Teaching yourself SDD. (1 Viewer)

[Iota]

I've decided, due to the circumstances in my SDD class, that I shall have to teach myself SDD. It's a decision which is inevitable if I am to do well, I think.

At any rate, I was wondering if you have any tips on this? Where should I start, with HSC content, with some stuff that leads to understanding the HSC content? Feel free to refer to the syllabus, as it'll be my guide, anyway. I figure I shall be taking the Dev's View of Hardware option, since I like maths.

I also have a feeling that people must have had to have done this before, since SDD doesn't appear to be a very well taught subject. Is this the case?

 

[sunny]

Yes that is the case. SDD is still a relatively new course, and there are very few teachers out there that can teach it well. My suggestion would be to just read texts and make summary notes.

 

[|Axis_]

damn right it aint taught well! i got pissed off, coz economics seemed to be treating me better even tho i tried harder for sdd

anyway, i actually printed out the syllabus and wrote out full responses to each point. if i didnt have a response, i would read the textbook, think up some of my own opinions, then write up the answer. i never believed in copying or summarising - read, then write.

same procedure for physics btw..

oh yeh - maybe i'm wrong, but i don't think anyone doin sdd should spend so much time trying to learn VB syntax and so on - better to spend more time with pen and paper, and pseudocode. well, just my opinion for sdd..

I like maths

yes!! maths is fun!

 

[sladehk]

Software Design & Development

I'm currently doing SDD as an accelerated course but find it too time-consuming. I think it should not be that hard for you if you do it as a normal HSC course. If you want my major project or its source-code you can contact me and I can send you it. I did Battleship for my major assignment and would like to add it to the SDD resource section but am having difficulties in finding where to submit. If anyone needs helps, notes or project(Visual Basic) help, just mail me.

 

[velox]

ah ic, you know Ian Watson?

 

[acmilan]

oh yeh - maybe i'm wrong, but i don't think anyone doin sdd should spend so much time trying to learn VB syntax and so on - better to spend more time with pen and paper, and pseudocode. well, just my opinion for sdd..

Once i finished my VB major project i threw away all the VB stuff.

 

[Iota]

Oh. This gets worse. My SDD teacher just told me that he has resigned and will be gone in 4 weeks time. He has given me his mobile number, email, and a portion of his webspace, should I need it. At least I'll have somebody to contact, should I need help with an obscurity - because will certainly not have a teacher for the rest of the year, and likely for the rest of next year.

It's a shame, because while my teacher was slightly eccentric, he knew his stuff and even wrote for the HSC.

So it is, then. I shall teach myself. I like that idea about answering the dot points. I'll have to go to the library and waste all their paper one day.

 

[velox]

If you dont mind me asking, What school do you attend?

 

[dastonecutters]

what most people don't realise is that u learn more about the course from hands on programming and writing reports on the programs... yes there are some things that u cant do while hands on prgraming like EBNF and the option topics... and the teacher does that... and this was suggested by the board of studies aswel...

and ur teacher couldnt write from the HSC as they arent allowed.. the rules are if u put a class through in the subject u teach You may only write for the trials NOT the hsc...

 

[SamD]

what most people don't realise is that u learn more about the course from hands on programming and writing reports on the programs... yes there are some things that u cant do while hands on prgraming like EBNF and the option topics... and the teacher does that... and this was suggested by the board of studies aswel...

and ur teacher couldnt write from the HSC as they arent allowed.. the rules are if u put a class through in the subject u teach You may only write for the trials NOT the hsc...

Actually, what most people don't realise is that SDD is about writing ALGORITHMS not code. And SDD is about the total software development process NOT just writing code. It is true that those who are capable programmers usually are able to write good algorithms, however this does not mean they can write well structured (and hence maintainable) algorithms (or code).

Given the Trials are about to commence, my advice is to NOT spend too much time coding, it takes ages! Rather spend your time understanding the theory and writing algorithms.

HTH
Sam

 

[dastonecutters]

what do u think writing code is.... its language specific algorithms and ur telling me that those who can program cant write perfectly good working logical code without error that is being nieve...

and also i sed writing full reportson the programe in question... so that involes IPO charts dataflow diagrams EBNF story boards....

sigh...


and did i ever say JUST to programme??


ohh and how do u know that it takes ages to programme???

i mean are u takeing a vote from everyone who does SDD and programming in general and timing them??

 

[sunny]

what do u think writing code is.... its language specific algorithms and ur telling me that those who can program cant write perfectly good working logical code without error that is being nieve...

I think I am being naive then. Those who can program doesn't necessarily mean they can write good algorithms. If I asked you to write a sort algorithm for me, I can put money on you writing a bubble, insertion or selection sort. And surely you can code them, but are they the best algorithms? Are they efficient algorithms?

ohh and how do u know that it takes ages to programme???

i mean are u takeing a vote from everyone who does SDD and programming in general and timing them??

Because SamD, in all his experience, would know more about this subject and what is expected than any of us.

 

[dastonecutters]

yes those sorts probably ont the best to use but they are what in the course...


and i cant tell if u were bing sarcastic on that last remark

 

[sunny]

and i cant tell if u were bing sarcastic on that last remark

No I wasn't.

 

[SamD]

what do u think writing code is.... its language specific algorithms and ur telling me that those who can program cant write perfectly good working logical code without error that is being nieve...

I suggest you go back and read my post...

and also i sed writing full reportson the programe in question... so that involes IPO charts dataflow diagrams EBNF story boards....

No, none of those are reports. Furthermore it's a pretty pointless exercise to create any of these models after the coding is complete. Maybe for maintenance, but even that's a pretty thin reason. By the way EBNF is used to describe the syntax of programming languages, why you'd write EBNF after coding is beyond my comprehension!

ohh and how do u know that it takes ages to programme???

It's my job!!!

i mean are u takeing a vote from everyone who does SDD and programming in general and timing them??

No, SDD students are just starting to learn the basics of programming. My experience is based on 20 years of programming.

HTH
Sam

 

[gman03]

I remember I spent my time trying to finish my VB project during the trials and fock up my 3U maths trial..

Teaching yourself SDD is the only way to succeed. My SDD teacher was a fairly knowledgable person out of the entire computing faculty (at the time I was at that school, there were 4 people: my sdd teacher, my yr 10 cs teacher, my yr 9 cs teacher and a lazy pregnant woman who was my yr 11 IPT teacher, but I dropped before Yr 12). Thou the bad thing was that the Excel SDD Book, the School Text Book, The Class Notes and the HSC Exam have nothing in common what so ever. The way the text book describe software implementation is different to those described in Excel and SDD textbook.

WHat worse is that the BOS people in charge of SDD don't know what they are doing.. I'm sure there is another other post where some questions from past HSC paper were confusing. And if you have access to the BOS Standard Package then the multiple-answers mutiple choice is a good example. Hopeless course, REGRET doing it.

 

[this_guy]

I think software is a fun subject. its not too hard, its sort of challenging in a good way. The only way that works for me is to study using the excel text book coz everything is explaind in an understandable way.

but then again everyone is different.........

 

[raymes]

the excel book is sometimes vague and skims over many areas of the course. dont rely solely on one text. as with any of the HSC courses you really need a number of texts to get a good understanding of the course. the excel book does have a good explanation in some areas though, like BNF and EBNF

 

[raymes]

*gets up and smacks dastonecutters over the head for messing with the wrong people*

 

[dastonecutters]

listen Raymes and SamD everyone has a right to an oppion...

ohh and that stuff about the report was in our marking guidlines for our projects...

maybe im the nieve one then...

that was my oppion and u have urs... and ill leave it at that...