venting about my programming class

[SparklyUnicorn]

The instructor is lousy.  She hardly gives us any practice.  So I have taken it upon myself to work on projects because I actually want to learn something. But I'm rather frustrated because I feel like I don't have an instructor.

 

This is what she does... She lectures for an hour which involves regurgitating a few points in the book (literally copying the examples, wording, everything from the book and putting them on slides that she also posts on-line).  Then for the remaining 15 minutes she has us work on the tutorials in the book that simply require one to copy the code exactly from the book.  But do you know how much one can get done in 15 minutes with programming?  Like nothing....you can manage to turn the computer on, name a file, and possibly set up the GUI.  She comes around to ask if people have questions.  What questions are there?  I can't manage to copy something verbatim from the book?  Which yes, actually does happen so she usually spends the entire 15 minutes with one person who cannot copy something verbatim from the book. 

 

So far after being there for a month we have had one homework assignment (besides reading).  Yet in that time we've gone through 5 chapters of material.  That project was from chapter one and was as basic as it gets. 

 

She is giving a mid term and a final.  And the other half of the grade is attendance, projects, and in class participation (which involves literally nothing as I described above).  She has covered almost no material compared with the nearly 350 pages of material I've read so far.  And what is extra frustrating is that I HAVE done all the projects in the book despite not being assigned them, but it's been so hard and so frustrating because there has been no real teaching, and there is no chance to ask REAL questions. 

 

Maybe my expectations are too high.  I dunno, but she is the lamest instructor I have ever had. 

[OneStepAtATime]

:grouphug:

 

Have you scheduled a student/teacher meeting to discuss your concerns? Can you drop the class and get any money back?  

[SparklyUnicorn]

I can drop the class, but I can't get my money back.

 

I'll hang in there and learn despite her, but I'll be avoiding her in the future.  I get the impression that she is very inexperienced at teaching.

 

 

[elegantlion]

My ds had similar experiences in his programming classes. He's as laid back and slightly lazy, and even complained about the lack of real instruction. He has some doozy stories. It's one of the reasons he opted for a math major instead of a comp sci major.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My ds had similar experiences in his programming classes. He's as laid back and slightly lazy, and even complained about the lack of real instruction. He has some doozy stories. It's one of the reasons he opted for a math major instead of a comp sci major.

 

great...that's not what I wanted to hear...LOL

[SparklyUnicorn]

My son had similar and she was the only one teaching, so he couldn't drop.  He learned to find a person who had already taken the class and actually knew the language so he squeaked through.  Bad midterm though, he was expected to memorize and spit back material that wasn't covered in class. And so weird that they didn't have lab to work out all their newbie questions. 

 

I think it would be WAY more helpful if she'd walk us through creating a program that incorporates the various concepts taught rather than just regurgitate 5 out of the 50 points covered in the chapter.

 

The book comes with video stuff.  Those have been helpful.  I also signed up for a video course through my husband's employer.  So eventually I will get this.  I'm just kinda dreading these classes because they are so NOT INSPIRING.  Very very boring. 

[G5052]

LOL. My degrees are in computer science, and I teach web design at the college level.

 

I'm sorry, but my experience is that a lot of computer science and information technology professors are VERY poor when it comes to structuring a class well. It sort of comes with that field, I'm afraid. I had one freshman programming class that was so bad that I had a friend tutor me through it in exchange for being available to take him places and drop him off where his family lived on breaks and holidays. You would think they'd put a lot of effort to make that one good.

[OneStepAtATime]

I think it would be WAY more helpful if she'd walk us through creating a program that incorporates the various concepts taught rather than just regurgitate 5 out of the 50 points covered in the chapter.

 

The book comes with video stuff.  Those have been helpful.  I also signed up for a video course through my husband's employer.  So eventually I will get this.  I'm just kinda dreading these classes because they are so NOT INSPIRING.  Very very boring. 

Schedule a meeting.  Make that suggestion if you can do so without offending.  I found that many of my teachers wanted the feedback, especially the newbies, as long as I was respectful and didn't make it adversarial.  Just, hey I'm having some issues and I think this, this and this might help me.  

[Julie Smith]

Before kids I taught college, computers. 

 

Some of the teachers.  :huh:  One teacher spent 50 minutes comparing HTML programming to the simpsons. ?????????

 

They even had slides with pictures of the simpsons next to snippets of HTML code. 

