- This topic has 4 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 5 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I’m curious if anyone could give some guidance on how to better retain knowledge when taking a coding class. I feel as though it can be so easy to just find code from either lecture slides, solutions posted by an instructor, or from the internet. It just feels like at so many times, I don’t even know the function that I should be using to make the code easier to write and am unable to recall specifically how to complete certain code without looking it up.
I would recommend PythonTutor because it actually shows how the code executes step by step. This really helped me to visualize what the code was actually doing. I would also try to implement the code given in class and test yourself on if you understand what is going on. If not, try the code in Python Tutor and hopefully that can help. I would say then once you understand the code from class, try to do the projects without looking up the code because if you can use the projects as a way to test your knowledge of the code from class, you’ll be better prepared for the exams. I would also say that if you worked with a partner on projects, make sure you understand all of the parts of the project as a tool to prepare for the exam. Good Luck!
Evening greetings!
This is a very good question. One thing I would say is Python is open source technology so unlike Microsoft’s product releases with full documentation, a lot of research has to be continuously done to stay ahead. It is just impractical for the most part for one to know all libraries and bits of functionality out there. Most of that just comes after some experience in programming and research. An industry based scenario: one’s tasked to write production level code for a task. By the time the code is complete, properly tested and put in production, a newer library becomes available that improves some functionality in the code that just went into production. Should the entire program be withdrawn and redone using this new library? But then there is no assurance by the time that’s done, there isn’t yet another library.
I think a great way to retain knowledge can be through creating your own reviews for the coding classes that you are in. For example, right now I am in ECE 204. This class is open book and open notes for the exam. Because of how interactive Anaconda is as a platform to run python on, you can actually embed notes and have markdowns in your notebook. I’ve found this to be extremely helpful for a comprehensive space where I have all the concepts listed.
Very interesting question! I think of writing code as writing an book report (but for STEM people like us). Of course you can google people’s opinions on books and find how others used certain quotes to make their point (don’t plagiarize!) but you aren’t really learning if you do that. The best way to learn Computer Science is to really really grind out those long nights of coding and debugging. It takes a lot of effort and time, but it is the only way to make you think like a Computer Scientist.
