I wouldn't say my programming skills improved "greatly" per say but they have improved nonetheless. After the abundance of information from the labs and readings provided, along with some Googling, I am able to solve problems that I'm having, better. This was the case when I was trying to style my product page and invoice page for assignment 1. When things weren't going right, I would know what piece of code that I need to adjust and then it would work right after. Of course, sometimes it takes awhile but after some trial and error, it works out. I have also improved my habit of commenting code just a little bit. Emphasis on the "little" part. Part of me wants to comment every single little thing but that is probably not good practice in the professional world as that could clutter up the code. More so, the comments would be for me so I can understand what is going on. My skills with HTML and CSS have become better as I understand what's going on more. Can't say the same for JavaScript though.
JavaScript. Namely understanding functions better. It takes me a while for me to understand how functions work, so I have to Google over and over again how a certain function works. It just doesn't stick in my head. The use of loops is still a bit confusing for me as well but I'm having more trouble with functions. I could understand what a lab or instructions could want from me but I wouldn't know how to execute it. I'm sure that with enough practice, commenting code and more Googling to understand, that I will get better with coding in JavaScript. With HTML and CSS, I don't have as much problems, but one thing that I want to improve on is remembering certain code. I could be typing "text-size" instead of "font-size" and will be wondering why my code isn't working or adjusting to how I want it.
I have definitely learned a lot from doing the WODs. It made assignment 1 just a little bit easier because all of the WODs included key pieces of information pertaining to assignment 1. That being said, I could not do them without copying the screencasts. After going over the WODs multiple times, I would always refer to the screencasts to help me address any problems that I'm having. I was forced to learn and solve problems on my own with the last few WODs as there were no screencasts provided but I felt that that helped me improve my problem solving skills as mentioned in the first prompt. The screencasts definitely helped me understand what was expected and what areas I was lacking in.
The labs were helpful indeed, and they did help me learn. Even after watching and reading the material provided before doing the labs, I still had a bit of trouble understanding what some aspects of the lab were asking for. It was frustrating at times. I wouldn't say that I'm confident with each completion of the labs because it really takes me a long while to actually get them done.
I learned a lot from my experience doing assignment 1, for sure. Especially the fact that it really takes time to get everything working, from the products display page, to the invoice page, and having it connect to your server javascript file. Honestly, I completely disregarded warnings from the professor and TA about needing to start on it early, and to work at it consistently because that's what ultimately made me turn in a poor assignment. I wasn't able to complete some of the requirements and I was scrambling to get everything done at the last minute and turned in *on time* as I didn't want to get points deducted. Didn't ask for help, didn't start early. My fault. I don't feel ready to work on assignment 2 at all. Hopefully I can take what I learned during assignment 1 and apply it to assignment 2.
One way that the class could be improved is having more clear instructions on the labs. I often felt frustrated trying to decipher what the lab wanted me to do. I know that professor has mentioned that there will always be room for interpretation and that's just how it is in the professional world but as for me, I like to have clear-cut instructions for things. I'm afraid that I may just interpret the instructions wrong and I end up getting penalized for it. Another thing that could be improved is using class time more efficiently. I would love to be able to go through the lab for the whole class period. I know that there are some problems that we have to do on our own but often times, we have to do more in addition to that. Which is fine because ultimately the lab prompts are easy enough for us to do on our own but it would be nice to work on them together in class so I can have a better understanding of what I'm doing from professor's perspective/teachings and not lots of Googling.
First and foremost, what helps me the most in class are professor's detailed explanations about certain aspects. When people ask questions (these questions are often the same questions that I have too), professor is able to explain and answer these questions in great detail and that helps me understand concepts *a lot* more. The class Discord and working together with other students in the class has helped me greatly as well. It's nice to know that other students are having similar troubles with certain parts and we can work on them together and help each other understand better. The provided material before each lab has helped me understand better too. I can familiarize myself with the material before we actually work on the lab. The screencasts have helped me realize what I'm doing wrong when I'm doing the WODs. The WODs overall helped me understand concepts better too, it's almost like a summary of certain labs, a quiz.