15. Besides Blocks: Welcome to Python (LA Review - Sp15)

[lmock]

Your Name:

Overview of Lab Comments: i.e. Was this lab good or bad? Too fast? Too Slow? Does it need something new?

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      Type of Issue: i.e. (code) bug, grammar, typo, lack of clarity, etc
      Severity: i.e. "prevents students from continuing", "minor inconvenience", etc
      Comments: Description of the problem, what can be done to fix it, etc.
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      Type of Issue: i.e. (code) bug, grammar, typo, lack of clarity, etc
      Severity: i.e. "prevents students from continuing", "minor inconvenience", etc
      Comments: Description of the problem, what can be done to fix it, etc.

[Justin-Kim72]

Your Name: Justin Kim

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab is good introducing Python to the students. There's nothing special that needs to be addressed other than the fact there needs to be windows version of setting up python. I know that most of the students will be working on Mac computers, but it really did take me a long time to figure out how to set up a terminal and python on my computer, because most of the lab assistants didn't know how to do it. The link that takes you to setting up python for me was really confusing and I'm not completely sure it's the best way. There needs to be a better link or that the lab assistants need to be familiar with how to set up python on windows computer, so that way if a students wants to use python on their windows computers and comes in to lab for help, someone would be able to help them. Other than that, the lab is just fine and well done.

[anushasyed]

Anusha Syed

I also think there should be a link to a tutorial on how to install python3, in addition to installing git bash for PC users. Other than that, I think the diagrams and the chart on snap to python operators are super helpful. In addition, all the exercises are perfect introductions to the uses of strings, loops, etc. in python without being intimidating or too difficult to understand. Also, this most likely may just be me, but for some reason, all the pages take a really long time to load. Overall, I think this lab is the perfect introduction to python!

[amy97]

Your Name: Amy Vatcha

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab is a great gentle introduction to python but as I recall, it did not adequately prepare me well enough to handle the next python lab, which I struggled with when I took CS10

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/define_simple_function.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Lack of clarity       Severity: Minor inconvenience       Comments: In my opinion, this page should be the 2nd page of the lab since the first page of the lab draws a similar parallel between snap and python so this page would continue to reinforce the concept in a logical sequence as the student proceeds through the lab.

[18epedersen]

Emily Pedersen

I think this lab is a good introduction to the different tools of python such as for loops, while statements, list slicing, and def statements. I do think there should be an explantation of how the text editor relates to editing and testing your programs. When I was in CS10 I was so confused about how to run the code I edited in my text file in an interactive session. Overall, this lab is a good way to introduce students to different statements in python.

Page link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/printing_while_loops.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of Issue: lack of clarity Severity: minor Comments: For the exponents function, I think it would be better to explicitly say how you want the students to solve this question. When I was doing this problem last semester I justed used the built in \ notation, but I really think it would be good to suggest using recursion so students don't just use the built in function.

Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_basic_string.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of issue: lack of clarity Severity: minor Comments: Again I think it would be helpful to tell the students to use recursion to solve this problem, so they have an idea where to start attacking this question.

[frankyguerrero]

Your Name: Rocio Guerrero

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab serves as a very good introduction to Python. The instructions and explanations are very clear and simple, which makes learning a text-based code a lot less intimidating and therefore more exciting. I think it's really good that Snap blocks are put side-by-side their Python counterparts. This really helped me in CS 61A in thinking about the algorithms of the code. It was also really helpful to introduce working in the terminal because you need this knowledge in 61A. Overall, a good lab and good beginning point for people who want to continue into 61A!

[mikomwang]

Your Name: Michael Wang

Overview of Lab Comments: I loved the python part of CS10! It really shows you that your work and style of thinking can be translated into other languages easily and prepares you incredibly well for the critical thinking problems presented in the CS61 series. The side-by-side comparison of the python code and the Snap code is especially illuminating and should ease their transition into writing python syntax.

Overall, I thought that the exercises were good practice that could be completed in the allotted lab time, and that this lab was a good crash course into the very basics of Python and utilizing the terminal.

