Getting Started

Prepare for Success in CS 307

This document will tell you everything you need to know about getting started with CS 307.

Joining late? First and foremost: Don’t panic! You have not missed any graded assignments! You might have missed a practice assignment or two, but, they will be easy to do quickly, and you have not lost any points!

With that out of the way, you can simply follow the rest of the directions here, and you’ll be all set!

Bookmark The Website

You’re already here, but you’ll probably be back. So, it is probably a good idea to bookmark this website. We will use many different websites and services in this course, but this website is the only place that you need to remember to check, as it will direct you everywhere else you may need to go.

We plan to post information about assignment deadlines and the office hours schedule on the landing page. That way, you will have easy access to all time sensitive information in one place.

Within the content section of the website, you’ll see information about each weekly module of the course. On that page, you’ll see the learning objectives, topics and activities for each module.

Check Your Email

We will use email to make announcements in CS 307. Hopefully, you’ve already seen an email or two from Dave. Even if you have, it would be a good idea to add dalpiaz2@illinois.edu to your email’s safe senders list. While I still think it is more reliable than other announcement tools, University email has too often been marked as spam recently.1

We recommend that you check your University email at least once a day.2

We will generally try to not overwhelm you with email announcements. During the first couple weeks, we will likely email a bit more frequently, especially because it is likely that our roster will be shuffling during that time.

Read The Syllabus

Read the syllabus! We know that it is long and boring, but being familiar with this information will help you succeed in the course. At the top of the syllabus, we also have some suggestions for when to read the syllabus.3

To make the syllabus less overwhelming, we created additional policy pages for each of the assignment types for the course.

There isn’t a huge rush to read each of these, but you certainly should as you attempt each of the assignment types for the first time!

Join The Class On PrairieLearn

Head to PrairieLearn and use the “Enroll Course” button towards the top left of the page and join the Fall 2024 instance of CS 307.

Check Canvas Access

Verify that you have access to CS 307 on Canvas. If you do not have access, and have recently registered, please be patient. Rostering with Canvas can be slow, but you do not truly need access for anything in the first couple weeks! Please do not email asking for access unless it has been 48 hours since you have registered. We promise, we are not hiding anything!

Once you have access, there will likely be nothing there! The first Canvas assignment, Lab 00, will be released during the first discussion.

Register For Ed Discussion

We will use Ed Discussion as the discussion forum for the course. You should have already received a link to join. Check your email! As noted in the syllabus, we have a preference for using the discussion forum rather than email for answering questions. Please take a look at the pinned posts which set some expectations for how to interact with the forum. There is also a thread where you can introduce yourself if you’d like!

If you are joining late and have not yet seen an email with the link to join the forum, please be patient. There is nothing you need to access there at the moment, and we will be sending that link repeatedly during the first two weeks. We’ll be sure to send it a final time after the last day to register and include a link from within Canvas.

Check ClassTranscribe Access

Verify that you have access to ClassTranscribe, which is where we will post videos.

Except for the first discussion, where we will discuss assignment policies, we do not plan to record and post video of discussion sections.

ClassTranscribe access control is somewhat manual, so if you register late, please let Dave know if you do not have access!4

Check PrairieTest Access

Quizzes will be taken at the CBTF, but scheduling will be done through PrairieTest.

We will try to keep the roster on PrairieTest updated, but it is a manual process, so please let us know if you do not have access. You’ll need access before September 19.

Take Note Of Quiz Dates

Take some time now to note the dates of the three quizzes for the course.

Why are there start and end dates for each quiz? Because they will be administered through the CBTF and pending availability, you will be able to schedule your quizzes any time that you’d like during those days.

The reservation date is the first day that you can schedule your quiz. Reservations will be done through PrairieTest.

Discussion sections the Friday before a quiz will be officially cancelled, and converted to office hours in the usual classroom and the regularly scheduled time.

Quiz 01

  • Reservation: Thursday, 2024-09-19
  • Start: Monday, 2024-09-30
  • End: Wednesday, 2024-10-02

Quiz 02

  • Reservation: Thursday, 2024-10-24
  • Start: Monday, 2024-11-04
  • End: Wednesday, 2024-11-06

Quiz 03

  • Reservation: Thursday, 2024-11-21
  • Start: Monday, 2024-12-02
  • End: Wednesday, 2024-12-04

Go To Discussion Section

Attend the first discussion section on Friday, August 30. During this discussion section, you will meet the full course staff, and complete (large portions of) Homework 00 and Lab 00, which will help get you get setup to complete assignments in the course.

Bring your laptop! If you do not have access to a laptop, please contact the course instructor to discuss potential solutions.

Setup Your Machine

We have written a Computing Setup Guide specific to setting up your machine for CS 307. We strongly advise following the instructions in this guide, even if you have previously installed Python and related tools.

We will work on Homework 00 and Lab 00 together during discussion. If you can successfully follow along on your laptop, you’ll be all set! If you encounter issues, we will reserve time at the end of discussion for “laptop support office hours” and assist you getting your machine prepared for the semester.

Please do not hesitate to seek help from the course staff if you are unable to complete the setup guide. While many workarounds may exist, we feel that following our recommended setup will give you the best chances for success in the course.

Complete Homework 00

Complete Homework 00 during discussion! This will be an opportunity to learn about the homework process on PrairieLearn in addition to testing your laptop setup.

Homework 00 is not part of your grade. It is only for practice.

Complete Lab 00

Complete Lab 00 during discussion! This will be an opportunity to learn about the lab process, which utilizes both Canvas and PrairieLearn.

Lab 00 is not part of your grade. It is only for practice.

Know Where Your Towel Is

Do you have a towel? Do you know where it is? Are you confused why you’re being asked about a towel? Like other things you’ll encounter during the course, such as the number 42, this is a phrase from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy5. Long story short6, it is a metaphor for being prepared!

Footnotes

  1. To combat this, we will (try our best to remember to) also post the text of email announcements to the course discussion forum.↩︎

  2. This is a good habit to establish generally, not just for CS 307.↩︎

  3. Students often incorrectly believe that reading the syllabus is only a start-of-the-semester activity.↩︎

  4. Please send an email that follows the email policy.↩︎

  5. Dave is getting old. He’s a Millennial, whatever that means. Some of his references will be dated. Hitchhikers however is timeless.↩︎

  6. 42 is harder to explain.↩︎