Oops, one more blog. *this is the last one.
Today was the last day of the semester. Took the final test today. I found it to be shorter than exam 2, which helped. I was able to finish the test and go back over and check for mistakes. I’m sure I did well enough. I’ve always found written programming tests to be a pain, unrealistic and not something I am particularly great at. My strengths have always been in design and development. I scored well on the projects. As I should. I should do well on tests too. But that is my weakness. All of the extra credit raises the grade by 9% – almost a full letter grade. So for that reason I’ll get my grade.
I’m sure that having written test skills works in advantageous ways for those who have them. But it’s not the only way to succeed as a developer. I’m proof of that. It appears that our instructor is somewhat in tune with that as evidenced by the weighting of the projects and the ample extra credit. I don’t think all instructors are tuned in that way. I got lucky choosing this class.
Still I want to believe that test taking is a skill set that can be improved upon and I am challenged by it. I consider myself good at what I’m doing and so I ought to be able to do well on tests. So, I intend to look for information in this area, improving test taking skills that sort of thing. Especially as I’m considering grad school.
I enjoyed this course. Our instructor has obviously refined his teaching techniques over many years. He really maximizes the classroom experience by causing everyone to be 100% engaged every day in class. The short quiz every day. And the system he has of calling on people to answer questions really keeps everyone on their toes – lest they be humiliated in front of their peers. It works well sort of like a C++ boot camp. I didn’t like it at first but I came around.
I am pleased with my new C++, java & OOP knowledge. Most of the OOP was review for me and the programs were mostly trivial. But all the C++ ins and outs, corners and nuances I enjoyed learning. I will be putting it to practice soon.
Enjoyed meeting a few of you guys. See you around.