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M Glasser
10,868 PointsI'm done with this one...
Andrew's last course was soooooo much better!!!
I'm guessing it was a more recent course and he listened to the user feedback? I pretty much wrote this guy off after jQuery basics (which someone appropriately referred to as "Watch Andrew Code"). But this course just feels like a huge backslide. I really want to learn this stuff, but this video is just plain bad. I feel like it's "Watch Andrew Code Part II"... Copying and pasting code, jumping around on the screen and in between files, not enough explanation of what's going on and what the code actually does. Can we either re-do or just take down these older videos already? And if there are newer courses to learn the same material on here can we swap those out on the tracks? Like, what's the point of even following the tracks when there are these massive impassable barriers that pop up in front of you while you're trying to complete your journey. Frustrating.
Visal Perera
9,716 Pointshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlB_eWDSMt4&t=4188s
watching this above video before this confusing treehouse section is what turned night into day for me, even though the video is an hour long, take a breath and slowly watch through it, and node becomes your friend. Another point to make is that once you watch the youtube video you will notice that treehouse is using older practices when defining the Profile class and when extending EventEmitter classes (dont worry you will know what I mean after watching the youtube video)
10 Answers
Keith Glantz
7,146 PointsI agree with Juan and M. Glasser.
I am trying really hard to force myself to go through Andrew's course. So I can finish this part and be done with it. It's not the experience treehouse wants to give to its students.
Ryan Doyle
8,587 PointsI agree with what everyone else is saying here. Basically, I'm watching someone make something and if I want to understand ANY of it, I have to go searching through the Node.js documentation. Not only that but this course is so old that all the documentation is so different things like the basic server set-up are totally different in the examples on the node site. I did the Node.js basics course and I think it helps a little, but really nothing is explained at all. No reason behind anything. I'm actually a full-time teacher, so I even know how to teach and learn things! Very frustrating.
Emerson Rubio
18,024 PointsI agree. I'm trying to follow along but there's so little explanation of what's going on. Like the profile.js is so different from the one we built in intro to node. I'm trying to understand profiles.js or create my own but there's no explanation.
Sad that I'm only watching these videos just to finish this track and learn node.js somewhere else...
M Glasser
10,868 PointsI've already submitted my feedback to TT. That's not really an issue. Some of Andrew's videos are good. Others are not. This isn't a black and white complaint about him. Check the posts in this thread. I'm not the only one. IMO public feedback should and will lead to higher quality content.
Michael Hulet
47,913 PointsI'm not saying I disagree with you, but I am saying that it's not my job to decide that (or anyone else's that you'll most frequently see in the forums's). The moderator team still has to direct the poster to email support whenever we see feedback in the community, including comments that we shouldn't. Please have that conversation with the support staff instead of here
Jesse Thompson
10,684 PointsThis stuff isnt that complicated. It just takes a little bit of time.
Emerson Rubio
18,024 PointsI had to pause my subscription for a bit and just try to learn elsewhere and build stuff on my own. It helped that I work with Flask/Python daily but I can see how this can be very complicated for newcomers.
Jesse Thompson
10,684 PointsI agree with you Emerson. I built a wordpress website from scratch so I already knew basics of WAMP, how includes work in php and Im really only going through these tutorials so that once I understand everything I need to know im going straight to building another application.
Thinking daily about your personal project and what you need to learn to build it will push you farther than simply watching these tutorials. I like that teamtreehouse does not focus so much on theory, its very practical. Whenever I find myself a little lost I google search or head to youtube and there will be a 10 min video explaining the theory of whatever abstract idea.
Emerson Rubio
18,024 PointsWell put, Jesse. That's really what makes Treehouse so great. Cheers.
Juan Hurtado
2,243 PointsYou mentioned that you had prior experienced with PHP. Others do not have that under their belt. To dismiss others valid troubles with the course and to deem it easy makes you sound arrogant. Not everyone has built a word press site from "scratch". You're a bragger.
Jesse Thompson
10,684 PointsI have prior experience with PHP & wordpress FROM this website....
Look. Juan, Im just not convinced that making things easier to the point that youre spoon fed this information is going to benefit anyone using this platform. I wish everyone on here the best, this just takes time its an ACTUAL skill that employers ACTUALLY value.
Juan Hurtado
2,243 PointsNeither am I convinced that bragging to others how you built this and that.. and how the material is so easy to you any helpful to the community as well.
