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Results of CS1010X (Semester 2, 2015/2016) Mid-term Survey +
My Responses
The following are the results for the online survey that we did after the
mid-term exam. I've also included some of my comments to the mid-term survey.
There are several reasons for this survey:
-
Timely Feedback - We cannot teach well unless we know what's going on
and what students do not understand. Waiting till the end of the semester
would be too late and there's nothing much that we can do. That said, I hope
that students will appreciate that the lecturers are only human and it's not
always possible to address all concerns and fix all problems this semester.
In any case, the feedback will be taken seriously and future batches of
students will benefit.
-
Allows
Lecturer to Respond - This survey also presents the lecturers with a
opportunity to address the concerns of the class and to clarify some issues
from the perspective of the teaching staff, which is also why this
particular page exists.
Note: Feedback on the Tutors are omitted here because of privacy
reasons. I do not feel that it is right for me to put up the feedback they
received on this site (not implying that they are bad). They can choose to put up their feedback if they wish.
This is an anonymous survey. We have no idea who said what. We just know what
was said. :-)
Total Number of Respondents : 41/50
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1)
Multiple Choice
How do you find the online lectures? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
I have no clue what the lecturer is talking about most of
the time |
|
|
I have no idea what's happening half the time |
|
|
Lectures are ok |
|
|
Lectures are clear and I am able to follow the
material quite well |
|
|
Lectures are way cool. Easily the best class that I've
taken at NUS (not like I've taken a lot, but...) |
|
Still not quite as good as much live lectures, but I guess
the recordings are quite decent now.
2)
Multiple Choice
How effective are the
WebEx recitations in facilitating your learning? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
I have not been attending them because of my other
commitments. |
9
(22.0%) |
|
I have no idea what the instructor is saying most
of the time. |
0
(0.0%) |
|
I
have a hard time understanding what is taught in recitation |
0
(0.0%) |
|
Recitations are okay |
9
(22.0%) |
|
Recitations are clear and helpful in reinforcing the material covered in
lectures |
17
(41.5%) |
|
Recitations are brilliant. I understand the
concepts completely because of them. |
2
(4.8%) |
|
I can solve all the recitation problems. Why should I attend the WebEx
classes? |
4
(9.8%) |
Again, probably not quite as good as live
lessons, but pretty decent.
|
3)
Essay
Please give us your
feedback on Coursera as a lecture hosting platform. |
|
1.
adequate |
|
2.
Coursera is actually quite decent as I'm able to download the video
lectures before before I book in. Also we can take a break in between
the online lectures as they are split by sub topics which I like it a
lot! |
|
3.
Excellent |
|
4.
Videos load quickly and everything is smooth |
|
5.
In general, it is ok in hosting lecture videos, nothing too good or bad
in particular, as long as bugs do not persist. |
|
6.
I cannot login from my workplace because of clashing domain credentials. |
|
7.
I have not been using Coursera for CS1010X and my other iBLOCs modules
since the first week. I only use mainly IVLE and Coursemology. |
|
8. Fast, quick buffering. Easy to use. Downloading the lectures are easy
too. Reliable and rarely crashes. No ads. Like youtube but 1000x better. |
|
9.
I would prefer having the videos being put on coursemology as well so
that we do not need to use 2 websites. |
|
10.
It's good at what it does. |
|
11.
Simple to use |
|
12.
Not much. |
|
13. Simple and easy to use. |
|
14. good, able to
download the lectures properly |
|
15. It's okay, no
problems so far. |
|
16. Seems stable
enough. Given it's meant to be a repository of lectures and info, it
serves it's purpose |
|
17. It is well
structured and easy to access. |
|
18. Very troublesome
to login. |
|
19. Not much |
|
20. I usually download
the videos first before watching them offline, so the videos could have
been downloaded from Coursemology or IVLE instead. |
|
21. It's good. I
appreciate the fact that the videos are uploaded way beforehand. |
|
22. It would be good
if there it would tells us where we stop at for the video after closing
it on halfway through |
|
23. Its is user
friendly & videos can be downloaded which is very useful. |
|
24. Coursera is a good
lecture hosting platform, it is simple and easy to use and the videos
can be sped up or slowed down as needed unlike in ivle. |
|
25. It's convenient
for watching lectures |
|
26. Serves its
purpose, important thing is can pause |
|
27. No comments.
Everything is fine there. |
|
28. Convenient
platform with many useful tools. |
|
29. It is a very
convenient. |
|
30. Convenient and
easy to use platform. However I find that the key content of recordings
of WebEx recitations and tutorials, such as the code being written,
rather small and unclear at times. If the audio happens to be rather
unclear as well, then it becomes quite difficult to comprehend what is
going on. |
|
31. Good because it
allows us to download the lecture videos thus able to watch it offline.
No problem with the website so far. |
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32. Well it works
which is good, but buffering for lecture videos can be slow at times. |
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33. Coursera is a
simple and elegant platform for us to view the lecture videos. |
|
34. The Powerpoint
slides were more useful and easier to browse |
|
35. It does it job as
an online lecture streaming platform. |
|
36. No problems. |
|
37. Coursera has been
good as a platform. |
|
38. Not used much
other than for hosting videos |
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Skip:
3
(7.3%) |
Seems like Coursera has improved as a video
delivery platform over the last 2 years. We are aware that people prefer to have
an integrated platform instead of switching between Coursemology and Coursera.
When Coursemology v2 is rolled out, we will have integrated video. :-)
Also interesting that most students prefer to
download and watch the videos instead of streaming.
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4)
Essay
How can the online
lectures be improved? |
|
1.
sufficient |
|
2. One suggestion
would be to make the lecture more interactive (e.g. Have some questions
for us to answer after the sub topic or summary for us to ensure our
understanding of the topic. |
|
3. Already very good |
|
4. Excellent |
|
5. Go through more
examples. |
|
6. The current
lectures are good. Not really answering the question but please
implement online lectures for all modules in NUS. |
|
7. Videos or graphics
can be used to illustrate the points talked about in the lecture. Most
of the time only plain text is used. More advice can be given on how to
find external help for programming, eg sites like Stack Overflow, the
official Python documentation etc. |
|
8. Certain examples,
like Order of Growth, can be elaborated on |
|
9. Supplemented with
some notes maybe. Otherwise the length and pace is good. |
|
10. it think it has to
be updated |
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11. I think some out
of syllabus content (e.g. currying) would be good. |
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12. Covering more
examples will help a lot. |
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13. Maybe record the
videos in higher quality? |
|
14. The length it is
split by is great, and it is kept relatively simple and straightforward,
so gotta say this is very well done. |
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15. Online lectures
are good |
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16. It's already good
enough. |
17. Not much, but for
me I'll have to repeat the video for quite a few times to understand
(which I don't think its an issue anyways :) )
The slides for the lecture videos could be made available in the workbin
from the start like with the lectures. This makes it easier for us to
refer to certain slides as opposed to fast forwarding and rewinding
through the lecture videos. |
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18. NIL, attending
lectures in the flesh is more enriching than online lectures. |
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19. Speed x 0.5 |
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20. It seems
sufficient to me at this moment. |
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21. A few videos such
as recitations are not available for downloading. It would be more
convenient as i do not have to wait for video to buffer etc and can
simply watch it after finish downloading |
22. Perhaps slightly
more examples per topic. Or examples on how the topic being taught could
be used to solve a complex or combined problem. I understand that the
examples need to be simple enough for us to understand what is being
taught. But I find that the jump in the complexity and difficulty
between the examples in the lecture and questions in assignments quite
big at times, to the extent that referring to them alone is insufficient
to help me solve the problem. This is especially when the examples in
Coursera are the main, if not only, reference material on how to use the
topic to solve problems.
Can't really think of any suggestions at the moment :p |
|
23. I feel that more
examples should be given for the concepts that are being taught to us.
Some of the lectures are really short and we do not know whether we have
fully grasped the concepts. |
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24. They're fine, but
I learn better from text and experimentation. |
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25. I'm fine with the
current status. |
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26. Go through more
examples for the earlier topics. |
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27. Hopefully there
are more details. |
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28. None I can think
of, it's more than good enough for me |
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Skip:
13
(31.7%) |
Many students ask for examples, but the truth
of the matter is that the follow up examples are covered in the recitations, so
I suspect again, many of the students are the same ones who are not
attending/watching the recitations. I really don't want to include too many
examples in the lectures so that they can be kept concise as mentioned above.
The slides are uploaded to the Coursemology
Workbin.
To respond to #19, I think there's a x0.75
button for the video player at the bottom left corner. Not quite x0.5, but
hopefully will help?
Coursemology v2 will support interactive
questions for videos and probably also an indexing/shortcut function.
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5)
Essay
Feedback for Lecturer
Ben Leong. |
|
1.
Very committed and eccentric in a cool way |
|
2. It can be a bit
boring when watching the online lectures, sometimes it gets a bit worse
when you sounded a bit monotonous, but at times it can be a bit funny
too. Still, thank you for everything so far. |
|
3. Outstanding |
|
4. Very helpful and
friendly lecturer who inspires his students |
|
5. He responds well to
the students' needs, for example, hosting accelerated classes for faster
students. |
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6. Excellent |
|
7. Clear and concise. |
|
8. Goes somewhat fast
but this is not a problem as lectures can be re-watched infinitely many
times. If the lectures were face to face then it would be a problem.
Concept are well explained, but Prof Ben transits from one concept to
another very quickly. IMO more examples should be given for each
individual concept. But then the lectures are online so it's fine. |
|
9. Prof Leong explains
the materials very well, and is friendly and helpful. I also like his
hair. |
|
10. Perhaps the
lectures are too brief, should haven given more details on a certain
topic before we do questions. Sometimes questions diverge too much from
lectures making students not have any clue on how to get the answers. |
|
11. Lectures are
mostly clear and concise but certain examples given are quite a lot to
take in initially (Towers of Hanoi and Counting Change). Had to rewatch
a few times but thats the benefit of online lectures. |
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12. Good prof |
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13. I like Lecturer
Ben Leong |
|
14. Clear and clearly
dedicated. I cannot give anything less than respect for the effort put
in to teaching the module. Humour also much appreciated |
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15. He is a very funny
man! |
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16. Lectures are good. |
|
17. Very engaging as
an online lecturer, as it gets very boring staring at the screen at home
listening to concepts usually very hard to grasp; and is very capable at
bringing what he understands across to people who don't. However, due to
being so adept at what he does, I feel that there are times he doesn't
give enough time for us (me) to process new information during webex
sessions, and rush through many things, which only saving grace is he
explains very well if we ask again. |
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18. Always knows how
to inject vitality into the lessons. |
|
19. It's really good.
Thank you for being such a great prof. |
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20. He is cool :) |
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21. Lectures and
recitations are clear and well explained |
|
22. Please explain
slowly and talk slower |
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23. Everything is
good. Able to understand and capture what he delivers in the lectures. |
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24. Helpful and his
lessons are enjoyable. Explaining of concepts are also clear. |
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25. Professor Ben is
clear in his teachings and injects humour into his lessons. However, it
would be better if certain concepts especially for foundation topics and
complex topics e.g. order of growth could be explained in greater
detail. For me personally, explanations may assume that we already know
prior knowledge that may appear to be straightforward, but at that point
in time, we may not be able to see the picture behind |
|
26. Interesting,
understanding and passionate lecturer. I feel that there should not be
homework questions exclusively on the coursera lectures though, if need
be these can be asked in the assignments, tutorials, recitations etc.
