How to Succeed in this Course
and how to get the help you need!

Ack, I'm Completely Lost!

• Office Hours - the instructor is nicer than she looks :)
  If you can't come to office hours, then arrange (in person or through email) with the instructor to meet at a different time.

• Group Tutoring: Attend evening group tutoring sessions with a lab assistant. The schedule will be posted here.

• Individual Tutoring: If you are still struggling after all of the above, you may request one-on-one tutoring through the Learning Center.

Whatever, you do, keep coming to class! There is a tendency to skip class when one gets behind, but this is the worst thing you can do because it guarantees that you will get even more behind.

General Study Guidelines

• Attend class and lab! And, be on time. Do the assignments on time (lateness is penalized) but better late than never.
• Turn off your cell phone in class. [cartoon]
• Reading and Due Dates: Check the class homepage and schedule to find out what topics are currently being covered and what assignments are due. Last minute announcements (e.g. class cancelations, etc) are sent through email, so please read your email! [cartoon]
• Read the textbook. Code the examples as you go.
• Ask Questions: There are no stupid questions. Don't feel shy about asking questions of the instructor (in lab, class or office hours) or lab assistant or another student from the class. Don't feel shy about asking the same question multiple times.
• Help Others: If you understand the material, help someone who has questions (don't give away solutions to assignments but rather help students understand concepts, explain in words how to solve parts of the code, or help provide high level direction.)
• Backup Your Work: Save your work frequently. Back up your programs to a separate drive. You never know when a catastrophy will hit (e.g. your hard drive dies)! [cartoon]
• Stay in Communication. E.g., if you get sick, contact the instructor as soon as possible.

• but mostly, you need to:    Code, code, code ...

Learning to Program

Learning to program is much like learning a foreign language. Read about the process of learning a new language.