[jessej-luo]

Your Name: Jesse Luo

Overview of Lab Comments: I personally enjoyed this lab a lot, I felt like the concepts I learned in CS 10 are applicable everywhere. It helps to see them all side by side and learning as you go since a lot of the time, people question the validity of drag and drop, but once they see it's easily translatable, they don't worry as much. I think it's also nice they go through the unix file system a bit, since that's very helpful if they go into cs61a and in general understanding how computers are organized. The one thing I felt was a bit distracting was the amount of colors everywhere, I think it's a bit too colorful and disorganized, it feels like the interface could be a bit more readable and clean. Other than that, this is a good lab for learning.

[susanshen96]

Your Name: Susan Shen

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab serves a pretty good introduction into Python; I’ve even referenced it during the first few days of 61A. It might be a little difficult for students because the jump from Snap! to Python is a bit of a task, but once they’ve grasped the concepts, they’ll have a pretty solid foundation going into 61A.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Clarification       Severity: Might be an inconvenience for people with PCs       Comments: Since I don’t own a Mac, a few of the instructions on how to run Python did not apply to my computer, so I had to do a lot of independent research. I think it might be useful to students who are in the same situation as I was, to know that just typing python (…) will do for Windows command prompt.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/math-and-variables-self-test.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Appearance       Severity: Minor inconvenience       Comments: If I get a question wrong and click to try again, all of the answer choices turn to black letters with a gray background. Is this color scheme change supposed to be on purpose? It’s a little disorienting nonetheless; might want to keep the colors consistent.

[mayaah]

Your Name: Maya Angelica Hernandez

Overview of Lab Comments: When I took CS10 we had Beyond Blocks and I think it's excellent that the labs integrate them, and that it's called "Besides Blocks" which does not lessen the value of blocks. I was kind of wary of the virus file though haha.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: i.e. typo       Severity: i.e. very minor inconvenience       Comments: Minor typo at bottom in blue box describing codification, first few words: "side by side wit,Snap! code"
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: clarity       Severity: not that important       Comments: Not a big deal at all. But at first the students are asked to open python and hit the "return" key then later to hit the "enter" key after typing a line. The enter and return key are the same thing (for Macs anyway), is there a reason why we differentiate the two and are not consistent throughout?
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_syntax_and_operators.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: i.e. minor inconvenience       Comments: Under quick tip: there is an extra parentheses after the x += 8. Some students may think the ) is needed.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: additional info       Severity: not severe       Comments: For the "cd .." command, it says that it will move back out of our directory. Maybe can specify "cd .." only goes back one directory, not all the way to the beginning of the directory that's what "cd" does.

[jesslarson]

Your Name: Jessica Larson

Overview of Lab Comments: YAY!! Python, finally!

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: confusing       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: It says that anything that can be done in python can be done in snap!, but snap! isn't able to import all the different libraries that python is able to import, the the speed of snap! makes it virtually impossible to attempt some algorithms that are easy for python, and snap! isn't able to execute another program. I just think that this is misleading and frustrating information that does not belong in this lab, especially when trying to promote learning python. I also think that it jeopardizes our integrity, by supplying incorrect information to students.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html

      Type of Issue: bug       Severity: inconvenience / stops the student from continuing       Comments: it asks to go to the home directory, denoted by "~" but that doesn't show up in windows and that could confuse students working on this at home.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html

      Type of Issue: suggestion       Severity: inconvenience       Comments: This would be a great opportunity to mention that pressing the up arrow brings up previous commands.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/printing_while_loops.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html

      Type of Issue: inconsistency       Severity: inconvenience       Comments: It says in the for loop (1, num +1) but in the code provided its x, just needs more consistency.

[thorsoch]

Your Name: Charles Thorson

Overview of Lab Comments: I felt that it may be useful to give students a quick lesson on the meaning of each of the basic terminal commands. Since a lot of people were confused with the command line last semester. Although there is the step by step instruction with some explanations in this lab, I feel that many students would probably just copy exactly what is on it and not know what they are actually doing. Over all, I felt that this lab is a great introduction to python that effectively links concepts to those in SNAP!

