Our tutorials start on week 2 (even before CORS tutorial bidding is over), not in week 3 as other modules do. CS2113 (not CS2113T) students attend any tutorial slot for week 2 (only) tutorial.
Our tutorial IDs are different from CORS. Format: M11 means Monday 1100 and so on.
| Module | Tutorial ID (ID in CORS) | Time | Venue | Tutors (contact details) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS2113T | M11 (T3) | Mon 1100 | COM1-0210 (SR10) | Akshay, Devamanyu |
| CS2113T | T08 (T1) | Tue 0800 | COM1-0210 (SR10) | Stephanie, Tek In, Rrubaa |
| CS2113T | T09 (T2) | Tue 0900 | COM1-0210 (SR10) | Stephanie, Rrubaa, Sanjukta |
| CS2113 | T11 (2) | Tue 1100 | COM1-0210 (SR10) | Stephanie, Rachel |
What happens during the tutorial:
- A tutorial group is handled by two tutors. Each tutor will work with two teams.
- The tutor will direct students to share/discuss evidence of learning the weekly topics.
- If some students have met with difficulties while learning a topic, the tutor can direct those students to get help from those who have learned the topic. The number of topics that can be covered in the tutorial session depends on how well-prepared you are.
- The tutor will observe, and give feedback on how well you are learning required topics.
- Please bring your laptop to tutorials. You often need it to show evidence of learning the topics. At other times, we ask you to work on project related things with your team members, which too may require the laptop.
Relevant: [
What if I don’t carry around a laptop?
If you do not have a laptop or prefer not to bring the laptop, it is up to you to show your work to the tutor in some way (e.g. by connecting to your home PC remotely), without requiring extra time/effort from the tutor or team members.
Reason: As you enjoy the benefits of not bring the laptop; you (not others) should bear the cost too.
The role of our tutors is different from tutors in other modules.
- No direct tech help: Tutors are prohibited from giving direct technical help. Rationale: We want you to learn the vital survival skill of troubleshooting technical problems.
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This guide is mostly about getting tech help, but it also applies to getting clarifications on module topics too. e.g. what is the difference between refactoring and rewriting?
We want to move you away from 'hand holding' and make you learn how to solve problems on your own. This is a vital survival skill in the industry and it needs practice.
Whether it is a technical problem (e.g. error when using the IDE) or a doubt about a concept (e.g. what is the difference between scripted testing and exploratory testing?) the teaching team is happy to work with you when you look for a solution/answer, but we do not do it for you. We discourage unconditional direct help from tutors because we want you to learn to help yourself. Yes, we believe in ‘tough love’😝.
The question you should always ask yourself is, 'how do I solve this problem if the lecturer/tutors are not around to help me?'
What not to do:
- When faced with a technical problem or a doubt about a concept, don't fire off an email lecturer/tutor immediately, unless it is something only the lecturer/tutor is supposed to know.
What to do:
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Check what is given: Check if the problem/concept has been discussed in the lectures, textbook, or the list of resources given to you. Yes, it is easier for you to write an email to the tutor/lecturer instead, but that shouldn't be your default behavior. We know that sometimes it is difficult to find stuff in the resources we have provided. But you should try first.
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Search: It is very likely the answer already exists somewhere in the cyberspace. Almost every programming-related question has been answered in places like stackoverflow. Don't give an opportunity for someone to ask you to STFW.
Pay attention to the error message you encounter. Sometimes it also contains hints as to how to fix the problem. Even if not, a web search on the error message is a good starting point.
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Ask peers:
Ask your team members.
Ask classmates using the module forum or the slack channel. Even if you figured out one way to solve a problem, discussing it on a public forum might lead you to better ways of solving it, and will help other classmates who are facing similar problems too. If you are really shy to ask questions in the forum, you may use this form to submit your question anonymously which we will then post in the forum.
Rubber duck debugging is an informal term used in software engineering to refer to a method of debugging code. The name is a reference to a story in the book The Pragmatic Programmer in which a programmer would carry around a rubber duck and debug his code by forcing himself to explain it, line-by-line, to the duck.
