Here are the comments from the course. I've added a "1", "-1", or "0" to reflect my understanding of whether the comment is overall positive, negative, or neutral.
| Things to (try to) do |
| Slow down pace a bit |
| More examples from scratch |
| Identify advanced project to replace final exam for students who get 90+ on first two exams. This idea is intriguing and I'm actively exploring this; more by Thursday. |
95 respondents, average score "0.21" so slight positive score.
| Rating | Change in the course | Remain the Same | Add to the course |
| 0 | More extensive examples to show the limits of methods, classes, etc... | labs | nothing really |
| 1 | Don't think there needs to be any change other than the one stated in 'ADD'. This is a good class | speed of course | labs should be done in partners as well since it helps the students who are lost get a sense of the material |
| 0 | More focus on trickier material such as linked lists | SourceForge CVS. it's very helpful | |
| 1 | No strong feelings that this course lacks anything that it should and is moving at pace suited for this type of setting. I also find it especially pleasing that you not only keep up with the forums but use AIM as well for direct questions | ||
| 1 | A bit more clarity about the questions being asked on homeworks/labs would be nice. Also taking shortcuts when drawing diagrams on the board can be confusing when we aren't confident enough to know the difference between the full version & the shortcut | Your enthusiasm, light heartedness and desire to help us learn. Keep allowing us to ask questions; they benefit everyone | A free online text book/reference source instead of the book. |
| 1 | The only thing I am unsure of is the importance of exceptions | The fact that it's Java because I like Java | not sure, haven't finished the course yet! |
| 1 | I already know Java syntax so I would have appreciated last year's course more, but for first-time coders this is probably better | INDIANA JONES | Alcohol and Strippers if the department ok's it. Barring that, it seems to have everything it needs |
| -1 | Labs should not be so long | Sourceforge examples | |
| 0 | Actual writing code from scratch during class | Handouts | extra non-graded homework |
| -1 | Make it more interactive; slowing down | course load | Easier-to-understand course materials |
| 1 | nothing | teaching/class time | maybe extra challenges to those who know java already |
| 1 | professor | ||
| 1 | To tell us that we have readings to do, not just post on website. | homework partners, lab due dates (extra time is great), and keep the varied problems on the homeworks, its a lot better than working on one big program | GUI |
| 1 | Make homework and tests more similar | random classes, such as INDIANA JONES | |
| -1 | More help with the labs; easier tests | Emphasis on homework. By having easier test merely to check most basic knowledge | |
| 0 | Cover the diagrams more | Textbook is of high quality | add the practice test answers to the web site. |
| -1 | Please teach slowly; I could not catch up | Examples explanation | more notes |
| 1 | I can't think of any changes that would improve the course; it's great as it is | I am enjoying this course so far, plenty of examples given out, extra examples at sourceforge; it's all good. | |
| 1 | I think the course is run very well right now; we have reading every night that prof goes over in class but only 1 homework a week which is nice and sourceforge and my.wpi are very helpful | everything | can't think of anything |
| 0 | I think having the test after homework 2 would be good | ||
| 0 | Tests given electronically | Labs and online discussion | more discussion of programming techniques |
| -1 | Have Heineman not speak so fast. He speaks entirely too fast and it is EXTREMELY difficult for beginners to catch the lesson | nothing | "easierness" |
| -1 | Honestly, if I had not had a background of C I would fall behind in this class. This class really covers a lot of material -- syntax, OO, data structures | I enjoy this class; I like Java better than Scheme | already too much, nothing to add |
| 1 | Very little. The teaching is SUPERB, the documentation excellent. and your dedication VERY obvious. I feel like my mind doesn't move fast enough to keep up with the changes. Is there any way to slow things down a BIT, if only VERY slightly? | slow down the delivery, but keep up the challenge. This class excites me, even if I am struggling | I could definitely use a coke. I should start bringing a coke to class. other than that, the class is awesome. |
| 0 | I think the printed examples are very useful | ||
| -1 | Lab instructions need to be much clearer. People know how to code but can't because they can't figure out what the program is trying to do | Visual examples (link list w/ string) | |
| -1 | More emphasis on functional use of materials, such as lists) before test. Flexible partners for first weeks. | ||
| -1 | Slow the pace a little | The way topics are presented | little more discussion of syntax |
| -1 | Too fast and too complicated. Labs/homeworks are hard. Too much to know without covering it | sense of humor and understanding by the prof. | testing partners. Group pre-testing to cover material orally |
