Schinckel.net

Had a funny thing happen today. Tomorrow we have an assignment due for the one topic that is actually somewhat challenging: Programming Language Concepts. The task is to write a QuickSort program in c-like Java, and implement it using both a recursive and an iterative design. There is an extension task due next week, to do the same for a MergeSort program.

I’ve been working on this since about the second week. It hasn’t consumed all of my time, but it has taken a significant number of hours of coding time, testing time, and finally several hours of run-time to gather average data. This is even before writing up the assignment, although I’ve probably done way more work than was required in this aspect.

So, when it a lab session today (which I had done before-hand, something that few students in any of my topics appear to have grasped is probably the best way to work…), one of the students mentioned he hadn’t started his yet. This had myself and another student, who have bounced several ideas and problems off one another, aghast with jaw-dropping splendour (!).

I know he was for real, as an hour or so later, in a different lab room, he was asking another student for assistance with his development. This other student was someone who had done the topic in the past, and was giving him some assistance with his algorithm development. But I don’t possibly see how he can come close to finishing a program, let alone the other stuff, by 5pm tomorrow.

It occurs to me that I was like this other student, a long time ago. No I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have even bothered.

Oh dear, I’ve turned into an annoying mature-age student who gets work done ahead of time, and answers all of the questions in class.