation for so many things that I had previously taken for granted- as in, all of technology! It's pretty incredible to me how much human brainpower and ingenuity is behind the things that everybody uses every day- the internet, cell phones, GPS, everything. I'm extremely grateful for the people who have the passion and ability to do such amazing things in order to make our lives better, because I know for sure that I could never be one of them! To be more specific in regards to the class itself.... the smartboard! I'm definitely a visual learner, and without the things we scribble all over the board every class I would be a little bit- ok, a lot- lost. Also, back-to-back office hours! Sundays used to be for church- then CS came along- and now Sundays are for Rice Hall. It's really not possible to put a solid dent in a problem set in 1-1.5 hours, so having several hours straight of AC help on different days of the week has been awesome.In addition, even though we have only had one exam up to this point, I feel like the AC review for exam 1 was amazing- we sat upstairs in Rice in front of one of those dry erase walls and just attacked things as a class, calling out answers, questions, etc. The environment was really informal, but really beneficial in terms of solidifying concepts that I hadn't understood as well as I would have liked to. And, obviously... the TA's- this doesn't even need to be typed, I think it's just understood. Thank GOD for the TA's!!!

The worst part about this course is the amount of time it takes me to do the problem sets. Maybe I'm a little bit slow, but it takes me hours to one problem set, and I tend to get really frustrated when I want to figure things out on my own, but am totally clueless come questions 7-8-9-etc... I always feel like I'm playing Wheel of Fortune because when I see the right answer it makes total sense- but filling in the blanks in forward-motion is never as obvious. Monday morning quarterback?...

Replace this with text explaining what you are most pleased about this course.

Replace this with text explaining what you are most displeased about this course.

pleased

taking this class was an unfortunate accident. i'm sure it's a great class for those interested in CS - just not my cuppa tea

The course was mind-opening and on occassion mind-blowing. Also, I like how it seems that the course's main objective is to ensure that everyone who takes this course is able to benefit from it regardless of their future intentions. Replace this with text explaining what you are most pleased about this course.

Persistence is a virtue. Seeking self-improvement is a virtue. Persistently asking for tips on self-improvement is slightly annoying. However, it's not so bad that I would suggest toning it down, I just can't think of much else to put here. Replace this with text explaining what you are most displeased about this course.

How much I'm learning about how to think about programming.

TThe problem sets seem to be inordinately difficult, even if you know what's going on.

I am most pleased with the new language Python actually. It was a nice change of pace from scheme and it makes much more sense to me. Also, the classes are more interesting now because I have a firm grasp due to a whole semester of learning computer science and I am really starting to appreciate the material we learn.

Nothing in particular. Maybe that it took so long to get to python maybe?.

I liked working through the problem sets, and I liked thinking about concepts in a completely different way.

I felt that the class hours were not very helpful to the homework, and we sometimes moved way too fast through the examples.

I am pleased with the amount of computer science knowledge I have gained. This class has made me think in a new way. .

I am most displeased that I don't think my exam grade was an accurate reflection of much time and effort I put into this class.

The adunbancy of TA Office hours are great.

Your class really is like drinking out of a water hose. It takes so much time to work on the problem sets each week, and I have trouble commiting time to my other courses. My suggestion would be to make the problem sets shorter or go through practice problems in class.

Since this is my first computer science course, I am most pleased about the amount of information we learn each class. I have finally learned to think in an abstract way different from what I am used to.

I am pleased with mostly everything about the class, however one negative aspect about this class could be the lack of just basic homework assignments

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What most pleases me about this course is the amount of information we cover on not just programming, but on the history of the computer science field in general. I can also appreciate the fact that the problem sets force students to understand the language they are using, and even intricacies of some of the problems we are given to solve. Furthermore, I think Scheme was an excellent choice of a programming language to use in an introductory course due to its simplicity, along with being able to build upon a simple knowledge of the language to introduce ideas such as "objects" and object-oriented programming.

I am not too displeased about anything in the course. When I was working in Chapter 9 of the course book, trying to understand environments, places, etc., I thought it would have been helpful if more examples and solutions of breaking down the procedure application process were posted online, simply to students could test and check their understanding.

I am most pleased about learning to think algorithmically. I feel it will be very useful in the future.

I am most displeased about the very difficult material. It seems like the class should be listed under a higher mnemonic.

That I have begun to learn to think in a new way, a different though process that has taught me to think backwards to try to solve the puzzles presented to me

The huge time commitment I've had to put in to the problem sets every week, and how I've had to go to office hours multiple time every single one.

I looked back the first 2 or 3 problems sets the other day and I saw amazed to see how far I've come since the beggining of the class. So while computer science is definitely not my best subject, I do feel like I have learned a lot.

I have found the problem sets to be extremely difficult and frustrating, and the material covered in the class lectures does not seem applicable to the work we do on the problem sets.

I am pleased with the balance in this course between learing practical techniques of coding and learning more conceptual aspects. I especially liked all the time we spent learning the connections CompSci has with other fields.

The hardest part of this class has been dealing with all of the Computer Science jargon. Often during lecture and, especially, when reading the course book some jargon is used that I don't have a precise understanding of, and it throws me off completely. The problem is not totally new words, but typical words like object, state, apply, invoke, assign, instance, construct, and call, that have special meanings in CompSci. Even when I know a definition of a word, I go nuts when it still throws me off. I realize that we need to learn to use these words, but the language in the lecture and the textbook should be more baby talk-ish sometimes and should stop and explain when a word is used in a new way.