[sayabe]

Your Name: Satoko Ayabe

Overview of Lab Comments: I thought this was lab was a good introduction to coding in python. I like how this lab mentioned how we are learning how to learn code. I also like how the lab had a snap version of the code and the python version of the code side by side so it's easier to compare and translate among the 2 languages.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: i.e. lack of clarity       Severity: i.e. "minor inconvenience"       Comments: For me last semester, the command was "python2" not just "python" when I didn't have python3
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: i.e. suggestion       Severity: i.e. "minor inconvenience"       Comments: I think it'll be good to teach students shortcuts for exit, interactive mode etc. instead of "exit()". It saves a lot of time for the students and it's really convenient.

[cynthiaha]

Your Name: Cynthia Ha

Overview of Lab Comments: Overall, I think this lab is a great introduction to python. The instructions are generally quite clear and explains the basic python functions to the students. I liked how the lab had Snap! blocks so students can see the similarity between snap and python, which eases the transition between snap to python.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of Issue: suggestion Severity: minor inconvenience Comments: It would be useful to teach the students about the interactive mode as it is super useful in helping them debug their codes. I remember when I was in CS10 , I found it much easier to find mistakes in my code after a TA taught me about the interactive mode.

[eurieoh]

Your Name: Eurie Oh

Overview of Lab Comments: I thought that this lab was a great way to introduce Python to students. I thought that the use of the Snap! block next to the equivalent line of code in Python was a great visual aid in helping students understand Python. The only change I would suggest is to not only give problems that they have already solved with Snap!. Although it may be easier for them to understand, It may be better to challenge them a bit more at least for the later problems.

[megancarey]

Megan Carey

Overview of Lab Comments: I really like this lab. I think that it's great to have the python and Snap! code exhibited side by side so that students receive a direct comparison. I also think that it is a fun introduction to python!

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/llab/html/topic.html?topic=berkeley_bjc/python/besides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: i.e. (code) typo       Severity: i.e. minor       Comments: In the Big Ideas section, there is a typo in this sentence: "Text based languages are just as power as visual languages and come with their own set of pros and cons." It should say "powerful," not "power." Also, the format of the bullet points in the Activities section is kind of inconsistent, not that that really matters.

[Stantlers]

Your Name: Stanley Ho Overview of Lab Comments: I really like this lab. Incorporating snap block pictures to show how'd the python code would look in snap really helped me learn python last semester. I think this lab does a good job introducing python to the students.

[ilinabg]

Your Name: Ilina Bhaya-Grossman

Overview of Lab Comments: I think this is a really helpful and well structured (straight forward) in terms of content, it is fun to see your snap code become a part of something else that seems more real and 'program' like. However, I think that this lab packs in a lot of information and it is a bit tricky to make sure that students are not overwhelmed by all of the information they are receiving. Maybe make slides shorter so that each slide has less information and then is less daunting? Just an idea. This lab is also a lot of loading text editors, learning how to use command line; semi dry information; maybe somehow make learning this information more interactive: something involving a partner? etc. Otherwise this is a very fun lab and allows students to learn a lot!

[keehansullivan]

Your Name: Sean Sullivan

Overview of Lab Comments: I think this is a great lab, I find it introduces python in a really nice way. It is not too overwhelming and relates it to something they already know. It can easily be done in the 2 hours.

[xmhjch]

Your Name: Jiachen Hu

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab did a very good job in the introduction of python. The exercises were reasonable and the virus.py was well designed. (I personally like the loading animation the best).

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/math-and-variables-self-test.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html

      Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: minor       Comments: for the second self-test problem, y / x and y % x both yield 1, which is the correct answer. Since / and % are really easy to be confused with each other, I think x and y probably should have some other values?

