Change++ Fall 2023 Coding Challenge

Due 9/22 at 11:59 PM!

Before You Begin

Congrats!! You have been selected to engage in the next step of the Change++ application process.

The next step in our process is completing the following coding project. We expect this to take at least 5 hours depending on experience level and technical skills. You will have approximately one week to complete the challenge. We recognize that you are all busy, but as a member of a Change++ team it is expected that you will dedicate 4-6 hours every week working on your project; therefore, we believe this is a reasonable timeframe.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: In addition to this README.md, you have been given a csv with 4000 english words inside of this git repository! You may use either this or an API to retrieve information for this challenge. More information on this is given below.

Please read this document CAREFULLY and to its ENTIRETY! I know it's long but it contains all important information that will help!

What we are looking for

At Change++, our project teams are made up of members ranging from those in their first-year at Vanderbilt to those in graduate programs. We know that you all have varying degrees of technical skills and experience, all of which we will take into account when reviewing your code. Working on a Change++ team, you may often use a new technology that you are not familiar with and have not learned in CS courses at Vanderbilt, but we’re looking to see that you demonstrate the initiative and resourcefulness necessary to learn new skills and complete your work in a timely manner. You should be able to complete this challenge with a combination of basic programming skills (AP CS, 1101, 2201 etc.) and online resources.

As far as your code goes, here are a few high-level things we are looking for:

Functionality

As always, the most important criteria is whether or not your code works according to the requirements. You should not only work to meet the requirements given, but also do your best to deliver a quality product, which may mean more than just completing the specification as stated.

Good style and Readability

As this is an untimed challenge, we expect a certain level of quality. Be sure to comment and format your code as you might while working on an application for one of our non-profits. Keep in mind we will be reading and trying to understand your code. It is in your best interest to include intentional comments and meaningful commit messages.

Organization and Extensibility

This goes along with good style. We want to see your ability to develop maintainable code. Although we will not actually build further upon this challenge, you should organize your work in an intuitive manner which would make it easy to build upon in the future.

Creativity

Change++ members are people who use creativity and initiative to get things done. There will likely be plenty of applicants who attempt this challenge, so it will benefit you to make your program stand out.

The Challenge - 'ekreb'

This year's challenge is to build a game named "ekreb", a word scrambling game that tests the user on their ability to guess a word from its scrambled .

Given a scrambled word, prompt the user to guess the original unscrambled dictionary word. After the user has played multiple rounds, let them know their accuracy.

To do this we are going to be requiring you to build two different services, a frontend and a backend, which together complete the project.

The Frontend

The frontend serves as the way that a user would interact with your program and play the game. You have a lot of flexibility in terms of how you choose to build it ranging from a simple executable (ran from the terminal) to a website, app, or any (reasonable) technology you can think of. Feel free to get creative with styling components!

The Backend

The backend consists of a RESTful API that can be accessed by the frontend and should do the following:

1. Retrieve scrambled words
2. Validate the user's answer
3. Store the accuracy/score with a variable (we will show you exactly how to do this in the workshop)

Here is the logic: The frontend will first call the backend requesting a scrambled word. The Backend will retrieve a word from either from a list of words (given in english-words.csv) or one from an API (links to possible APIs given below), scramble that word, and return it to the frontend using an endpoint. Additionally, the backed should store the accuracy/score with a variable. After the user guesses the word, the frontend should send another request to the backend with the user's guess and the backend will return whether it is correct or not and update the score accordingly.

Once again, there is a good amount of flexibility. If you choose to add bonus element such as hints or question categories, you can store/integrate them with the backend!

Note: There is more info about REST APIs below under the Tips, Tricks, and Helpful Resources section but here are some helpful links:

1. What is a REST API?
2. How to build a REST API with Node.

Game Loop

The game loop for your application should look something like this:

1. Before the game begins, manually start the backend server. This will probably look something like running a command ("python3 backend.py", "node server.js", "go run server.go", etc.)
2. When user starts program (likely with a similar command in the terminal), call the backend to get a number of dictionary words - the backend either uses a csv or an API to get these words.
3. Randomly choose a word and scramble it to present to the user.
4. Prompt the user to guess the original unscrambled version of the word.
5. Let the user know if they were correct.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 at least a few times.
7. Show the user their game statistics.

NOTE: There is a good amount of room for creativity within the challenge. The game loop is just a suggestion.

Scoring

Front-end

• Necessary - Gameplay works
• 5 Points Possible - Good style and readability
• 3 Points Possible - Organization and Extensibility
• 5 Points Possible (bonus)- Build the Frontend in React or React Native (we'd also love to see Angular or Vue!)
• 3 Points Possible (bonus) - Build a beautiful/intuitive interface
• 2 Point Possible (bonus) - Add a timer to limit the amount of time to unscramble each word
• 2 Point Possible (bonus) - Provide option for getting a hint to user
• ? Points Possible (bonus) - If your project goes above and beyond in some other way, we'd love to see it. Some other ideas are adding multiple different language options, multi-player functionality, sound effects & music, categories for words, or adding a certain amount of points to the score based on the time taken to guess the word.

