1. Tue - Intros, Functions & Hoisting

CS Prep Overview

Who We Are:

• Will Sentance - CEO & Head of Engineering at Codesmith, brings extensive experience in software engineering and education, focusing on enhancing student learning.

• Mila Hose - CS Prep Instructor, dedicated to fostering a supportive learning environment for students and passionate about teaching coding concepts effectively.

• Phillip Troutman - Chief Academic Officer, oversees curriculum development and quality assurance within the coding bootcamp, ensuring alignment with industry standards.

Day 1 Notes

Introduction to Coding:

• Icebreaker Questions: To foster a sense of community, participants are encouraged to share their:

  • Preferred name.

  • Current location.

  • Previous activities before joining Codesmith and any relevant work experience.

  • Participation in previous workshops, specifically the JSB workshop.

  • Personal motivations for joining CS Prep.

Daily Overview:

Welcome to Hard Learning, a program emphasizing:

• JavaScript Runtime: Understanding how JavaScript operates in different environments.

• JavaScript Execution: Learning how JavaScript codes are run and processed.

• Variables: Grasping data storage and manipulation.

• Functions: Exploring reusable code structures.

• Pair Programming: Collaborating with peers to enhance learning.

• Arrow Functions: Delving into ES6+ syntax for cleaner code.

Week 1 Schedule

• Day 1 - Tuesday:

  • Topics: Functions, Execution Contexts, Variable Declarations.

  • Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific / 8:00pm - 11:00pm Eastern.

• Day 2 - Wednesday:

  • Topics: Objects, Arrays, Prototypal Inheritance, Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).

  • Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific / 8:00pm - 11:00pm Eastern.

• Day 3 - Thursday:

  • Topics: ES5 vs. ES6+, Arguments Object, Rest, Spread, Arrow Functions, Week 1 Review.

  • Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific / 8:00pm - 11:00pm Eastern.

• Day 4 - Saturday:

  • Topics: Advanced Higher-Order Functions with Diagramming and practical application in the “Big Data” Project.

  • Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm Pacific / 12:00pm - 6:00pm Eastern.

CS Prep Infrastructure

• Tools Used:

  • Zoom.us: For live lectures and real-time pair programming sessions.

  • Csbin.io: A platform for collaborative problem-solving and peer coding.

  • Repl.it: Online coding environment for daily assessments and programming practices.

  • Slack: Community platform for communication, code reviews, resource sharing, and access to session recordings.

Goals of CS Prep:

Participants will aim to become proficient problem-solving engineers through:

• Hands-on project building with JavaScript.

• Deep understanding of JavaScript, including the latest ES6 features.

• Practicing excellent technical communication skills.

• Engaging with a supportive learning community.

• Acquiring practical skills pertinent to the development industry.

• Mastering the art of continual learning and adaptation in technology.

Expectations of CS Prep Participants:

• Support Your Community:

  • Focus on personal growth while uplifting peers.

  • Maintain professionalism and active engagement during sessions.

  • Embrace the learning process and its challenges.

  • Be proactive in contributing ideas and asking questions.

  • Communicate openly with instructors to enhance learning outcomes.

Instructor Expectations:

• Empathetic Engineering:

  • Arrive prepared for classes with necessary materials.

  • Practice active listening to students' questions and feedback.

  • Support students as fellow learners, fostering a collaborative atmosphere on the journey to mastery.

Pillars of CS Prep:

1. Technical Communication: Emphasizing effective vocabulary and clarity in coding discussions.

2. Empathetic Engineering: Recognizing individual challenges and fostering a supportive environment.

3. Importance of Technical Communication and Engineering Empathy: Linking these principles to excellence in:

• Codesmith Residency programs.

• Software Engineering careers.

• Engineering Leadership roles.

• Overall learning development.

Technical Communication:

• Mastery of Vocabulary benefits:

  • Opens doors to new knowledge and insights.

  • Provides a unified language for assistance and support.

  • Facilitates effective education and mentorship.

Engineering Empathy:

• Inward:

  • Cultivate grit and a growth mindset for personal challenges.

  • Acknowledge the need for breaks to maintain mental health.

• Outward:

  • Recognize that challenges are universal among peers.

  • Actively support fellow engineers and nurture their growth.

  • Teaching others solidifies one's understanding of concepts.

Tools for Learning Excellence:

• Commitment to Excellence:

  • Engaging in Interactive Diagramming to visualize complex concepts.

  • Embracing Pair Programming to learn collaboratively.

  • Utilizing Technical Communication Videos for additional learning resources.

  • Completing Freeform Projects to apply skills in real-world scenarios.

  • Participating in Code Review practices to enhance code quality.

Best Practices in Coding:

To write clean, readable code, adhere to:

• Proper indentation and spacing for readability.

• Semantic variable naming for clarity of purpose.

• Adequate commenting to explain code functionality.

• Strategic use of console logs for debugging and testing.

• Frequent refactoring to maintain DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles.

JavaScript Fundamentals:

• Characteristics of JavaScript:

  • High-level, interpreted, and dynamically typed language.

  • Supports multiple programming paradigms: Object-oriented and functional programming styles.

  • Memory-managed and features garbage collection for efficiency.

Execution Model:

• JavaScript operates in a single-threaded, synchronous, and blocking manner, ensuring clear control over execution flow.

Execution Environments:

JavaScript requires a runtime environment to execute, such as:

• Browser (client-side operations).

• NodeJS (server-side operations).

Execution Contexts & Call Stack:

• The Global Context is established first, while each function invocation generates a new execution context contributing to stack formation.

Functions in JavaScript:

• Every function must return a value; arrow functions can utilize implicit return features.

• Minimize side effects for more predictable code behavior.

Hoisting in JavaScript:

• Variable and function declarations are hoisted, impacting their accessibility prior to declaration.

• Understand the nuances between var, let, and const regarding hoisting and scope limitations.

Pair Programming:

• Roles include the Navigator, who provides instructions and facilitates communication, and the Driver, who executes the instructions while engaging with the Navigator through questions.

Arrow Functions Overview:

• Focus on syntax and application of arrow functions in ES6+, highlighting differences from traditional function declarations and expressions.

Conclusion of Day 1:

Next Steps:

• Continue pairing to deepen understanding and collaboration.

• A Problem of the Day (POD) will be assigned for practice.

• Day 2 topics will include Objects, Arrays, Prototypal Inheritance, and Advanced Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).