Mr. Higgins’ Blog

Actual Results for AP Computer

Course Size: 9 Students Surveyed

Part 1 of the Course Evaluation	1 – 5
1. The teacher was enthusiastic about teaching the course.	5
2. The teacher made students feel welcome in seeking help in/outside of class.	4.78
3. My interest in CS has increased because of this course.	4.56
4. Student were encouraged to ask questions and were given meaningful answers.	4.89
5. The teacher enhanced the class through the use of humor	4.33
6. Course materials were well understood and explained clearly by the teacher.	4.67
7. Graded materials fairly represented student understanding and effort	4.78
8. The teacher showed a genuine interest in individual students.	4.89
9. I have learned something that I consider valuable.	4.56
10. The teacher came to class well prepared on a daily basis.	5
Part 2 of the Course Evaluation	1 – 5
1. Compared with other high school courses I have taken, I would say this course was:	4.78
2. Compared with other high school teachers I have had, I would say this teacher is:	4.67
3. My overall rating of this teacher is:	4.67

Part 3 of the Course Evaluation

1. Course difficulty, compared to other high school courses:

Very Easy 0%

Easy 0%

Average 22%

Difficult 77%

Very Difficult 0%

2. How would you rate the ease of use of the eBook?

Very Easy 22%

Easy 66%

Average 11%

Difficult 0%

Very Difficult 0%

3. Hours per week required outside of class:

0 to 2 22%

2 to 3 44%

3 to 5 33%

5 to 7 0%

over 7 0%

4. Expected score on the AP exam:

1 0%

2 0%

3 44%

4 33%

5 22%

Part 4: Please provide specific feedback.

1. What was your best learning experience in this course?

• Making all of the programs
• The course as a whole
• I enjoyed learning the java language and being able to logically deal with problems
• Programming Battleship…it was interesting, fun, and taught me a lot as I had to solve a lot of problems (2)
• Tic-Tac-Toe program
• Learning about the coding world behind the programs I use everyday
• Programming the Lego Mindstorms
• GridWorld Case Study

2. What was your worst learning experience in this course?

• Inheritance / Polymorphism was difficult (2)
• The few days that I was lost"
• None
• Audioactive Sequence
• Mathematics on the computer
• Having use the new tablets (Fujitsu)
• Studying for the AP Test
• Battleship program

3. What changes would you suggest to improve the way this course is taught?

• More Free Response AP Questions (2)
• None (5)
• More Board Work or Group Projects
• Don’t Know

4. What advice do you have for students taking this course next year?

• “Work hard, do all the programs and don’t worry much about the AP Test”
• “Try to come up with your own solutions for in class projects”
• “Pay attention!”
• “The course was rather challenging, so prepared to work hard.  Don’t worry if your grade is not a perfect A+, for you will learn a lot”
• “You get out what you put in.  It’s not about code, it’s about using spatial reasoning to understand how objects interact”
• “Learn the concepts early”
• “Program neatly and easy for others to understand”
• “Understand Arrays!”
• “Do your best and don’t change things that work”

 

My interpretation of AP Computer

The students seemed to like the methods and pace that I kept up until the AP examination.  I was expecting a couple of comments pertaining to how fast I go at the beginning of the course.  I was quite surprised about the mention of more AP Test Free Response questions because I felt I used too many this year; however, they obviously felt like they were still a little weak in that area compared to the multiple choice.  I hammered them on the multiple choice type questions in hopes that the AP Test would feel “easier”. 

Inheritance and Polymorphism are difficult to figure out in your head until you receive a few good examples.  I choose to teach the students about the code FIRST, and then get into Objects, Classes, and their relationships later.  Perhaps I need to introduce Objects and Classes a little earlier.  I am still struggling internally when it comes to the Blue Pelican Java book; however, my students like the book.  There were many times that I wanted a reference book and there were many times where I wanted a text-based book.  Overall, I have to be happy with the student responses.  I hope the AP scores are a little higher than they predicted!