For this analysis I looked at student labs receiving low, medium and high grades for evidence that they were able to incorporate the following required components and meet the desired expectations for the Christmas Card Organizer (fall 2005):
| lab component | high (94) | med (85) | low (68) |
|---|---|---|---|
| implements class with get/set and other simple methods | yes | yes | yes |
| implements method to pad String | yes | yes | not implemented, simply returns string |
| correctly implements Comparable interface | Comparable implemented correctly | Comparable not implemented | Comparable appears correct (not called) |
| declares, instantiates and assigns array of objects | yes | yes | yes |
| correctly reads from a file | yes | yes | yes, but reads file over and over each time a button is pressed |
| searches | yes, but doesn't display message if no records are found | skeleton method implemented but never called | |
| sorts using Comparable interface | uses Arrays.sort and sorts by firstname/lastname not lastname/firstname | sort method looks correct but no sort listener is implemented | sort looks correct but is never called |
| correctly implements GUI components and events | yes, multiple actionListeners are used, although header/display array code is repeated in each rather than put in a single method | uses a single listener; rereads file | |
| uses good programming style - (useful comments, meaningful variable names, appropriate use of classes and methods, good spacing/indentations, etc.) | prog. desc. is minimal, otherwise okay | okay | |
| NOTES: | didn't do pre-lab assignment | ||
Observations:
Heartening that all three were able to write and use classes, arrays and files and to write a simple GUI.
Missing elements for students with medium and low grades appears to indicate that either they ran out of time, didn't know how to implement the required component, or possibly that they were confused about flow of control and were able to implement the sort or search but didn't know how/where to call it.
That these and as I recall so many other students didn't include the "no contacts found" condition suggests students' lack of attention to detail or the need to emphasize the requirment in the assignment.