22C:244 Database System Implementation

Spring 2005 - University of Iowa

Overview

The third offering of 22C:244 Database System Implementation was offered in Spring 2005. Overall, the class went well as most material was similar to the previous year, although the notes were completed and new programming assignments were added to complement the homework assignments. All the notes were available from Zephyr Copies before class which worked well. The course was much smaller (9 students) than previous years (as many graduate students have taken 244 already). However, several students (7 students) who were in 144 in the Fall decided to take 244 in the Spring. The course involved homework and programming assignments, a midterm exam, a final exam, and a major project. Most students did very well, and many created interesting projects. The midterm exam was shorter but still a little too long. The final exam was a little shorter, but I gave over 4 hours to finish the final which was plenty of time for everyone. Also, the small class size resulted in my highest teaching evaluations to date (including some perfect 6/6!).

The class was in 110 MacLean Hall from 1:05-2:20 Tuesday/Thursday.

On-line Resources

• Syllabus

Student Performance

Of the 9 registered students who started the course, 8 passed the course for a 89% pass rate. The average GPA was 3.37 or just above a B+. Charts showing the mark breakdown are below.

Special recognition goes to Ryan McCrone who was the highest mark in both 144 and 244!

Comments

What Students Liked Most About the Course

• "This is hard to answer because I liked so many aspects of the course. I guess my favorite part of the course was how I now have a better understanding of what the database does under the hood. I really cannot say any single aspect was my favorite."
  


• "The programming homeworks were enlightening and fun. I really appreciate how clear and well-structured the assignments were prepared and presented."
  


• "Learned a lot; very good material to know and applicable to real world. Programming projects give real world feel."
  


• "Great class. Amazing professor. Very clear expectations."
  


• "The instructor is really helpful and good at explaining hard materials."
  


• "Programming at the database level helped me understand a lot of the material. Project was a good realization of what the outside world will ask me to do since it was with a client."
  

What Students Liked Least About the Course

• "The aspect of this course I liked the least was anything that started with 'Prove'."
  


• "Some topics were explained too much. Solely depending on examples, the underlying algorithms were neglected."
  


• "Everything was great."
  


• "The programming components of the regular assignments usually seemed to be a little bit too easy..."
  


• "I hate PowerPoint and find it very diffiult to follow. The homeworks could be a bit clearer, also working ahead I had to redo work because of errors in the assignments."