Software Dev is pretty much a blude subject
Take it from someone doing it this year. SD is a bludge, it's great though distance ed in that I only need to spend 20 minutes a week on work so I have more time for other subjects. Personally I'd go with algorithmics if i were you, at the end of the day you will have enough time in the year to complete all of your subjects no matter what you choose. May as well pick what you find interesting as opposed to picking "bludge" subjects for the sake of being able to dedicate more time to other subjects.
But would Algorithmics be too much work over Distance Ed?
As someone who is currently studying this field at university, I can say that Algorithmics will benefit you the most. The content that Algorithmics provides is essentially computer science at it's core - so I would DEFINITELY recommend Algorithmics over SD if you plan on entering Computer Science (+ the handy credit at the end).
The only thing is that you need to be mathematically literate in order to be successful in the subject. Analysing algorithms and their effectiveness takes a bit more into account than just 'programming' so to speak (e.g. Big O notation, graph theory - to name a few).
I'd say just do the subject that will net you a higher score. If SD gets you a higher study score and takes less time than Algorithmics, then do that for sure.
Whatever you might learn next year, you will re-learn anyway at university. Getting into the course (and maybe with a scholarship) should be first on the priority list.
Do you think I will be able to understand the content on my own from Distance Ed because apparently it's as hard as Specilist maths(is that true?). I really do want to do Algoritmics though just don't want to concentrate on it too much so I don't well on other subjects, that's my main concern. I guess I'll have you guys to help me. :D
The mathematics is not that bad, but since you have Methods it's ok. I only did Further back when I was in VCE and I did quite well learning this content, so don't let that "difficult math" bubble stop you from taking it on.
If you honestly are just after the study score, go for SD. But if you actually want to learn something useful to support your study in university later on, do Algorithmics.
Alternatively just take the time in first semester of uni to learn Algorithimcs in university, on-campus, with proper peer and tutor support.
Don't get me wrong, it's an essential subject - a building block for your software development education, but I question if Year 12 is the proper time to take the subject.
I am doing Further maths right now. What ATAR did you get? I'm leaning towards Software DEV right now. Because I'll be relearning the content anyway in Uni.
Anyone who seriously plans to undertake a CS/IT degree in uni should be doing algorithmics.
SD is a joke and like all joke VCE subjects, it isn't easy to get a high study score since the majority find the subject piss easy and hence you need to do more to stand out.
Let me elaborate from a former CS university tutor's perspective and current ORACLE DBA. A subject like algorithmics is the perfect kickstart for your academic CS studies. You will learn concepts that have stood the test of time in the industry... Not rubbish like VCAAs emphasis on efficiency vs effectiveness.
The whole concept of doing a subject because it's easier is honestly ridiculous and I am embarrassed to read such comments in this thread. If you find a subject more interesting, chances are you'll be more motivated to study. And if a subject is harder, you'll be more determined to put the extra hours in and reap the rewards.
This is an example of one of the worksheets through Distance Ed. Obviously doesn't reflect the entire course but one of the things you might be expected to do (attached).Sourcehttps://sites.google.com/site/msgvce/home/year-12-algorithmics, publically found via Google
Looks fun. :)
Check out the source i've given for that as well. Hopefully that will give you a better insight into its difficulty.
I'd say just do the subject that will net you a higher score. If SD gets you a higher study score and takes less time than Algorithmics, then do that for sure.This
Whatever you might learn next year, you will re-learn anyway at university. Getting into the course (and maybe with a scholarship) should be first on the priority list.
Look, algorithmics isn't easy. It's not a bludge subject at all and requires a lot of dedication. If you're genuinely interested in the content and are up to date you should sail reasonably smoothly. Personally, having several years of java and python experience helped me because the subject involves a lot of pseudo code that needs to be analyzed, and a lot of the subconscious logic (for example, loop invariants) that comes easily to you if you have ever programmed before needs to be learnt if you haven't. I'm not saying you need programming experience, and VCAA certainly doesn't, but if you have even the basics under your belt a lot of the subject will have comforting moments where you say "Oh, I know that". Other than that, there's a lot you can actually learn before you begin the subject, such as all the different algorithms (check the study design) involved and such, which are splendidly documented on youtube. All this stuff helps you when the subject gets a little trickier, such as time complexity analysis.
I found it to be an interesting experience being in a subject that runs for the first year. Our teacher, who explained the content really well, was still learning the course and developing content for it while it was running, so a lot of times there were these moments where we genuinely discussed something before looking it up because none of us were sure of the real answer. It was unlike any other subject because of that, in a good way. Next year the resources will exist and the knowledge will be more established so I'm not sure if it'll be the same.
I can't comment on scaling, I think it'll be great, but we can only speculate. Do the subject because you want a strong foundation for C.S / I.T. in uni and the rest will (hopefully) follow.
I have done a lot of coding in my spare time too. Like developing android apps. I am going to be doing it over Distance Education too so I will have minimal help from actual teacher. What subjects are you doing currently?Specialist/Algo/English/Physics/Psych and did mathmeth last year.
Specialist/Algo/English/Physics/Psych and did mathmeth last year.
If you want to get a head start, focus on understanding the algorithms. If you can get an implementation going of all of them, everything from bellman ford, to prims to pagerank, you're going to have an edge. Play around with the IDE that your school uses (ours use edgy... https://github.com/snapapps/edgy0 though I think all of them might). There's a lot you can do before you've started to understand what the subject will be like.
BTW that link doesn't work.
I haven't looked into the VCE Algorithms syllabus, but do you guys 'code' in those drag and drop IDEs?
Yes :(, but it's only for Unit 3. There are two alternative programming languages (python and the Wolfram language according to this link: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/correspondence/bulletins/2015/February/vce_curriculum.aspx#16), but using any one of these languages have to be approved by the school teacher. In Unit 4, we only look at how to formally analyse algorithms, some of algorithm design patterns (e.g. "dynamic programming" and "divide and conquer"), and the limits of computability. So there's no need to use Edgy for those areas of study.
As much as I hate it, I think it suits for academic purposes.
I just looked at the past exam, and this subject looks surprisingly good. Assuming you do some Python stuff and implement your own algorithms (and don't rely on cut and pasting of code off Wikipedia), this is essentially an intro to basic comp sci. They really cover a wide range of topics too, so I think this unit has huge potential.
If I was in VCE, I would definitely do this subject.