Report Activity No.2 - Programming Clinic 2021

Persatuan Mahasiswa Sains Komputer (PERSAKA) organised and hosted a Programming Clinic on 17 April 2021 in UTM, Johor Bahru to help first-year students from the School of Computing improve their programming basics and problem-solving skills. We all know that as talents increase, mastering the skill base becomes increasingly vital, therefore I expected that this programme can lay my solid foundation that will provide me a better understanding of programming techniques and confidence as I continue my studies. In this programme, seniors students acted as mentors, they were willing to share the programming knowledge and skills with their mentees who are the partcipants also the juniors in the School of Computing. 

This programme was successfully carried out using Google Meet since the concept of "Mentor-Mentees" was used, and each participant had their own session and communication with their mentor. The registration committees had surveyed the topics in which the majority of participants were weak as a reference for mentors as they prepared their materials prior to the event. Based on the survey, the mentors produced a variety of materials and tasks for their mentees so that they could gain a better understanding of C++ programming and learn more about the topics in which they were poor.

During the session, the mentors instructed and directed their mentees through the exercises. Mentees also asked questions when they didn't understand anything and had effective two-way communication with their mentors. Despite the fact that this was a three-hour session, the mentors were very patient in teaching and explaining things to the mentees that they were unfamiliar with. Whenever the mentees had a misunderstanding or uncertainty regarding the topic at hand, they would present numerous examples to ensure that the event's objectives were met. The participants actively listening to the teaching of the mentor and provide feedback and questioning if they faced any issues or problems. These scenarios lead to develope an effective communication skills between mentors and mentees. The process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data occured in the session so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose. 

Overall, the participants and mentors of this programme have benefited greatly from this programme. This event not only served as a "clinic" for individuals who are new to programming, but it also gave them the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of the necessary topics about C++ programming, thus improve their problem-solving and critical thinking skills while doing the coding.