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Al Lemieux
5,537 PointsDisappointed
I've been impressed with all of the courses I've taken at Treehouse. The Ruby courses have to be the worst though. Everything seems to be glossed over, the syntax isn't explained, the methodology for why we're doing what we're doing isn't given either.
There are too many moving parts too: Ruby, Rails, Bootstrap, etc. Why build a course for programming on these technologies. It's not translating well at all.
6 Answers
James Barnett
39,199 PointsI think of learning to build a Rails application as the final step is a long process.
My suggested curriculum for learning Rails is:
-
Ruby Course by Learn Street
- Supplement the Learn Street course with the online book Learn to Program
- Ruby Bits by Code School
- One Month Rails
- railstutorial.org
- Build a Simple Ruby on Rails Application
The pre-req for for this curriculum is a strong understanding of CSS. With a possible optional pre-req of the Twitter Bootstrap 101 tutorial by tutsplus
Julio Tocadiscos
2,732 PointsSo you are paying money to learn this stuff on treehouse and the advice is to go out and get/pay for other resources because treehouse simply can't cut it? That is not acceptable. I am a true beginner and have enjoyed many aspects of treehouse so far, but it seems there is a real need for the computer experts to get input from beginners ... for example the terminology and learning curve in these stages is completely inconsistent. On one hand it starts out as childish and then jumps to a level of experience no beginner could have. There has to be a slower path that truly teaches these things step by step. I stared enthusiastic and am now really questioning if this thing is going to be a good learning tool.
curtis allen
28,800 PointsI agree. They should make it more like the android training.
Jason Seifer
Treehouse Guest TeacherHey Al Lemieux, I'm really sorry about that :( We'll take this in to account when doing new lessons. Thanks for being a member!
Spen Taylor
13,027 PointsI agree to an extent, but I feel this is just because it's a complicated subject (compared to HTML, CSS or PHP for instance).
I've gone back through the material that I had already covered after taking the time to read other tutorials and this has really started to consolidate what I had already covered!
What I'm getting at, is that these videos are great, but to really 'get it', I'd use some other literature to put some perspective on it all :)
Al Lemieux
5,537 PointsI'm going to keep at it and try again, but I think the other courses here are well planned and thought out well. The Ruby courses feel rushed and not well planned. Definitely short on explanations as to why things are done they way they are and what for. I'll take a look at the other courses mentioned here.
Steven Schweibold
7,742 PointsUnderstanding Rails is pretty straight forward, but I think that understanding starts to break down at different points in the process. I did railstutorial.org and I had a difficult time understanding the Rspec syntax. Different people learn different ways and your best bet is to take whatever course you can find to balance out their strengths and weaknesses.
Riley Hilliard
Courses Plus Student 17,771 PointsOther learning sources my play better to your learning style, which is why it is great to check out a few different places to learn something. I would say that Code School generally blazes through their course material at a pretty fast pace. (With the exception of tryruby.org, which is by Code School) The Rails for Zombies courses through Code School have a much less forgiving curriculum speed, and definitely assume some prior programming experience, however it was a really good course for me after I had gone through some of the Treehouse Rails courses and had some base knowledge to work off of.
appbites
2,949 PointsI do feel a bit like author as well. The Rails course on Threehouse with building basic social network app I treat more like a general showcase how the bits are connected with each other (MVC structure) to get me excited.
I do miss deep explanation of terms and each functions/options, when to put this or that etc. but for that I take extra mile and learn from external resources.
To author: As you have general idea of Rails and you willing to continue I suggest you to go through basics and dive into books (if you want to become good Rails developer you cannot avoid that - actually like in any other language ;p).
Worth reading and studying:
Starting Ruby on Rails: What I Wish I Knew,
Courses:
...and DONT USE SCAFFOLD, go and figure out everything by yourself! ;)
Riley Hilliard
Courses Plus Student 17,771 PointsRiley Hilliard
Courses Plus Student 17,771 PointsI could not agree more. It is unrealistic to expect a learning structure that works best for your particular learning style to come from just one source. I have gone through many of the above courses that James Barnett mentioned and they are all strengths and weaknesses in their own ways. Ruby on Rails is not an easy thing to learn super quickly, and I think the way that Treehouse teaches it is one of the best. The 'too many moving parts' that you find in the lessons are actually huge assets if you learn them along the way. Rails gives you the power to use all these technologies to really have a lot of power as a single developer to create awesome stuff, so my advise is to try and absorbe as much of the course material as possible. It will make you a better and faster programmer in the end.
Riley Hilliard
Courses Plus Student 17,771 PointsRiley Hilliard
Courses Plus Student 17,771 Points*(That is, I could not agree with James more)