| 1 | Nothing right now | everything | perhaps hold it in a computer room so students can follow along with examples on their own as well? |
| -1 | Pace. Slow down a bit | Help on AIM | A homework help conference on Mondays from 7-9 perhaps? |
| 0 | More hands on | The teaching style | Other ways to do the same thing |
| 0 | More description of what each part of a program does and how it connects to the rest of the code | The pace that the professor is teaching at | A list of methods and functions with a description of what it does. Something that will help us know which parts of Java we should use in a program. |
| 0 | I've never been a fan of turnin, mostly because it never works for me | The humor in the course during class time | Maybe easier access to examples and through the web page (aka download from there). |
| 1 | The lab. I've had more operating system and memory errors on those old machines than problems with my code | the instructor. Heineman Roxx | NINJAS |
| 0 | More reliable method of sharing files, sourceforge is a serious pain | The homework and lab schedule are good | perhaps more opportunity for help sessions |
| 0 | Move at a little slower pace | Sourceforge/HW partners | better place to do the lab |
| 1 | Labs and Homeworks need to be more open ended (i.e., no skeleton code, but telling us what functions should be where necessary) | In class examples | nothing |
| 0 | An experienced programmer doesn't learn anything new | The homework should continue to be done in pairs | More advanced topics should be covered. |
| 1 | The time of day. Actually, it is all run very well and I enjoy it most out of my current courses. | Everything, especially professor Heineman | A little more focus on Syntax, perhaps an extra day or two (perhaps 1 hour of conference a week in addition to labs) |
| 0 | Spend more time reviewing in class, particularly before an exam | everything else | |
| -1 | I have trouble trying to figure out what the labs are asking me to do. It takes me about 2 hours to understand what I have to do and 30 minutes to actually do it. So if you could just add more explicit directions for what needs to be accomplished in the lab it would be helpful | ||
| 1 | Maybe more individual work so that my lab partner will understand the Java syntax | explanations of high level stuff like static, protected, exceptions, casting, constraint, ... | AI + Genetic Algorithms |
| 1 | more explanation for labs | the depth | more about GUIs |
| 0 | start out a little slower for the people who do not have much programming experience | not sure yet | |
| 1 | nothing, it's perfect | ||
| 1 | Block wireless so there are no distractions | ||
| 1 | Slow down the pace of the class or at least maybe focus more on how to go about writing a program instead of focusing on theory | the professor! | more time |
| 1 | Labs | grading system | more lectures |
| -1 | the pace is too fast | lab and test schedules | more group assignments |
| 1 | Nothing really | everything | more coding |
| 0 | Labs are unclear, TAs don't know what they're doing | Everything else | |
| 0 | More coding examples in lecture | ||
| 1 | I'd really like to have more help/offers/projects for people above the average | sourceforge, professor Heineman's sense of humour | Final project |
| 1 | Now that we've ACTUALLY covered pretty much all of the syntax, go into more advanced topics. I'd like to focus on design and object-oriented thinking/modeling | Your style of teaching. I must admit it's one of the most effective I've seen: direct, concise, yet amusing. | For future, I'd suggest splitting the course into two levels, somewhat like 1101/1102. The material up to this point has been all long-past review for me. |
| 1 | Perhaps a little more exam review | I think the rest of the course is fine. I can understand all the stuff being taught. The reading helps a lot wit this. | |
| 1 | course is fine | ||
| 1 | I like the way it is. I know you started slow and you're gonna speed up now, but I think it was a good plan. We'll see. I'm not a huge fan of this Sudoku thin, but we'll see how it pans out. | Starting slow. It's a good plan | I'm happy with that we have |
| 0 | A little more beginners info at first | ||
| 1 | I think it runs rather smoothly actually. It may be a bit fast but I don't think you can really go any slower with this course | I like not having to journey to the lab room to complete my labs. Sudoku == fun times | Maybe a project instead of so many tests? |
| 0 | Try to be a bit slower when altering the code in class. I'm having trouble keeping up with the changes | everything else | nothing |
| 0 | Smaller classes for individual attention | Calling on students and helping them play an active roll in the class | I don't know |
| -1 | How I lost points for having user-input on my homework :( | Don't know | Don't know |
| Rating | Change in the course | Remain the Same | Add to the course |
| -1 | This course goes too fast for students who have limited programming background, especially non-majors | sourceforge examples. Office hours | Extra practice problems/questions at
every lecture to help students assess progress and understanding of the
material each day.