No one was talking about PHP or wordpress yet you felt the need to mention the stuff you built. There is also something called soft skills which employers value just as much as technical skills.
Jesse Thompson
10,684 PointsI dont think understanding wordpress or php is a great feat as I think that material is quite easy aswell, I apologize if it came off that I was bragging. Understanding simple technologies is nothing to brag about.
I only mention them to suggest that diving into other technologies allows you to better understand theory which is way more important than understanding any single language.
Ferre Mekelenkamp
11,835 PointsI fully agree with everyone here, this is a terrible course. I have to go somewhere else now to learn Node.js which is annoying, because we pay $300 per year for the best content. Besides from that is Andrews accent very annoying and it's hard to listen to is for too long. Please let someone else redo this course.
tal Shnitzer
Courses Plus Student 5,242 Pointsi dont think his accent is annoying, but I do have to go to the transcript from time to time. I do however agree with fact that I'll have to redo node.js in another place. Udemy have a course and they sent me a coupon, So....
Juan Hurtado
2,243 PointsI thought I was the only one. Although the jQuery course had a lot of just watch me code, it wasn't as bad as this one. This course I feel like little is being explained. I agree with @marcglasser, students should be able to talk about the course here in the forums. With that being said I will also email TT support.
M Glasser
10,868 PointsHa ok. I disagree about students not having any power in this situation. If enough people see that others are having trouble they'll take action and send feedback. There are numerous other posts (unmoderated as far as I can tell) of students experiencing problems with specific courses and part of the community aspect IMO should be to share their opinions on course material and suggest alternatives if need be. If you want to discourage public discussion then you're giving up the opportunity to both receive crucial feedback and doing your students a disservice who might like to discuss whether or not a course or instructor is working out because it influences their decision to continue on a track or given course. Separately, I doubt anyone with enough brain cells to make it through an intermediate JS course would be offended by the word I used. I'd rather you delete my post entirely than put words in my mouth by changing the language and meaning of what I've said. Words matter.
Steven Parker
231,269 PointsI believe the moderator was just doing you a favor by making your message comply with the official Community Code of Conduct.
And not all students respond the same way to a particular instructor's style. Some students have submitted unsolicited testimonials declaring Andrew a Great Teacher and proclaiming Andrew Rocks!
Michael Hulet
47,913 PointsYou’re right, words matter, which is why I changed yours to “barrier”, which I feel retains all of the original intent of your question with none of the profanity. That’s part of my job. If you think another inoffensive word would work better, feel free to edit it accordingly. Regardless, the fact remains that this is a student-oriented forum. I (like all other moderators) am a student volunteer and am not on Treehouse’s payroll. I have little-to-no influence with Treehouse’s decision-making process on my own, so I’m not the proper person to vent to here. If you would like to make your voice heard best, the proper channel for that is to email support. That way, the Treehouse staff can effectively track who's complaining about what, and they can ask for more information directly, so they can better index what needs to be fixed and improved upon. Such productive discourse isn't possible in the community
Nicholas Pretorius
18,684 PointsGood day,
For what it is worth, it is advisable to watch the course videos for Node.js Basics before this course. Much of the technique and structure of what is happening in profile.js is explained in the Node.js Basics videos.
Granted, EventEmitter is not covered there, however, consulting the Node.js documentation is useful in cases like this: EventEmitter
Juan Hurtado
2,243 PointsI completed the Node.js Basics course before watching this one, and the point still stands. Not saying this lessons was the worst thing ever, but there is definitely room for improvement.
Gabriel C. Cavallo
4,438 Points...and that was 2017 and 2018 comments. The video is still there and I paid for it. I can't get through what it is being explained. Being practical is not enough to teach programming. Theory is also needed. That is missing here. I think I'll pause my subscription and look elsewhere, including books.
Emerson Rubio
18,024 PointsI did that back then and it was the right choice! Sometimes treehouse won’t have all the answers and that’s fine! Good luck
Michael Hulet
47,913 PointsMichael Hulet
47,913 PointsHey Glasser! The Treehouse team loves hearing your feedback, but the forum isn't really the best place to give it. When you post to the community, you're greatly talking to your fellow students, none of whom really have any power in a situation like this. Treehouse staff check the forums themselves sometimes, but something like this would be better in an email to support, as they can respond and ask for more detail and better track how many people are having trouble with what
On a side note, this post wasn't close to as flagrant as some of the things I've seen here, but please refrain from using any kind of less-than-clean language on the forums, including scatological references. I've replaced the offending word in this post accordingly