final reflection

Reflect on what you learned this semester.
What area was the most challenging for you to learn? Why? Did you spend enough time on your own practicing?

Although this class did end up causing a lot of frustration for me, I genuinely learned a lot about HTML and Web Design. I didn’t have much trouble with DreamWeaver initially, but Webflow was definitely the most difficult learning curve. Although Webflow is more streamlined and easier to use as compared to hand-coding everything, it has a lot of quirks and kinks that you need to know to be able to use it efficiently, especially between viewports.

I didn’t particularly practice using Webflow, but I did spend a lot of time perfecting any issues I was facing (with links, assets, classes, responsivity between viewports, etc.); I actually get a ton of Webflow ads on Youtube because of all of the Webflow videos I ended up watching throughout the course of this class.

What area was the easiest to learn? Why? Do you feel we can spend less time on it?

I think that the basics of HTML coding are the steepest initial learning curve. But it doesn’t take particularly long to actually figure it out, especially if you use the built-in CSS style panel that Dreamweaver has. I think if we had spent a bit less time working with our Dreamweaver-focused projects, there would have been more time for everyone to get through the initial frustration that Webflow presents.

Is there anything you feel could be taken out of the course entirely?
What is one area you wish we spent more time on?

I think that it might be helpful to cut the InVision prototyping portion out of the course, and instead user test directly with our in-progress websites. I like procedural work because those planning steps help me fully flesh out my ideas, but I think that using InVision was a bit clunky to navigate. It doesn’t help that some students didn’t have anything to test on user-testing days.

I wish we would have initially spent more time on using Webflow, especially in terms of making a site responsive. Like I said before, it is definitely a lot easier to use when you’ve been exploring the different menus and options. But, the interface was extremely overwhelming at first, and I didn’t know where to start with making my sites responsive between different viewports.

We have spoken extensively this term about the transition to Webflow from Dreamweaver. Webflow is undoubtedly preferred because it does not require “hand-coding,” faster in development times, but still requires an understanding of HTML/CSS. However, you are limited to the tool and without learning HTML/CSS outside the program, would be lost entirely if you only learned in Webflow. My question to you: Do you feel we could introduce Webflow sooner in the course? Would you had been willing to spend money on an HTML/CSS learning tool other than Dreamweaver for the start of the course? Please share any thoughts you have for improving the course and applications used within the course in the future.

Yes, I would definitely introduce Webflow earlier in the term. It’s important to understand the building blocks of HTML, but if you don’t really know how to apply them in a different program, it’s going to be frustrating for students to make that transition. Also, I personally would not mind spending some money on a relevant program for this course- seeing as we have no costs associated with our Adobe subscriptions, a monthly subscription for a program like Webflow wouldn’t be that unmanageable.

Overall, I did learn a lot of information in this course, but for me personally, the lack of face-to-face learning, and the fact that a lot of class time was spent on lectures made it a bit difficult to stay completely focused and interested during class. But, I did find it extremely helpful to watch and participate in any in-class demos; I wish there were more of those! They really helped me apply the skills we were learning, and they kept me engaged.

Other than that, thank you for teaching this class. I learned a lot and although it was stressful sometimes, I feel very accomplished.