Designing Solutions Through Programming
Tuesday 5 November 2024 - Block 2
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Hello and welcome back from break!
Today we will review the big idea in our class and focus on section B. We will create success criteria and start learning about flowcharts (system diagrams)
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Success Criteria
1. Understand the Task or Goal
- Clarify the purpose of the project, task, or assignment. What are you trying to accomplish?
- Break down the task into key components or main objectives to understand what success looks like.
2. Identify the Essential Components of Success
- List the elements that are necessary to achieve your goal. For example, if you’re creating a website, essential components might include design, functionality, and ease of use.
- Focus on quality and outcomes for each component rather than just completion.
3. Make Success Criteria Specific and Measurable
- For each component, think of criteria that are clear and quantifiable.
- Use language that defines exactly what success looks like, such as “contains at least 5 interactive elements” or “loads within 3 seconds.”
- Avoid vague criteria like “good quality” or “looks nice.” Be as precise as possible.
4. Ensure Criteria Are Relevant to the Goal
- Each criterion should directly relate to the goal of the project or task.
- Ask yourself, Does this criterion help meet the goal? If not, consider revising or removing it.
5. Use Positive Language
- Frame criteria positively, describing what the outcome should be rather than what it shouldn’t be. For example, “Uses clear and concise language” is better than “Doesn’t use complicated words.”
- Positive language helps maintain focus on achieving desired results.
6. Balance Between High Standards and Realism
- Criteria should be challenging enough to promote high standards but also realistic and achievable given time and resources.
- If a criterion feels overly ambitious, adjust it to be more achievable without compromising the goal.
7. Use SMART Criteria as a Guide
- Refer to the SMART method to ensure success criteria are well-defined:
- Specific: Is each criterion clear and detailed?
- Measurable: Can you assess whether it’s achieved?
- Achievable: Is it realistic?
- Relevant: Does it contribute to the main goal?
- Time-bound: If applicable, does it fit within the timeline?
8. Review and Refine
- Review each criterion to ensure it is specific, relevant, and measurable.
- Refine any vague language and ensure each criterion is clear to someone unfamiliar with the task.
9. Test the Criteria with Examples
- Use examples to see if the criteria clearly indicate success. For instance, ask, “Would this example meet the criteria?” and revise if necessary.
- Consider edge cases or borderline examples to refine the criteria further.
10. Document and Use as a Checklist
- Write down the success criteria and keep them visible during the project.
- Use the criteria as a checklist to assess your progress and evaluate your final product
We will practice flowcharts and begin creating system diagramming for our projects.
Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Flowchart
1. Understand the Purpose of Your Flowchart
What are you trying to represent? Flowcharts visually outline the steps in a process or a system.
Define the starting and ending points of your process. This will help clarify the boundaries of your flowchart.
2. Identify Each Step in the Process
List out each action or decision that takes place from start to finish.
Be specific! For example, in a login system, steps might include “Enter Username” or “Check Password.”
Sequence the steps in order—flowcharts follow a logical progression.
3. Choose the Right Shapes for Each Step
Oval (Start/End): Use ovals to represent the beginning and the end of your process.
Rectangle (Process): Use rectangles for general actions or tasks, like “Calculate Sum” or “Send Email.”
Diamond (Decision): Diamonds are for decision points that have different outcomes, like “Is password correct?” (Yes/No).
Parallelogram (Input/Output): Use these shapes for inputs and outputs, such as “Receive Data” or “Display Results.”
4. Arrange Steps in a Logical Order
Start with the beginning oval at the top of your page.
Arrange each subsequent shape in a clear, top-to-bottom or left-to-right flow. Place decisions and branching paths as they occur in the sequence.
Make sure there’s a clear path from start to finish without confusing crossovers.
5. Add Connecting Arrows
Draw arrows to connect each shape, following the process flow.
Make sure arrows only flow in one direction (no loops or backtracking unless specified).
Label decision arrows with outcomes, such as “Yes” or “No,” to clarify choices.
6. Review and Check for Completeness
Go over each step to ensure that it follows the sequence.
