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Post 1: My Best Learning Experience

August 17, 2025 /

My best learning experience happened after a few semesters of trying to keep up with professors, where inconsistencies in timing became a problem. Some professors would go way too quickly over more complex concepts, and others would spend too much time on the material that was easily if not already understood. This would always leave me leaving the lectures with none of the information properly grasped or understood, Leaving study sessions becoming more learning everything from scratch than revising. This was slowly weakening my focus and motivation to study and learn at all. 

The real shift happened in the fall semester of 2024, where the overload in assignments and me missing many lectures just so that I could keep up with deadlines. At first it seemed like I would’ve ended up falling behind but instead, I found myself being forced into a new system of learning. Rather than stressing about missed lecture notes, I started studying on my own. This is where I learnt how to break down concepts directly and at my own pace, thoroughly learning the concepts and eventually teaching myself more. With the added pressure of assignments I was always held under a time constraint with understanding the lessons and then working on the relevant assignments, this pressure helped me not just figure out what to focus on but also how to quickly learn and adapt the material. 

One of the major changes this switch resulted in was that the material I was learning actually stuck, rather than being easily forgotten. I realized when studying for major assessments, I had a much easier time since there wasn’t much I had to relearn from scratch, rather it felt like a proper revision. Now looking back at this, this learning experience changed how I ended up learning and looking back I can somewhat relate this to behaviorism, since the constant pressures of deadlines, and trying to balance my own personal life acted like reinforcement. Each time I finished an assignment or figured out a concept, it rewarded me with more time to allocate to the other things in my life.

This became my best learning experience because it allowed me to learn more efficiently, where the information learnt stuck with me long term. I was able to use this to balance school with everything outside of it. 

Assignment 1

July 28, 2025 /

by: Jaskarn, Rob, Mitsu

  1. An overview of the topic including:
    • A concise description of your topic citing at least 2 academic sources

Coding is the process of writing computer interpretable instructions (code) using a programming language (like python, or Java, or C++, etc) so that the computer can execute tasks. 

“What Is Coding and What Is It Used for? A Beginner’s Guide.” ZDNET, www.zdnet.com/education/computers-tech/what-is-coding-and-what-is-it-used-for/.  Accessed 27 July 2025. 

Programming languages all have their own rules, the same way that different human languages all have rules, grammar, syntax. To code is to be able to speak/ write in a language the computer can understand. Beyond learning the conventions of a programming language or languages, coding and programming is all about problem solving and thinking. 

Nduta, Agnes, et al. “What Is Coding? A Simple Beginner’s Guide for 2025.” CareerFoundry, 10 Jan. 2023, careerfoundry.com/en/blog/web-development/what-is-coding/.  

  • 1-2 misconceptions about your topic. What do people usually misunderstand about it? What mistakes do they often make?

Probably the most common misconception about coding is that “it seems hard and therefore I shouldn’t try.” While it can seem intimidating to start if you have never done it before, it only takes a little time, effort, and commitment, to get going – similar to learning any new skill. Especially in today’s day and age with the amount of technology and resource available it is very easy to learn and quickly get a good understanding and foundation. Coding at a high level can be difficult, but it is very scalable meaning that anyone can eventually work up to that level. No one who wants to try or learn coding should stop themselves because it seems intimidating, in reality it is quite simple and accessible to get into.

  • A rationale for developing your learning resource based on this topic. What is it about this topic in particular that is of interest to you?

Coding is a great way to expand your way of thinking. It deals with problem solving and creative thinking. It can help people to look at things differently, teaching you new ways to approach  and tackle issues. 

  1. A learning design plan using the template attached. The plan should include:
    • One or two ‘big ideas (core concepts)’ related to your topic.
  1. Coding isn’t just commands, it’s about solving problems using logic (critical thinking)
  2. Utilizing coding tools to create programs to complete and efficiently handle tasks
  • Learning outcomes addressing those big ideas.
  • Using algorithmic based logic thinking as tool for not just coding but real world applications
  • Learning basic programming skills and concepts
  • Learning activities that allow learner to explore, experiment and actively engage with the concepts and prepare to be assessed.
  • Code.org games that require problem solving and builds upon programming concepts
  • Problem activities which require the learner to think critically of what it is that is going on, where problem may arise, and ultimately aimed at trial and error based learning.
  • An assessment plan in alignment with the learning outcomes you identified, e.g., quiz, final paper, report, discussion.
  • Quiz style where the learner will be faced with problems, some aimed for debugging so that the learner can learn to identify where problems may be, some questions aimed to come up with a solution, where there is no one path to the correct outcome.
  1. A list of resources that your learners will need to access such as:
  • A code compiler (Visual studios)
  • Programming language (python or java)
  • Code.org and maybe an additional website (subject to change)
  1. A project plan showing who will be responsible for each element of the project.