It was very, very strange. 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Julie Smith

[solascriptura]

 I hear ya.  I remember in undergrad, the only way to know about an instructor (how do these people get a job anyway) was by word of mouth.  I started classes almost a year ago for another degree and I befriended a young woman.  She told me about the website www.ratemyprofessor.com.  It was eye opening and definitely influenced my choice of professors for my current semester.  

[Andromeda]

You just described pretty much every single programming course I have ever taken. One particular course comes to mind where half the class were way in over their heads (me included) and the other half knew more than the professor, who was far more interested in his research than teaching.

 

The slides probably come with the instructor's version of the course along with quiz banks. For me, the best way to learn a programming language is to copy and paste the text from the book and then try to break it in creative ways (and fix it). When you learn a language, you start out with basic structures and boring things - arrays, loops, if/then, etc. There is no way around copying and pasting that. Once you get past the intro, then the instructor has something to work with to create new and exciting variations. It's like learning times tables before being able to do algebra.

 

Having said that, I think it is a good idea to schedule a meeting and talk to her. She may have reasons for teaching this way (or not), and she could turn out very helpful.

[JumpyTheFrog]

What language are you learning?

[SparklyUnicorn]

 I hear ya.  I remember in undergrad, the only way to know about an instructor (how do these people get a job anyway) was by word of mouth.  I started classes almost a year ago for another degree and I befriended a young woman.  She told me about the website www.ratemyprofessor.com.  It was eye opening and definitely influenced my choice of professors for my current semester.  

 

I always look at that and oddly she was not listed.  So I'm thinking she isn't that experienced at teaching.

[SparklyUnicorn]

What language are you learning?

 

c#

[SparklyUnicorn]

The one positive is that I think the book is pretty good.  About as good as it gets for that sort of book.

 

 

[Lanny]

Sparkly: Sorry about this dud of a course and the money you spent.  There are many instructors who know the material but cannot explain it to someone else. Others don't know the material. Some know the material and how to teach.  It's a joy to be in a class with one of them.

 

In this case, IMO, you would have learned much more, by taking a Free MOOC course. Many of them are excellent and from top universutues,  But then, you wouldn't have received credit for it. 

 

And then, there are courses from Arizona State (?) that one can take for free or really inexpensive and if one gets a good grade, pay and get the credit.  That's nice, because you don't risk a lot of money and it doesn't go on your record unless you pay...

 

I will tell my DD about your thread. One of the USNEWS lists I am most interested in  is the list of 21 colleges and universities that are rated for best undergraduate teaching. 

 

OT: I could tell you about when I was reading the book "Running Linux" years ago. There was one chapter that didn't sink in.  After I read that chapter about 3 times, I finally understood the concept and why they did it that way. 

 

In this case, you might have done better with a "Dummies" book (those are NOT for Dummies) and learned more than from this "teacher". Sad that you are wasting your time and your money. Or one of many other books or MOOC courses.

 

If you don't already have one, you can use an old PC running Linux and install just about anything you want on it, free, and learn a great deal.  Learn by destroying is sometimes a good way to learn about a language or an OS. 

[TheReader]

I always look at that and oddly she was not listed.  So I'm thinking she isn't that experienced at teaching.

 

We've learned to also check the professor's first/last name without the school listed, in case he or she comes up at another college for the same subject. In our area, there are several different college systems so it's not unlikely that one will teach at more than one (or switch from one to another, more likely). 

 

But, yep, my sons are both (the 2 older sons) taking an intro programming class, and their teacher is the same. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

This is so nutso about this being a common experience.  I wonder how anyone makes it through.  I wonder how many give up before they start because some of the courses are so stinky.

 

 

[TheReader]

This is so nutso about this being a common experience.  I wonder how anyone makes it through.  I wonder how many give up before they start because some of the courses are so stinky.

 

Yep. I'm a little disheartened; this is what my middle son wants to do/major in/become. 

 

He's making it through this class because he's had all of the Java courses on Youth Digital before, LOL! His older brother, who hasn't had any of those, is making it through because he has a younger brother helping him, and because he took the initiative to download all the stuff they need to work at home and is working on things at home on his own, assigned or not. 

 

I was really hoping this was just a problem with Intro level at the community college and would resolve when he takes part 2 and 3 next year.....now I'm kinda worried. :sigh: 

 

I guess the guys who are really passionate about it figure it out?? 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yep. I'm a little disheartened; this is what my middle son wants to do/major in/become. 

