After learning Java, C, and C++, I am finally starting to learn Javascript. One thing that stood out to me is the leniency of types and how easy things can be because of it. I can declare a variable and have some leeway into what may be assigned into it. While it does make things easier, it also feels like this result in some problems down the road.
I have checked out the Euler problems before, so I didn’t learn much from them, but I do hope the course will use some of the later problems. Many of the problems are difficult and solving them in a new language is good practice in my opinion.
On a related note, this athletic software engineering seems like it will be quite stressful as the content becomes more difficult. Having an assignment due almost everyday is hard to do with other classes not being as systematic. The WODs associated with this type of assignment are interesting and could be very helpful with getting actual practice with javascript. From what I understand, software engineering is dividing up a project into smaller, manageable parts to facilitate a project’s progress. In other words, it is similar to breaking the larger objective down into small problems just like the Euler problems. However, I will have to wait until later in the course to see the types of problems the WODs will throw at us. Then I will be able to judge if they are actually helpful or not.
Throughout my time at UH, I have experienced various teaching methods in the ICS department. After this course, I am interested to see which method is the best, at least for me, for learning a new programming language.