Suggestions for Improvements

I've collected together the many comments you left after the exam. Thanks for taking the time to write these suggestions to me! They have given me very useful, specific suggestions that I will most certainly be incorporating as we move forward. Here is the complete set:

As a quick analysis, Here's what I'm hearing: "More in-class discussion of the Java language; more examples from the scratch within eclipse. Better connection between in-class materials and homeworks"

Now on to the details: I received 104 suggestions:

More in-class discussion of Java Language

  1. More teaching of Java language in class, less emphasis on concepts
  2. May of us have no Java experience. I feel a bit more of the language could be taught since it is the basis of the class.
  3. I believe the course would be better if the first week or so was more code focused rather than concept focused
  4. I would like more instruction on Java topics in class.
  5. I'd like to see more syntax in class.
  6. Provide links for more material for basic java tutorials to help catch up to those who have prior Java experience.
  7. First focus more on Java Language. and less on the object-oriented examples.
  8. Maybe teach a little bit of the actual java and not so much the idea/design behind it
  9. explain how the language works, not just why
  10. focus more in class on data type abstractions (visualization of linked list, etc...)
  11. Please teach java, thanks!
  12. I think that a little more time could be spent on the coding aspect of Java especially after looking at HW3.
  13. We have to learn too much by reading the book and looking online. I can't learn that way and this being only my 2nd CS course, I'm having a really hard time.
  14. More explanation of how things work, not just "this is how to do it" -- why it works, why that method, how it works, etc...
  15. Exam too hard. Homework I can do. Make the directions less vague. Teach more syntax in class.
  16. I am having touble grasping some basic java concepts since this is my first time in the language (I just came out of a scheme class) which is unlike this so I am often confused.
  17. Some coding techniques need to be taught more thoroughly and with more detail. I am having trouble understanding some important concepts.
  18. I think you assume we know a lot of programming concepts and/or java and go at a very fast pace which makes it difficult for those who are just starting out.
  19. I would benefit from more teaching of the actual language rather than the more design-oriented aspects. I need a solid framework.
  20. It would be better if you actually taught us Java so that we knew the language that we are trying to design programs with.
  21. class needs more overview on the basics of coding java and understanding how to create a code based on specifications.
  22. Teach more of the java language so people coming from scheme aren't completely lost. I found homework partners in the scheme class worked out well. helped us learn from each other.
  23. Speak slowly. Don't move through topics so fast. ask class if they understand.
  24. With so many new terms thrown in at once, try to make every word defined clearly as it is being introduced.
  25. more attention on syntax and java specifics.
  26. There are a lot of people in the class who don't know java and the course doesn't go in to any much detail on the language.
  27. More info about Java itself.
  28. The class is an intro class but taught like we all know either Java or C already.You should go over more low-level implementation.
  29. The pacing is strange: since everyone's supposed to have taken either C# or java before, shouldn't need to go over how to create a stack. Yet java-specific concepts get short shrift.

More Examples

  1. More on actual programming and more examples
  2. Let's do more sweet programs. More sorting, Less Dequeues.
  3. I think that showing more examples in Java, not just explaining it abstractly has been helpful and should continue.
  4. More examples in common terms
  5. More concrete in-class examples
  6. Would rather have one task project than just many random questions -- more sense of purpose and more interesting to do.
  7. More examples of Java from start in Eclipse during class.
  8. More code examples done out and explained as you are coding. Less handed-out completed code and less useless board work.
  9. more with stacks
  10. More coding questions
  11. A lot of people are having trouble with Java (the basics) and therefore a lot of the more advanced material is not understood. Not Cool!
  12. Go over examples relevant to homeworks and on tests. more practice wirting how to do something in java.
  13. Few more java examples with more indepth explanations on how they work.
  14. I would really understand what is going on a bit mire if instead of just giving us handouts in lecture you went through example start to finish.
  15. I would like to see more problems done out in class in eclipse. We learn concepts yet I feel completely lost on the java language itself. I've been buying outside references to try and teach myself. I think we're moving too fast. I felt lost on homeworks and exam.
  16. More comments in examples online to show purpose of examples.

