Introduction

Overview of the IBM short course on JavaScript programming essentials

What can I say as an overview? I thought the course was fast-paced, but a brilliant leap for JavaScript beginners. It offered an opportunity to make mistakes, ask questions, and ask even more questions; all in an effort to understand the significance of every line of code. From arrays and objects, to working with and understanding the DOM (Document Object Model), to asynchronous programming; this course covered it all. As promised, all the "JavaScript Programming Essentials" were covered.

Brief background on the importance of JavaScript in programming

JavaScript is foundational in the control, user-interaction and manipulation of data on a webpage. With it, and all its advancements since ECMA Script, webpages are able to function on both the client and server ends, and without the need of constant page refreshing upon updates, while still covering both front-end and back-end development.

Registration and Course Structure

How to register for the course

To try this course out, you can do what I did, which was simply register for it on Coursera.org. The 7-day free trial is available, but with no certificate of your work at the end, unless you opt for the $45 per month option. Either way it goes, you're in for a knowledge boost.

Breakdown of the course modules and topics covered

With 5 weeks (or days depending on how much time you have) to complete the course, it can be broken down into 5 modules, namely:

Module 1: Introduction to JavaScript Development

• Lesson: Welcome to the Course

• Lesson: Introduction to JavaScript

• Lesson: Introduction to JavaScript Functions and Events

• Lesson: Module 1 Summary, Cheatsheet and Assessment

Module 2: Arrays and Objects in JavaScript

• Lesson: Introduction to Arrays in JavaScript

• Lesson: Introduction to Objects and String in JavaScript

• Lesson: Module 2 Summary, Cheatsheet and Assessment

Module 3: Working with DOM in JavaScript

• Lesson: Working with DOM

• Lesson: Traversing and Styling of DOM

• Lesson: Module 3 Summary, Cheatsheet and Assessment

Module 4: JavaScript Async

• Lesson: Requests

• Lesson: Asynchronous Data Retrieval Techniques

• Lesson: Module 4 Summary, Cheatsheet and Assessment

Module 5: Final Project

• Lesson: Final Project

• Lesson: Course Wrap Up

Learning Experience

Interactive learning methods used in the course

The course's most valuable tool was its use of the VS-code (Visual Studio Code) API (Application Programming Interface), which allowed for all the work to be done in a browser, leaving more local space for your favourite pet photos. The practicality of working in this environment, alongside GitHub, solidified the understanding of the topics spoken about in the lessons way more. This is where the mistakes and learning happens. I highly recommended learning by trial and error - its really the only way.

Personal challenges faced during the learning process

My biggest challenge with the course was how long it actually took me to work through the hands-on labs. Basically, a 30minute-suggested-worktime lab took me three times as long. This wasn't great. I think maybe the course creators jammed too much information in too little space and time. Had they spent more time explaining concepts in detail, I doubt this would have been an issue. This was especially a problem with the css programming - this course wasn't meant to focus much on css, but not knowing how to do this properly cost me a lot of time in the final project. Still, it might be fair to argue that this was the course creators' decided upon teaching method. This was my final project, by the way, if you are interested in checking it out. And this was my git repo, if you are interested in figuring out how to make it work.

Key takeaways and new skills acquired

I made my first actual website (not that html "Hello World" text output)!! With different webpages and everything!! This was such a big deal, and a personal goal of mine. I really liked how this course pushes beginners into the deep end, after well equipping us with what we need to swim. So thank you for that IBM!

Practical Applications

How the knowledge gained from the course was applied in real-world projects

You can literally build a website! So yeah, that's pretty cool. It's really just another brick you lay down in building your portfolio as a developer.

Examples of JavaScript programs or projects created post-course

The course itself, walks you through a bunch of web application tutorials, so you can put to practice your javascript programming skills. A todo list, a weather api reading app and one of those match-the-block-to-its-corresponding-colour-block games, just to name a few. Have a look through those here.

Conclusion

Final thoughts and recommendations for individuals interested in taking the course

In conclusion, I can say I did the "Javascript Programming Essentials" course with IBM and it gets a solid 8/10 from me. If you want a knowledge download of javascript essentials, or just to refresh your memory on the fundamental building blocks of javascript, you'd be in the right place. Just do a css beginner/ refresher course first. Happy coding!