My journey in Computer Science led me to my next challenge, ICS 314 (Intro to Software Eng.). It is both exciting and stress-inducing as the pace of the class can be intense. But I am sure this would help me long term. The class introduces a new language I haven’t learned and a different teaching method to better prepare me for the future.
Javascript is the language of choice in class. This is my first time learning Javascript. Before this class, I mainly wrote in Java and sometimes in C++. Now that I have been introduced to Javascript. I can see why Javascript can be more versatile than some other languages. The versatility of Javascript objects is great. Arrays can hold multiple items of different types. The function orientation is also great; assigning values and returning them is made more flexible.
The class also introduces a fresh way of attacking coding problems and preparing students for real-world scenarios like job interviews. WOD (Work Out of the Day) is a coding challenge that needs to be solved in a given time. The WOD consists of 3 practical sections: Practice WOD, Group WOD, BWOD, and an evaluation section. The practical WOD usually introduces the concept or lesson needed to learn. The practical WOD would end with an explanation of the problem, which helps a lot. After the practicals, evaluation WOD would be administered by the Professor to test us if we understand the concept. The first two WOD practice projectEuler and isUnique, were fairly difficult to grasp. I had timed them both 15 min in which I did not finish.
While the WOD method can be straining, I think it is an innovative method of challenging students to understand the problem and test their limits. I am also excited to learn Javascript, a new language skill I can add to my bag. To the betterment of my goals in Software Engineering!