The rest of the term proceeded as expected. The midterm was challenging, but not overwhelming. Dr. Winograd was patient and the slides used were clear and concise. Throughout the term, I made it a point to visit before class on Thursday, whether it was going over a previous assignment, the midterm or getting help clarifying concepts with which I struggled. I knew that I only needed a B- to pass the class, but I also knew that the use of statistics would play a prominent role in requirements gathering.
As the class wound down and we approached the final, I felt trepidation as to whether I would get the coveted B- or not. Because of the snowstorm earlier, we would miss a class which made it even more crucial that I understood the material. Fortunately, we were given an extra credit assignment. I struggled with it but felt that I grasped the information well. This assignment was due the day of the final.
Both the final and the midterm were open note, open book – it was just a matter of organization and knowing where to find the needed example quickly. I focused as much time on quickly locating my notes as I did in understanding the concepts. Surprisingly, I scored 78% on the midterm and 79% on the final. The professor was very good about explaining the midterm in class to make sure everyone understood the problems as well as the thought process to obtain the answers.
I felt that I did well enough for at least a B- overall, but was anxious during the week it took for the grades to be posted. When my grade was posted, I received an A- for the class. I felt that I actually deserved a B or maybe a B+ from my scores, but my effort was A.
I liked the class and I thought Dr. Winograd taught it well. He was fair and explained the concepts well with multiple examples. The only negative I have with the class is that I purchased the book which was not needed. I never once opened it nor was that expected. And of course I was unable to sell it because the current version is a later version, even though the version I bought was the version needed for class. What a racket!
Next: Seriously, I will finish HCI440
