Suhaib's CS Journal

  Look back at the HW1 Look back at the HW1 assignment and think about how you would approach it now.  Think about all the things we have covered and how far you have progressed. - Looking back at HW1 (the Markov assignment), I’d approach it with a much better understanding of the concepts now. In the beginning, I had some difficulty understanding how to implement the Markov chain and random text generation because of how complicated the different methods looked. But through the course, I gained more clarity on algorithms, handling edge cases, and how to structure my code for better readability and efficiency. I would also apply more testing in projects, ensuring edge cases are covered, and leverage better use of helper methods to keep the code clean. Overall, the learning from this course helped me approach the task with a more systematic and confident mindset.  Highlight at least two victories.  It is very important to celebrate things that go  right .  I...

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Who did you work with? I worked with my teammates Nasser, Noah, and Jian. What was your strategy for solving the Markov assignment? I kept it simple and just went step by step. After going through the instructions, I didn’t waste much time and jumped straight into the code. I focused on writing each method one by one, starting with the main functionality of the Markov class—building the word dictionary and generating random sentences. I also made sure to get the file reading and punctuation handling right. What was THEIR strategy for solving the Markov assignment? Nasser, Noah, and Jian all took a similar approach. They also worked through the assignment step by step, carefully following the instructions, and coding method by method. How would you change your strategy having worked on the assignment? Honestly, I wouldn’t change my approach because it worked well for me. The instructions were clear, and breaking the task into steps was effective. If the instructions were less clear...

  Work with some of your fellow classmates and go through your solution to project 1: LDPM With whom did you work? I worked with one of my teammates named Nasser.  What was your strategy for solving the assignments?       -  Did you start writing code right away? Did you plan it out on paper?  I have a very simple way of doing these kinds of assignments. I open the directions and start following the order and do it step by step. Thankfully we have clear enough directions to do that or else I wouldn't be able to as these projects are a little complex. I also don't like games at all so making a game is even harder for me. After looking through directions I just started coding method by method with the directions given until I completed it.       -  What was THEIR strategy for solving the assignments Nasser said he did the same thing.       -  How would you change your strategy having worked on the as...

 Project 1 Part 1 and 2 Reflection: Who did you work with? I worked with all my teammates: Jian, Nasser and Noah What improvements would you make to your code/what was suggested? Based on the feedback I received, I would work on simplifying the logic in some of the methods, like attackModifier() and calculateAttackPoints(). These methods can be optimized and made clearer, as the game didn’t require overly complicated logic. I would focus on reducing the reliance on if statements and instead explore alternative approaches to handle multiple conditions more efficiently. Which unit tests were the hardest to pass? defTest. That one was very hard to pass for some reason. And the others I found out weren't passing because of the calculation methods not being correct. After editing those it passed.  How do the existing tests function and could they be improved? I think they function pretty nicely and can't think of any practical improvements as of right now...

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  Week 1 Learning Journal: Reflection on HW 01 and Other Assignments: Week 1 we worked on multiple assignments. Since these are all 8-week courses, we have to learn really fast which is a big challenge for me. I'm the type of person to work better as the days go on and the more I get used to something. As soon as I'll grasp everything here we'll already be finishing up with the course. Anyways, I worked on CodingBat exercises, learning UML and JUnit, setting up the LDPM project, etc. I really liked the Project 1 starter and IntelliJ stuff as I got to use the software and get accustomed to it. I am feeling more comfortable everyday as I use it. I can say I feel proud that I can use such a software. One of the challenges with this class is the Git platform. That will take a bit to get used to. “The submission is missing the screenshots of fields and auto generated setters+getters.” I received this comment in the first check in for the big project that’s coming and this was on...

Week 0 was mainly introducing us to Java. I haven't coded in this language for over a year so it was really rusty for me. However, thanks to Codingbat, I got to relearn some of my java capabilities. Here is a recap: Did you plan it out or throw code at it? In the first few exercises I did initially try just throwing code at it. I quickly realized that this was more than just solving a problem. We have to be systematic and organized as we learned in CST 300. You can't just get work done; you have to do it right.  What worked? I was thinking of hurrying through it and take only 45 minutes to an hour as it said it would take that long for these assignments. However, when I started planning out my solution and actually working through it, it took me much longer. What worked was to understand what the problem is asking from you and then to complete it step-by-step.  What DID NOT work? Throwing code at it didn't work. I had to look through the different functions and lines that j...

Part 1: Video Review #1 (Evaluation and Suggestions included) - Replicant Collective: Biomimicry Video Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukOhBReFl5k 1. is the topic well covered?       Yes, very well. Intro is clear, then jumping into what they will present during this presentation.  2. is the presentation clear?      For the most part, yes. Speaker's spoke a little low or maybe audio was cut down during the editing of     the video and the background music . 3. how is the quality of the research?     The quality of the research is very good and is seen throughout the presentation.  4. how is the quality of the video production?     It is beautiful. The background music and video was very engaging and kept the audience engaged.  5. is the video engaging and interesting?     Yes. Because of the background effects, music and scenery.  6. is the team work evident?     Ye...

