Mode of teaching and learning

The programming in Java course will be conducted as a hybrid course.

We will have traditional lectures in the classroom. We will also have online lectures Skype or a similar service. I will publish screencasts as well as audio conversations with software developers on programming in Java. We have a newsgroup for this course on which students can ask as well as answer questions. Beyond this exchange of knowledge and information, everyone will be encouraged to learn by way of practice. Code... code ... and even more code.

Let me quickly explain why it is important to engage in this form of learning.

The study of programming consists of understanding the syntax of a language and understanding proper usage and programming idioms. Understanding the syntax is explained reasonably well in text books, but understanding usage and best practices comes by practice and conversations with other practitioners. Hence, this course will have a very string focus on practice and conversations.

In this day and age the internet offers a very good platform for communication. Here are some ways in which I communicate. However, do not feel limited by what I have listed. Everyone can choose whatever works best for them.

• Newsgroups and forums are a very good place to ask as well as answer questions. Remember answering other's questions is as important as asking them. Just like the community helps us by answering our questions, we must give back to the community by helping others. Also teaching someone else is a very good way of learning. When you answer someone else's questions, you will also learn something valuable in the process.
• Personal blogs are a very good way of reflecting (and penning your reflections), building your reputation, and an ad-hoc community of developers. Think of your blog as an interactive academic journal, but with a slight difference. The blog is a journal which is work that is constantly in progress, and it's work on which other people, your friends or even people you do not know may comment and converse with with you.
  

Let us utilize all the tools we have at our disposal to create a unique and enriching learning experience.


I hope everyone in this class has a very successful career as software developers.