Check each branch from decisions to ensure that all possibilities are covered.
Verify that the flowchart has a clear start and end.
7. Add Descriptions or Annotations (Optional)
For complex flowcharts, consider adding brief notes or descriptions beside each shape to clarify its function.
If a step leads to another, more complex flowchart, indicate that with an arrow pointing to “Sub-Process.”
8. Test the Flowchart with a Simple Walkthrough
Run through your flowchart from start to finish. Imagine you’re performing each action.
Look for errors or unclear steps, and adjust as needed.
9. Finalize and Clean Up
Make sure shapes are aligned, arrows are clear, and labels are easy to read.
Present your flowchart for review or feedback if part of a group activity.
A little less comfortable
Content
There are two very important parts of part B. First of all, you should have very specific, well-written success criteria. These success criteria will drive your project. Your success criteria will also help you evaluate your project. In the front of your mind must be: are these success criteria clearly going to solve the problem? The second important part of part B are the diagrams you develop to describe how your solution will work. This is a time when you start to think about how your solution will work. Flowcharts are powerful tools to imagine the logic in a program. A good flowchart can easily be converted into a computer program.
Process
You must carefully link your success criteria to your research. Every success criteria should be linked to some research you have done during section A. Your diagrams should begin as overviews, or very broad generalizations of how your program works. Then you should slowly become more specific. The magic moment comes when you show a friend a diagram and they can explain (very specifically) how your program works.
When you first start creating diagrams you will find it challenging. It can be difficult to create the right level of detail and learn how to visually represent your program. This is a skill that needs practice, practice, practice.
Product
You should have:
- 5 to 9 very specific success criteria
- 5 to 9 very specific diagrams
A little more comfortable
Content
There are two very important parts of part B. First of all, you should have very specific, well-written success criteria. These success criteria will drive your project. Your success criteria will also help you evaluate your project. In the front of your mind must be: are these success criteria clearly going to solve the problem? The second important part of part B are the diagrams you develop to describe how your solution will work. This is a time when you start to think about how your solution will work. Flowcharts are powerful tools to imagine the logic in a program. A good flowchart can easily be converted into a computer program.
One of the big differences we have between more comfortable and less comfortable is the types of diagrams you make. There are many different types of diagrams, and each diagram helps us to understand a different part of your program. This is really hard to get right and takes lots of practice.
Process
You must carefully link your success criteria to your research. Every success criteria should be linked to some research you have done during section A. Your diagrams should begin as overviews, or very broad generalizations of how your program works. Then you should slowly become more specific. The magic moment comes when you show a friend a diagram and they can explain (very specifically) how your program works.
One of the differences between good success criteria and great success criteria is how tightly focused the success criteria are on solving the problem. It is also important you have challenging success criteria.
When you first start creating diagrams you will find it challenging. It can be difficult to create the right level of detail and learn how to visually represent your program. This is a skill that needs practice, practice, practice.
Product
You should have:
- 5 to 9 very specific success criteria
- 5 to 9 very specific diagrams - the more specific the better
Our Big idea
The big idea for today is Design: Developing Ideas.
The essential questions for this topic are:
Every design has a success criteria which are used to build your solution to a problem.
It takes time to explore and really understand a big idea. If you want to
learn more about
design: developing ideas (which is connected to today's daily note),
please click here
.
We are learning this because as a designers must understand scientific and technical innovation. Designers use systems, models, methods, and processes to solve problems.
Reminders & routines:
IF (this_block == first_block_day) {
read_daily_bulletin;
}
IF (today == Friday) {
careers_in_computing()
}
As I am taking attendance:
- For students who are physically at ASW: Please check now: am I connected to the American School of Warsaw wireless network
- Please check now: is visual studio code working from my programming folder?
To remember:
- All the files you need for this course can be found at this link. Please pay attention to the time the file was last updated.
- You can access a web-based view of your database by clicking this link.
- Please be aware of course videos to help you understand our content.
Our learning
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Please click here to reflect on our learning for today's class.