Introduction
I am thankful for being able to participate in ICS 499. For a three credit course we need to spend at least 9 hours of study time or in the case of ICS 414 coding time. Much of my study time during the semester was spent developing code for Devcathlon. I estimate I average at least 20 hours on coding, blogging, and meeting with the Devcathlon team. So it was nice to have ICS 499 to apply the extra work hours.
What did 499 do for me
Each week I had to do a summary of what I learned and developed in ICS 414. There were weeks where I had no idea in what to write about. So ICS 499 forced me to think about what new skill did I add to my software engineering tool belt? Or what did I discover about software development that will make me a better programmer? Over the course of the semester I tackled and got tackled by various areas of software development in ICS 414/499 which included HTML, CSS, Wicket, Hashmaps, group work, and Devcathlon. I used HTML and CSS to implement the Scoreboard in Devcathlon. Using a hashmap I can keep track all types of data from Hackystat. With Wicket I can build dynamic webpages using Java. Group development taught a lot about myself and how I should interact with the less than perfect teammate. Devcathlon gave my practical experience with code development.
Conclusion
Did ICS 499 make me a better programmer? Absolutely, I feel I know a little more about software engineering than the previous semester. When employers ask me about my programming experience I can always say my ICS 414/499 blog is quite detailed as it talks what I have developed in the last year. If a student asks me which classes he or she should take in the Spring without hesitation I will tell them ICS 414 with 499. ICS 414 gives you the knowledge and 499 reinforces everything that is learned.
