Professor Programmer clearly described to the class the requirements and expectations for success. Even though this is an introductory course, it is not an easy subject. Students can expect to spend six to ten hours of work outside the class room each week. Starting with the third week, students could work with another student using pair programming.
Alice had problems starting with the first assignment. Algorithms seemed easy when she read about them but she found it hard to develop one of her own. However, she kept at it and came up with something that seemed correct. Applying the algorithm in the second assignment was fine, though getting the computer set up was confusing. She finally contacted the professor for help and he suggested that she bring her computer to class so she could get help with the software installations. For the third assignment, she started pair programming so she could work with another student to solve the homework problems.
Since this was an introductory class, Bob thought that it should be easy. After all, he had been using computers since he was a little kid. He spent most of the first week IM'ing and texting in the back of the classroom. He started on the first assignment the night before it was due and did not really understand the algorithm. After reading the problem, he puzzled it over for a few minutes and then wrote down the first thing that came to mind. That probably explained his score. For the second assignment, he got a friend to give him a copy of his program and turned it in with a few changes. For the third assignment, he "pair programmed" by copying from his friends. The class really was easy though he did not understand what was going on.
Carol found the first few assignments easy because of her math background. The other assignments were more challenging but she was able to work them out on her own. She occasionally emailed the professor if she had a problem she could not work out on her own. Since Carol liked to work alone, she was not interested in pair programming.
Dave is worried about the class. He works full time and is taking 12 units. He heard the professor say that you could expect many hours of homework outside of class, which worried him some. However, he could handle it for only one term. The first assignment took some time and he was tired when he worked on the algorithm. That probably explained his score. The second assignment was easier since he already knew the problem. However, things started getting tougher with the third assignment and he did not have time to pair program with anyone.
Listed below are the characters in the story. Rank them in order of their likelihood to succeed in the course. Give a different score to each character. Be prepared to explain your choices.
__ Alice__ Bob__ Carol__ Dave