Backend

• Necessary - Gameplay works
• 4 Points Possible - Good style and readability
• 2 Points Possible - Organization and Extensibility
• 5 Points Possible (bonus) - Use an API to retrieve words
• 3 Points Possible - Build the RESTful API in Node.js.
• ? Points Possible (bonus) - If your project goes above and beyond in some other way, we'd love to see it

README

• 1 Point Possible - Well written README with full name, email, and a clear explanation on how to run program including packages to install eg npm install

Deliverables

Aside from adding, committing, and pushing your files to the repo, include a README.txt. INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND VANDERBILT EMAIL IN THE README. A README is helpful because:

• We may need additional information about reading or running your program
• We want to you to include a brief (under 100 words) reflection about the code you wrote
• We are interested in any feedback you provide about the project and a reflection on the code you wrote
• If you did finish the exercise but would like to provide some ination about what you may have gotten done with more time or experience, and which steps you struggled with.
• BONUS QUESTION (this is NOT extra points): Let's put your un-scrambling skills to the test...can you guess what the unscrambled version of "ekreb" is?
• Feel free to share anything else you want to tell us! This does include funny little jokes. I can neither confirm nor deny that funny little jokes can count toward bonus points (they unfortunately do not).

IMPORTANT: When you have finished the project, you must fill out this this form to let us know you are submitting the project in addition to including a README.txt. If you do not fill this out your submission will NOT be reviewed.

Tips, Tricks, and Helpful Resources

We will be holding workshops and office hours to help you out. The following are the dates for these workshops (location TBD):

1. Workshop (project overview, Git, and backend) & Office Hours: September 14, 5-7PM in FGH 306
2. Workshop (Frontend & React): September 20, 5-7PM in FGH 306
3. Office Hours: September 22, 5-6PM in FGH 134

If you have any general questions or want advice on how to get started/learn something, please email both Rana Dubauskas & Kyle Burgess (in 1 email): [email protected] & [email protected]

• DO NOT TRY TO USE C++ FOR THIS PROJECT! We will be impressed if you manage to pull it off but it would also be really hard. Python or JavaScript are probably the easiest language to use to meet the base requirements and is not that hard to learn for someone who knows C++. Java is also doable, but might be slightly harder.
• We are trying to simulate "real world development" in this project so Google is definitely your friend. Be resourceful!! (Specifically, if you don't know where to start, you can google how to make an API in Python/JavaScript/etc)
• RESTful API
  • If you have never made an API before, it might seem fairly tricky. It is supposed to be a bit challenging, but definitely achievable and should not require a massive amount of code. There is a working solution of the backend written in less than 50 lines of code (note that it is totally ok if your solution is longer and a shorter solution is not necessarily a better solution, aim for clarity in your code).
  • If you want to write an API, my first suggestion would be to google "how to write an API in {language of choice}". Follow a tutorial and copy paste some code and work with it until you generally understand what it is doing, then try to modify it to work for this project
  • For a general explanation of what RESTful APIs are and how they work, check out this link: https://searchapparchitecture.techtarget.com/definition/RESTful-API
• Git
  • If you have never used git before it might seem a little daunting but it is actually, for this project at least, fairly straightforward. If you have any specific issues with it, try google and if you still can't figure it out, email [email protected] for help
  • If you want a basic tutorial on Git, check out this link: https://hackernoon.com/understanding-git-fcffd87c15a3
  • To get you on the right track, the only commands you should need to use for this are `git clone {repo}`, `git add .`, `git commit -m "message"`, and `git push`
• Here's a list of some great word/dictionary APIs:
  • https://random-word-api.herokuapp.com/home
  • https://www.wordsapi.com/ — This API can be used for getting details (origin, definitions, part of speech) of the word for providing hints
  • https://pypi.org/project/Random-Word/
• Good luck!

Stuck?

All good, this is expected! You've got plenty of options. First, check our workshop schedule - if your issue is with one of the topics, feel free to pop by and learn with us. Second, check our office hour (both workshop and office hours schedule are listed above). We would be happy to help you out with any errors you are encountering. Third, email Rana & Kyle ([email protected] & [email protected]) - if you can't attend office hours but still need help, send me an email and we can help you out.

We believe in you! Don't get too twisted up in the code, every letter find its place in the end! Change++ has open slots...we're spelling out an invitation just for you!

TLDR

1. Complete a coding challenge by 9/22, 11:59 PM
2. Objective: Build a game named "ekreb," where players guess the unscrambled version of a scrambled word. The challenge comprises developing both a frontend (user interface) and a backend (RESTful API for word retrieval).
3. Game Mechanics: After starting the backend server, the user initiates the game to get dictionary words. A word is randomly chosen, scrambled, and presented for the user to guess. After several rounds, the game displays user accuracy.
4. Scoring Criteria: Projects are evaluated based on functionality, code quality, organization, creativity, and technology choices. Additional bonus points are available for features like using React or React Native for the frontend, integrating a timer, providing hints, and more.
5. Deliverables: Commit the code to a repository and include a README file with the applicant's full name, Vanderbilt email, a brief reflection on the code, and other relevant details. Additionally, fill out this form to let us know you are submitting the project.
6. Support & Resources: If stuck, applicants can attend workshops or office hours, or email Rana Dubauskas & Kyle Burgess at [email protected] & [email protected].