The three of us will all contribute and add to the various elements of the project. This is a rough outline of the responsibilities each member will have.

Rob:

  • Research and summarize beginner coding concepts (logic, loops, events).
  • Select and test appropriate coding activities on Code.org.
  • Write short intros and explanations to guide students through the activities.

Jaskarn:

  • Assist with final blog formatting.
  • Design the visual layout of the blog (choose theme, organize sections, choose fonts/colors).
  • Create or source images, GIFs, or short screen recordings to make the blog more engaging.

Mitsu:

  • Help embed Code.org activities or link them properly.
  • Write a section reflecting on why coding is important today.
  • Draft and edit written content for clarity and flow.
  • Review the final blog for polish before submission. (ALL)
image showing person walking in pre-painted footprints
Photo by Flickr user jfchenier under CC license: BY-NC 2.0

Welcome and Introduction

May 2, 2021 /

Before proceeding with this first blog post, we expect you to consider your privacy preferences carefully and that you have considered the following options:

  1. Do you want to be online vs. offline?
  2. Do you want to use your name (or part thereof) vs. a pseudonym (e.g., West Coast Teacher)?
  3. Do you want to have your blog public vs. private? (Note, you can set individual blog posts private or password protected or have an entire blog set to private)
  4. Have you considered whether you are posting within or outside of Canada? This blog on opened.ca is hosted within Canada. That said, any public blog posts can have its content aggregated/curated onto social networks outside of Canada.

First tasks you might explore with your new blog:

  • Go into its admin panel found by adding /wp-admin at the end of your blog’s URL
  • Add new category or tags to organize your blog posts – found under “Posts” (but do not remove the pre-existing “edci335” category).
  • See if your blog posts are appearing on the course website (you must have the the edci335 category assigned to a post first and have provided your instructor with your blog URL)
  • Add pages, if you like.
  • Include hyperlinks in your posts (select text and click on the link icon in the post toolbar)
  • Embed images or set featured images and embed video in blog posts and pages (can be your own media or that found on the internet, but consider free or creative commons licensed works). To embed a YouTube video, simply paste the URL on its own line.
  • Under Dashboard/Appearance,
    • Select your preferred website theme and customize to your preferences (New title, new header image, etc.)
    • Customize menus & navigation
    • Use widgets to customize blog content and features
  • Delete this starter post (or switch it to draft status if you want to keep it for reference)

Do consider creating categories for each course that you take should you wish to document your learning (or from professional learning activities outside of formal courses). Keep note, however, that you may wish to rename the label of the course category in menus (e.g., as we did where it shows “Learning Design” as the label for the “edci335” category menu.  This will enable readers not familiar with university course numbers to understand what to expect in the contents.

Lastly, as always, be aware of the FIPPA as it relates to privacy and share only those names/images that you have consent to use or are otherwise public figures. When in doubt, ask us.

Please also review the resources from our course website for getting started with blogging:

University of Victoria
Photo by Flickr user serdarkaya under CC license: BY-NC-ND 2.0

Test Learning Design Post

May 2, 2020 /

This post  will appear in a few places:

  1. in the blog feed on the front of your website
  2. in the Learning Design menu on your website. This is because we have applied the “edci335” category to this post and the menu item “Learning Design” has been created from the category “edci335.” For every post you make for this course, please assign the “edci335” category to it. You are welcome to use this blog for your personal hobbies or for other courses, in which case, you could create additional menu items and categories for them.
  3. if you give permission, your posts categorized “edci335” will be aggregated onto the Blog Feed on the EDCI 335 Course Website.

Feel free to delete this post once you understand this. If you have any questions, please reach out to your instructor.

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