Although the answers are meant to be made available eventually through
discussions on the forum, the clear and complete answers might be
provided only at a later time or the way it works may be explained based
on student speculation, it might not be completely accurate. Considering
that these questions may be key to understanding how the topic being
taught works, and the lectures are our main and first point of reference
when we attempt assignments. |
|
27. Excellent Prof who
is able to clarify doubts by coming up with test examples
instantaneously. However, some concepts might be harder to understand
hence it might be better to provide more examples. |
|
28. Beans! Cool! XD
May be a little fast at times, but still expresses ideas and concepts
rather clearly. |
|
29. Prof Ben Leong is
a very passionate lecturer and encourages self-learning. However, the
pace of learning for certain lectures is just too fast. Some of the
slower students (like me) might not be able to fully grasp certain
concepts taught in the lectures especially after higher order functions
and ADTs where it gets exponentially harder. |
|
30. Cares for his
students. |
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31. Fine with status
quo. |
|
32. His lectures and
webex lessons are taught clearly and concisely, balanced with some
humour. |
|
33. Lecturer Ben Leong
teaches in a clear and engaging manner. However a times, some
examples/application are glossed over a little too quickly (e.g. tower
of Hanoi). |
|
34. He's passionate
about what he teaches, and it has an inductive effect on the students |
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Skip:
7
(17.1%) |
Thanks for the kind
words.
Interestingly, the
lecturers are short and concise by design. It's v painful to watch online
lecturers and I'm not handsome enough. Truthfully, it's also rather painful to
record online lectures.
It also turns out that
lectures are not *that* important in helping students understanding coding and
even if I give many examples, students might think they understand by they still
get stuck. So, the goal is to keep the lectures short so that the students have
more time to *do* rather than watch (which is a rather passive activity).
Having to re-watch some
videos is also normal and one of the supposed benefits of online learning.
6)
Multiple Choice
How effective are the
WebEx tutorials in facilitating your learning? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
I have not been attending them because of my other
commitments. |
6
(14.6%) |
|
Doing tutorials are a complete waste of my time. |
0
(0%) |
|
I have no idea what the instructor is saying most
of the time. |
1
(2.5%) |
|
Tutorials are okay |
5
(12.2%) |
|
Tutorials are helpful for my learning |
24
(58.5%) |
|
Tutorials are brilliant. Every module at NUS should
have something similar! |
5
(12.2%) |
|
I passed all the test cases and feel I don't learn much from tutorials.
Why should I attend the WebEx classes? |
0
(0%) |
Seems that the TAs have
done well with their WebEx tutorials! :-)
I am a bit
concerned about the students who have not been attending tutorials.
6)
Multiple Choice
How does WebEx compare
to classroom learning experiences you have had? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
I have not been able to attend a WebEx session yet. |
4
(9.8%) |
|
I don't attend WebEx sessions because I prefer to
watch the recordings. |
6
(14.6%) |
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I'd rather have face-to-face lessons any day,
circumstances permitting, even if it means travelling to NUS just for
it. |
7
(17.0%) |
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It is bearable enough. There is a price to pay for
the convenience of not having to commute. |
6
(14.6%) |
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There is no big difference between learning on
WebEx and in a normal classroom to me. |
16
(39.0%) |
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I actually have a better learning experience on
WebEx than a classroom! |
2
(4.8%) |
About 60% of the
students think that WebEx is pretty good. This bodes well for online learning.
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7)
Essay
Please let us have
your suggestions on how we can make online lessons/virtual classroom
sessions better. |
|
1.
animations? |
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2. The sessions so far are still alright, it can still be kept this way. |
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3. So far so good |
|
4. N/A. The main
problem I have is that sometimes there is a delay between someone
talking and me hearing the person talk, i.e in gaming terms, the ping is
very high. It seems more like an Internet connection problem than
anything else. |
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5. Good |
|
6. Showing our faces
like skype |
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7. The code typing
interface for webex is a bit bad (no copy paste allowed). But otherwise
it's fine. |
|
8. Not much. |
|
9. Nil. Very satisfied
with online lessons |
|
10. have more timings
or longer timeslots. sometimes we got a lot of questions that cannot be
answer within the time limit |
|
11. Have more
challenging questions. |
|
12. Make webex a bit
easier to set up? |
|
13. I think its
perfect the way it is. |
|
14. Perhaps splitting
the class into groups might increase student participation during
sessions since some sessions have quite a lot of people. Smaller groups
mean more questions can get answered. The combined Tutorial/Recitation
is one excellent example. |
|
15. I think it's good
as it is. |
|
16. For virtual
classroom, it would be cool to go through questions on the past year
paper together :) |
|
17. I feel that
sometimes annotations and drawings made during lessons could be done
more with a textbox or the built in shapes instead of the pen tool as it
can be sometimes hard to read. |
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18. Gather feedback
after the first session or first few sessions from students |
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19. So far so good |
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20. I think the
virtual lessons are quite good, so I don't really have any suggestions
at the moment. |
|
21. It will be good if
there is a Q/A session after each online lesson so that we can clarify
our doubts on some of the content that are outside of tutorials. |
|
22. Posting powerpoint
slides of the lesson online quicker |
|
23. They are fine |
|
24. Nothing. Fine with
current status. |
|
25. I think they're
good and efficient enough. |
|
Skip:
16
(39.0%) |
Seems like most students are quite happy with the online
WebEx teaching. Animations would be a little hard to do.
Glad to see that after 2 years, we
have more or less perfected our online teaching techniques. :-P
I asked the TAs to hold online WebEx
remedial sessions. That's when they would go over some past year questions and
also answer random questions.
|
8)
Essay
Please suggest what
else the teaching staff can do to improve your learning experience,
and/or facilitate your learning. |
|
1.
sufficient |
|
2. Nothing much to
improve, so far the learning experience has been great. |
|
3. Trainings should
auto save our answers like missions when we complete them. Would be
awesome |
|
4. Everything so far
has been very good! |
|
5. Good |
|
6. Reply more on the
forum ^^. |
|
7. Not much. |
|
8. If possible go
through some missions |
|
9. Can't think of any,
any issues in this would be on my end (i.e., personally not very adept
at CS) |
|
10. I think they
should give us more practices. Cause I just love doing questions. The
more questions they have, the more motivated I am to do. |
|
11. Eh, maybe match up
students who are interested, with the same pacing to help form study
groups? Though that's just me maybe |
|
12. Everything is
good. |
|
13. I think it's very
good so far! |
|
14. Provide more
explanation on content |
|
15. Perhaps, if
resources permit, one-to-one consultations could be arranged for weaker
students. For me personally, one-to-one consultations will be more
helpful in clearing doubts. |
|
16. So far so good |
|
17. I think I have a
very positive experience so far! :) |
|
18. A weekly held Q/A
session will be really helpful. |
|
19. Coursemology has
been a great help |
|
20. Survived thus
far... so nothing in particular that I wish to change. |
|
21. Perhaps one or two
extra midterm/term review sessions to go over questions on past year
papers. |
|
Skip:
20
(48.8%) |
Glad to see that most students are quite happy with the
class.
We did hold sessions to go over past year midterm papers.
We will probably do the same for final exams.
Students who think they need 1-on-1 consultations. If I
cannot find a free slot, I will get one of the TAs to attend to you.
In Coursemology v2, there will be auto-saving for the
Trainings too! :-)
|
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| |
1)
Multiple Choice
Given that programming
is something new to most of you, we expect students to spend about 4 to
6 hours a week programming. Granted that for some of the weeks, you
spend less time on the subject; and on other weeks, you spend a lot more
on it. On average, how much time per week have you spent on the homework
(Trainings, Missions & Side Quests) for CS1010X? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
At most 4 hours |
|
|
Between 5 and 7 hours |
|
|
Between 8 and 10 hours |
|
|
Between 11 and 13 hours |
|
|
More than 13 hours |
|
Unfortunately, there is
a limit to how much we can reduce the workload. It is very hard to control the
amount of time that is needed for a programming class because one can be stuck
for an unbounded amount of time.
All I can say is ask on
the forums. Ask the tutors/TAs.
2)
Multiple Choice
There are 15 missions
for CS1010X this term, which divides naturally into 7 sets of related
missions. Keep in mind that the Side Quests are optional and many of the
trainings are also optional, so they should not be counted into the
workload. What is your view on this workload? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Way too little work. More please ... |
|
|
Workload is somewhat light |
|
|
This is just nice |
|
|
Work load is somewhat heavy |
|
|
CS1010X missions are killing me ... |
|
Interestingly, the
students this batch seems to think that the workload is lighter than previous
batches. I suspect that it could be due to OTOT, so some students don't have
much to do later. Or because students are doing faster, they don't seem quite so
much?
|
3)
Essay
What are your views on the EXP distribution thus far? (Is
it commensurate with the effort you've put in?)
|
|
1.