[carolinekim]

Caroline Kim

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab does an excellent job of introducing the students to the Python programming language by explaining step by step procedures in coding in Python and also displaying the equivalent Snap! codes alongside the new Python code that does the same task. The lab is also very helpful in the sense that there are a lot of visualizations (for example, when explaining how to define a function) that make the new information clear and not confusing.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_basic_string.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Answers would be helpful       Severity: Minor inconvenience       Comments: For exercises such as "reverse_string," it might be helpful to include the solution to the code somewhere (not directly on the page that the question was given) so that students having trouble with solving the problem (most likely because they have made simple syntax errors) can turn for assistance might be helpful.

[papratt]

Your Name: Paige Pratt

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab is very good and does an amazing job at putting python together with snap! The lab is straight forward and interesting. It is really good that the lab puts python and snap! side by side because it will make it easier for students to transfer what they have learned. All in all it was well paced and easy to understand.

• [ ] http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html:       Type of Issue: possible confusion      Severity: prevents students from continuing       Comments: Last semester most of the computers in the lab only had python not python 3 so students got confused and couldn't pull up python. Also in windows computers you use py not python3 so that could be a really useful thing to mention.

[KamikazeTomato]

Your Name: Henry Chung

Overview of Lab Comments:

I thought this lab was well designed as a whole. It seems like a wholly useful primer on moving to SNAP to python barring some minor issues in communication. It might also be useful to remind students what a palindrome is on that last page.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Possibly Unnecessary       Severity: Minor Clarity       Comments: I'm not so sure this page is necessary. It's not really something that is relevant to the idea of SNAP to python and kinda feels out of place compared to the rest of the lab.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: Lack of Clarity       Severity: Minor       Comments: When launching the program virus.py through python, it would be useful if there were just one sentence explaining the difference between putting "python3 virus.py" vs "python3 virus.py first_even_nums" (how the latter is a function defined within the file is never really explained. It would be useful to equate that as a block made in snap and calling it in this way is calling an instance of a block.)

[benlsmith]

Your Name: Benjamin Smith

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab seems very well designed as a way to introduce python to the class. I enjoyed how it introduced many of the basic concepts in comparable ways to snap and explicitly stated the differences, but still showed the similarities between many of the blocks and commands. The biggest problem that I noticed was how when introducing the concepts, it didn't cover windows set ups very well and i think a bit more explanation there would've helped.

[JaysanM]

Your Name: Jaysan Maolinbay

Overview of Lab Comments: Overall, this lab provides a great transition into python. The examples are nice and the lab goes at a very nice pace. The comparisons from SNAP! to python syntax also provide a nice resource for the students. Perhaps the only concern I'd have about this lab is the set-up of sublime text and GitBash (At least that what we used in 61A), because that can be a little confusing.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity:minor inconvenience       Comments: It would be nice to have a full explanation on how to set-up Sublime text and the terminal on the page

[bitofbreeze]

Your Name: Florin-James Langer

Overview of Lab Comments: Very good lab; it looks like you did a good job of putting the Snap code next to the python equivalents throughout, whereas I remember this wasn't as well done last semester.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: not       Comments: The purple box at the bottom says "wit,Snap" instead of "with Snap"

[soham14]

Your Name: Soham Kudtarkar

Overview of Lab Comments: I really liked this lab because it was really instructive and showed me what coding would look like in CS 61A. I wish that there were more besides blocks labs because they would have helped me with with the syntax of python, and consequently, with 61A. Overall, I found that this lab did its job well by teaching students how to use python.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typos       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: There were a few typos in the blue box at the bottom of the page. "With" is spelt incorrectly. "Snap!" is incorrectly written as "snap" and is not italicized. The apostrophe used for the word "language's" is incorrectly placed (because "each" implies a singular noun "language"). These were just small errors in wording that I found annoying, but not that impactful on the lesson of the lab.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: i.e. prevents students from continuing       Comments: I found that the link given for setting up python for Windows users was a bit confusing and I recall that it took some time for me to set up python when I was taking CS 10.