[for more, see wikipedia entry]
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Ask the world using programming forums such as stackoverflow.
Here are some tips for posting help request:
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PLEASE search for existing answers before you post your question in those public forums; You don't want to appear as a 'clueless' or 'too lazy to do your research' person in a public forum.
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Learn to isolate the problem. "My code doesn't work" isn't going to help even if you post the whole code online. Others don't have time to go through all of your code. Isolate the part that doesn't work and strip it down to the bare minimum that is enough reproduce the error. Sometimes, this process actually helps you to figure out the problem yourself. If not, at least it increases the chance of someone else being able to help you.
💡 How to isolate problematic code? Delete code (one bit at a time) that is confirmed as not related to the problem. Do that until you can still reproduce the problem with the least amount of code remaining.
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Generalize the problem. "How to write tasks to a text file using Java" is too specific to what you are working on. You are more likely to find help if you post a thread called (or search for) "How to write to a file using Java".
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Explain well. Conversations via online forums take time. If you post everything that is relevant to your problem, your chances of getting an answer in the first try is higher. If others have to ask you more questions before they can help you, it will take longer. But this doesn't mean you dump too much information into the thread either.
💡 Know what these stand for: RTFM, STFW, GIYF
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- Raise your question during a tutorial. Some questions can be discussed with the tutor and tutorial-mates.
What kind of questions are suitable to discuss with the tutor? Consider these two questions you might want to ask a tutor:
- Good This is how I understood/applied coupling. Is that correct? - Such questions are welcome. Reason:This question shows you have put in some effort to learn the topic and seeking further clarification from the tutor.
- Bad What is coupling? - Such questions are discouraged. Reason: This question implies you haven’t done what you could to learn the topic in concern.
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Talk to the lecturer before or after the lecture. The lecturer will be at the lecture venue from 30 minutes before the start of the lecture.
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Request our help: Failing all above, you can always request for help by emailing the lecturer.
Resources
- [lifehacker article] Google Tips and Tricks Every Student Should Know
- [Article] How To Ask Questions The Smart Way by Eric Steven Raymond
- No ‘teaching’: Tutors are prohibited from “teaching” concepts that are covered in lectures or other learning resources given to you. Self-learning is a vital part of the module. But of course tutors can help you clarify doubts under the right circumstances.
Relevant: [
- Raise your question during a tutorial. Some questions can be discussed with the tutor and tutorial-mates.
What kind of questions are suitable to discuss with the tutor? Consider these two questions you might want to ask a tutor:
- Good This is how I understood/applied coupling. Is that correct? - Such questions are welcome. Reason:This question shows you have put in some effort to learn the topic and seeking further clarification from the tutor.
- Bad What is coupling? - Such questions are discouraged. Reason: This question implies you haven’t done what you could to learn the topic in concern.
- No leading from the front: Tutors are not expected to lead your project effort. They will not tell you how to do project tasks or when to do project tasks. You have to figure those out yourselves. But tutors will give you feedback on how you are doing (or have done) project tasks so that you can improve further.
Timing/venue:
- Please refer to the Schedule page for further details on each tutorial.
- You are expected to arrive on time. Punctuality is considered for participation marks.
- You may leave the class 15 minutes before the hour if you have another class right after. There is no need to wait till the tutor dismisses you. However, inform the tutor (as a courtesy) before leaving if you leave before the class is dismissed.
- Please make sure you vacate the table 5 minutes before the hour so that the next group can start on time.
- In the past many students have suggested to increase the tutorial duration because 1 hour is barely enough to get through all weekly topics. Increasing the tutorial time is not possible due to lack of venues and tutors. Instead, let's try to make the best of the one hour available by coming well prepared and starting on time.
Grading:
Tutorials are not graded. However, your conduct will be reviewed by team members and the tutor which will determine your participation marks.
[Exchange students only] Registering for tutorials:
- Exchange students need to use the ORATUT system to register for the tutorials. You must have received the instructions from UG office on how/when to go about the registration process. If not, please talk to UG office. When we can see your appeal on ORATUT, we can allocate you to the tutorial slot.