CS 371p Fall 2020: Audie Bethea Final Entry

I hope that the following are long-term takeaways from this class:

• test first, test during, test after, test, test, test
• when designing algorithms, demand the weakest iterators (e.g. bidirectional vs. random access)
• when designing containers, provide the strongest iterators (e.g. random access vs bidirectional)
• build adapters on top of containers, iterators, and functions
• always look for reuse and symmetry in your code
• collaboration is essential to the quality of your code and to your well-being in producing it
• refactor, refactor, refactor
• make your code beautiful

How well do you think the course conveyed those takeaways?

I felt that this course very well conveyed these takeaways due to its excellent organization. I felt like every topic that we covered in class was practiced by us at some point, whether that be in a project, test, or exercise.

Were there any other particular takeaways for you?

This class taught me a lot about the benefits to using references and pointers appropriately- prior to this, I had an understanding of how they worked, but not much for the practical use of them.

How did you feel about two-stage quizzes and tests?

I really enjoyed this style of testing because I got the chance to figure out the answer, whether independently or collaboratively, at some point during the test/quiz.

How do you feel about cold-calling?

I was originally really skeptical of this at first, but it grew on me a lot as the semester went. I think it forced me to pay attention more than I usually would have, and it was interesting to hear the thoughts of other classmates as well.

How do you feel about office hours?

Unfortunately, I was never able to go.

How do you feel about lab sessions?

Unfortunately, I was never able to go.

Suggestions for improving the course?

Nothing comes to mind. Thank you!