Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:42:56 -0500 (CDT) From: Mark Jacobson To: 810-022-01-fall@uni.edu Subject: Re: Tuesday group exercise, Excel VBA... Right() function... (fwd) On Thu, 16 Sep 2010, Jimi Hendrix wrote: > Hey Mark, > I've been making an honest effort, trying to understand functions in VBA, > but I just can't seem to grasp it. I have never taken any sort of > computer programming/code class, so I am going into this with no base > knowledge. I took notes and tried to do the group assignment, but I just > became confused. Is there a time in which I could meet with you to get a > crash course in the elementary basics of this stuff or something? I don't > know if others have contacted you about this, but I know at least a > couple of other students who are in the same boat as me. > > Thanks. See you in class in an hour. > > Jimi Hendrix > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:29:26 -0500 (CDT) From: Mark Jacobson To: Jimi H Subject: Re: Tuesday group exercise, Excel VBA... Right() function... Hi Jimi, No base knowledge of programming is expected or assumed. NONE! There are a few students in the class with some programming knowledge and experience, but that is only a handful. You will grasp it gradually, and sometime in the next week or two will experience sudden leaps of understanding and skill too, if you keep with the note taking and spend some time several times per week being confused. Engage with the material. Things are happening when you are confused in the brain just like things were happening when you were practicing and learning guitar and could not do certain things you wanted to do. You spent hours each day not being able to do certain guitar skills or attain specific musical sounds, and then hours each day not being able to do some of those things very well. Until you broke through and could do them so well at Woodstock and now other guitarists listen to and study the software (oops, the music) you created with your axe. You will get it and I will spend some more time and give some simple exercise to build you up to it. I assume that most of the class has NO PROGRAMMING Experience, NONE, because the only prerequisite is Computer Skills and Concepts or Info Systems and our 810:021 most instructors do not do any programming, though the students in some sections do see and use some JavaScript and do see and learn some HTML. What would be very helpful is to have questions in class! Or like this by email is so helpful too. I had some great questions AFTER CLASS that would have been so wonderful to have DURING class on Tuesday! :-) The other thing is do not be discouraged by confusion, but thanks for reporting it. If you are confused about it Tuesday and spent some time since then looking the stuff over I sent out on email and sent the URL for, that is good. I am going to go over that stuff, that PDF next Tuesday and do stuff that help you with it today too. Guess what. There are things happening in your brain when you are confused that lay the basis for Eureka moments and clarity where you just GET IT! And have a new ability and understanding that will be very useful no matter what your major is. So no worries, and hopefully you and others will give me lots of feedback with during class questions and/or email questions. Even if you were one of the few students in the class that has extra programming or Excel expertise and its not so hard, you can ask helpful questions that you know other students are likely going to benefit from. Or better yet, offer your clarification or understanding of something to add to the entire class. Or if something said was especially helpful in your small group, bring it up in class or send me an email with what was said and how it was helpful to you or others in your group. That will make the whole class achieve a better understanding! Thanks for letting me know! Remember, the only background I assume you have is the equivalent of some previous class in HS or at UNI where you did some application software and did some spreadsheets and/or HTML, etc. Nobody is expected to have ever learned how to write a line of code in any language. Luckily, the VBA language for Excel is very accessible, and the BASIC in Visual Basic for Applications stands for: Beginners B is for Beginners All-Purpose A and Symbolic S beginners begin Instruction I at the Code C beginning! So I realize you students in 022 are beginners with the programming stuff, and will slow down and give more extensive coverage and background as needed. But be assured, confusion is to be expected and will preceed clarity and curves (on the grading) will be administered as needed when a test or quiz question was a little tougher and student's were a little less ready for it than I imagined. Mark On Thu, 16 Sep 2010, Jimi Hendrix wrote: > Hey Mark, > I've been making an honest effort, trying to understand functions in VBA, > but I just can't seem to grasp it. I have never taken any sort of > computer programming/code class, so I am going into this with no base > knowledge. I took notes and tried to do the group assignment, but I just > became confused. Is there a time in which I could meet with you to get a > crash course in the elementary basics of this stuff or something? I don't > know if others have contacted you about this, but I know at least a > couple of other students who are in the same boat as me. > > Thanks. See you in class in an hour. > > Jimi Hendrix > > On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Mark Jacobson > wrote: > > Hi 022 students, > > http://www.cs.uni.edu/~jacobson/22/f10/ExcelVBAfunctions.pdf