[JiazhenChen]

Your Name: Jiazhen Chen

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab is a pretty good introduction to python. I really like the way tht snap program is side by side with python code. This makes a lot of sense for students first using python language. The whole lab is well paced. The excercises are in right levels.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: In the purple block at the bottom. I think it wants to say "You will see python code side by side with." not "wit".
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: just some suggestion       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: I feel like there can be a hint reminding the students to save before run. Some studnets may not know this...
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_syntax_and_operators.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: just some suggestion       Severity:       Comments: I think there should be some hint reminding the students that the equal to and assigning symbols are differnet. One is "==" another is "=". It's quite important and I feel it's necessary to emphasize a bit.

[Hungukaroo]

Elizabeth Steger

Overview: This is a wonderful lab I wish I had the opportunity to complete when I took CS10. The step by step snap! comparisons make this such a straightforward lab and hopefully transition for students into python. Plenty of awesome exercises, easy testing, and quizzes make this, in my opinion, one of the best stand-alone labs.

Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_basic_string.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of Issue: Aesthetic Severity: Insignificant Comments: In chrome, the >>> name = "Alonzo" part of the screen has a little scroll marker, it does not have it when I open in firefox. I don't know if this bothers anyone else, or even if it happens on other computers, but I thought I would mention it.

[morganewing]

Your Name: Morgan Ewing

Overview of Lab Comments: I remember being very excited for this lab because it's always exciting to learn a new language. I think that this lab effectively introduces Python by relating it to Snap, making it very easy to learn. I think that the Variables and Primitive Expressions page is especially helpful and well formatted. Lastly, the exercises with Python toward the end are challenging enough for students to spend some time on them but they are definitely doable. This is important because it makes Python seem like a language that they can learn and use.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: minor       Comments: The sentence "You will see Python code side by side wit,Snap code..." has a typo and should be "with Snap code..."

[MaazUddin11]

Your Name: Maaz Uddin

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab was really good and very well paced. I remember being super excited about this lab because I was really looking forward to learning python last semester. I think students may find some of the concepts hard to internalize, but I think it's just a matter of time and working with python enough for them to understand them (especially stuff like zero indexing). Overall it was probably one of my favorite labs and I believe most of the students will find this to be rather easy, and possibly even a bit of a relief, now that they can type their code instead of dragging and dropping.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: In the bottom bluish / purple box it says "side by side wit,Snap!"
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: The lab mentions the word "shell" but doesn't clearly identify what exactly a shell is.

[william0cheung]

William Cheung

Overview: YES PYTHON! I love this lab, and I think the students will also be really excited to learn this new language, especially if they are continuing to 61A. It is important that the transition between graphical language and text language is smooth, and I believe this lab accomplishes just that.

Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_syntax_and_operators.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of Issue: lack of clarity Severity: minor inconvenience Comments: This page compares setting variables in Snap! versus Python. On the Snap! side there is just the "set" block, but not the declaration of script variable. It might not be clear that in Python both are done in the same line.

Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/printing_while_loops.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Type of Issue: lack of clarity Severity: minor inconvenience Comments: This introduces indexing and range; maybe more explicitly compare how Python (and most other languages) start indexing at 0 instead of Snap!'s 1. It may be unfamiliar at first, but making this explicit will lessen confusion.

[seunghalee]

Your Name: Seungha Lee

Overview of Lab Comments: This was a great lab that should helped students transition from Snap! to Python. The comparison charts and diagrams juxtaposing Snap! and python functions make it easier to see how Snap! concepts can transfer over to python. I also think the exercises are challenging enough yet doable in the 2 hours of lab.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: I think it would be helpful to clarify "python3" vs. when it is necessary to use "python3 virus.py"

[msilva926]

Your Name: Melanie Silva

Overview of Lab Comments: Clear and well put together lab. The comparisons between the languages are easy to understand and the exercises are elementary enough for a good start at python. No typos, couldn't find many things wrong with the lab.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: On the second to last block of words, I feel like we should be more clear about what we mean by "here" in "From here you won't be able to run any other command"

[Rshahatit]

Your Name: Rami Shahatit

Overview of Lab Comments: I felt like this lab did a good job of introducing the students to python, just as the title suggests. They are certainly welcomed to python. From the beginning of the lab: I didn't understand the point of the survey, at least by the description at the top. It is not very clear what the "new unit" of the semester is. but once you take it, it makes sense and I feel that all the students read is "extra credit" and they just do the survey so I am not sure if this even needs to be considered.

second page of lab.

