Thread: Should I Jack My Course In?

I'm really thinking of jacking my course in. But I would appreciate the advice of people who have been on these courses before and completed them.

First, I'm getting no enjoyment from it.

Secondly, I'm dreading assignments (in fact I feel nervously sick).

Thirdly, I feel there is too much "go off and do this yourself (example, I got marked down for not using <math.h> when we had never been told about it nor shown it) without being shown or told what we need" rather than lecturers showing us how to do what we need and then asking us to manipulate it.

I really feel its a bit like someone saying "ok that's a car, now drive".

I'm only in my 6th week and am trying to give it time to see if something clicks, but I really feel demotivated.

I'm not a stupid nor lazy guy. I have numerous university level qualifications in other fields which I had to work hard to get. But the problem is, I never felt so lost or deflated on any course previously.

Question, is this generally how students who begin learning about computers (I also feel this way about my database module) feel or is it indicative that computers are simply not for me?

Originally Posted by SlyMaelstrom

I don't quite know the expression "jacking a course in", so I have to assume it's just bad translation or I'm just not in a clear state of mind. It sounds like you're asking about whether or not you should drop your course if you don't feel comfortable with it and if that's the case then I would say, yes, you should drop it. It's always a better idea to drop the credits and make up for them in a future semester than to take the hit on your GPA if you think your grade is not going to meet your standards. As for your final question... no I wouldn't say your performance or interest in a particular course is indicative of your abilities to program or use computers. Poor teaching, poor facilities, and poor course literature can deter even the most proficient programmers from performing well in a course and it seems by what you're saying that those things are having an effect on you. It never hurts to get back on the horse and try again... if you don't like it on the second or third go... maybe then you can reconsider your interest in the field... but one try is never enough to know your capabilities or desires in any part of life.

That makes sense, thanks. The problem is, its a one year course and so if I drop a module I fail the whole program.

(Jacking in the course is probably British slang (I'm British so it seems a normal expression to me, but perhaps it isn't elsewhere in the English language world - or perhaps its a term local to my part of Britain if you are from there too).

I was motivated at the beginning but I feel that my lecturers are very poor (perhaps weak) and it really leaves me quite deflated. I'll give it another go this week and see where I am at the end. I think half the trouble is the workload they give us is supposed to take 10 hours, most of the students, including myself, are needing 30-50 hours just to complete one module, and we have three going at the same time!!! Perhaps I should just say, right its getting 10 hours and no more.

Originally Posted by Fordy

As you are British bear in mind that GPA and skipping semesters works differently in the UK education system. Also, don't forget that the transitional fee structure on university fees end (IIRC) this year, meaning starting a new course/degree might be very expensive next year. I started another degree course this year just to get the lower fees.

Thanks for the great advice, but I am British but live outside the UK so whilst what you said is very true, and I know its a big concern for a lot of my friends, it doesn't affect me.

Thanks! I think its the teaching though. Just got the assignment and they're throwing things at us like program the Fibonnaci sequence. With respect, I think if they wanted us to do stuff like that then they should have made maths (I only studied maths until 16 years) at a very high level a prerequisite of the course.

Its like me asking a non-history graduate to write a 2000 word essay on the differences between Beria and Riefenstahl.

As an undergrad student in the US studying CS, I think the worst part of this situation is your course position. Had you already taken the Java and Databases courses before taking C, I bet you wouldn't have felt this way for any course.

The lectures I've had in regards to C have been amazing this year, because they provide a clear definition and usage for every element of each topic within C, along with how these topics are differently structured and used within Java. Since Java seems to come more naturally for beginners, this has been a great way to explain how we will have to use our current knowledge of Java differently for C. Since you come from a user-level, but are taking both Java and C concurrently, you may simply be lacking a knowledge of the basics. If you don't know how to move a problem from a real-world setting to a program, you get the feeling you've been describing throughout...

Along with this, you may already have enough information to do your work, but it is taking too much work and time to complete it because you don't know how this information is useful. You already know how to better use your time, so now you need to ask your instructors to help you along with this further. If material needs to be explained differently during office hours, or their are simply a few minor dots that need to be connected for you within the context of the information and the problems, demand that they give some effort to your understanding since you are already giving them your effort and time.

You seem to have the capacity for all of this, but I'm assuming that your issues come from simple things. I think it's more likely that you have the information available, but you just don't have the important/relevant information to go along with it, such as when, how, or why you use this information to get your work done.
Interestingly enough, I feel as if it is exactly like asking a non-history graduate to write a 2000 word essay at this point, and the instructor is probably giving you all of the resources you need. But, he also needs to give you where to find the relevant information, so that moving those resource to an essay becomes easily digestible.

To put it simply, keep going, but only slightly differently.

Originally Posted by theraven17

As an undergrad student in the US studying CS, I think the worst part of this situation is your course position. Had you already taken the Java and Databases courses before taking C, I bet you wouldn't have felt this way for any course.

The lectures I've had in regards to C have been amazing this year, because they provide a clear definition and usage for every element of each topic within C, along with how these topics are differently structured and used within Java. Since Java seems to come more naturally for beginners, this has been a great way to explain how we will have to use our current knowledge of Java differently for C. Since you come from a user-level, but are taking both Java and C concurrently, you may simply be lacking a knowledge of the basics. If you don't know how to move a problem from a real-world setting to a program, you get the feeling you've been describing throughout...

Along with this, you may already have enough information to do your work, but it is taking too much work and time to complete it because you don't know how this information is useful. You already know how to better use your time, so now you need to ask your instructors to help you along with this further. If material needs to be explained differently during office hours, or their are simply a few minor dots that need to be connected for you within the context of the information and the problems, demand that they give some effort to your understanding since you are already giving them your effort and time.

You seem to have the capacity for all of this, but I'm assuming that your issues come from simple things. I think it's more likely that you have the information available, but you just don't have the important/relevant information to go along with it, such as when, how, or why you use this information to get your work done.
Interestingly enough, I feel as if it is exactly like asking a non-history graduate to write a 2000 word essay at this point, and the instructor is probably giving you all of the resources you need. But, he also needs to give you where to find the relevant information, so that moving those resource to an essay becomes easily digestible.

To put it simply, keep going, but only slightly differently.

Described my feelings quite succinctly, except that I have my doubts that my lecturer actually knows what he's doing himself. I have a feeling he's waffling from a book and doesn't actually know how to use the stuff himself.

Originally Posted by Interista

Described my feelings quite succinctly, except that I have my doubts that my lecturer actually knows what he's doing himself. I have a feeling he's waffling from a book and doesn't actually know how to use the stuff himself.

Knowing the stuff and knowing how to explain the stuff to someone who doesn't are completely different.

Originally Posted by manasij7479

Knowing the stuff and knowing how to explain the stuff to someone who doesn't are completely different.

That's 100% true. I am a language teacher, there are millions of people who KNOW the languages I teach, far fewer who can teach them. (That doesn't mean that I believe I am a world class teacher, just that I can spot bad teaching when I see it).