Professor
Sarah Burnett
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - Only take this class with her if you have previous coding experiences. Pic 10A is supposed to be an introductory course into c++ coding. However, prof Burnett's way of teaching kind of made it hard for beginners. I've coded in java before I learned c++ with her so I knew about the basic concepts in coding and that definitely made this class a lot easier. This class mainly consisted of weekly hw and one midterm and one final. You have to name the hw the exact way she tells you to otherwise you get a 0 cuz I think they check your hw by directly inputting your file into their test case window with a set template. Midterm and final were fair. I had Nori as my TA and he was so blessed! Def be in his section if you are planning on taking this class. It helps a lot!
Winter 2023 - Only take this class with her if you have previous coding experiences. Pic 10A is supposed to be an introductory course into c++ coding. However, prof Burnett's way of teaching kind of made it hard for beginners. I've coded in java before I learned c++ with her so I knew about the basic concepts in coding and that definitely made this class a lot easier. This class mainly consisted of weekly hw and one midterm and one final. You have to name the hw the exact way she tells you to otherwise you get a 0 cuz I think they check your hw by directly inputting your file into their test case window with a set template. Midterm and final were fair. I had Nori as my TA and he was so blessed! Def be in his section if you are planning on taking this class. It helps a lot!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - I personally struggled in this class because it was a lot of content to cover over a short period of time. In the first half, we were learning all of the basics of Python which was quite a bit even coming from C++. In the second half, each week we would cover a different application of Python and it was so much to learn. I was unfamiliar with all of the things and we would cover it for like 2-3 lectures and then have to submit a homework assignment using that application when I barely even understood it. I had some difficulty understanding the professor's explanations sometimes because the professor would say um a lot and kind of meander with the explanations. Even coming from finishing CS31 and CS32, this class was still confusing. The professor was nice with grading though. The midterm was MCQ and I thought I failed, but she actually gave a lot of partial credit (like if the correct answer was (A) 5, 10, 4 and you put (B) 5, 10, 10 you would get 2/4 points). It was also curved nicely. This class was also every single day (3 lectures, 2 discussions on the other days) so it was a lot. There was also a homework due every single week (they took me between 3-5 hours to complete) but she dropped your 2 lowest. The homeworks weren't too hard but they were a grind. I rarely went to lecture (had a different class at the same time) and the lecture videos she posts are 1/2 recorded from class and 1/2 from another quarter so sometimes I'd miss important announcements in class.. my bad. Overall the professor was just OK and the class was just OK. Most of the people I know taking this class (including me) are just trying to get the specialization in computing.
Fall 2024 - I personally struggled in this class because it was a lot of content to cover over a short period of time. In the first half, we were learning all of the basics of Python which was quite a bit even coming from C++. In the second half, each week we would cover a different application of Python and it was so much to learn. I was unfamiliar with all of the things and we would cover it for like 2-3 lectures and then have to submit a homework assignment using that application when I barely even understood it. I had some difficulty understanding the professor's explanations sometimes because the professor would say um a lot and kind of meander with the explanations. Even coming from finishing CS31 and CS32, this class was still confusing. The professor was nice with grading though. The midterm was MCQ and I thought I failed, but she actually gave a lot of partial credit (like if the correct answer was (A) 5, 10, 4 and you put (B) 5, 10, 10 you would get 2/4 points). It was also curved nicely. This class was also every single day (3 lectures, 2 discussions on the other days) so it was a lot. There was also a homework due every single week (they took me between 3-5 hours to complete) but she dropped your 2 lowest. The homeworks weren't too hard but they were a grind. I rarely went to lecture (had a different class at the same time) and the lecture videos she posts are 1/2 recorded from class and 1/2 from another quarter so sometimes I'd miss important announcements in class.. my bad. Overall the professor was just OK and the class was just OK. Most of the people I know taking this class (including me) are just trying to get the specialization in computing.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - The content of this class is interesting and useful, but the teaching of this professor needs serious improvement. Despite having some coding experience, my friend and I find it hard to follow along with Burnett's explanations in this class. She spends a disproportionate amount of time explaining concepts that could be understood in 5 minutes, while not explaining the basic fundamental syntax/concepts that we as beginners need to know. I would appreciate it if she can tell us what a thing is and what purposes it serves before jumping straight to examples. I find the slides of the previous instructor, which are also provided, more informative. The instructions for homework can also be clearer as there are a lot of grey areas. Overall, I would say that this class is indeed useful and relatively easy, but the delivery of the content makes learning a little frustrating. I recommend using some other sources to learn HTML and JavaScript.
Fall 2024 - The content of this class is interesting and useful, but the teaching of this professor needs serious improvement. Despite having some coding experience, my friend and I find it hard to follow along with Burnett's explanations in this class. She spends a disproportionate amount of time explaining concepts that could be understood in 5 minutes, while not explaining the basic fundamental syntax/concepts that we as beginners need to know. I would appreciate it if she can tell us what a thing is and what purposes it serves before jumping straight to examples. I find the slides of the previous instructor, which are also provided, more informative. The instructions for homework can also be clearer as there are a lot of grey areas. Overall, I would say that this class is indeed useful and relatively easy, but the delivery of the content makes learning a little frustrating. I recommend using some other sources to learn HTML and JavaScript.
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