User:Williams/FAQ

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Contacting me

Q: What can I email you?

A: Pretty much anything related to the course. It's easier to just tell you what not to email me:

  • Do not send me your assignments via email; you submit them on bobby and/or in class
  • Do not send me an entire program (attached or copy/pasted) asking me for help; come to office hours for help
    • It is fine to send me a small section of code and/or a compiler error seeking assistance

Q: Can I email you from my non-Rebelmail personal email address?

A: Current students must email me from a Rebelmail address per University policy. I will not read or reply to current student emails from non-Rebelmail addresses.

Registering and waitlist issues

Q: I'm on the waitlist for your class, what can you do? What should I do?

A: If you send me an email I will give you permission to over-enroll. You'll print the email and bring it to the department secretary in TBE A-211 and they will take it from there. Note that class sizes are still ultimately restricted by the maximum room capacity. Sometimes if a class has a set maximum of 40 the room may only have capacity for 40, but it may have capacity for 50 -- in the former case you would not be able to over-enroll, but in the latter case you would be able to.

If you are on the waitlist you should still attend class and turn in work.

Q: I added the class late and have missed turning in some work, can I still turn it in?

A: No. It is your responsibility to be registered for the class and attending it from the first day of the semester. Missing assignments in the first part of the semester will not have a major impact on your final grade, but the fact that you missed the classes will. I highly recommend that you do not add my class late.

Attending class

Q: I missed class, what did we do?

A: It's your responsibility to attend class. You're paying for it, you should get your money's worth! If you do miss class, you should consult with other students and the website to get caught up. Any important notices (e.g. assignments, class cancellations, changes in due dates, exam times, etc.) will always be posted on the course website.

Q: Can I attend the lectures even if I'm not in the class or if I withdraw/audit it?

A: Yes, so long as there are enough available seats in the class, but do not submit work to be graded.

Q: Is class cancelled?

A: I will usually notify students about class cancellations via email (to your preferred email address in MyUNLV) and on the website. The only instance in which this wouldn't happen is if I have some emergency on the way to school, in which case I will attempt to contact department staff to put a note up on the door.

Q: You're late for class, when is it OK to leave?

A: After 10 minutes. I am usually early and have never been more than 5 minutes late to class, but it's good to have this on record.

Q: Can I attend other lectures? If I do, where/when do I turn in homework or take quizzes and exams?

A: You're more than welcome to attend other sections of my lectures, but all graded work must be submitted and/or completed in the section you are in.

Turning in assignments

Q: Is extra credit required?

A: Technically speaking you're not required to do anything in the course, although your grade will be lower than if you do the work.

Q: Can I turn in my homework printout early?

A: Please do not turn your printout in until it is due in class. The only scenario in which you should turn in a printout early is if you have notified me that you will miss class.

Q: I can't login to bobby / Here is the assignment via email because I can't log into bobby.

A: First, because I use the submit script I encourage working on and submitting the assignment electronically earlier rather than later to have ample time to deal with things like a computer crash or Internet outage. You may submit as many times as you like prior to the deadline. Sometimes there are issues with the servers that may prevent you from submitting the assignment. In that case you should contact the system administrator and let me know as well. If I can verify there is a problem then I will extend the due time and notify the class via email. If it is a case of you not having Internet access for some reason (e.g. your modem died, your power is out, you're trying to log on from your work place which has a restrictive firewall, etc.) then that is not an acceptable excuse. Assignments submitted via email will not be accepted under any circumstance.

Q: I submitted the assignment late electronically, is that OK?

A: No. Work submitted even 1 minute late electronically will receive a 0.

Q: I forgot to bring a hard copy (printout) of the assignment, is that OK?

A: No. A hard copy of the assignment is required. Even if the electronically submitted code worked perfectly, without a printout of the code you will receive a 0.

Q: Do I get a 0 if I turn in the hard copy late?

A: It depends. Any hard copy turned in after the beginning of the lecture may be subject to a penalty. If you do not turn in the hard copy during the lecture on the class day it is due you will receive a 0 on the assignment.