Its fair enough! |
|
2. It's good so far as
the later missions, which requires more complex knowledge to be awarded
with more exp. |
|
3. Yes. Very good. |
|
4. EXP distribution
has been proportional to the effort put in |
|
5. No complaints. |
|
6. Some easy questions
carry a greater exp weightage than other missions that require more
effort and time. |
|
7. 20 exp for some
really tough extra practices is a bit little >< but otherwise, it's
fine. |
|
8. For missions yes,
for extra practices no...20 exp sigh. |
|
9. The EXP
distribution is good, but slightly more could be given(maybe 50 or so?)
for some of the extra trainings which can be quite hard. |
|
10. Generally fair. |
|
11. EXP distribution
seems fair |
|
12. this is a good
system which motivate me to study |
|
13. Okay |
|
14. I think it feels
fair for my level and how far in we are into this course. |
|
15. it is pretty good |
|
16. I think I've been
gaining EXP too fast. I'm level 28 already even though I haven't
completed all side missions thus far. |
|
17. A bit mixed.
Personally it's good for me, but it is strange that some non-missions
take more time than the missions |
|
18. I think its
alright. However I have not yet received my EXP for webex initiation
though. |
|
19. Okay. |
|
20. I don't keep track
of the exp. I guess maybe, it's not like we can use gold or stuff to buy
certain favours through these, so it's sorta taken as just a grade to
me. Get what I get, doesn't change anything |
|
21. Yes. I think the
EXP and the achievement system is very effective as it encourages
students to check their work for errors before submitting. |
|
22. I think it is. |
|
23. As long as I can
earn them without difficulties :p |
|
24. It is encouraging |
|
25. I find the EXP
distribution for the missions and sidequests quite good and
proportionate to the amount of time put in. |
|
26. The exp given for
the amount of effort required feels like it follows a logarithmic trend. |
|
27. So-so |
|
28. Quite fair for the
amount of effort I have to put in. I actually find the EXP system quite
motivating for me to put more effort in the assignments (maybe because
it makes it feels more like a game rather than a boring piece of
assignment). |
|
29. While it is
understandable that the reason for deducting exp is to discourage late
work, deducting half seems to be too much of a penalty for me as some
students have a lot of other commitments such as NS, other modules and
maybe be hard to cope. |
|
30. Yes, but for me
personally, as I take more time in finishing missions than others, I
have little time for other trainings and practice. So in a sense, even
if I put in more time into the course, I would gain not as much as EXP. |
|
31. Quite well
distributed. |
|
32. The bonus exp for
early completion motivates me to complete it early. But sometimes
because of NS commitments in the first three months of the 2016, I am
only left with the weekends to do the trainings on top of other iBLOC
modules lectures and assignments to catch up with. Thus, resulting in me
unable to keep up with the Lesson Plan exactly. As a result, I have
never been able to catch up with the pace of the Lesson Plan after Week
2 even though I try my best but still lags behind by 1-2 weeks. Not sure
if it is possible to reach Level 35 without the bonus EXP as every Level
EXP varies and not sure what's the total EXP required. 20 EXP for the
optional trainings might be too little (not sure if it can be increased) |
|
33. Maybe there can be
a little more EXP given for the harder Extra(optional) training? |
|
34. EXP distribution
seems to be pretty fair. But I feel that more exp should be given for
the additional practices. They are pretty difficult and 20 exp for
completing all of them seems too little. |
|
35. None |
|
36. Its Okay |
|
37. When I got stuck
in one question for days...It doesn't feel worth it at all :( It is so
easy to lose exp too :(( |
|
38. Yes. |
|
39. EXP distribution
have been great. No comments |
|
40. Some of the
training questions were harder than the missions and I felt the exp was
not balanced in this aspect |
|
41. Truth be told I
haven't been paying much attention to the EXP distribution |
|
Skip:
0
(0%) |
I am happy to note that most students are generally happy with the EXP
distribution -- and yes, it's exponentially increasing. This means that it's
quite easy to level up at the beginning, but nearing Level 30, it will start to
slow down. This is really a form of game mechanics and motivates students to
work. Seems to me that it's working.
We cannot really increase the EXP for the optional trainings without
upsetting the EXP curve because there are A LOT of trainings and we need to keep
it so that people who do only the main missions can still in principle level up
to Level 35. The optional trainings are really for fun. The side quests are
there to help students catch up. I hope that this clarifies the rationale for
the EXP distribution.
|
4)
Essay
Please let us have your feedback on the missions and
side quests for the class.
|
|
1.
They are fun |
|
2. The missions and
side quests can be fun to do but sometimes it can be challenging as
well, which is good. |
|
3. Suitably
challenging and beneficial for learning |
|
4. It's quite fun to
have themes in the missions and make it look like a fantasy RPG. |
|
5. Good |
|
6. Interesting so far. |
|
7. Scenarios are
interesting and helpful for my learning. |
|
8. The missions are
pretty interesting |
9. The missions are
always interesting and of appropriate difficulty.
missions and side quests do help build a foundation for the concepts we
are taught |
|
10. maybe can show us
the better solutions after we have submit the mission. because our
solutions maybe correct, but not good enough. we can learn from the
better solutions and find our problems. |
11. Many of the
missions are quire hard but that is a good thing.
some missions are quite confusing without guidance |
|
12. I love the
missions and side quests, they're so original and fun. |
|
13. So far, is good
for me |
|
14. I think it is very
fun to do. Not only that, it also helps in testing my own programming
skills. |
|
15. Some side quests
are very hard. |
|
16. Haven't done much,
but I find the missions really tough |
|
17. Sometimes very
challenging, but usually manageable. |
|
18. Everything is
good. |
|
19. Somehow even if I
go through the missions, I still don't know how to apply on i.e
Dragonize (Mission 5.3) whatever I have went through so far. Nothing
makes sense to me :( |
|
20. The missions and
side quests are challenging and are a good way to test one's
understanding of the topic. The storyline provided in the code also
provide a good context for how our code can help solve the problems in
various scenarios. |
|
21. They are
interesting extensions of the missions which enriches learning. |
|
22. Its great |
|
23. Very useful for
reinforcing concepts learned in lectures and to promote independent
learning, where certain missions requires me to search the Web for help
(although I am not sure if it was meant to be that way...). |
|
24. Good way of
letting us try out questions with higher difficulty. |
|
25. They are
challenging but good for learning. |
|
26. The gap between
missions and training questions is quite significant. |
|
27. They are of the
right difficulty and length. |
|
28. There can be more
missions and sidequests and maybe a little longer, i.e. more things to
do, for each. |
|
29. Missions and
sidequests are killers since they take so much time. Sometimes we do not
fully understand what the question is trying to say, and a lot of time
is spent on writing invalid code. Even if we were to understand the
question, there is very little hint on what approach we should take to
solve the question. |
|
30. Its Okay |
|
31. I always hope for
more clues and hints when I get stuck |
|
32. I didn't know
side-quests were optional. Missions are generally more difficult than
tutorials and recitations, but quite manageable still. |
|
33. Can be stuck in
side quest sometimes without means of advice can be demoralising. |
|
34. Missions and Side
quests were clear & concise |
|
Skip:
7
(17.0%) |
Seems like most students like the missions and side quests.
It is interesting to note the contrasting comments #28 and #29. One student
thinks the homework is killing him; the other wants more. :-)
Coursemology v2 will have a Hints feature, so if people work on a problem and
get stuck, they can ask for a hint. I guess maybe we will dock off some EXP for
that? I dunno not sure yet, but I agree that it would likely be helpful for
students to be able to ask for hints when stuck on a programming problem.
We will not issue solutions because it's hard to create good programming
problems and we have some serious issues with plagiarism. In any case, the
actual solution doesn't matter and students are not expected to learn model
answers in CS1010X. The whole point is the process, i.e. the suffering, so that
your brains get wired right.
|
4)
Essay
Please give us your suggestions on how we can improve the
missions and side quests.
|
|
1.
just good enough |
|
2. Sometimes the
mission can be a bit too complicated story-wise which consumes too much
of my time to understand what the question is asking. Hopefully, the
question can be simplified for us to identify the problem to solve. |
|
3. More hints to allow
the student to understand easier might help |
|
4. Good |
|
5. After a few tries,
say 100, please release the private test cases. It's very irritating to
get stuck on a problem for 6 hrs only to realise the code didn't work
cause of some private test cases urgh. |
|
6. More depth would be
interesting; perhaps databases and OOP could be covered. |
|
7. Keep it as it is |
|
8. Nothing. I can't
judge, just a student |
|
9. Go through some
missions if possible, some parts are completed with help of friends..
some parts might still be unclear. |
|
10. I don't think
there's anything to be improved for the missions and sidequests. |
|
11. More clarity about
scoring? |
|
12. I think it is fine
the way it is. |
|
13. Make simpler side
quests. |
|
14. Love the allusion
to Harry Potter. But why keep at at that! It could be so much more fun
hahaha. Maybe give galleons, sickles and knuts for side quests, like
we're adventurers taking up quests given by the people, then the
currency can be used for stuff....but these aren't practical
improvements. Main point, I think the questions are unclear and very
hard to understand. A lot of things are newly introduced in the mission
questions, information and python skills and stuff, such that it takes
very long to even absorb. |
|
15. Satisfied with the
way it is. |
|
16. It is good as it
is. |
|
17. Not too sure what
I can suggest, but the previous question is my problem. |
|
18. For missions
involving drawing such as the ones that involve conjuring of runes in
various patterns or |
|
19. Keep it that way |
|
20. Seems pretty
sufficient at the moment. |
|
21. Would be helpful
to indicate which topic/lectures the mission is about as sometimes it is
hard to figure out which topic of video lecture is the Mission about.
Also, there are certain missions where i would get stuck on a certain
question for a very long time and could not do other exercises unless i
finish it. Is there anyway such a situation can be improved? |
|
22. Some questions
could be made clearer to understand. |
|
23. Focus of side
quest should be to bridge the gap between the difficulty and complexity
of missions and the simple topical, at times context free tutorials and
lecture training questions. |
24. After our missions
and side quests have been graded, would it be possible to show the
tutor's version of the solution (sometimes the tutor does it or he
points out what can be omitted from our code but it is not for all
questions) as many times, our solution works but it is too lengthy and
there is a better way to solve it. Reading and understanding the tutor's
version might inspire us to think of similar problems in a more
efficient way in the future just like how certain codes presented in the
lecture videos were extremely useful to teach me how to write only the
necessary parts in the code so that it is short and sweet and how to
make the code easy to understand.
It will be nice if the mission can state what trainings that one should
complete before "safely" attempting the missions. |
|
25. It will be great
if guidance or tips are given for those missions that are less straight
forward. Sometimes it can 1-2 days for us to crack out solution for 1
question since we do not know what is the correct way to approach it. |
|
26. More test cases in
the text would be great. I almost didn't catch an error because only a
test case towards the end would encounter it. |
|
27. It's been great
thus far. Nothing. |
|
28. They're varied and
interesting enough. For more elaborate missions, enough information is
provided, although sometimes it can get a tad overwhelming e.g. for
mission 7. |
|
29. Perhaps a hint
system could be put in place for when students get stuck. |
|
Skip: 12 (29.3%) |
Hints will be coming in
Coursemology v2. The private
test cases are there to simulate
real world bugs. Harlo? If you
write a question and there's a
bug and something breaks, who
will tell you. So, you all just
learn to suck it up. :-) Welcome
to programming. Also, they are
needed because if all we have
are public test cases, you will
be able to pass all your tests
with if-else statements.
We are also in the process of replacing the Bus Stops missions with something
cooler. Perhaps something Machine-Learning-related.
Those who are confused or have questions on the missions should post their
questions in the Forum and make it as a question. All forum posts marked as
questions will be duly answered.
As a matter of policy, we will not be releasing the solutions to the
missions, though obviously we have a set of them.
|
5)
Essay
Please let us have your feedback on the helpfulness of
the comments/feedback that your graders give for missions and sidequests.
|
|
1.
