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Intro to Java Programming

Intro to Java Programming

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This post summarises technical learnings from the free Java Programming course on Udacity, which is recommended to gain the required programming foundations before starting the OU’s post-grad Software Development module, M813. These notes are in addition to those I’ve been making while studying the Udemy Java Developer course: see my posts here and here.

How Long is This Course?

According to Question 4 of Homework 0, this Udacity course takes 180 hours over 10 weeks = 18 hours per week. Really? I just knocked out Lesson 1 (of  7) in a couple of hours – and that included ‘blogging’ time as well as ‘doing’ time.

Here’s the Syllabus:

Lesson 1: Intro to Java

  • what is programming
  • intro to Java programming
  • algorithms
  • pseudo-code

[Read more…] about Intro to Java Programming

Visual Paradigm

Visual Paradigm

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The Software Development module I’ve booked onto – part of my planned ascent to an MSc Computing (Software Engineering) – focusses on systems modelling using UML as well as good software design principles. I’ve read around the subject of UML a little in prep for this module, but just want to dive straight in and get playing as that’s the best way for me to learn.

The UML modelling tool we’re using on the course is Visual Paradigm (v14) – which looks like a lot of fun! There’s lots of tutorials and learning guides on their website here. Once my TU812 EMA (boo) is out the way, I’ll be able to spend some time going through these and getting a handle on the VP platform (yay).

For now I’m just installing it so I can see which features come part of the free, time-bound academic license we get as part of the course. I’m hoping the Business Process Modelling (BPMN) functionality is included*, but suspect I’ll have to pay for my own pro licence to get that. I can see that would be worth it though, to help formalise and add structure to the process improvement work I’m currently doing as a finance consultant. [Read more…] about Visual Paradigm

Reading EPUB files

Reading EPUB files

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Just getting underway early with my next OU postgrad module, M813 Software Development, and most of the module materials are downloaded as EPUB files but not PDFs. Which is a minor inconvenience. So, searching for how to read an EPUB file, I stumbled across this blog post on lifewire.com which provides links to various free software for reading EPUBs. Note that, although EPUB files can be read straight away in Nook & Kobo ereaders, they need converting to read on a Kindle (or in the Kindle app on your PC or smartphone).

I just downloaded the Adobe Digital Editions platform (download available here). Another cool tip is to rename a copy of the EPUB file with new .zip file extension, then extract it in the normal way. This provides text which can be read as HTML, + other images etc. Alternatively the Calibre program does allow you both to read EPUB files and to convert them to Kindle-friendly format, PDF, etc. But I gave it a try and the PDF it produced wasn’t too great, so I gave that option a miss.

Data Literacy Skills

Data Literacy Skills

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I was excited to find the following Data Literacy Skills self-assessment framework, for use as part of a continuing professional development programme, available via the Open University’s library services (OU login required). This URL links to the Masters level skillset; other lower levels are also available on the same page. Examples and links to further resources are also given.

While this framework is geared towards data literacy for research students, it’s still highly relevant and can be mapped over to finance- or IT-based roles. It’s a shame it appeared too late for inclusion in my last assignment (on Data Literacy for Accounting Professionals) but it will prove useful for projects which will come out of that piece of assessed work.

The data literacy link was buried within the continuing personal and professional development section of the post-grad preparatory material (MD500, OU login required). This free module has lots of really important study skills, research skills, advice on becoming an active learner and longer term careers resources too. (Yet more things for me to go through when I find a spare block of time!)

Effective Study Skills 2

Effective Study Skills 2

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This post is a continuation of my summarising of learnings from Dr Oakley’s MOOC on Learning How to Learn (see References below) together with thoughts and reflections on that course in relation to other courses currently being studied. Related posts can be found under the tag Learning About Learning.

 

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The Illusion of Competence

the employing of ineffective study methods which fool the mind into thinking it’s learned the information, when in fact it hasn’t

Overlearning

where the information is engrained in your mind but in unhelpful & inefficient ways, making reaccessing that information more difficult

Interleaving

the strategy of providing variety into your study routine – different subjects, different learning modalities, and so on – to make it more interesting & engaging which helps with information retention

 

References:

Ison, R. (2010) Systems Practice: How To Act In A Climate-Change World, Springer, London.

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, University of California, San Diego. Taught by: Dr Barbara Oakley & Dr Terrence Sejnowski. Available at: Coursera.org.

How We Find Out Things

How We Find Out Things

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How We Find Out Things is important. Intelligence is the ability to find things out about a situation or subject, and to apply what we have previously found out to a new or novel situations or subjects.

Machine Learning does this through methods of Computational Statistics. It is powerful, but we still need to be there applying our own Intelligence & Sense-making abilities to ensure the results are logical & consistent with what we would expect.

As Ramon y Cajal, Spanish biologist and father of modern neuroscience, noted in his excellent book of advice for novice scientific researchers (1999), the key stages of a scientific investigation are (1) observation, (2) experimentation, (3) working hypotheses, and (4) proof. [Read more…] about How We Find Out Things