 

He's making it through this class because he's had all of the Java courses on Youth Digital before, LOL! His older brother, who hasn't had any of those, is making it through because he has a younger brother helping him, and because he took the initiative to download all the stuff they need to work at home and is working on things at home on his own, assigned or not. 

 

I was really hoping this was just a problem with Intro level at the community college and would resolve when he takes part 2 and 3 next year.....now I'm kinda worried. :sigh: 

 

I guess the guys who are really passionate about it figure it out?? 

 

Must be!  There are plenty of free resources out there.  If one is motivated to learn, they probably can.  But it seems like the classes at CCs are waste of time and money! 

 

I will say programming is TIME CONSUMING.  Absolutely. 

[TheReader]

Must be!  There are plenty of free resources out there.  If one is motivated to learn, they probably can.  But it seems like the classes at CCs are waste of time and money! 

 

I will say programming is TIME CONSUMING.  Absolutely. 

 

Luckily, this boy of mine LOVES IT. He is cracking me up; it's nice to see him passionate and putting effort in. He's even been going "off grid" and doing things in harder ways than written, "just for fun." LOL! 

 

And one day he forgot his thumb drive, so figured out a place to "hide" his saved file so that it wouldn't get wiped from the classroom computer (??) (it worked). Blows my mind, but he loves it. 

 

He's usually the sort of kid that lays back and coasts, but this subject makes him come alive in ways other stuff doesn't, which is fun to watch. Good sign he'll probably succeed, I guess ;) 

[8circles]

This is so nutso about this being a common experience.  I wonder how anyone makes it through.  I wonder how many give up before they start because some of the courses are so stinky.

 

It was not my experience at all. Although when I got my degree I first learned mainframe programming, I did learn C#. 

 

Is this your first programming class? Who is the audience? 

[Bootsie]

 

She is giving a mid term and a final.  And the other half of the grade is attendance, projects, and in class participation (which involves literally nothing as I described above).  She has covered almost no material compared with the nearly 350 pages of material I've read so far.  And what is extra frustrating is that I HAVE done all the projects in the book despite not being assigned them, but it's been so hard and so frustrating because there has been no real teaching, and there is no chance to ask REAL questions. 

 

Is there perhaps a difference in her approach than what you are accustomed to?  Teaching a more problem based course, I know a number of professors who do not "assign" the projects in the chapters.  Students are expected to take it upon themselves to work through them (and to decide where they need to spend their time).  Have you tried asking questions, either during the class time or directly during office hours?

[SparklyUnicorn]

It was not my experience at all. Although when I got my degree I first learned mainframe programming, I did learn C#. 

 

Is this your first programming class? Who is the audience? 

 

Yes it is my first.  The audience is very mixed.  People taking it because they need it as part of some other major OR they plan to study computer programming.   It's programming fundamentals.

 

I mean I do know how some of these intro courses can be.  Being in college algebra verses Calc 2 was like night and day in terms of the attitude of most of the students (and heck even the instructors). 

 

I will be fine.  I'm just a little bummed by how uninspiring the instructor is.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is there perhaps a difference in her approach than what you are accustomed to?  Teaching a more problem based course, I know a number of professors who do not "assign" the projects in the chapters.  Students are expected to take it upon themselves to work through them (and to decide where they need to spend their time).  Have you tried asking questions, either during the class time or directly during office hours?

 

Well, I think I'm not explaining my "issue" with the class very well.  Her approach is quite different than what I'm used to, but I don't need hand holding either.  I basically feel like I could learn this material without any instructor because it's like I have no instructor.  But I'm paying money for this crap.

 

She is adjunct so she basically does not have real office hours.

[8circles]

Yes it is my first.  The audience is very mixed.  People taking it because they need it as part of some other major OR they plan to study computer programming.   It's programming fundamentals.

 

I mean I do know how some of these intro courses can be.  Being in college algebra verses Calc 2 was like night and day in terms of the attitude of most of the students (and heck even the instructors). 

 

I will be fine.  I'm just a little bummed by how uninspiring the instructor is.

 

That really stinks. Programming Fundamentals should really be teaching fundamental concepts of programming that are applicable to all languages. One would think.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Seems like the size of the class is dwindling.  The room used to be filled.  Now not many are left.

 

 

[kiwik]

I had a did for intro programming 2. She had her lecture memorised. If you asked her to clarify she simply repeated the exact same words. If you asked to many questions she had to restart from the beginning. In her case it was an English problem but still not good value for money.