The best function of the mission to improve yourself |
|
2. The feedback given
is good as not only do they indicate where the issue was, they gave a
further explanation which has helped me understand my mistakes clearer. |
|
3. Very useful |
|
4. The tutors'
comments are very helpful to aid learning |
|
5. The comments given
are very constructive and allow me to clarify my doubts. |
|
6. Excellent |
|
7. Sometimes the
feedback can be very insightful. |
|
8. Very good. Louie
constantly challenges me to give alternate solutions etc. He also points
out any inefficiencies in my code. |
|
9. Very helpful in
that the work is not only graded, but even if it is all correct,
suggestions on how to further improve it are given. |
|
10. Tutor Chun Mun
always gives useful feedback and insightful observations. |
|
11. The feedbacks and
comments are excellent |
|
12. Not bad. |
|
13. Very helpful. |
|
14. it is good, keep
it up |
|
15. The comments and
feedback were very useful. I also like how Prof told me to recode using
recursion. The extra practice really helped! |
|
16. It is helpful.
Gives me new insights and at the very least, let's me know my answers
have been looked through and clarifies any issues I may have missed |
|
17. I think it is very
helpful. I really like it when my tutor allows me to get back to him on
any questions I have. |
|
18. Very helpful. |
|
19. Raj has been
mainly helping me through these, for which I am thankful. So none here |
|
20. Very helpful, and
graders are very responsive. |
|
21. They are really
helpful. |
|
22. The feedback for
the missions and side quests are very good, as they clearly pinpoint the
mistakes of our code and the reasons behind why they do not work. Even
if our code submitted does work, our graders will annotate the parts of
our code that can be modified to make the code simpler or more readable,
or suggest to us to try the use of different functions that can fulfill
the same result. |
|
23. The comments given
are good in exposing more efficient ways to write code. |
|
24. Very helpful |
|
25. The feedback are
really helpful. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my
grader, Louie Tan, for grading and commenting on my missions as soon as
possible (even to the extent of sometimes commenting it almost right
away when i submit my missions in the middle of the night like 3am...).
Really appreciate the effort! |
|
26. It is very helpful
as that would allow me to understand what misconceptions i have. |
|
27. Yes, they are
helpful and make me know what did wrong |
|
28. Useful but follow
up on our replies is important too. |
|
29. Comments are very
useful to help us improve on our coding style as the tutor points out
which lines are unnecessary and can be shortened because an auto-grader
will only tell us if our code works and not whether it can be done in a
better way. |
|
30. The comments and
feedback are very helpful as they can highlight the parts of the code
which works, but can be redundant or can be implemented better. |
|
31. They are really
helpful in allowing us to understand the mistakes that we have made. |
|
32. Good to know
mistakes and areas of improvements |
|
33. Quite helpful |
|
34. Comments and
annotations always point out the mistakes. Which is great. |
|
35. Useful feedback.
If we got certain parts wrong, perhaps we could get half the experience
points if we were to get it correct on the 2nd try after submission? |
|
36. Comments and
feedback have been great! I love them. Though just wondering are model
answers available? Sometimes I wonder if there's a more beautiful way to
write code. |
|
37. There have been a
couple of good points made by the grader |
|
Skip:
4
(9.8%) |
Seems like the TAs and tutors have been doing their jobs well. I am grateful
to them for their excellent work! :-)
|
6)
Essay
Please let us have your comments about the Programming
Contests.
|
|
1.
test our creativity |
|
2. Contest are good as
it helps us to think outside the box to think of something creative. |
|
3. Decent. |
|
4. Helps to increase
participation and interest in CS |
|
5. So far so good. The
runes contest allowed me to use some bit of creativity to play around
with the code and come up with something. It is an expression of
creativity using the knowledge we recently acquired. |
|
6. Good |
|
7. So far there has
only been 2, which are quite fun. |
|
8. Only participated
in 2 contests, so nothing much to say, but yea contests are a great
idea. |
|
9. The idea of a
contest was actually pretty fun as it makes you think about what to
present, rather than relying on the autograder all the time. |
|
10. Contest results
are interesting to see, but they only work for those who already have a
background in coding or have a lot of time |
|
11. Contests was okay. |
|
12. Interesting
platform outside of missions. |
|
13. student had own
fun |
|
14. I think that the
winner should get a lot more EXP for the contests. |
|
15. Cool, just right
for fun, while not too much influence to be problematically unfair |
|
16. I think it really
stirs our imagination. |
|
17. none. I think I
haven't done them |
|
18. It is alright,
although people who are ahead in the course would have an advantage
because they are able to use tools that most have not learnt yet when
doing the Contests. |
|
19. It is fun. |
|
20. Contests are a
cool way to apply your knowledge from the missions in a creative manner. |
|
21. I have yet to try
any of them but they look fun. |
|
22. Does not measure
of how much effort is put in |
|
23. Sometimes it gives
me like a break from the missions and sometimes it can be mind boggling
such as the 2048 solver, where I have no idea how to go about it... |
|
24. Effective in
motivating me to do well. |
|
25. Encourages us to
be creative with what we learnt. |
|
26. The Contests is a
nice way to encourage further competition, but it would be nice if there
are more small competitions along the way and space out more evenly. |
|
27. They encourage us
to be creative. :) |
|
28. Its Okay |
|
29. I still don't get
how some of them managed to draw pictures of trees and snakes. |
|
30. Interesting, gives
us a chance to be creative. |
|
31. Contests have been
a fun experience, a free way to express yourself through code. |
|
32. Perhaps those that
took part should be barred from voting their own entries, or completely |
|
Skip:
9
(22.0%) |
I am glad to see that most of the students liked the Contests. :-) Happy to
see that it's promoting creativity and motivational for some students.
|
6)
Essay
Please let us have your comments on the Trainings.
|
|
1.
very helpful |
|
2. It will be good to
have foundation questions for us to attempt to have a better
understanding. |
|
3. Awesome |
|
4. Trainings are of
suitable difficulty |
|
5. They serve as a
good transition from listening to the lectures and attempting the
missions. |
|
6. Good |
|
7. Private test cases
are very irritating. Please release the private test cases after say 100
attempts. |
|
8. Trainings are
relatively easy save for some questions for entry-level difficulties,
which helps to reinforce the learning concepts. |
|
9. Trainings are quite
helpful though some are quite difficult. Perhaps hints can be given at
the expense of lesser exp given? |
|
10. Trainings was
okay. |
|
11. Well structured.
Some of the trainings were a bit misleading (there was
recursion/iteration questions in one of the earlier trainings and I had
no idea how to do for a few hours until I decided to continue with
lectures...) |
|
12. some qns are
tough, and after spending a lot of time on missions, we are drained to
think of the tough extra trainings |
|
13. Trainings really
help me understand the key concepts and put them in practice. |
|
14. Good. Though maybe |
|
15. I think the
Trainings are very helpful and helps me strengthen my concept. |
|
16. I feel that it
would be better if it let us skip to the next question of we get stuck
on a question, more efficient that way. |
|
17. none. I think I
haven't done them |
|
18. Very good
practice. |
|
19. I love doing the
trainings. They are interesting and they make me smarter. |
|
20. Trainings are good
and provide progressive stages of difficulty and plenty of practice on
the subjects taught during lectures. |
|
21. The Trainings help
with the learning process. |
|
22. I trust that the
private tests check whether my code is 100% correct |
|
23. Very useful for
strengthening concepts learned in lectures |
|
24. Good way of
getting to understand the topics through some basic questions. |
|
25. They are useful in
learning too. |
|
26. Rather odd and
random due dates for bonus points when compared with the due dates of
other assignments |
|
27. The Trainings are
just nice IMO |
|
28. Questions are
pretty okay, but sometimes I fall prey to "just code and whack" to see
if I can pass the autograding. >< |
|
29. Very helpful.
Gives me good practice for coding |
|
30. Contents are okay.
However for lectures, I can't skip questions, so I can be stuck for
hours. |
|
31. Appropriately
manageable. |
|
32. Training have been
great. No comments. |
|
Skip:
9
(29.6%) |
I am glad that most students seem pretty happy with the trainings.
Allow me to take a minute to explain that not allowing students to skip
questions is intentional. Getting people stuck actually has learning value and
trains resilience. One of the very important attributes for programmers is
tenacity.
|
|
| |
1)
Multiple Choice
Comment on the difficulty of the midterm
|
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Too easy |
1
(2.5%) |
|
Somewhat easy |
1
(2.5%) |
|
Just right |
19
(46.3%) |
|
Somewhat hard |
18
(43.9%) |
|
Way over your head |
2
(4.8%) |
Compared to past year responses, the midterm this year was on the easy side.
Typically no student will answer "Too easy" or "Somewhat easy" for my midterms.
|
2)
Multiple Choice
Comment on time allocated for the midterm |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Way too little. Too long, too little time. |
3
(7.3%) |
|
Time is somewhat short |
20
(48.8%) |
|
Time allocated is just nice |
18
(43.9%) |
|
Too much time, too little to do |
0
(0%) |
|
I
can nap for an hour during the midterm and still finish every question |
0
(0%) |
|
Skip |
0
(0.0%) |
These numbers also suggests that the midterm was well-set in terms of length. It is normal for a
midterm to be somewhat hard/too long to about 50% of the students.
|
|
| |
1)
Multiple Response
Which parts of the game system have a positive impact on your learning?
Tick all that apply |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
The role-playing concept: EXP and achievements |
35
(85.4%) |
|
The leaderboard |
21
(51.2%) |
|
Having storylines for each mission |
19
(46.3%) |
|
Side quests |
26
(63.4%) |
|
Trainings |
30
(73.2%) |
|
Content delivery and submissions through Coursemology |
30
(73.2%) |
|
Interaction with teaching staff through comments system
on Coursemology |
28
(68.3%) |
|
The whole idea of game immersion |
27
(65.9%) |
I am happy to see that Coursemology has proven to be
effective and that most students appreciate gamification.
|
2)
Essay
Please explain your selections for the previous question. |
|
1.