Issue with Exams

  1. I thought the practice exam should have been at least somewhat similar to the actual exam. Other than that, the class is fine.
  2. The practice test was nothing at all like the actual one. I thought it would be much easier.
  3. Exam was too long almost missed problem on back because I didn't realize there was one on the back.
  4. I thought the test was completely different from the practice test you've given us. So that completely threw me off because it wasn't what I expected -- so I think practice tests that are similar to the real test would be more helpful.
  5. More practice exams
  6. Possibly make sample exams more representative of actual exam.
  7. Sample exam should resemble actual test.
  8. Give all exam questions in dilbert format
  9. don't make us write methods on tests (it takes too long)
  10. option of more time on tests
  11. More room to write on exams.
  12. Multiple choice. Use multiple choice questions. That would surely improve our academic growth.

More discussion of high-level concepts

  1. Exam less specific and more conceptual
  2. More details on abstraction would be helpful.
  3. It would be nice if you went over more concepts from the textbook.
  4. More emphasis on algorithms. perhaps provide additional non-graded practice problems.
  5. less language, more OODC
  6. Not sure if the rest of the class would agree, but Java's similarity to C++ make it simple to learn. move faster onto more advanced concepts
  7. more of an emphasis on design and less on the specifics of java

Issues with the Book

  1. The book is awful. it is not possible to understand. You have to know the topic to understand it and I think this class is not possible to get "A" from people who don't know C++ like me.
  2. Use better book for the class. The book taught me nothing.
  3. Don't like the book at all. I think we should have gone into basics a bit more in the first week.
  4. use a better written, less dry text book

Better allocation of TA/SA resources

  1. More TAs per office hour.
  2. Have more TA's scheduled at the same time so they're not going crazy trying to help 30 people at the same time.

Issues with Homework

  1. The homework definitions more exact from the beginning so that able to finish homeworks early, not waiting until students did evaluate it.
  2. Have Homework Partner, more for understanding the question than for the code aspect; give us limited homework partners.
  3. Ability to discuss problems on some homeworks a little more freely.
  4. Make homeworks due at the beginning of class. I'm too ECE to handle 11:59
  5. my only suggestion would be to post the grading guidelines for the HW in advance and it seems to have been taken. thanks!
  6. More time to do HW or make them due Wednesday night as wednesday is our best WPI work day.
  7. less homework
  8. Homeworks are too difficult and labs are to difficult to complete in the hour given.
  9. please provide accurate requirements for homeworks.
  10. The statement "I did not receive any help" for the homework should be implied if nothing
    is written. The only time this should matter is when the student is found guilty of cheating and did not say that he had help, otherwise it shouldn't matter. Hours of homework shouldn't be thrown out when the author didn't cheat because he forgot to say he did the homework by himself.

Nothing to change

  1. no suggestions for the next 4 weeks. I would have liked to see some of the Java structure sooner (like 'static')
  2. I liked it: not too easy and still not too hard. I feel I know a lot, so the fact that they were still pretty challenging is good
  3. Java is good unlike scheme. I think the pace is good and the homeworks are tough but not too impossible and the test wasn't so bad either.
  4. You're doing great!
  5. More code examples done out and explained as you are coding. Less handed-out completed code and less useless board work.
  6. java good...scheme bad... not much would improve the course.
  7. I think the class is taught fine although I'm not too big a fan of how you represent the stack and require us to represent it the same way.
  8. Change nothing. The course is perfect so far as I'm concerned. A few of my friends have started slipping and falling behind, but they've all been able to catch up just fine.
  9. I think the class is going well and I like the pace.
  10. There's not much I'd like changed. I actually really like how this class is run/organized.
  11. Class is peachy
  12. Like you're not going to sit with our tests and compare handwriting ;) I'm happy with the class and how it's run. I wouldn't make any changes.
  13. Great class, keep up the good work

Miscellaneous

  1. Make it a little more lenient for when people are sick, like put up some notes online or something.
  2. A project will be nice to work on and have only two exams instead of three.
  3. More dilbert.
  4. The inclass material puts me to sleep but then the homeworks and test are disproportionately challenging
  5. Remove all diagramming (?)
  6. Seems like the class is for people who know java or pick it up extremely fast.
  7. This class feels like 2005 over again. 1102 engaged my brain, this course has yet to do so... Please include something the sophomores here will find to be new and different.
  8. Despite the list of topics at the beginning of class, it's hard to perceive a direction among the topics.