PHP Fundamentals exam for BlackBeltFactory - opinions please.

[sabretooth]

Greetings,

Perhaps some of you have heard of http://blackbeltfactory.com which is a distance learning community for various languages.

I have proposed a PHP fundamentals exam for the site (be aware this is meant to be basic so databases etc are not considered here).

Thinking it would be a good idea to get some expert opinion on the objectives and structure for the planned exam questions, I have brought it here for review if you have the time and would be so kind (It is only short).

 

You can find the objectives in the current form here:  https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1svrD-mIxXmJm1R8THhejQrrH_bt5ZcTICSnfhXLQJcE&pli=1 and any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Many thanks for your time,

 

Ian

[KevinM1]

In your functions group, you should really have it say "Explain why global variables are bad practice."  Using globals to pass parameters into a function is a surefire sign that the person writing the function doesn't know what they're doing.

 

Also, I have to question the inclusion of image creation in your list.  Why include that but not the ubiquitous topic of database handling?

[sabretooth]

Greetings Nightslyr,

Thank you for your response.

I totally agree with you on the global variable point. Perhaps that could be reworded - I'll make the necessary change.

 

As for the image inclusion - I am planning on only including a few of the more major functions based around this and the GD library.  Please bear in mind that this is an exam, not a course (though it is likely the course will appear at some point in future).  Students are able to use Google and the PHP manual to look up parts they are not sure about, but they are also on a time limit, meaning any research points have to be brief.

I felt it was a much better idea to include something like this so the user can quickly find what they need and become aware of the existence of such functions even though it does not go into any great detail.

This way they can then look further into it if they so wish in their own time, and if not then no harm done.

 

IMO, doing this for databases would be cause for concern. Having a student look up information on database functions to get information required for an exam without having the time to look into how it works and the related functions would be a bad idea as this is a topic that would benefit from the student spending more time and looking into this properly, without picking up any misunderstandings which they may encounter whilst searching for the answer to their question and not fully taking in the material.

 

Work on databases and the more advanced image functions are in the works for an intermediate exam, and to be honest PHP with databases could probably warrant their own exam.

 

The bottom line is basically that databases in PHP are an important subject, and one I feel deserves more attention than this exam is prepared to emphasise.  Image functions are in my opinion nowhere near as important, so the major aim is to make people aware they exist, not to make them overly-proficient.

 

Please feel free to argue your viewpoint. I am very open-minded and am happy to receive feedback.

Ian