With the leaderboard, you know whether if you are on the right pace, and
motivation to get on the leaderboard. Comment system is where you learn
from your mistakes! |
|
2. There's always this
feeling of satisfaction when you conquer one obstacle after the effort
put in and the reward given helps you to level up. Furthermore, knowing
that coursemology is included in our final grade pushes me to do more
than I should. Having the achievements in a way shows that we have great
understanding of the topics tested. |
|
3. Game
immersion-Calls for competitive spirit Teaching materials- Naturally
awesome for experience |
|
4. The system makes
the learning feel more enjoyable and less of a chore, while the
leaderboard helps to remind me to keep up when i am lagging behind |
|
5. Making it like an
RPG makes it fun. Via coursemology, learning content and submissions can
be done at our own time. The leaderboard introduces competition which
motivates me quite a bit to progress at a faster pace. Feedback given by
the teaching staff is very helpful and can be accessed any time any
place. |
|
6. Triggers the OCD in
me to complete my homework. |
|
7. The whole
role-playing and game concept of this module makes learning more
enjoyable and rewarding. |
|
8. EXP is a very good
motivating factor for doing homework, especially for hardcore gamers. If
i can spend 6 hrs killing cows in Runescape to train my strength, i can
spend 6 hrs for 1200 exp. |
|
9. Seeing yourself on
the leaderboard is a good motivating factor that makes me want to do
more. |
|
10. The obvious reward
of gaining EXP and the sure link between difficulty and EXP given (more
effort = more EXP) is always enjoyable. Having storylines makes it more
interesting, more by tying the question to real-world scenarios than by
eliciting any interest in the PIM or Tommy Hofman and buses.
Coursemology is a very good platform for content delivery and
monitoring. Having real tutors to give feedback is very helpful, and
makes learning much more interesting. |
|
11. The side quests
and trainings allow me to code on a daily basis and this has helped my
understanding alot. Markings are quick, allowing me to remember the
mistakes I've made and rectify them on the spot |
|
12. Like Dota game lor,
fun lor. |
13. The whole platform
is immersive and interesting in my opinion
exp gave me a motivation to reach and score as high as possible |
|
14. All of the above
things make the course very engaging and makes me very willing to learn. |
|
15. Having a very
visible progress bar helps me not lose focus and keeps my chin up and
eye on the target |
|
16. I really think
this program as a whole really makes me want to code. This is the first
time I am learning something new in the format of a game. This is
wonderful. |
|
17. I'm OCD, so try my
best to get everything done. Submissions through coursemology allow us
to get instant check on whether our answers are right. My tutor has been
helpful with her comments. |
|
18. It makes it
interesting and less serious feeling. But it's so little there's barely
any impact |
|
19. The game system
creates an atmosphere of friendly competition, where students can
compare their progress with that of their peers. |
|
20. Very effective. |
|
21. CS1010X is a proof
that we can have lots of fun and learn well at the same time. |
|
22. Gaming is fun :) |
|
23. Trainings and side
quests are useful. |
|
24. As a gamer myself,
the various parts of the game system all appeal to me very much and
helps to encourage me to keep up with learning the content. |
|
25. The Role Playing
concept entices me to submit and do more practices. It is more painful
if the I scored lower as well. Side Quests and Trainings are extra
practices that teach me new things outside of the lectures and the
original missions. Constant delivery and submissions of work makes me
frequently use and revisit the content so things that I learn are imbued
through consistent work. Having feedback on the work produced is always
enriching to the learning process. |
|
26. Rare opportunity
for someone to check if you're on the right track and to ask
questions/clarify doubts |
|
27. The idea of
delivering education in the form of gaming provides a different learning
experience as conventional education methods. It makes learning less
boring as the game structure does not make learning seems mundane. The
leaderboard also motivates those who are ahead of the rest to maintain
their learning pace and not to be complacent in their learning. |
|
28. The gaming concept
makes the exercises more interesting and the trainings help me to
understand the concepts. |
|
29. The stories make
learning fun as I am able to relate problems to them. |
|
30. Game system is a
systematic and interesting approach to teaching. |
|
31. All are important
for a gamer. |
|
32. Makes doing the
normally boring "homework" a lot more fun and exciting due to the
competition involved. |
|
33. The exp and
achievements motivate me in doing my work and trainings help to
reinforce concepts which I have learnt. |
|
34. Ability to test
codes online quickly |
|
35. I find
coursemology to be of great benefit, as I can track m progress and
practice repeatedly. |
|
36. I am a gamer so I
love the concept of exp and stuff. Missions and sidequests are tasks
created to solve some 'real life problems', which gave me sense of
accomplishment. |
|
37. I really enjoy the
game system. Gaining EXP points keeps me motivated. |
38. Training is a good
build up to practise fundamental concepts before the mission which are
more challenging. The concept of the game immersion and role playing
make the learning experience more enjoyable and serves as a metaphor for
how some of the ideas work.
Having a RPG-like system helps to have some friendly-competition, as
well as a sense of achievement. |
|
39. the exp and
leaderboard let me know my position in the class, i will push myself to
ensure never fall behind a lot |
|
Skip:
2 (4.9%) |
Happy to see that the majority of the class seems to
appreciate the gamification elements in CS1010X. I agree that learning should be
fun. Coding can actually be quite painful as many of you have realized, so all
the more we had to work harder to make the class a good learning experience.
3)
Multiple Response
Which parts of the game system have a negative impact on your learning?
Tick all that apply |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
The role-playing concept: EXP and achievements |
0
(0%) |
|
The leaderboard |
8
(19.5%) |
|
Having storylines for each mission |
4
(9.7%) |
|
Side quests |
0
(0%) |
|
Trainings |
0
(0%) |
|
Content delivery and submissions through Coursemology |
0
(0%) |
|
Interaction with teaching staff through comments system
on Coursemology |
0
(0%) |
|
The whole idea of game immersion |
0
(0%) |
|
None of the above (or I didn't think there was
anything negative) |
29
(70.7%) |
Wow, this is the best response that I have ever seen.
Most classes we have more students who are unhappy with
Coursemology/gamification.
|
4)
Essay
Please explain your selections for the previous question. |
|
1.
everything is perfect |
|
2. The leaderboard is
good because it helps you to keep track with where you are compared to
the rest of the class. However, it can be stressful for those slower
learners as they find their peers moving far too ahead of them, which
happens to me as I tried to play catch up. As a result, before I fully
understands the topic, I have to rush to the next chapter so as not to
fall behind the class. |
|
3. Everything was
good! |
|
4. Overall the system
facilitates independent learning really well for me, which is quite
comfortable for me. |
|
5. Good |
|
6. All of the above
those not impact me negatively in any way. |
|
7. I feel the current
system is perfect (minus the private test cases). |
|
8. I just don't think
there was anything negative. |
|
9. did not feel any
negative impact |
|
10. I didn't think
there was anything negative. |
|
11. Not such a big fan
of knowing who is clearly good at this when I ain't |
|
12. I just love
coding. Nothing seems to have a negative impact on my learning. |
|
13. Makes the slower
students feel left behind. |
|
14. Eh...haha just
stressed that the people are all so high-levels. I'd actually like to be
able to see the bottom 10 as well, but only if I'm part of the bottom
10, to feel like I'm not alone, know when I'm out of it, and others
can't see my position if they're doing too well. But it may lead to a
sense of complacency, so who knows haha |
|
15. I think this game
system method of learning is very effective overall. |
|
16. No negative
impact. |
|
17. Seeing some
leaders who are level 37 (and comparing to my level) gives me heart
attack, I don't know if I'm falling behind :x |
|
18. Knowing who is on
which level doesn't enhance my learning. I can't deny it motivates
people to get on the board. But to some certain it compromises learning
and understanding and promotes completion of tasks to level up |
|
19. Personally I find
all the parts of the game system appealing, and if certain parts like
the leaderboard or the storylines do not appeal to some people, I do not
think they will have much adverse effects as you could just ignore the
leaderboard tab or skip the context. |
|
20. I don't feel that
there is anything implemented through coursemology that would make me
lose interest in programming. |
|
21. Storylines are
confusing |
|
22. The game system is
generally positive to my learning. Nothing bad to highlight. |
|
23. Not affected by
the gaming system and find it quite interesting. |
|
24. No clear
disadvantages. |
|
25. While some may
think that the leaderboard stresses them out, I feel that the
leaderboard helps us gauge whether our progression is on par with our
classmates and whether we need to put in more effort to keep up with the
average level. |
|
26. I thought the
stories might be a little excessive because some of the information
buried in it might be a little harder to extract. |
|
27. Sometimes the
storylines get kind of distracting, especially when they are too long.
>< |
|
28. Sometimes the
storyline wording obscures the intent |
|
29. No explanation is
good explanation :P |
|
30. For OTOT, it's not
a really good indicator since some people might have more time on their
hands than others. |
|
31. Although the
leaderboard might have been designed as a reward system for the better
student and for other students to keep track of their relative position,
it feels (at least to me personally) that I am obligated to keep rushing
to keep up with the rest of the leader board. (sometimes at the expense
of revision). Also it adds to the stress already present during
learning. |
|
Skip:
10 (24.4%) |
The leaderboard has always been known to be a double-edged sword. Many
students like it because are competitive, but the students falling behind feel
stressed by it. Interestingly, some of this stress is somewhat intentional also
since we do want students to keep up with the class.
As for the stories, I guess it mimics real life where not everything is
immediately clear and sometimes effort needs to be made to understand what the
problem is able. We constantly look out for feedback on the Forum to see what
students are confused about and try to improve the clarity of the write-ups
every semester.
5)
Multiple Response
Which of these game features encourage you to finish missions the most? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Leaderboard |
1
(2.5%) |
|
Achievements and badges |
1
(2.5%) |
|
Deadline |
6
(14.6%) |
|
Levelling/EXP |
15
(36.6%) |
|
Tutors/Being
graded |
6
(14.6%) |
|
Trainings |
0
(0%) |
|
You Enjoy Doing Missions Because They are Fun! |
7
(17.0%) |
|
Others |
5
(12.2%) |
I am really happy to see that many students enjoy doing the
missions. 17% is a significantly higher ratio than anything I have seen in the
past! :-)
|
6)
Essay
Please explain your selections for the previous question. |
|
1.
