CST 338 Final Learning Journal

    It feels like this semester just started, yet looking back now, I can clearly see how far I’ve come since HW1. Revisiting my Hangman assignment, I notice that my approach would be much more confident and structured today. Back then, I was still getting used to Java syntax, object oriented design, and version control. Now, I feel equipped to tackle similar assignments with a clearer plan and a stronger understanding of best practices.

Victories:

1. One major victory was my ability to break down the Hangman game into multiple methods rather than writing a single monolithic method. I now truly appreciate how modular design makes code easier to read, test, and debug.

2. Another victory was passing all the unit tests while maintaining clean, readable code. At the start of the semester, I was often unsure if my code would even compile, let alone pass every test. This accomplishment feels like a significant milestone.

Skills I’ve Improved:

• I now have a solid understanding of access modifiers and when to use private, public, or final. This has helped me design classes that are more robust and maintainable.

• I am comfortable creating and extending classes, which gives me more flexibility when building larger projects.

• I also feel confident working with Java collections, like List<>, and applying their methods effectively in real projects.

Reflecting on this assignment makes me proud of how far I’ve progressed. Beyond the technical skills, I also recognize my growth in project planning and execution. I spearheaded my current project, creating Figma mockups that successfully guided the final product. That combination of coding and design thinking feels like a true culmination of what I’ve learned this semester.

Overall, looking back at HW1, I feel more confident, capable, and prepared for future challenges. It’s rewarding to see tangible proof of my growth and know that my hard work has paid off.

CST338 WK05

Week 05 Learning Journal – Markov Project

This week, I worked on the Markov assignment and collaborated with Jessica. We reviewed our solutions together and compared our approaches to the project.

Before writing any code, I spent time reading through the Project Details document, especially the UML diagrams. The diagrams helped me understand the overall structure of the system and how each class was supposed to interact. From there, I started by creating stubs for all the classes and setting up their relationships based on the diagrams. Once the structure felt clear, I implemented all the constructors.

My main goal early on was to get the test file to run. At first, it threw a lot of errors because none of the methods were fully implemented. To fix this, I created a skeleton for all the required methods so the tests could at least execute. Once the file finally ran, I studied each test carefully—looking at the setup, teardown, and what each test was supposed to validate. I like beginning with constructor tests since the constructors need to be correct before anything else will work. From there, I moved on to setter tests and then getter tests.

My overall workflow was very methodical: I would focus on one test at a time, implement just enough logic to make it pass, and then move to the next. I continued that pattern until all tests passed and the full logic of each method was complete.

I didn’t start coding right away; instead, I made sure to understand the project’s requirements before touching the keyboard. Jessica had a similar strategy, but she followed the order of the Project Details document more closely, whereas I jumped around a bit depending on what made sense to tackle next.

Reflecting on the assignment, I think next time I might try to follow the project document in order, the way Jessica did. It might help me stay more organized and prevent me from bouncing between sections.

According to my classmate, my code generally follows the Google Java Style Guide well. I learned that there are even tools that can automatically apply some of the style rules, something I’d like to explore for future projects.