Learning Journal Unit 1 Hey professor! Again, it's nice to meet you in this class. As this journal focused on students' reflections on the course activity, I will briefly elaborate on each aspect of what I did during the week to complete my assignments. My response style might vary from time to time throughout the course, depending on how my week goes. That said, this is how my activity went during the first week of the course. First, on Thursday morning (European time), I started by logging into the UoPeopole main course dashboard and read through the course syllabus and the introduction forum, where I introduced myself to the class, the announcement section, and the entire sections of the learning guide. Reading this helped me to gain full knowledge and understanding of the assignment requirements. After reading through the above, my next approach was the reading assignment. This week's topic deals with the introduction to data structures and algorithms. In the readings, we learn that data structure plays an essential role in computer programs, especially since it involves multiple computations and the storing and retrieving of information. Simply put, a data stature involves a specific set of rules/formatting for organizing, processing, retrieving, and storing particular data within computer programs. According to Shaffer, C. (2011), "a data structure is any data representation and its associated operations. Integer or floating-point numbers that are stored on computers are viewed as a simple data structure." (p.9). An Algorithm is the step-by-step instructions and/or logical process by which a program is built and functions, or one may say the way a task is performed. Both data structures and
algorithms are mathematical formulas that help us organize information, forming the core of computer programs. Without the knowledge of data structure, it's impossible to fully understand algorithms and how it works because data structures serve as the building block/function for everything involving algorithm creation. Following the structure of the journal questions as it relates to my reactions to the lesson/reading, I must say that I was a bit suppressed, having discovered/learned this week the importance of data structure and algorithms and the role they play in computer programing. Although data structure and algorithms are closely associated, the concept of algorithms is not new to me. Therefore, I wasn't suppressed when it came up in the readings. Interestingly, the course covers both topics with in-depth explanations in the first week of the class. Regarding feedback, the feedback and interaction that I reactive during the first week of the class was mainly in the discussion forum, where I had the opportunity to communicate with my peers by posting my response to the discussions, getting feedback on my post, and giving feedback to other students as well. As a third-year student, I find the discussion forum fascinating. I think UoPeople did well by providing a friendly educational environment where students can meet and interact with one another at an academic level. I find all these helpful to my learning experience