35% of final grade@!!! |
|
2. As mentioned
before, having the coursemology being included in the final grade
encourages me to do more than just the missions so that I can earn the
marks needed. |
|
3. Everything above |
|
4. While all of them
are important to me, the deadlines are the most pressing because they
remind me to prioritise some missions over others. |
|
5. Having a theme for
the mission makes it interesting and I think problem solving in general
is fun. I was quite motivated by the leaderboard as well but if the
missions weren't interesting to do, the drive to complete the missions
won't be there. |
|
6. Leveling up gives a
sense of achievement and it feels like I have progressed further. |
|
7. I love virtual
points and will do anything for virtual points/validation. |
|
8. Being a gamer that
plays "collection games", you feel more psychologically inclined to do
well so that you may earn them.. |
|
9. Missions help
solidify the concepts we've learnt during the online lectures. |
|
10. it will give me a
sense of accomplishment and relaxed mood after figuring out all the
questions and submit |
|
11. need to get as
much out of the 35% of my final grading |
|
12. I love the
storyline for the missions. |
|
13. Not to say I don't
like leveling up; I do. |
|
14. Just want to be
one of the top few :P |
|
15. It's like
completing homework on time. |
|
16. I won't do them if
not for Raj and prof. Ben pushing me through emails and stuff |
|
17. Tough choice
between Leveling Up and Fun. I think it comes down to the satisfaction
one gets from being able to solve the problems in the Missions |
|
18. The feeling of
leveling up is great haha |
|
19. As long as its for
the marks. :) |
|
20. Deadlines
encourage me to keep on track and manage priorities |
|
21. The most
fundamental benchmark for comparison in many different kinds of games
would be one's level, so seeing my level and exp go up when I complete
missions is quite encouraging |
|
22. The missions
become a need-to-do once it is graded. If not, I would be doing the
missions leisurely and would not be specially allocating time for it. |
|
23. I personally like
to play games with an EXP system as it gives me a sense of achievement
and motivate me to do even better. So as for the missions, I just treat
it like playing a game and naturally I will strive to do better in it
without feeling stressed up. |
|
24. First time getting
to know programming and want to learn as much as possible from this
module. There is also fulfillment from completing the problems after
figuring it for a long time. |
|
25. What encourages me
is actually the homework themselves as they are tasks to be completed to
me and let me know of my learning progress. |
|
26. EXP directly
corresponds to the CA grade so it is natural that students will work
hard to level up and in the process puts in consistent efforts for the
missions to ensure that they do not lose out unnecessary EXP |
|
27. The sense of
achievement after completing a mission and also because they are fun! |
|
28. Obviously everyone
wants to get to level 35. :P |
|
29. Others because I
would choose Achievements and badges, EXP and 'You enjoy doing missions
because they are fun!'. EXP comes in first (apparently). Do some fun
quests and get some achievements. Why not? |
|
30. Want to complete
missions before deadlines to not lose any EXP. |
|
31. Knowing how my
approach to questions can be improved and to fix common
misunderstanding. |
|
Skip:
10 (24.4%) |
Happy to see that the gamification is well received and that students
genuinely enjoy doing the homework. :-)
7)
Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes your motivation to
get on the leaderboard, in relation to the work you do?
|
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
I do everything I can to get on it |
3
(7.3%) |
|
I am generally motivated to get onto the
leaderboard |
7
(17.0%) |
|
Being on the leaderboard is a nice side-effect of
doing my work |
22
(53.7%) |
|
I don't really care about it |
9
(22.0%) |
Interestingly, this batch of CS1010X seems somewhat less competitive than my
previous students.
8)
Multiple Choice
How much has the game system enhanced your learning
compared to regular instruction?
|
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Not at all :(
|
1
(2.5%) |
|
A little |
7
(17.1%) |
|
Moderately :)
|
11
(26.8%) |
|
Very much! |
11
(26.8%) |
|
It's a brilliant scheme! |
11
(26.8%) |
It's nice to see that the game system seems to have enhanced the learning
experience for about 80% of the students. :-)
9)
Multiple Choice
Which statement best describes how you feel about
Coursemology's auto-grading feature? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
It is a hindrance and my goal is just to get past
it by hook or by crook. Just give me my EXP!! |
3
(7.3%) |
|
I just anyhow whack until I get through them,
sorry. Oops. |
0
(0%) |
|
I've passed all the test cases but I still feel
insecure about my code. What if it's not correct and I passed by
accident? |
18
(43.9%) |
|
I love it! The instant feedback it gives me really
helps my learning. |
20
(48.8%) |
Happy to see that the the auto-grader is generally well received. But
actually I would be interesting to find out why students feel insecure.
|
10)
Essay
Please comment on the usefulness of the discussion forum
to your learning. |
|
1.
learn from other's mistake |
|
2. The discussion
forums is useful because it's the closest thing to having an interaction
with my peers and tutors. It's also a relief to know that there are
others like me having the same issue with some of the topics. |
|
3. Very good
especially if you're helping others cause u learn from their mistakes |
|
4. Allows everyone to
learn a variety of ways to solve the same problem from others |
|
5. It is an
amalgamation of different opinions and additional feedback that I take a
look from time to time. |
|
6. Good |
|
7. If I am stuck on a
question, I would search the forums to see if anyone has already asked a
similar question to mine so I can get some hints from the responses to
aid me. |
|
8. Generally it's
usefulness depends on the helpfulness of the super pro people (e.g
Jeremy, Charles). If the pro people don't help then sigh. |
|
9. The forums are a
good place to search for answers for any doubts we have. |
|
10. Posting on the
forum and reading the comments have been very helpful, especially when
solving problems that I've been stuck on. |
|
11. Discussion forums
in general are very useful when writing code, which is why I feel that
use of online resources should be introduced and encouraged during
lectures and missions. |
|
12. We can get help
when we struggle. they guide me to the right track rather than directly
shoe me the answers |
|
13. Moderately useful |
|
14. Helpful. |
|
15. other students are
really helpful in sharing and helping the weaker ones |
|
16. I don't really use
the discussion forum. |
|
17. Not so much. Too
much to trawl through for too little insight. I can't see a need to be
updated for every little post |
|
18. I think it is very
helpful. Not only that, it helps to solve all your queries in no time. |
|
19. Facilitates peer
support and allows us to share ideas and different lines of thought. |
|
20. Haha, actually, I
gave up on posting on forums, and just end up asking in a whatsapp group
chat in which I just joined recently. A common feel is the tutors and
the prof can be quite harsh and sarcastic, which deters people from
posting, relying on fellows instead |
|
21. Very effective. I
think one of the best ways of learning is to go onto the forums and
attempt to help those who have posted questions. That way I can verify
my own knowledge as well as find out about things that I had not yet
considered. |
|
22. It's quite
confusing even with emails being sent to us for the threads that we
subscribe to. There are too many discussions going on at the same time
and too many people engaging in different conversations. When someone
replies us we won't really know unless we check that thread again. |
|
23. Its useful but
hard to track sometimes. |
|
24. it is useful as it
promotes open discussion |
|
25. The forum is a
good and easy way to clarify doubts, or to check our understanding on
certain topics. By having a forum, it also allows us to conveniently
share tips with our classmates. |
|
26. Very useful, able
to see different perspectives and ways to solve the problem |
|
27. Very useful for
independent learning. Sometimes the answers to the my doubts are already
there on the forums and as such, save time for me as I do not need to
wait for a reply. |
|
28. Very helpful as
many misconceptions and questions that others have are same as mine. |
|
29. Useful, main
avenue to turn to when stuck. |
|
30. It is a good
platform especially for a programming module because as new programmers,
it is extremely easy for us to get stuck on a problem for days. Having a
forum to ask for advice will simulate our thinking and provide us on new
insight that we might have missed out and ease some frustration (from
not being able to solve the problem after working on it for days). |
|
31. I did not use the
forum actively but rather was lurking to see whether anyone has
encountered the same problems as I did, and that was quite beneficial
for me. |
|
32. The tips and
feedback given by fellow classmates really help me a lot in completing
my missions when I am stuck. |
|
33. I mostly go by
trial and error, but being able to report particularly stubborn errors
is useful |
|
34. Are Forum Sages
angels? |
|
35. Reading the forum
has helped me in some of the tougher mission tasks and tutorial
questions. |
|
Skip:
6 (14.6%) |
I am happy to see that many students have found the forum to be helpful. I
would however like to respond to some comments.
Re: comment #11, I am actually against students googling for answers when
they get stuck. That's not the point in CS1010X. Maybe some classes teach
students how to look up facts, but CS1010X is about re-wiring your brains, not
about teaching you facts. The last thing I want is for students to "program by
StackOverflow".
Comment #20 is related. I really don't think that my TAs or I have been
harsh. Some students probably got scolded because they were lazy, i.e. their
questions were of the form "here's my problem, now give me the answer".
Seriously, that's not the intention of the forum either. It's not supposed to be
an oracle that coughs up answers. How does that promote learning?
Finally, I find the complaints about the confusing posts baffling. People can
decide whether or not to subscribe to the various sub-topics in the forum and if
they are not keen to get notifications, they can not subscribe.
|
11)
Essay
Please give us your suggestions on how the discussion
forum can be improved |
|
1.
If the question ask on the forum is on a specific topic, maybe you can
have the answered comment ( the one in green) to be at the top with the
question so that we can take that hint and try to solve first. If we are
still stuck, then we can scroll down to read the feedback given. |
|
2. Record down
individual's posts count and maybe give ranks according to activeness on
forum a and tag it to our name. E.g Forum novice, forum expert, forum
sage. Posts:255. Will motivate ppl to participate and will learn in the
process. |
|
3. Good |
|
4. Tutors should
appear more. |
|
5. The forums are a
good place for spoilers as well, so maybe implementing a
[spoiler][/spoiler] tag could help. Of course, it depends on whether the
students choose to compromise their own learning though in the end. |
|
6. Tags for posts and
threads, such as tagging posts by the missions they mention or what kind
of content they contain. |
|
7. Provide answers |
|
8. have a search
platform so that we can search keywords and get on to the thread asap |
|
9. More organisation?
Though I couldn't say how it should be implemented |
|
10. I think it must be
made known to everyone that, asking questions and answering them do earn
them EXP. A lot of people does not seem to know that. |
|
11. A feature whereby
the topics with the latest posts will appear on top instead of remaining
how they were created chronologically. |
|
12. Maybe a search
function? I'm too lazy to search each section sometimes hahah |
|
13. Options to edit
the size of images within a post. |
|
14. I would personally
prefer something like a FB chat function and the forum being used as a
whiteboard for prof and TAs to highlight certain things about a
particular question. |
|
15. Have more ways to
filter out posts and messages, such as searching for keywords or
searching posts made by a certain person. |
|
16. Keep it that way |
|
17. Fine with it so
far. |
|
18. Have a SEARCH bar
for forums to search for threads and comments. It would be more
convenient as scrolling through of threads and pages can be avoided. |
|
19. Perhaps for forums
on missions, sub-catagories pertaining to each task can be divided,
otherwise, the forum could be messy when it gets too long. |
|
20. So far so good. |
|
21. There could be a
search function just like most forums out there so we can search for
related topics |
|
22. It would be nice
if we could sort the threads by individual Missions and Trainings |
|
23. It might be good
if we can choose to post anonymously since there are some people that
are too shy to ask questions on the forums. |
|
24. Its Okay |
|
25. Working just like
a forum does. Nothing to change here |
|
26. Good enough. |
|
Skip:
15 (36.6%) |
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Search is a functionality that we know
is missing and we will try to implement in Coursemology v2.