Office hours

Q: What can I come to your office hours for?

A: Office hours are primarily for clarifying certain parts of the covered material (not an entire lecture that you missed), to assist with questions about assignments and programs, and to explain grades you were given if you have questions. You can also just drop by to chit chat about random topics, although if many students are waiting I will generally try to make time for each student. See this etiquette guide for more details.

If you are struggling please come to office hours before it is too late to help.

Q: Do you have office hours today?

A: My office hours are listed on my website. If I have cancelled them I will typically tell my classes in advance and/or email the class via MyUNLV.

Q: Will you be in your office during office hours?

A: Yes, unless they were cancelled. If I step out then I will put a sign on my door stating when I will be back (usually within 10-15 minutes). I usually do this if there is some short meeting I need to attend, to use the bathroom, or to get some food.

Q: Can I come by your office hours?

A: Yes, you do not need to ask.

Q: Can I set an appointment during your office hours?

A: No. I've found that it's too complicated to allow people to set appointments during office hours. Often times students will show up late or not at all and then I am waiting on a student to show up for an appointment while other students are there and waiting. If you want to be sure that you see me during office hours I suggest showing up either before my office hours begin or when they are almost over.

Q: I can't come to your office hours, is there another time I can meet you?

A: Absolutely. I understand that students may have other classes, work, or other commitments during my office hours. To meet outside of office hours, you must send me an email at least 24 hours in advance of when you wish to meet. I also have other commitments so there's no guarantee that we'll be able to agree upon a time, but I will make every effort to accommodate you. If you set an appointment, do not be late for it and, if you decide you need to cancel, let me know as soon as possible.

Q: Should I bring a laptop?

A: My office computer is set up such that it will be easy for you to log on to bobby. If you wish you bring your own laptop you may do so but do not count on having access to an outlet and make sure that your computer is on, logged into bobby, has a text editor up, etc. Show me your code in a simple manner, not in some IDE or with your antivirus providing warnings every time you compile.

Finals & final grades

Q: When/where is the final?

A: The final exam is in the normal classroom. As the final approaches, I will mention the date/time in the lecture and put that information on the website. Additionally, this information is available when you log in to MyUNLV and a complete mapping of course dates & times to final exam dates & times is available here.

Q: Are you going to curve?

A: Probably not. If I do, I will announce it to the entire class without being prompted.

Q: When will final grades be posted?

A: See this page for details as to when all instructors are required to turn in their grades. You should assume I will enter the grades on that last day. Even after the grades are entered it takes time for the system to process them. Therefore they may not show up until 1-2 days after the official due date.

Q: Can I see my final exam/assignment?

A: If you took the course in the Fall, see me during my Spring semester office hours. If you took the course in the Spring or Summer, see me during my Fall semester office hours. Office hours will be posted on my website by the start of the following semester. If you have a compelling reason to view it prior to that, contact me.

Q: Will you change my final grade?

A: No. Do not send me any sob stories about hardships, probation, or scholarships. The only instance in which I would change a final grade is if I erroneously entered it into the official grade roster (e.g. you know you should have a B, but your official grade was recorded as a F).

Miscellaneous

Q: Will you write me a letter of recommendation?

A: Maybe. For me to write you a letter of recommendation you should have completed at least one of my classes with a grade of A and/or I must have had some sufficient level of interaction with you. You should give me at least two weeks notice for the letter, tell me what the letter is for, and provide me a resume and any other relevant information I should know, such as the position you are seeking.

Q: What are you teaching next semester?

A: Check the MyUNLV class search. If I'm scheduled to teach a course, details will be there. Note that course assignments may change, even up to the week prior to the semester. In any case, if you stay on top of the MyUNLV class search you'll know about as much as I do!

Q: What computer do I need for your class?

A: Practically any computer is sufficient, even a 20 year old computer running Windows XP! All of the major operating systems are OK including Windows, Mac, and Linux. When developing and running programs you can and should do this on the CS department servers, therefore you only need a program to connect to the servers. For more details, see access.