CS Online Learning Journal

CST 300 - Review This week is the last week of CST 300, also known as Major ProSeminar.. I learned many things through the eight weeks of the class. In addition to this post, the following posts discuss material from CST 300: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 APA Formatting In CST 300 we used APA formatting. In high-school and community college I used MLA formatting, but I had never used APA formatting. Many of the core concepts are the same, such as in-text citation and having a references page, but the syntax and formatting are different. It has been a long time since I have used MLA, but based on what I remember I think I like APA formatting more. I remember MLA feeling more tedious than I have found APA. Academic Writing Academic writing is one of the primary focuses of CST 300. We wrote two essays during the class.  In the first, known as the Industry Analysis , we analyzed an industry, a company of our choice in that industry, and our plan to prepare ...

 Final Research Video Project Planning This week my group began working on the final for our current class. The final is a video presentation on quantum computing, and will cover the basic principles, history, applications, challenges, and future prospects of quantum computing. There are two videos, a longer one aimed at professionals, and a shorter one aimed at general audiences. So far this was our biggest project by far. Because of this, we saw some challenges that I think we can learn from. For the most part we collaborated through voice calls, but we also messages each other to communicate. We have been meeting at least once a week, and meeting twice a week if required. We have been using Discord for voice calls, messaging, and file sharing.  For smaller projects, this process has worked incredibly well. Typically, meeting in a voice call is enough for us to finish or designate rolls for small assignments. We knew that this wouldn't work for a large assignment, so ahead o...

Group Discussion on Capstone Ideas This week my teammates and I discussed possible projects we could do for the capstone project. Each of us showed the capstone project ideas we had from last time. Interestingly, there were a few common themes between us. Most of us suggested project ideas involving AI, with some of us suggesting multiple. Most of us also suggested project ideas that related software that helps with organization. Given how much they were suggested, it is very possible that our capstone project will include AI or organization. Among the topics my teammates suggested, there were a few that stood out to me. Appointment Booking System for small business - This is a booking system aimed at small business, which would feature automatic reminders and a calendar, and would be mobile-friendly. This idea looks very doable, and it would probably be easy to work with a small business for the project. Smart Navigation System/App for public spaces - This would be a mobile app that a...

Capstone Project Ideas In the first post of this journal, I mentioned that I'm attending a college program for computer science. At the end of the program, we have to complete a large project, which is called the capstone project. For the capstone project we can work in groups or individually, and we can do a variety of things for the project. Some examples of projects include video games, video game modding software, data visualization software, and library software. I have a few ideas for possible capstone projects I could do. Develop a video game. Develop a modding tool for a video game. Develop an API or tool for a video game engine, such as Godot. Develop a software that helps organize notes and ideas. What are Stakeholders? This week we read about stakeholders. A stakeholder is anybody that is impacted by a decision. An example of this would be a company dumping pollutants into a river or lake. The company is a stakeholder, as they are likely benefiting from dumping pollutant...

 My Educational Goals This week we briefly discussed setting goals. As part of this we were tasked with setting our educational goals. CSUMB Goals The goal I am currently working on is completing CS Online at CSUMB. My goal is to graduate from the program in 2027. To accomplish this, I need to complete a few smaller goals during the program. I need to complete a foreign language. Currently I am taking Spanish 1 at Sierra College. I need to complete an ethnic studies course. I plan to take Intro to Ethnic Studies (ETHN 11) or Ethnic Images in Film (ETHN 50) at Sierra College during the Summer 2025 semester. I need to complete a physical science course. I plan to take Physical Geology (ESCI 1) or Introduction to Earth Science (ESCI 10) at Sierra College during the Fall 2025 semester. I need to complete a computer science elective course at CSUMB. I plan to take Game Engine Programming (CST 306) or a similar class during the Spring 2026 semester. Other Educational Goals While attendin...

 Last week I wrote about how we looked at a document called Effective Study Skills, and how one of the areas in studying I'm weak in is taking notes. This week we looked at various study techniques covered by the website AcademicTips.org. Some of the study tips were about note taking. One tip the website gives is to only write down the important information, instead of writing everything down. This is something I somewhat struggle with. With classes with a live lecture, typically in-person classes, I feel pressured to retain all of the information. This causes me to try to write everything down. I'm better with this with classes with recorded lectures or slides. In these classes I don't feel pressured to write everything down since I can always go back to look at the lecture material.  Another tip given by AcademicTips is to divide the pages of your notebook into two halves, keeping lecture notes and textbook notes on separate sides. The idea is that it's easier to dist...

This week we read a document called Effective Study Skills . As the name suggests, it discusses various ways you can improve your studying. One of the areas of studying I'm better at is managing time. I feel that I'm pretty good at making sure I set aside time to study and work on homework. Another area of studying I'm better at is organization. I think I'm pretty good at keeping my notes and assignments organized, usually by class and module. Another area of studying I'm better at is surveying. I believe that I'm good at understanding assignments and questions, as well as eliminating answers on a quiz. One of the areas of studying I'm weak in is schedules. I don't write study schedules, or schedule when to study specific assignments. Another area of studying I'm weak in is outlining textbooks. Whether it's physical or digital, I don't outline textbooks. Another area of studying I'm weak in is taking notes. I'm inconsistent with takin...