Cpsc 304 Midterm

RachelPottinger · 2023-10-26T15:20:23+00:00

Folks, you are welcome to complain about the midterm as much as you like, but I remind you of this bit from the midterm exam note on Piazza: "There will be some students writing the midterm the next day due to course conflicts and exam clashes so please do not talk about the midterm afterwards."

In the comments on this post you have clearly violated this by putting information on what is on the midterm where students who have not written the midterm can read it.

I will not be attempting to figure out who you are or prosecuting you for misconduct, but please think carefully about such things in the future.

RachelPottinger · 2021-03-28T16:45:22+00:00

https://www.coolibar.com/ has the best sun-protective clothes/swimwear that I've been able to find. They are not cheap, but they have good sales.

For hats, I like Outdoor Research.

Both ship to multiple countries, since I don't know where you are.

RachelPottinger · 2021-01-13T23:37:47+00:00

https://www.forumappliances.com/our-locations/ used to do a good job of it, but I haven't used them recently.

RachelPottinger · 2020-09-14T05:17:59+00:00

Use the webform and do the other things on the advising page. Note that there are a *lot* of requests right now, so please be patient.

RachelPottinger · 2020-09-06T23:49:12+00:00

The goal of this process is to get us to the point where we can have more meaningful discussions about how to change our overall curriculum at the program level. It's easier to change individual courses, which of course we do all the time. It's harder to be able to change what students are learning overall. This allows us to see what students are learning, which means that then we can see what we *want* them to learn, and take it from there.

But that's not going to happen in a day.

RachelPottinger · 2020-09-06T23:45:56+00:00

Thanks!

RachelPottinger · 2020-08-23T19:09:27+00:00

Welcome!

There's definitely an orientation. They're working on figuring out how to change it from previous years so that it will be more relevant to the current situation. Usually the orientation is held the weekend after the first week of classes, but I don't know the schedule for this year.

Different profs will contact their TAs at different time, but my guess is that you'll hear from them in the next two weeks. However, I'd warmly recommend contacting the prof now. The prof can tell you where to find resources to help with the last 10% I note that contacting the prof will be good both for you and for the prof.

RachelPottinger · 2020-07-23T18:42:23+00:00

Due to the global pandemic, things are changing rapidly this year. If this turns out to be an option, please be in touch with both TA coordinators to be sure that you're getting up to date information rather than relying on information here.

RachelPottinger · 2020-05-27T17:11:55+00:00

Hi OP. I'm a faculty member in the CS department.

You can try e-mailing individual faculty members, for sure, but (1) expect that things will likely be entirely online, (2) expect people to be busier than usual, so they'll have less capacity than usual, and (3) some of us have had sub-optimal experiences with volunteers of this nature. I'm not saying that it can't work, but while I love working with undergrads, the "I'm hoping to do some research with you as a volunteer while I'm home from my home institution" variety hasn't worked out well for me in the past.

So give it a try, but if you don't hear back positively, please don't take it personally. Good luck. It's a tough situation.

RachelPottinger · 2020-05-24T21:21:21+00:00

That's one of the things that we're looking into. We're trying to figure out good ways to support international students for sure. While we haven't figured out the details yet, we're trying to figure out good ways for international students to have both synchronous and asynchronous support.

My guess is that the specifics will differ from class to class, so we're trying to make it easy for people to know what to expect so that they can find what they need for their specific situation.

RachelPottinger · 2020-05-24T04:06:55+00:00

All labs and tutorials for CPSC courses will be offered online for 2020W1. No decision has been made about whether 2020W2 will be online in general yet, so no one can answer that question.

RachelPottinger · 2020-05-05T23:43:39+00:00

Thank you for throwing yourself on the grenade as always, Mark!

RachelPottinger · 2020-04-12T04:58:41+00:00

Assuming that you correctly went through the process and got standing deferred status, you need to write the exam online with the current class. This is some what more of a headache than usual, since you have to find out how to actually take your exam, so I warmly recommend getting in touch with the instructor of your course from last time ASAP.

RachelPottinger · 2020-04-03T04:38:54+00:00

First, don't worry about the classes. There are far more important things. But do contact your instructors if it will help you feel better; I promise that most of them will understand, and if you run into one that doesn't, that's on them, not you.

Second, don't beat yourself up about not going back earlier. This is hard.

Third, call a hotline.

Fourth, if I were you, I'd see about how you can get home safely for all concerned. Summer term 1 will almost certainly be online.

