CSCI 261 - Programming Concepts - Fall 2020

How To Get Help


There are three recommended ways to efficiently receive the assistance you need. Here they are, in order of efficiency:
  1. Piazza
  2. In-person help
  3. Email


First, before seeking help, be thorough



If you are facing compilation errors and cannot get your program to build & run, you need to spend some time deciphering the error message(s) you are receiving. This is a twisted, cruel initiation process that all programmers must overcome -- and a critical programming skill. Here are some tips:


Step away from the problem, and come back to it later



When you encounter a problem and begin to feel frustrated, step away from your work for a little while. Go have some real fun for a while or engage in an activity that activates other parts of your brain while letting your "programmer's mind" rest. Clean house, ride your bike, or hang out with a friend. Then, come back to the problem and see if you can solve it.


Look for your problem on Piazza



Chances are likely that a fellow student has encountered the same problem that you are facing. Take a look at the messages posted on Piazza to see if someone else has contributed a solution.


Post your problem on Piazza



If you don't see an existing message on Piazza that is relevant to your problem, then you should create a new post. Do not post your entire program on Piazza, unless instructed otherwise. You should only post portions of code that you are suspicious about.


Ask a fellow student, come to office hours



Take advantage of your instructor's office hours when you can.


Email your Instructor



Although it takes only a minute to send an email, it may take a long time to receive a response. You are NOT likely to get an immediate response from your instructor, so this shouldn't be your first attack against any error message. Instructors will answer questions and provide assistance to students via email. However, there are limits to the assistance that is easily provided via email.


Important:



Here is the policy for email help on assignments, labs, and projects.
You may have a hard time formulating a plan or algorithm for an assignment. Or, you may have formulated a plan but are unsure if it will be sufficient. In these cases your instructor can certainly provide guidance via email efficiently. However, starting your homework early and asking questions early is critical to solving these sorts of creative problems.