The way Comp Sci is taught and how I feel about it.
Constructed Rants. Open Discussion.
posted about 12 years ago
I should probably start by introducing myself, I am a Sophomore, living on campus, majoring in computer science and currently in the java 202 class. Everything you are about to read is my opinion from an experience of 3 different classes, 104, 201, and 202.
I don't get it. With the way the current structure for teach compsci is, too much time is spent in all the wrong areas. I have 3 classes of compsci a week, 2 being lecture, the other 1 being a discussion. Why in the world do we spend an hour and fifteen minutes sitting and being taught things that we can simply learn via the internet? Why do we only get 45 minutes of actual time to practice the very thing we are learning. A simple analogy would be having a French Language class lecture (1:15) where you are taught the history and technicalities and even general information of the French Language, but not being allowed to speak it. Then you have another class, with a TA (not an actual professor), a discussion class, where for only 45 minutes are you then able to speak the language, surrounded by other peers, and practice it with help, from only the TA (nothing wrong with TAs, but they aren't TEACHERS).
Of course, I shouldn't have to mention that we are required to spend 3 hours for every 1 in-school hour, which makes me wonder why i'm only spending 25% of my tuition in-school.
Honestly, the discussion classes should be the lecture length, and be run by the professor with help from a TA maybe, then the TA can handle the power-point class for 45 minutes.
I would like to make one more point before addressing possible arguments to my opinion: We missed one day because a teacher was sick. We missed another due to hurricane sandy. Both times we were expected to just go over the power point and ask if we had any questions. Class schedule did not get pushed back any (though the upcoming test was, for which I AM grateful) This makes me question the importance held for our lectures!
You might want to ask or question the effectiveness of having a 1:15 long discussion class with a large number of students. Of course, we might not be able to have enough available lab rooms to pull such a situation off, but it could be maybe only an hour long discussion, or something else changes, but the point would be to get more time in to practice coding, and get it with an actual TEACHER. In my 201 Python class, it was an hour and 15 minute long lecture, but at the end we did short coding practice, which was both fun, as a group effort, and rewarding. In my 104 class, we had exactly what I described the discussion to be, but without the 45 minute class.
This concludes my semi-constructed rant, I hope you read it all and hope to see your own opinion!
I don't get it. With the way the current structure for teach compsci is, too much time is spent in all the wrong areas. I have 3 classes of compsci a week, 2 being lecture, the other 1 being a discussion. Why in the world do we spend an hour and fifteen minutes sitting and being taught things that we can simply learn via the internet? Why do we only get 45 minutes of actual time to practice the very thing we are learning. A simple analogy would be having a French Language class lecture (1:15) where you are taught the history and technicalities and even general information of the French Language, but not being allowed to speak it. Then you have another class, with a TA (not an actual professor), a discussion class, where for only 45 minutes are you then able to speak the language, surrounded by other peers, and practice it with help, from only the TA (nothing wrong with TAs, but they aren't TEACHERS).
Of course, I shouldn't have to mention that we are required to spend 3 hours for every 1 in-school hour, which makes me wonder why i'm only spending 25% of my tuition in-school.
Honestly, the discussion classes should be the lecture length, and be run by the professor with help from a TA maybe, then the TA can handle the power-point class for 45 minutes.
I would like to make one more point before addressing possible arguments to my opinion: We missed one day because a teacher was sick. We missed another due to hurricane sandy. Both times we were expected to just go over the power point and ask if we had any questions. Class schedule did not get pushed back any (though the upcoming test was, for which I AM grateful) This makes me question the importance held for our lectures!
You might want to ask or question the effectiveness of having a 1:15 long discussion class with a large number of students. Of course, we might not be able to have enough available lab rooms to pull such a situation off, but it could be maybe only an hour long discussion, or something else changes, but the point would be to get more time in to practice coding, and get it with an actual TEACHER. In my 201 Python class, it was an hour and 15 minute long lecture, but at the end we did short coding practice, which was both fun, as a group effort, and rewarding. In my 104 class, we had exactly what I described the discussion to be, but without the 45 minute class.
This concludes my semi-constructed rant, I hope you read it all and hope to see your own opinion!
