CSC150 — Contact

Instructor

Gary Baumgartner

For course questions and comments that might benefit some others, that don't reveal part of your solution or approach to an assignment, the Bulletin Board(s) are usually the best choice.

For more subtle, detailed, etc, questions, one-on-one interaction can be more efficient. There is the CS Help Centre, office hours, appointment (arranged through email) or just seeing me around (the office, CSSU, etc).

For shorter private discussions, you can also email. When emailing from your CDF account, gfb@cs is enough of an address (but using just gfb will go to a CDF account that I don't read).

Email and Bulletin Board Usage

For all emails, the course code ("150") must appear in the subject, and your full name or cdf login name must appear in the message. If you send an email and then realize you didn't follow these rules, don't send it again unless you left out both your name and login name.

For bulletin board posts and emails, make the subject informative: e.g. "In question 2, which Java List to use" in an "Assignment 1" bulletin board, or "150: Assignment 1, in question 2, which Java List to use" in an email. Never use just "A question", or "Assignment 1".

If we each follow these guidelines, we will each get a lot of benefit from everyone in the course (including, but not just, me).

Lectures

MWF 10 in BA 1240.
September 9 Wednesday to December 4 Friday.
Except: October 12 Monday Thanksgiving, November 13 Friday Study Break.

Bulletin (and Discussion) Board

A perfect place to spend some of the recommended 3 hours per week for lecture review, asking questions and making comments on the material. It is also an excellent place to discuss your work solving past years' tests when studying for a test.

But DO NOT use it to discuss your current assignment solutions: use it only to ask for clarifications. In particular, NEVER publicly post any of your work for a current assignment, even your idea of a solution or approach, or even one small part of a program that is part of your solution to an assignment. We must consider these as academic offenses! Instead, when you get stuck go to office hours or email me.

Instead, for discussion about your work on a current assignment, you have the CS Help Centre, office hours, appointment or email.

Instructor Office Hours

In BA 4232: Mon 1:30–3:30 ; Tue 4–6 ; Wed 3–5.
You can also make an appointment through email (see above).

CS Help Centre

CS has a general help centre, with smart experienced TAs, but who don't necessarily know the specific material and details of any particular course. Explain the material and difficulty you're having with it — a valuable learning experience itself — and they can help you develop and apply your problem solving skills.

Location: BA 2200.

Times: Monday through Thursday, starting Sept 14, from 4pm to 6pm (4-5pm in the week of Monday Sept 14).

Tutorials

There is a T9 time reserved, but tutorials have not been effective (especially at such an early time) for a small course with such a diverse audience and material best explored and experimented with individually. Office hours as needed are more effective, and if mine get busy we will add TA office hours.