Quick response to comment #7 - No. :-)
|
12)
Essay
Please let us have any final comments and suggestions on
the Coursemology.org platform |
|
1.
keep it up guys! |
|
2. It's really a fun
and cool way for me to learn. If it is possible, an offline version will
help as I can focus on my work better without the influence of the
internet. |
|
3. Good |
|
4. It's fine. |
|
5. There should be a
direct channel for us to ask the tutors questions, rather than us having
to email/whatsapp/facebook message the tutors. |
|
6. The coursemology
platform displays weirdly on mobile when a submission has just been
graded (mainly due to level up and achievements), so maybe a sidebar
popup would be better? |
|
7. I really like this
platform. It feels like a good way to learn and complete assignments |
|
8. I think is fine
overall. |
|
9. Lesson Plan page is
rather confusing. A lot of stuff cluttered together. |
|
10. To be honest I
thought Coursemology is probably a better platform compared to Coursera,
especially for such course material because of the auto grader and the
game system. If Coursemology adds the same feature to watch lecture
videos online, then it would be an all in one learning platform :D |
|
11. It would be so
cool if they have an mobile app for it :p |
|
12. I found that the
Lesson Plan page sometimes overlaps after scrolling down and opening
multiple weeks. This makes it slightly inconvenient to view the plan of
each week as the words will be blocked by that of other weeks and you
would have to close all the weeks to fix it. |
|
13. So far so good. |
|
14. The icons for the
achievements are so cute!!! |
|
15. It is a wonderful
platform for the submission of work. |
|
16. Its Okay |
|
17. Mobile version
forum is broken... Everything is pushed to the right side in one thin
column. |
|
18. Great platform.
Little to no problems faced so far. |
|
Skip:
23 (56.1%) |
Sorry for the minor bugs with the Lesson plan and issues
with mobile. We are aware and will be addressing them in Coursemology v2. We
will also be integrating videos in v2. Akan datang!
|
OTOT - Own Time Own Target Carry On! |
| |
1)
Multiple Choice
Did you take advantage of OTOT to do more/learn faster? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
20
(48.8%) |
|
No |
21
(51.2%) |
Happy to see that approximately half the class took advantage of OTOT.
|
2)
Essay
If the answer to the previous question was "No", you can
skip this question. If you answered "Yes", please tell us what you felt
about being allowed to go OTOT and possibly how we can improve the
process. |
|
1.
some weeks i might be busy so i can cramp most of my work on 1 of the
week with my own pace. |
|
2. I took advantage
from the start to learn more, and that gave me a buffer when I have
other commitments like NS. Hence it prevents me from falling behind the
class by too much. |
|
3. Otot is not just
about going fast but managing your pace. If too fast but never learn
also not that good. Nothing can be done at the admin level. It's up to
the students |
|
4. I was able to learn
ahead of time to make up for weeks when I would be busier. |
|
5. It feels good to be
given more freedom to take charge of my own learning. This allows me to
focus on different things at a time. For instance, I can finish my
workload over a shorter period and pursue some of my other interests. At
the end of the day, as long as I make sure that my learning is not
compromised, I think I stand to gain more from such a scheme. |
|
6. I enjoy learning at
my own pace, and that I could "chiong" till whatever lecture covered in
midterms and start doing past-year papers as revision. |
|
7. OTOT is cool.
Improve the process ah....create a direct channel for us to ask the
tutors questions,rather than us having to email/whatsapp/facebook
message the tutors. |
|
8. I like being able
to set my own pace (more or less), which is very important for online
courses like this. I think the start date for missions and trainings
should be removed so faster students can start on them instead of having
to wait. |
|
9. Just let the
students go on their own pace. I feel there is little need for
accelerated lessons because the 'on-time' lessons serve as revision for
those who surge on well ahead |
|
10. I think this was
amazing. I actually got a lot of time and thus OTOT helped me to keep my
boredom at bay. I think the OTOT way is good as it is. No changes are
needed to improve it. |
|
11. I think this is
very effective because some people might like to go faster than the
original schedule |
|
12. I felt that being
allowed to go OTOT is very beneficial as we can learn at our own pace,
which may be faster than the lesson plan since each person would learn
at a different rate. This allows us to spend more time on the subjects
we are weaker at and also allow us the opportunity to spend our free
time studying future topics. |
|
13. I find it very
useful as I can learn it at my own pace. If i am being restricted to a
pace that is slower than my learning pace, I might lose interest in
learning. On the other hand, if i am being restricted to a pace faster
than my learning pace, I will have difficulty picking up concepts and
reinforcing them in the class. |
|
14. It is beneficial
for me because because the OTOT nature allowed me to preserve the
momentum of the learning process. It is overall more efficient in my
opinion |
|
15. Nice to be able to
rush though as much as you like to fill in free time |
|
16. Definitely
helpful, especially as March/April is application season. |
|
17. I could get much
of the work done early and clear time to do my applications. |
|
18. Allows me to
compensate in advance (for instance if I am going overseas during the
duration) such that I can learn in advance without lagging behind when I
return. |
|
19. It allowed me to
do more work in advance if I knew I would be busy in the near future |
|
Skip:
22 (53.7%) |
I am happy to learn that OTOT is well received by many
students. I think the vacations are much better handled this year compared to
the past because of OTOT.
I was discussing this with the TAs today. We are concerned
that some students are rushing through all the assignments because of OTOT. So,
we are not entirely happy with OTOT. I suspect we will do OTOT again next year,
but we will think harder about how to do it so that it is done right and the
students' understanding is not compromised.
|
|
| |
1)
Multiple Choice
What is your overall impression of CS1101X thus far? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
This is a horrible class. Truly regret choosing it.
It is a miracle that I still haven't dropped it... |
1
(2.5%) |
|
CS1101X is worse than the other iBLOC classes that
I'm taking. |
0
(0%) |
|
CS1101X just another class to me... |
3
(7.5%) |
|
CS1101X is cool |
25
(62.5%) |
|
CS1101X rocks. Coolest class I have taken in my
life. Can't wait to matriculate at NUS. |
11
(27.5%) |
Glad to learn that 90% (!) of the class is generally happy with CS1010X. As for
the poor student who is unhappy, or struggling, do come to ask for help and we
will see how we can best help you.
2)
Multiple Choice
Has CS1010X been able to arouse your interest in
programming? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
22
(55.0%) |
|
No |
3
(7.5%) |
|
I was already interested in programming before CS1101X! |
13
(32.5%) |
|
I was once interested in programming, but CS1101X killed
it :-'( |
2
(5.0%) |
Happy to see that 55% have become interested in programming. For the students
who have discovered that programming is not for them, allow me to offer a
consolation: it is as important to find out what you don't like to do as it is
to find what you like. In fact, the latter is mostly really a process of
elimination.
3)
Multiple Choice
Would you recommend CS1010X to other students? |
|
Response |
Percentage |
|
Yes |
38
(95.0%) |
|
No |
2
(5.0%) |
Happy to see that we have a lot of satisfied (or perhaps
sadist) students. :-)
|
4)
Essay
If you had
difficulties juggling CS1010X, NS and other commitments, please describe
your difficulties. |
|
1. Towards my last month in NS, I had a lot of things to sort out
and this led to me falling behind progress once I ORD. And combined with
peer pressure, I had a hard time just to meet the deadlines. |
|
2. As I am currently working full-time and am doing another iBLOCS
module in addition to CS1010X, I do face some difficulty with the
deadlines from time to time. This is made worse by me not having any
programming background and hence requiring quite a bit more time to
learn, but I have learnt to balance my time and workload to help my
situation. |
|
3. Juggle between day job and night recitation/ homework. |
|
4. Errr okay la just sacrifice social life lor. Saturday spend 10 hrs
then Sunday spend another 10 hrs add up 20 hrs on CS1010X just nice. |
|
5. My shift work has led to me having to miss all the WebEx recitations
so far. |
|
6. Juggling 4 modules. |
|
7. Missed quite a few online lessons as I online ORDed in much. There
were recordings but it would have been nice to be available for the
lessons. |
|
8.
at the start was NS, now after midterms.. I learnt that I need put in a
lot more time and effort in learning how to think and apply in the work |
|
9. Not really NUS's fault, simply had trouble trying to figure out how
to split time between part-timing, studying and still having time to
have fun. |
|
10. Need to rush work and burn weekends. |
|
11. Nothing too difficult to handle, though I would say that CS1010X
included a lot more thinking time then I expected |
|
12. I guess I'm alright for now, since I'm officially recently just done
with my Polytechnic stuffs & events :) |
|
13. I had difficulties managing NS and CS1010X. I was lagging behind
which affected my preparation for the midterms |
|
14. I took a few modules apart from CS1010X as i wanted to make full use
of my spare time. However, the workload of the modules was much more
than i thought. With my NS commitments, I am left with at most 2 days a
week which is insufficient for me to complete my module. As a result, i
behind the schedule and have difficulty catching up. |
|
15. I only ORDed just slightly before mid terms, and was overseas for NS
for a good period of time. Did not expect it to take up as much time,
although I have adjusted/ caught up more or less. But seems like not
enough or in time for mid terms at the moment. |
|
16. Same as Mission & Sidequest Q3, with regards to the bonus EXP. In
addition, for someone who is still serving NS, the workload is
manageable (but barely coping) because 2 days during the weekends is all
we have to catch up with all that is due for that week (in addition to
personal commitments, family commitments and other iBLOC modules). After
I have ORDed, it feels really different to have 7 days a week to
complete the same workload (a lot more relaxed and free). |
|
17. NS :< Due to the inability to bring computers into camp, and the
large chunks of time that NS took up. It was a bit hectic at first. But
then, ORD LOH! :D Edit: oh SAF just allowed it: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/saf-eases-rules-on/2640286.html |
|
18. Don't really have many commitments as of now, but still struggling
to catch up since it suddenly got so much harder. >< Maybe my brain
still rusty after 2 years in NS. |
19. I work part-time from Monday to Friday, so I can only do work at
home on the computer on weeknights and during the weekends.
