I just finished the lessons for the Javascript Basics course, and completed the project as designed throughout the course. I already knew quite a bit of what was taught in the course, as I had exposure to JSON through some of the Perl AJAX websites we designed at work, but I did learn some things that I didn't know about Javascript itself.
The most striking concept I learned was encapsulation. I had heard from my Java classes that "everything is an object", but I never considered functions to be objects of their own. I had always considered them outside the object realm. Having the ability to embed functions directly into the object itself, lends a sort of modularity that I had not though possible. Items which might have had global scope (and possibly caused issues with other functions using identical variable names) are instead put into a local scope, minimizing that possibility for error.
I still have a ways to go with this project, however. Although the project as it stands now meets the requirements of the grading rubric, it does not have the polish and "individuality" that the coaches are looking for. My project resembles the mockup well, so I know I have the basics covered. What I don't have just yet, are the extra bells and whistles (and from some examples I have seen, complete redesign of the layout) that is apparently becoming an expected part of the process.
With students posting their projects on Piazza for review, I wonder just how far beyond the mockup we can go, before the project is considered to be outside the expected results. For example, there is a student who decided to change the layout into a two column display. I admit, it looks tremendously good, and it has all the required elements displayed on the page. I just wonder where the line is between changing things to improve the look of the page, and going too far outside the box.
The most striking concept I learned was encapsulation. I had heard from my Java classes that "everything is an object", but I never considered functions to be objects of their own. I had always considered them outside the object realm. Having the ability to embed functions directly into the object itself, lends a sort of modularity that I had not though possible. Items which might have had global scope (and possibly caused issues with other functions using identical variable names) are instead put into a local scope, minimizing that possibility for error.
I still have a ways to go with this project, however. Although the project as it stands now meets the requirements of the grading rubric, it does not have the polish and "individuality" that the coaches are looking for. My project resembles the mockup well, so I know I have the basics covered. What I don't have just yet, are the extra bells and whistles (and from some examples I have seen, complete redesign of the layout) that is apparently becoming an expected part of the process.
With students posting their projects on Piazza for review, I wonder just how far beyond the mockup we can go, before the project is considered to be outside the expected results. For example, there is a student who decided to change the layout into a two column display. I admit, it looks tremendously good, and it has all the required elements displayed on the page. I just wonder where the line is between changing things to improve the look of the page, and going too far outside the box.
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