*** what can you learn? ------------------ WHAT CAN YOU LEARN HERE? * the beauty of computing a tool for extending our minds a tool for building better tools... * programming skills and concepts ------------------ **** the beauty of computing computers and programs can do many wonderful and fun things a tool for extending our minds in new directions repetative processes, precision work, complexity but just like playing any game, you enjoy it more the more skilled you are, and so **** computer programming skills (concepts) so a fair bit of practice is needed to learn those skills ----------------- COURSE PHILOSOPHY * don't assume you know computing * you can all learn the material - no curve grading * learning requires time on task - emphasis on practice and time, not smarts * learning needs feedback - use computer for feedback - use homeworks for feedback - homework only 1/3 of grade - incomplete/makeup policy - recitation sections * you are responsible for your learning - suggested practice problems - extra credit problems * we are resposible for: motivation, feedback, guidance, perspective, technical expertise ----------------- ------------------- DOES TIME ON TASK HELP? Com Sci 227X Final Grades Fall 1992 Grades Frequencies 10 20 30 A ****+****+****+****+****+** A- ****+*** B+ ****+**** B ****+****+****+** B- ****+****+*** C+ ****+ C ****+*** C- ****+**** D+ ****+ D ** D- *** F ****+****+* Fact: the D+,D,D-,F students ALL had at least 4 ``F'' homeworks ------------------ Note: no curve Contrast: Of the students that got an A or A- (35) of all their (* 35 9) homeworks, only 2 of them were F Is there a difference between students? Yes. Some know more, have better background (lifelong). What does that mean? They will require less time to learn something. It is a fallacy to say that everyone getting an "A" is equally smart, or worked equally hard. Analogy: a piano class. Some have had piano before, and so need less practice to achieve at the same level. *** what's the reward for all this "time on task"? FUN! **** What I don't mean by fun not partying not watching a TV sitcom not reading a good book **** What I do mean by fun like the fun of hitting a home run after long practice like the fun of proudly wearing a scarf you made yourself like the fun of making a telescope and exploring with it a kind of satisfaction from a job well done the glow you get from making something that is beautiful if you want truth, beauty, seek it here in the abstract world math, computing give you a way to make ideal systems simple, general things you hear it in: "it works!" you see it in the pride of the programs author like the telescope we'll try to explore interesting things with our programs (I promise this time) ** idea go rather deeply into programming, even mostly one style of programming - so you can learn the aesthetic of programming - so you can develop basic skills (expressions, recursion, abstraction) that will help you later - so you can glimpse the beautiful for yourself before devoting years of work to it. this is important because if you don't know why, if you don't like it, you won't learn as well