Life Learn ComSci 101

[life-learning-com-sci-101]

For December 6th

Uh... I guess it’s already too late to realize that I have to do regularly post about my studying for this course... But I will do my best for this last one!

What advice would you give to a student beginning this course about (a) how to design a function,and (b)how to prepare for this course?

The one and only advice I will offer to future students are: Keep trying till you made it.

Sometimes the codes may not make sense to you, no matter how many times you went to the dictionary, or asked your friends. Don’t make that frustrates you, because it will be very straightforward once you pass the confusing stage.

When designing a function, think about the steps in your way first, write them down as a process tree, then translate them into computer codes, and repeat this process until your code works. It’s always the stupid little mistakes that exist within the code, so just chill and have fun finding “Wally”!

There is nothing really for you to prepare in advance for this course. TAs and Instructor are very resourceful and always pleased to help. 

If you have any questions, first try it by yourself, do not just go find help as if someone would do the work for you. Let the mind process the chaos, clarify the questions, and eventually reach the answers. If you still cannot figure out an answer, at least you will have a great question!

[life-learning-com-sci-101]

For October 27th

SLOG #2

How are you preparing for the quizzes/tests?

I tended to go through the lecture notes first, which often does a lot help of reminding me how functions work, and small little details that I missed during the classes. After I reviewed everything from notes, I will open the exercise file and try the questions. I treat every exercise file as an actual quiz, so that when I am making a mistake, I will go back to notes and find out what I did wrong, and what is the right approach. In this way it helps me avoid repeated mistakes during the actual quizzes.

Are there any images you've made, or even functions to create images, that you enjoyed or are proud of?

Cats are always my favourite, however it is not a thing that I am proud of. I like the illusion circle that I made with 20 eclipse circles. I didn’t expect a simple code like this could create such an amazing visual effect.

Are there things you initially found hard or intimidating, but now understand?

Defining a function with a complicated set of rules is hard for me at the beginning, because there are lots of brackets and codes, and it is hard for me to find where to start. I can’t say I understand everything now, but I am getting better at understanding functions that are redefined in Dr. Racket, and using them for good.

How did you get to that point?

In order to get better, I practice more on the hard functions than on the simpler ones. First, I try to understand the logic behind a line of code, writing them down as a sentence for me to read. Then I tried to put in new numbers or texts, and write down what I predicted the result should be, run the code, and see if they match.

Would you like to ask questions in tutorial, the CSC104 TA office hours, the general CS Help Centre hours, or on Piazza, but have trouble doing so?What could make that easier for you?

Whenever I have questions, first thing I do is to go back to lecture notes and see if I can solve it by myself. If not, going back to notes helps me better understanding the problem that I am facing.

I find CSC104 office hour offers me the biggest help, because I like to ask questions in front of real person, in case if I have additional questions, I can just ask them directly.

If you went to the general CS Help Centre hours (Monday to Thursday from 4 - 6pm) but couldn't get help with the CSC104 material, let us know that. The TAs there have a lot of courses to keep track of, but the CS Department takes CSC104 seriously and is committed to helping the Help Centre TAs help you.

Sometimes TAs that are teaching other courses might offer me an answer that are beyond the 104 level. I will always find the ones that I know are teaching 104, so I can get the best answer from them.

[life-learning-com-sci-101]

For October 6th

SLOG #1

Why did you choose CSC104? What do you hope to get out of the course?

Among the things that I enjoy to use in my daily life, computer is probably the one that I understand the least out of all. How did people create a machine that can do so many things at once, yet without making mistakes that its creators would make? 

I was shocked after I discovered the term ‘Programming’. Behind those great features that computers showing, there are hundreds of thousands of lines of code, even more, are written by people who carefully designed, tested, and rewrote them into shorter forms to make them better.

I was thinking about developing my personal website when I am choosing this course, and I believe after I finished this course, I am able to create my own website at a very basic level.

What did you expect programming to be like, and how does it compare with your experience in the course so far?

One thing that I learned the most is that computer thinks way different than how human thinks. Our brain process things in a way that we don’t have to think about everything that happened to us, we do things most of the time without overwhelmingly thinking like we are trying to solve a math problem. On the other side, computer has to know exactly what is happening in every case scenario. It requires a 100% accurate program in order to run successfully. There is no shortcut in programming.

What do you find interesting so far?

Programming can reflect one’s thinking process, so it is a lot of fun to see how others program differently than myself, which allows me to learn and improve. A organized person may write out lines very neat, and a smart person may write something looks like a mess but somehow works. Those programming lines reveals a lot about people, it is interesting to sneak and peek at them.

What do you find hard so far? Is the course easier or harder than you expected?

So far my experience with programming is learning a new language. For such difficulties like memorizing new terms, learning its grammar, and so on, I just overcome them by practicing. It’s generally easy for now, but I believe it will be harder when all those different codes are combined together.

How did you study for the quizzes? Are you satisfied with your performance on them; if not, what do you plan to change?

I went over the class examples and did the exercise test every week before the quiz. My performance on the past couple quizzes are fine but I believe it would be better if I spend more time on reading chapters to understand terms thoroughly.

Are there any specific Computer Science topics you’re interested in?

Web Design and UX Optimization, I love presenting ideas in visually satisfying projects or images.