|
| -1 | Go slower | examples (lots of them) | nothing. |
| 0 | Maybe put up all the homeworks so we can work on them in advance | the pace is going pretty well | nothing. I like the course as is (except I guess for the HW issue) |
| -1 | Too fast -- needs accelerated and non-accl sections like 1101 and 1102 | labs are good | |
| 0 | nothing really | the way the labs and hws are graded | maybe how to use/make a GUI. Not really OOP, though... |
| 1 | I think for total newcomers, the beginning is a bit harsh | The homework grade% and essentially the whole grading scheme | It is exquisite |
| 0 | Less difficult hw allowing us more time to work on the basics. Tests less difficult | time! | |
| 0 | on my.wpi.edu the grades are difficult to understand. It doesn't properly show what assignments are worth (it said I had 1/805 on my lab)! | I like being able to do the labs on my own time and only go if I need help | not sure |
| 1 | More challenging homeworks and labs. Pace seems a bit slow for me. CS1102 seemed faster | turnin is great. Discussion board and AOL IM and site are very useful. Eclipse is useful | working with complex objects later on. Networking, Images, Files, Threads |
| -1 | Make Java easier | Meeting time | |
| -1 | Explain more what is going on in examples and slow down when lecturing. Show how to use the syntax. Then explain why it works | the happy atmosphere | show from scratch how to do things. More learning of syntax |
| 1 | Nothing | pretty much everything | It would be cool to actually compile code for use outside of eclipse |
| -1 | The Function-Stack diagrams make no sense to me and should not be REQUIRED. That is not programming. The knowledge of the stack is though, so let people do it there own way if they want | everything else | |
| 1 | A little more discussion on graphical representations of objects in code | the way the course is structured and how the professor teaches | more discussion of the importance of securing data |
| 1 | More points for lab assignments | homeworks being weighted more. Partners. Labs are for help and not mandatory | theme song for George |
| 0 | Make tests that require thinking (aka more programming intense reflection on the real world of programming) | Your awesome humor | Intensity that counts |
| 0 | Slow down a bit; shorter homeworks | amount of help sessions | ? |
| 1 | Nothing | Nothing | Ninjas |
| -1 | The pace is much too fast to really be able to learn the language well | All the examples we go over | nothing |
| 1 | Quality of the labs | test format | |
| 1 | Nothing. It's great. Eclipse has a VERY steep learning curve | everything | a better lab room! |
| 0 | Spend longer on syntax | lots of examples | compiling |
| 1 | Great so far | Pace is good | windows GUI, maybe basic GDI based game |
| 0 | Labs and Homeworks should be in a format like "Make a class that does A B and C and has a method to handle D" | open labs | A big course project |
| 1 | nothing | everything | nothing |
| 0 | Faster paced so we can move on to more advanced (FUN) topics like superclasses, GUIs, etc.. Also the lab/HW skeletons are sometimes confusing | style of teaching | maybe a more open-ended assignment/project as opposed to the fairly rigid homeworks |
| 0 | Add more Work | ||
| 1 | Nothing. I believe the current way the course is run is fine. The only thing is the need to have a book. These are expensive books! | The cheeriness of the professor always answering questions cheerfully and being helpful whenever possible. | |
| -1 | The speed of the course makes it difficult to understand things at times | The whole thing; just explain things better | Nothing. It's really hard |
| 1 | I already knew Java so I can't answer this well | sense of humor | can't think of anything |
| 1 | so far I wouldn't change anything about the course | I like the sourceforge account and how you can use the CVS repository in Eclipse. I also like the examples posted on the Internet | nothing |
| 0 | I wasn't aware the runtime stack diagrams were going to be tested; I had thought they were just a teaching tool. Had I Known from the start, I would have tried to understand them better | I like the more casual feel of this course as compared to the others... | Cupcakes? |