      Type of Issue:typo       Severity: "minor inconvenience"       Comments: Add an h to the word "wit" before SNAP!.

• [ ] Page Link:

      Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: "minor inconvenience"       Comments: when you say you wont be able to run any other command I feel like you should specify what you mean by that because you can run other commands that are python commands but you cant run linux commands unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying in which case just ignore this.

For the declaring variables section, I think it would be useful to describe how the left side of the equal sign is being set to the right side of the equal sign or something similar to this. because you kind of imply this but I think explicitly saying that would be useful.

I think the order of the lab should be the linux and file organization stuff then the python interpreter stuff but that is just what i feel is the flow of what you would need to know. Like you get into your file to test it then you open the interpreter. I think it is helpful to have the screenshots of the snap next to python. It helps me visualize snap in python words.

Overall, very good intro to python.

[michen-ml]

Michelle Chen

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab is clear and straightforward, and the association between python and snap helps a lot. The table of python operations is also really helpful. More instruction on how to set up a text editor and finding terminal would help. Also, if students want to work on their own computers, it would be helpful if there was a link to download sublime or another text editor onto their own computers.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/math-and-variables-self-test.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: suggestion       Severity: minor       Comments: maybe add a question that tests whether the student actually read through the list of commands. Testing booleans would be helpful so students thoroughly understands each command.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: clarity       Severity: minor       Comments: maybe specify that cd.. only takes you back one directory and specify more explicitly the difference between cd.. and cd

[janicechui]

Your Name: Janice Chui

Overview of Lab Comments: The lab is clear and makes it easy for the student to translate from Snap to Python.

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Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/intro-survey.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html     Type of Issue: page does not load      Severity: minor       Comments: On the first page, the survey does not show up

Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html    Type of Issue: typo      Severity: minor       Comments: In the purple box at the bottom, "wit, Snap!", should be "with"

[chnicoloso]

Your Name: Christian Lista Nicoloso

Overview of Lab Comments: This is a great lab that introduces students to a new language while making it clear that all they've learned is still applicable (and forever will be!). All the exercises are simple enough to be approached by students however challenging enough to not be trivial. My feeling is that students will leave this lab excited for what is next and appreciative of the preparation CS10 has given them to tackle on new languages and more advanced courses

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: missing content       Severity:could prevents students from continuing.       Comments: the lab wants the student to fix the bug by noticing that we are not including the latter limit in the function because "Ha! Python is different!" but unless I am missing something, I don't think the student knows enough about python (at least from the lab) to solve this bug. It isn't until the page after this one that we tell the student that a range (x, y) goes from x to y-1.

[danielduazo]

Daniel Duazo

I really like this lab as an introduction to Python (and 61A). I like how code written in Python is juxtaposed with the corresponding translation in Snap. I would have liked it if there was a word or two about shortcuts the students could use when working with Terminal (namely, pressing the up arrow will bring up the last line entered - this can help by not making the students type a whole line again if they mess up a parentheses/semicolon/bracket etc).

[mfujimoto]

Your Name: Mason Fujimoto

Overview of Lab Comments: I thought this was a great lab, and a satisfying one insofar as it shows the relationship of snap to other language and sets up the workflow for cs61a. I feel that students will be excited to know that all they have learned translates outside of cs10.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_conditionals.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: The exercise on palindrome does not include a definition of what a palindrome is. I think a simple reminder would save the students some trouble.

