[CSC 204] WOW! Class seemed Stressful...

[Andrew J. Pounds]

Hello class,

Many of you seemed really stressed in class today.   Like any four hour 
class, Programming one is going to require some considerable effort on 
your part.   While I will be demonstrating my version of the "plane" 
class to you on Friday, I need you all to be working on your own  to  
try and understand the concepts as best as possible.   I do not assign 
homework in lower division classes.   I learned a long time ago that 
when I did such things many students would rush at the end to turn in 
something that was unreadable and virtually ungradeable.   Since we do 
have a test coming up next week -- and possibly a quiz before then -- 
let me give you some guidance on how to prepare for this class.

   1. I do utilize the book heavily and we are proceeding through the
      book in a linear manner.   I have not been diving into the
      graphics sections, but other than that the material from the book
      is either explicitly stated or expounded on in the class.  You
      will  notice that I use terms like methods, mutators, instance
      variables, constructors, etc.  These are all technical terms that
      you must know to advance in this class.   They are all defined in
      the book.
   2. Each section of the book contains "Self Check" questions.  Don't
      ignore these.  They are designed to help you understand the
      content of the book sections.  The answers are found at the end of
      the chapter.  If you do not understand why a particular answer is
      given, then that is a perfect time to shoot me an e-mail and ask
      for clarification.
   3. At the end of each chapter you will find a chapter summary.  Look
      over these and make sure you understand them.  In the authors
      thinking, these are non-negotiables that you must know before you
      start the next chapter.  If you are lost on one of these your
      first course of action should be to look back in the chapter and
      review the concept.  If you are still lost, then send me an e-mail.
   4. Look at the Review Exercises at the end of each chapter.  While
      you won't see the answers for these, some of the answers should be
      obvious.  If you need help answering them, send me an e-mail. 
   5. Pick one or two of the programming exercises at the end of the
      chapter and attempt them.  Many of these are really simple and
      designed to do nothing more than get your "feet wet" with some of
      the chapter concepts in code.   Some of these also rely on
      examples from the chapter.  I sent you the web link in a prior
      e-mail (and placed it on the website) to the site that contains
      all of the source code found in the book.   You should therefore
      be able to quickly experiment with those programming exercise
      problems that draw on the examples found in the book.
   6. Take the in-class examples I give you and work on them outside of
      class.  These are designed to either develop concepts from the
      book and class or re-inforce these concepts.   I take time to
      carefully design these so you will have to take the concepts and
      engage them in code.  Today was the first time you saw one of
      these.  You'll probably see at least one of these every two week
      if not more often.
   7. Get started early on the programming assignments.  If the in-class
      examples are stretching you, then the programming assignments will
      blow your mind with the infusion of concepts into code.  You have
      to create and integrate many things in the programming assignments
      -- this strengthens your problem solving skills, your math and
      logic skills, and your ability to transfer abstract concepts into
      tangible products.    You will often find little pieces in the
      programming assignments that I don't explicitly tell you how to
      do.  I completely expect you to read, experiment, and figure these
      things out on your own.  I will provide some guidance, but am
      looking for you to demonstrate your progr
   8. Don't miss class or lab.  Some of you have already found out that
      when you miss class you might miss big conceptual chunks that tie
      many things together.  I pity those that missed class on Monday.


Now -- I keep telling you that things pick up quickly once we get 
through chapter 3.  The approach this author takes is that objects are 
fundamental to the Java language; we will therefore introduce them early 
and then use them as our basic building block.    You will find that 
this is certainly going to be the case when it comes to the programming 
assignments as well.  The quicker you start to master these concepts, 
the easier the design of solutions in your programming assignments will 
be.  You still have plenty of time to get ready for the test by applying 
the principles I described above to chapters 1-3 of the text.

Some of you have found that if you ask questions, I will respond.  The 
more specific the question, the faster the response.   In some cases I 
have to get to a system where I try and reproduce your errors or we have 
to get together for you to demonstrate your problem.   In those cases 
e-mail is a good way to get the problem resolution started, but the 
solution will take a little longer.  For most questions I prefer e-mail 
because I am so rarely in my office these days due to other university 
and professional commitments.   I generally sit down two  or three times 
a day and answer e-mails from students.  At night if I am online I 
generally answer on the spot.  If you have to take the time to think 
through your question to put it in an e-mail, then it also helps you 
think critically about the question you are asking.   If you are simply 
lost, then you can certainly find me during my office hours or make an 
appointment to meet with me.

My office hours are:

    *  Monday and Wednesday,  11:00 AM in the Willet Science Center room 332
    *  Thursday at 11:00 AM  in the Computer Science Building Supply Closet

My dad played football for the University of Georgia and was later a 
high school football coach in Atlanta.  A "coaching" mentality in the 
teaching process is part of my genes and my upbringing.    You learn 
your plays, do your push-ups, tackling drills, roadwork, and participate 
in the scrimmages (1-8 above) and I'll do my best to help you succeed in 
the game.


-- 
Andrew J. Pounds, Ph.D.  (pounds at theochem.mercer.edu)
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science
Mercer University,  Macon, GA 31207   (478) 301-5627

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