NS took quite a bit of my time, especially as someone who hasn't ORD'd
by the time this module started, but the teaching team was thankfully
understanding of my situation |
|
Skip:
22 (53.7%) |
Seems like we're doing better compared to past years and
fewer students seem to have trouble. Also, most of the troubles seem to be
resolved once ORD comes.
|
5)
Essay
Please give us your
comments and suggestions on how to make your learning in CS1010X more
efficient and interesting. |
|
1. It will be more interesting if the learning is more interactive
based, maybe include some group projects to code something big? |
|
2. I felt motivated by the leaderboard quite a bit, so having some kind
of competition may help people move faster, especially if they are
falling behind. Maybe it is possible to have dummy accounts (bots) that
accomplish trainings and missions at different paces. One at a fast
pace, one at a meeting-deadlines-comfortably pace and one at a
barely-meeting-deadlines pace (i.e. the rear sweeper). Use them to
motivate the students to go faster by making different tiers of
leaderboards, slow, medium and fast, with one bot in each. The level of
the 'rear sweeper' bot in the slow tier leaderboard is the minimum level
any student should be at at any point in time. The point is to motivate,
via competition, the slower students to move past the rear sweeper if
they are behind. The other two bots can serve as benchmarks for people
to stay within or go beyond. |
|
3. Good |
|
4. For exams, please lower the weightage of the code tracing questions.
Code tracing is an essential skill but it is difficult to show working
and get marks for working so its always either all or nothing. The code
tracing question doesn't differentiate well the student who understands
the question 100% but makes a careless mathematical error at the end,
and the student who completely doesn't understand the code. |
|
5. Providing answers on forums maybe. Trust that we students will not
cheat ourselves when looking at the answers. |
|
6. group discussions/meet ups in classroom will be great. group
projects? |
|
7. More classroom sessions? Maybe so we can see more cool stuff about
programming. The little interactive stuff. |
|
8. I think it is just fine. |
|
9. More real life applications. |
|
10. Quite satisfied with the module. No suggestions. |
|
11. It's already great. |
|
12. Just a random thought but it would seems to be fun if there is like
an online real time quiz between tutors and students, but it would be
more of MCQ base. This way, we can see how is the students doing &
learning too, but it should be quite a lot of effort to put in? |
|
13. Considering using Webex for tutors giving explanations, and using
another platform to do MCQ questions & stuffs :) And of course to
encourage students to attend, do give some exp :p |
|
14. Provide notes |
|
15. I think it will be better if there are both face to face lessons and
online WebEx lessons at the same time, both at the same pace of course.
Such arrangements will allow those who prefer face to face lessons to
benefit from the recitations instead of just delivering recitations
through WebEx lessons. |
|
16. Make posting of comments available for trainings like Lecture and
tutorials just like it is for Missions |
|
17. It's certainly interesting, although I find that the period between
the WebEx tutorial and the deadline for which our tutorial trainings get
bonus points, which is the period we would likely do them as such, too
far apart. |
|
18. Looking forward to face to face classes in NUS after the midterms :) |
|
19. I think it would be more interesting if we could observe the
"physical manifestation" of the different concepts in CS1010X. Like
playing with RobotC in a simulator or if possible, in real life. It
would allow students to much better visualize the logic behind the code
they are writing IMO. |
|
20. Giving examples of some real life applications of what we are coding
will be pretty interesting. :) |
|
21. Make it like CodingGame! |
|
22. - Issues with the leaderboard as elaborated above :(. - Having
mentor-students system, so students can have someone easy to confide in
when there are problems faced during the course. (Though admittedly it
is a system that can be easily abused). |
|
Skip:
19 (46.3%) |
Thanks for the suggestions.
The idea of dummybots is interesting. We will look into it.
To respond to comment #4, code tracing is really a test of (i) conceptual
understanding and (ii) debugging skills. With 6 questions, we typically can
distinguish between those who are clueless from those who are careless.
To respond to comment #15, nope, we cannot do that for reasons of fairness.
Essentially before April, all lessons need to be online so that those who are
"stuck" in NS will not be prejudiced relative to those who are not.
Thanks for the suggestion in comment #21. We're looking into CodingGame. :-P
|
6)
Essay
Tell us more about
what you think about CS1010X. This is your chance to tell us anything
you want that is not already covered by the previous questions.
|
|
1. Overall CS1010X is a wonderful module to take, even with the
difficulties I faced during this period. I enjoy the it because it feels
great to learn something that I can use for life :) |
|
2. AWESOME |
|
3. Very interesting course and a great introduction to the world of
computer science |
|
4. Good |
|
5. For exams, please lower the weightage of the code tracing questions.
Code tracing is an essential skill but it is difficult to show working
and get marks for working so its always either all or nothing. The code
tracing question doesn't differentiate well the student who understands
the question 100% but makes a careless mathematical error at the end,
and the student who completely doesn't understand the code. |
|
6. the contents of cs1010x is interesting and flexible, i understand the
most of the contents, but my thought is a little slow, sometimes i need
to think a question for quite long . like the midterm, actually i can do
most of the question. but during the exam, i just started question 2,
some students alr asked question 3. i realize the time is not enough for
me to finish all the questions, so i can only write what is appear in my
mind and do not have time to check my answers. i am worried that i am
not suitable to take programming, maybe this is a course for those
people who can think fast |
|
7. CS1010 encourages a lot of independent learning and hard work, so
kinda feel like it is a great way for returning NS way to adjust earlier
to the university life |
|
8.
I feel great about being introduced to computer science in this module
especially in the way it is taught. |
|
9. I think it is a wonderful module. It helped me in uncovering my
passion for programming. |
|
10. Make the OCD badge easier to attain? It has a requirement of 50%
marks for side quests. I failed to get more than 50% for a side quest :( |
|
11. Quite satisfied with the module. No suggestions. |
|
12. I just don't want to fail :( and getting at least a C grade (even
though if best, I would wish to aim for A) |
|
13. The mission / side quests / exams are good. Helps me to realise that
there is much that I have not learnt |
|
14. It is an interesting and challenging module. While it can be
frustrating sometimes when you get stuck at a problem and could not move
on. But overall, it is still an interesting module as i have not seen
much of coding before and is a good opportunity for me to know more
about coding. |
|
15. Personally, I think this is a course which favours students with
higher intellect. Those who put in a lot of effort still may not be able
to do well. |
|
16. It's interesting and rather well structured. Understandably time
consuming. I find what was being tested during midterms quite different
from the assignments we usually do for certain areas. For instance,
midterms is meant to be up till lecture 7, but I found myself very
unprepared for the ADT questions, other then the few in the past year
papers. I don't think the assignments were closely linked enough. In
addition, the first part tested our basic understanding of Python
concepts, but i think there was somewhat insufficient practice for them
in the regular assignments. They tend to rely on tricking you in some
sense, or structures or doing things in ways that wouldn't usually be
encountered while doing normal assignments. |
|
17. It is a cool module and I totally agree with the Prof that using
Coursemology forces us to put in consistent efforts (as opposed to other
iBLOC modules which I did not put in as much effort). |
|
18. I believe most of what I have to say has been covered by the
questions above. |
|
19. The learning curve for this module is quite steep for those who have
no prior experience in coding especially since when there are certain
learning "gaps" in the lectures. I guess it is to promote independent
learning but too many "gaps" can be detrimental to our learning if they
stack up. |
|
20. Main reason why I signed up was to learn more about programming
before matriculating since I have no background knowledge and I'll be
studying computer science. But I didn't realise that that there'd be
exams (three exams :() and grades involved. But it has been rather
manageable so far for the most part, and I am enjoying what I'm
learning. |
|
21. Getting 80 for a mission when the achievement requires you to get
>80 is just :((( Why not >=80 |
|
Skip:
20 (8.8%) |
To respond to comment #5, will consider your suggestion for the Final Exam.
To respond to comment #6, what is likely the issue is that you have not had
enough practice. CS1010X is about re-wiring your brain (so that you have
improved mental agility). That re-wiring comes from practice.
To respond to comment #16, that's quite normal. Typically the midterms will
test everything up to before the recess week and students probably won't have
all that much familiarity with the latest material. This is called life. Sorry
dude.
To respond to comment #19, I did send you all an introductory email asking
you all to read this article called "The Art of Stealth Studying". The key is to
be consistent. You will likely have gaps for every class you take henceforth and
hopefully you will all be well-trained to fill those gaps as soon as possible
instead of letting them stack up.
|
7)
Essay
Do you have any
concerns about CS1010X? If so, what are they and how can we help?
|
|
1. I'm just concern that with the pace I'm going, I may not have enough
time to fully understand each topic and this will hinder my progress and
understanding for this course. |
|
2. Good |
|
3. For exams, please lower the weightage of the code tracing questions.
Code tracing is an essential skill but it is difficult to show working
and get marks for working so its always either all or nothing. The code
tracing question doesn't differentiate well the student who understands
the question 100% but makes a careless mathematical error at the end,
and the student who completely doesn't understand the code. |
|
4. just a thought about Python/C, because I'm in CEG, will it be useful
in my 4 years? do I have to learn another language? just a thought maybe
do I have to take up 1010 when I'm in school in aug sem 1 if they are
teaching another language? |
|
5. Should I be worried if it doesn't cover other programming languages?
Programming seems hard enough as is |
|
6. A lot of the problems are math related. My maths is very bad. Perhaps
give less/easier math problems. I spend a lot of time cracking the math
formulas before I can write the code. |
|
7. Concerned about the exams. Perhaps more exam review sessions
online/onsite would be helpful :D |
|
8. Yes, as I am a slow learner, I am afraid that at the end of the
module, I may not be able to pass and have to retake the module during
university, since I hope to clear this module before university starts,
so that I could free up more time to pursue other interests during
university. |
|
9. I am concerned on the extent to which CS1010X is tied to the
subsequent classes in the three-part series on introductory programming,
namely data structures i and ii, as well as other modules in the School
of Computing, like those with BT and IS prefix. |
|
10. I wonder which components are most linked and are important to those
mentioned above, as compared to areas that are mainly important for
other more advanced CS modules. |
|
11. I am an engineering student which means I should have taken CS1010E
which focuses on a different language so not sure how different would it
have been for me (since we will only spend the last few weeks on C
programming) compared to another engineering student who have taken
CS1010E but I believe the module will make us equally competent in the
future :) |
|
12. Main concern is the written test. Coding on computer and writing out
code on paper feels so different. I get a mental block every time I try
out the previous midterm exam questions on paper. You can debug and fix
your algorithm on a computer, but in the written test you only have one
try to get everything correct. It's a little bit unforgiving especially
when there are many separate cases to consider. |
|
13. My only concern is to get A and I have to help myself so... |
|
14. Programming leisurely whilst doing missions and tutorials is very
much different from writing code during exams. How do you train yourself
for the latter? |
|
Skip:
27 (65.9%) |
Let me try my best to respond to the above concerns.
So far, passing rate for CS1010X (previous course code for CS1010X) has been
100%. I believe that any student who puts in enough effort will pass the class.
We will be holding more remedial sessions in the coming weeks, so those who need
help can get help face-to-face.
CEG students will have to learn Java, but it should be fine. Those who do
well in CS1010X well are likely to do better than those who take CS1010E.
My ex-students who learn Python well do fine in subsequent programming
classes. Those who don't do well will of course struggle, but that is to be
expected lah. CS1010X is the foundation of programming, so it is important to
learn it well if people want to do more programming classes.
The written tests are there to ensure that students do not "anyhow whack".
Those who learn programming properly by thinking through instead of trial and
error shouldn't have too much trouble with the written tests. Write more code
and practice more past year papers! Basic approach to doing well in CS1010X is
to write more code. I believe that ALL the students who earned the OCD badges
have been A/A+ students. Those who do every question in Coursemology are almost
certain to do well in CS1010X because they would have had plenty of practice.
|