[robrodz]

Your Name: Robert Rodriguez

Overview of Lab Comments: Good, thorough lab that I think a lot of students enjoy because it takes them on their first step "Beyond Blocks"

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_conditionals.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: i.e. (code) = lack of application       Severity: i.e. "minor inconvenience"       Comments: I think it would be nice if there were more applications and problems where students get to practice with the different types of if statements

[yifatamir]

Yifat Amir

Overview of Lab Comments: I think this lab is loads of fun! It is jam-packed with information, but I think it's empowering for students to see how easily they can pick up on another language.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: minor inconvenience       Comments: in the bottom of this page, in the purple box, it says "wit,Snap" instead of "with Snap"
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/open_shell_and_python.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: can lead to questions       Comments: towards the bottom of the page, we say "From here you won't be able to run any other command." However, the students don't know of any other commands yet (besides maybe the internet lab ones), so maybe we can give a few examples of non-python commands, or later state "here is a list of python commands we learned and here is a list of non-python commands or something of that sort.
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/define_simple_function.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: can lead to questions..       Comments: in the yellow box where it says "it's common to have text between function parameters..." I think this could be better explained, and even demonstrated with an image of side-by-side code, since it's unclear what "text between function parameters" really means...
• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/define_simple_function.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: lack of clarity       Severity: prevents some students from continuing       Comments: the image of python text (besides being aesthetically not-so-pleasing) includes a range function, which is explained later in the page, but could probably be more conveniently explained right next to the image (or at least pointed to).

[lizapraprotnik]

Liza Praprotnik

I think this lab is a great introduction to python. The side-by-side comparisons to Snap! make it easy for students to transition to a different syntax. I also think it's good that the lab covers everything from opening the interpreter to basic shell commands, and doesn't assume that students have experience with that.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: typo       Severity: minor       Comments: The purple block at the bottom says "wit,Snap!" instead of "with Snap"

[knmcgauley]

Katherine McGauley

I quite liked the structure of this lab as an introduction to Python and a way to relate it to Snap. The introduction to the command line was also very well done. Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/running_script_from_command_line.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Feedback: I think this is a really concise walkthrough of the basic Unix commands, and contains the essentials for the lab. I think it might be helpful to have an even more condensed version available in some way as well; for example, after walking through the example one command at a time, placing a grid at the end containing the commands and a brief description of what they do could be a nice way to consolidate the information for reference.

[juliaalcaraz]

Julia Alcaraz Overall: I think this lab is great for introducing python to students because it compares python syntax to snap and show them python parallel to snap, a language they already know. Also I like that this lab has a quiz in it because it makes sure the student read through the previous pages, which they don't always do and learning python is an important skill. Also it really explains the basics on using python, such as opening a file in the interpreter and using sublime, which I found sort of difficult at first.

Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/introduction_to_besides_blocks.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Feedback: Minor grammar error. On the last box in the bottom of the page it says wit Snap! on the first line instead of with.

[siyingwang]

Siying Wang Overall: I think this lab is good for introducing python to students by putting what the SNAP syntax to python. It will help students understand what they learned before. Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/python_basic_string.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html Feedback: typo In CS10, it actually should type python into shell instead of python3.

[Meghna15]

Your Name: Meghna Dasgupta

Overview of Lab Comments: This lab is well-paced and gives a very good introduction to Python. I love the idea of codification and the tables provided with Snap! and Python code side by side as it really helped me as a student when I was first learning Python.

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• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/finding_a_bar.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&novideo&noreading&noassingment&course=cs10_sp15.html       Type of Issue: i.e. Clarity       Severity: i.e. Minor       Comments: I think it would be more useful to put this in the beginning of the lab (after showing students how to use terminal) because then the students can finish understanding all the logistical stuff and then focus completely on Python instead of jumping back and forth between the two.

[KimiaG]

Your Name: Kimia Ghodoosian

Overview of Lab Comments: Loved this lab and the side-by-side comparisons. Is it possible to include a breakdown of all the steps involved in writing a Python program without skeleton code as my partner and I were a bit lost when it came to that part of the final project.

• [ ] Page Link: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/labs/cur/programming/python/define_simple_function.html?topic=berkeley_bjc%2Fpython%2Fbesides-blocks-welcome.topic&course=cs10_sp15.html&novideo&noreading&noassignment       Type of Issue: None       Severity: N/A       Comments: For the math-inclined folk out there I like to think of the inclusive/exclusive range as equivalent to [x, y) or closed parenthesis, open parenthesis.