Part One: How did you collaborate? So far, we completed the professional audience video. Our collaboration was phenomenal. We have two set times to meet throughout the week:  Monday at 4:00 PM and Wednesday at 1:00 PM. This allows us to start on assignments as soon as they are open and we have the time to sit through those days working together. One of our meetings lasted almost 5 hours. Everyone in our group is motivated and disciplined and also capable of working in a team. We listen to each other's opinions and make sure we communicate any problems we may have.  What tools did you use to communicate and produce? We used: - Discord for recording and communication.  - Google Slides for production. Is the process smooth? Yes and no. What happened the other day was that we didn't really read the directions right and thought the assignment was pretty straightforward. However, after almost completing the professional slides, we came to realize that we didn't follow through w...

  Part 1: Help Your Teammates to Develop Capstone Ideas We discussed all our possible capstone ideas and saw a relation of organization and artificial intelligence within our ideas.  These were our ideas: User-friendly appointment booking system for small businesses - Many small businesses have a hard time with inefficient and difficult scheduling systems. This project would create a simple, mobile-friendly appointment booking system with features like automatic reminders and calendar, significantly improving customer experience and reducing no-shows. Smart navigation system or app for public spaces - Many people struggle with navigating crowded places like malls, airports, or large events. This project would create a user-friendly mobile app that provides real-time navigation indoors, showing the least crowded paths based on foot traffic data. It could also include accessibility-friendly routes for users with disabilities, improving overall user experience and convenience. AI...

  Part One: Team Comments  Comment for Jian:  Jian's Week 4 Journal Comment for Noah:  Noah's Week 4 Journal   Part Two: Capstone Ideas 1. User-friendly appointment booking system for small businesses - Many small businesses have a hard time with inefficient and difficult scheduling systems. This project would create a simple, mobile-friendly appointment booking system with features like automatic reminders and calendar, significantly improving customer experience and reducing no-shows.  2. Smart navigation system or app for public spaces - Many people struggle with navigating crowded places like malls, airports, or large events. This project would create a user-friendly mobile app that provides real-time navigation indoors, showing the least crowded paths based on foot traffic data. It could also include accessibility-friendly routes for users with disabilities, improving overall user experience and convenience. 3. AI-powered smart form auto...

Part One: Educational Goals My goal in the CS program is to develop a good foundation in software development which specifically includes front-end and back-end technology. I also want to get a really good understanding of algorithms and develop problem solving skills. Programming languages are another important part of this plan. In fact, that is the essence of CS. I’ve done C++, Python, Java, Javascript and other languages, but want to revise them all again and this time create a nice portfolio utilizing some of the languages. The next goal is to hopefully land internships or full-time entry jobs to get real-world experience. All this is while attaining my bachelors. Part Two: Career Goals I want to start now in terms of career goals meaning that I want to start getting experience as soon as possible. This means I have to get into an entry level job and build from there. Something attainable can be taking courses on UI/UX design and get a career related to that. As I get used to that...

  Part 1: Study Tips Using this website, I got to read up on some important tips that I need to adopt in order to work on areas that I need to improve in regarding studying.  One of the study tips that really helped me was the prioritization tip. It said to prioritize by importance using the ABC method. This is extremely important because we fall behind due to a lack of prioritizing assignments which leads to procrastination since we don't really know what to start with or do at the time.  Part 2: Ethics I learned a lot this week through our different course material. One thing we went into depth on was on the topic of ethics. Ethics plays an important and big role in the world and always will. Life without ethical behavior and the ethical mindset would be a total mess. On this topic, we read up on general principals, avoiding harm, honesty and trustworthiness, justice, respect, privacy, and much more. We are also now starting to write a paper on this topic and had to sub...

Learning Strategies Top 3 Study Skills I'm Good At: Following the SQ3R method: Survey | Question | Read | Recite   |   Review I didn't even know I followed this until I examined myself with it.  Minimizing Distractions While Studying: I’m good at selecting quiet, distraction-free environments like my study room at the corner of my house so not many people walk by throughout the day allowing me to focus deeply on the material. Looking for main ideas in paragraphs and extracting key details. Top 3 Areas I Need to Improve On: Creating/Following a Schedule:  I am not good at creating a schedule and even worse at following it. I'll try it for a day but then things pop up and I get inconsistent. I feel like I can't keep a good schedule when studying formally like school. However, this class is training us like we are working a job. Therefore, it is getting easier to follow a schedule as if we are needing to meet deadlines so I am enjoying it.  Time...

We worked on foundational assignments this week to be introduced to the program and what we're expected to do. Took quizzes about: CSUMB, SCD, and online learning strategies. We also did an Industry Analysis Outline and Reference Page. There we learned the APA format that we will be using for our papers in the next couple years. Most importantly, we connected with our group members and set meeting appointments for this semester to ensure that we are on track with different assignments/deadlines and also understand the course material.  This is one of the projects we did with our group. We put together a "company" and how we can help customers through our unique skills and abilities.  Team Resume