- Self Reflection
- Code Review
- Pet Class Enhancement
- Hash Table Enhancement
- CRUD Operations Enhancement
When I first started the journey to get my computer science degree back in 2020, I knew it was going to be a difficult but rewarding goal. This program has done so much to increase my confidence and abilities both as a developer and with technology in general. This capstone project was the final step in proving to myself that I have what it takes to make it in the world of computer science. Looking back at how far I have come is truly breathtaking when I think about where I stood four years earlier. The culmination of my classes, professors and peers have allowed me to grow into who I am now. Whether it be software engineering, system architecture, computer security or databases and algorithms these principles have allowed me to hone my skills and be as prepared as possible for my career. The reasoning for my choices when it came to picking my milestones was very simple, these were concepts I previously struggled with when my knowledge of this subject was not nearly as great as it is today. The first artifact I chose to enhance was a Pet class that was part of a larger project, this showcases my ability in both software development and design. The second artifact I chose was a Hash Table program that represented my work with data structures and algorithms. The final artifact I chose was a CRUD operations program that is used to edit databases in MongoDB, which was a perfect way to demonstrate the database skills I have learned. Going back and looking at all of these programs now has been an amazing way for me to see the growth and progress I have made throughout my journey here at SNHU.
Briefly describe the artifact. What is it? When was it created?
The artifact I chose to work on for my first enhancement was a pet class that was originally introduced to me during a project in IT-145 which I first took when I started my computer science journey at SNHU. It was made for a pet check in project and would use set and get functions to obtain information from users about their pets and their stay at the kennel.
Justify the inclusion of the artifact in your portfolio. Why did you select this item? What specific components of the artifact showcase your skills and abilities in software development? How was the artifact improved?
I chose this artifact for my ePortfolio because it was something that had previously given me issues when I first worked on it. Now that I have developed my skills as a programmer this program seems rudimentary, I figured the best way to showcase those skills was taking the JavaScript file and converting it into Python. There were many details of software engineering and the design process of it including things such as pseudocode and flowcharts. This seemed like a great place to start the end of my journey because it was close to where I started it.
Did you meet the course objectives you planned to meet with this enhancement in Module One? Do you have any updates on your outcome-coverage plans?
Yes, I believe that I did exactly what was needed to meet my course outcomes when remaking this program, I will have to make an update to my outcome-coverage plan stating that my new enhancement of taking my JavaScript program and converting it to Python has been complete. Making this change led to the program being slightly faster than the original version.
Reflect on the process of enhancing and/or modifying the artifact. What did you learn as you were creating it and improving it? What challenges did you face?
While doing my enhancement it dawned on me that programs can be written in many different languages but typically a language is chosen for a reason whether its for functionality or usability. The biggest challenge I faced while making this enhancement was the syntax changes that needed to be made when switching from Java to Python. Python is extremely smooth and effecient so making the change was fairly easy besides those small things.
Briefly describe the artifact. What is it? When was it created?
The artifact I chose to work on for this enhancement was the HashTable.cpp file that was part of an assignment in my Data Structures and Algorithms class. I took this class back in 2022 and back then this was my first time ever seeing something of this nature. A hash table is a data structure that implements an associative array which is a structure that is used to map keys to values for data retrieval, deletion and insertion purposes.
Justify the inclusion of this artifact in your ePortfolio. Why did you select this item? What specific components of the artifact showcase your skills and abilities in algorithms and data structure? How was the artifact improved?
I chose to include this artifact in my ePortfolio because it was one of the larger files I worked on throughout my time at SNHU, a lot of my other projects were multiple files or classes broken down. The main reason I chose this artifact was because it related very heavily to the data structures and algorithms curriculum and was a great way to test my capabilities in other languages. When I first originally started developing this in Python it was error filled and unusable but with time and research, I was able to mitigate my issues and fully showcase my understanding of switching between languages and developing with them.
Did you meet the course objectives you planned to meet with this enhancement in Module One? Do you have any updates to your outcome-coverage plans?
Yes, I met the course outcomes that I had planned for myself in Module One. The course outcomes that were strongly addressed were outcome three and outcome four. During the development of this enhancement I used best practices in development such as creating pseudocode for portions of the project to help me break down issues and find what what holding me back. Switching languages is also a good use of demonstrating the ability to use well-founded and innovative techniques in order to provide a computer solution.
Reflect on the process of enhancing and modifying the artifact. What did you learn as you were creating and improving it? What challenges did you face?
While reflecting on the process of enhancing this artifact I realized that things are not always going to go according to plan but no matter how tough it gets, taking a step back and rethinking things or looking at it through a different lense will make a massive difference in both skill level and readability. This was an assignment I hadn't worked on in a very long time so going back and trying to figure out how I wanted to go about transferring this to another language took a little bit more effort than I originally imagined. the syntax and debugging process was much harder this time in comparison to my first enhancement.
Briefly describe the artifact. What is it? When was it created?
The artifact I chose to use for this enhancement was a file from CS-340 where I worked with an animal database. The project intially had a csv. file that had all of the listed data I would need for the file. The file itself is not very big, so I had to figure out a new way to make it more advanced to showcase my skills. The original file I had used was from CS-340 where I had used some libraries and frameworks, I figured I could use here with the help of the CRUD operations.
Justify the inclusion of the artifact in your ePortfolio. Why did you select this item? What specific components of the artifact showcase your skills and abilities in software development? How was the artifact improved?
I included this artifact in my portfolio because it seemed like a good way to showcase my skills with something I am not as comfortable with. I had very little experience with MongoDB prior to this project so it felt right to drill this idea home. The artifact was improved by taking new data and plugging it into the program whereas it had originally been used for an animal shelter and is now a book database.
Did you meet the course objectives you planned to meet with this enhancement in Module One? Do you have any updates on your outcome coverage plans?
I feel I have done a good job making sure that I met the outcomes originally planned for this enhancement as they match what I said I was going to do, by using the database, storing and requesting data it improved my overall comfort and skill with this product.
Reflect on the process of enhancing and modifying the artifact. What did you learn?
The biggest challenge I faced while working through this enhancement was making sure that my database was correctly connecting to my file, there were a variety of issues such as adding some authentication for the MongoDB. The biggest thing I learned was that planning will make a massive difference when it comes to making enhancements in a project or even in general. Using things such as pseudocode and flow charts during the preparation phase will make my job much easier in the long run.