Took it with Pam, not a bad course but def just a supplement. Take it with a hard course.

Submitted Tue Nov 28 2023

Treat this as an introductory survey of web dev, knowing that 90% of what you will use in the future will come from your own discoveries outside this class.

Submitted Thu Sep 07 2023

Assignments can be frustrating due to harsh grading and seemingly pointless requirments but extra credit is extremely generous, you can make so many mistakes and still end up with over 100% if you do the extra credit, it is tedious though. By the end of the course, you will have very shallow knowledge of the MERN stack.

Submitted Mon Aug 14 2023

Go through assignments slowly as to not miss a key detail, as they can take HOURS to hunt down bugs. Just know that you will probably not be in love with your website and accept that; don't kill yourself trying to make an awe-inspiring site because your time is better spent elsewhere. Pam is so sweet and tries hard to help everyone. I think she gets a bad wrap when really it is just way too much content to fit into 1 quarter, so be respectful to her and she will work hard to help you improve.

Submitted Mon Jun 19 2023

Make sure to triple check your spelling.

Submitted Sat May 20 2023

Get in one of Pam's sections. Start assignments early.

Submitted Sat Mar 25 2023

I took this class with Pam VanLonden. Where to begin. PROS: The class is extremely easy to get an A in. When I took it, there were walkthrough videos provided for most of the assignments, and the assignment descriptions are literally broken down step by step instead of being a description of the assignment requirements. Extra Credit is copious and easy; at one point the class average was above 100 (by Pam's own admission - this may change in the future). The modules are very informative about most topics, though they seem slightly outdated in some ways when you reach sections about modern, fast-moving tools like Mongoose and React. It is very satisfying to build up a site over the course of the term with continuity, culminating in a web app with the essential functionality you find in almost any website. Finally, Pam is very dedicated, available, and approachable. If you're on her good side, she is friendly and keen for feedback and suggestions. CONS: Extremely frustrating! People will tell you, "the class was being revamped this term." I think those people are misidentifying the reason this course is miserable. And it is pretty miserable. Aspects of Professor VanLonden's approach to course design and teaching are just very bad. She has a tendency to hand-hold (remember me talking about walkthroughs and step-by-step instructions?), but she doesn't want to fully give away the answers to things. This results in her writing instructions and quiz questions that are practically unintelligible. This quirk is highly ironic, because Pam is also very particular about grammar and spelling. Don't be pressed about this; despite the fact that she talks constantly (and in an honestly patronizing manner) about spelling and grammar, it only accounts for a single point in the rubric. Yes, spelling is in the rubric. That's because our audience is a "future employer". This is also ironic, because the extremely particular assignment requirements include design specifications that would have you laughed out of any contemporary web design shop, if your application was not immediately binned. She accepts non-anonymous feedback forms after every module. However, if you bring suggestions to Professor VanLonden, she is often dismissive or puts the onus on you to figure out solutions for her. Others in the class have described situations where she seemed to engage in retaliatory behavior when they raised grading reconsideration (such as reviewing TAs' grading to find other points to dock). You might be thinking this contradicts how I described her behavior in the Pros section, and you're right! Pam truly is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Long story short, take Pam, don't sweat the small stuff, get the easy A, and have fun playing with the technology. You will need to relearn most of the material because the course is both overpacked with content and very hand-holdy, but you'll get a good overview of how to go about making an interactive website. Focus on the technology and not the trifling superficial requirements, and let the extra credit cushion you if need be. Otherwise, you may not quite know how to build a MERN site on your own when you finish, but hey, you'll know how to use the LanguageTool browser extension very well!

Submitted Fri Mar 24 2023

I took it with Pam, and I would make that choice again. If you do the extra credit and attend at least one of her help sessions per week, an A is incredibly smooth sailing. A lot of her instructions are unclear and she is nit-picky, so the help sessions are key to actually do the assignment the way she wants it done. Not ideal, obviously, but still very doable. One other thing I would note is don't try to be one of the first to do the assignment. She posts walkthrough videos a couple days in after she's gotten feedback from people and they make each assignment a breeze.

Submitted Thu Mar 16 2023

don't expect to retain everything you learn in this class because it's a ton of information and you'll only get overwhelmed. focus on the underlying concepts and the problem solving skills you develop while writing your apps and you'll be fine

Submitted Fri Dec 23 2022

Use outside resources to supplement your learning ASAP

Submitted Thu Dec 15 2022