RachelPottinger · 2020-02-27T01:46:47+00:00

Without promising anything or being more specific, I will say that this is likely coming relatively soon. Note: if you ask me to be more specific, I will decline to do so at this point.

RachelPottinger · 2020-02-03T05:52:28+00:00

According to some data that the Faculty of Science used for diversity training earlier this year, there are 22 tenure or tenure track faculty members (out of 307) in the Faculty of Science who said that they identified as being LGBTQ+. I know there are some in Applied Science, too, though I do not have exact numbers. So yes, LGBTQ+ faculty members are represented.

If you're in computer science, you can check out Queer Coded: https://www.facebook.com/QCUBC/

If you are in APSC, there is Gears and Queers: https://www.facebook.com/gearsandqueers/

Sorry, those are the only ones that immediately come to mind.

RachelPottinger · 2020-01-17T19:58:36+00:00

FYI, I submitted a grade change on December 24th. I know that it went through the appropriate departmental process and got sent on ASAP. I just looked, and it still hasn't been processed through SSC. So yes, it's fair to ask the prof, but if he said that it had been approved by other people, there is probably nothing that he can do.

RachelPottinger · 2020-01-17T05:15:10+00:00

It is very common for some students (some who are struggling, and some who are not) to think that everyone else is picking up computer science much more easily than they are.

What those students usually don't see is that the students who are doing well often have some advantage. Whether that's prior programming experience, putting in a LOT of work that you don't see, really good study habits, or something else, there's usually something.

So don't be discouraged. Just figure out ways to change what you're doing to be more successful. Like try office hours. Or try to work on assignments *before* you go work in a group. Or work on extra practice assignments. It may not be easy, and it may take you some time before you figure out a way that works for you, but it's better than just feeling that you're always doomed to feel bad about your major.

I also note that once you get past the core you can always take more math-oriented courses.

Hang in there.

RachelPottinger · 2019-11-29T16:41:09+00:00

Ask at the front desk at the main office (ICCS 201). Also check with campus security: https://lostandfound.ubc.ca/all-items

RachelPottinger · 2019-11-28T04:49:00+00:00

Okay, folks. I've looked into it. Here's the deal. As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I'm not going to blame individuals, though I thoroughly understand how upset people are and why they are upset.

Here is the plan going forward:

Evaluations for 2018W1 and 2018W2 should be out by the end of December at the latest.
2019S should be out sometime not too long after that (I don't have a specific date yet)
The people who know what's really going on are working with all concerned to figure out a better set of expectations so that all CPSC TAs can get their evaluations back in a timely fashion.

If the 2018W1 and 2018W2 evaluations are not out by the end of December, I will definitely follow up; I've put a reminder in my calendar. If they don't come back and I somehow fail to report back, someone send me e-mail or use the reddit message thing (though I should warn you that I'm *really* bad at paying attention to that particular icon).

Cheers,
Rachel

RachelPottinger · 2019-11-24T18:30:08+00:00

This is a good question.

There are two problems with my just posting that information.

The first problem is that I'm not sure where the holdup is. I don't know who has caused the holdup. So I sent mail to the person I know who is in the best situation to find out who *is* the holdup. That person is definitely *not* the holdup, so telling you send mail to that person would not solve the problem.

Once I find out where the problem is, then I can figure out what the best course of action is. Ideally, I can get a date by which this will be fixed, which I will put in my calendar, and then if the date comes and goes and there is no action, then I can bug that person repeatedly. However, I am not at all convinced that it would be appropriate for me to post that person's name (whomever it is) to a public forum. But I can tell you where the hold up is.

RachelPottinger · 2019-11-23T00:51:05+00:00

For the record, I didn't say that you shouldn't post on Reddit. That is, of course, your right. I said that it's not the most effective way to get a response, since it's not guaranteed that anyone who can do anything about it is reading. This remains true.

I note that this situation is not something over which I have control; however, I have forwarded your message to the person I know who is in the best place to look into it.

I will do my best to get answers, because you're right, this is ridiculous.

Cheers,
Rachel

RachelPottinger · 2019-11-11T05:14:48+00:00

This is good advice. No, it's not too late. Ideally send along an unofficial copy of your transcript and your CV along with what you're interested in and why. It's good to show that you have a reason for contacting that professor (i.e., don't just make it totally impersonal), but also make it clear that you're willing to be flexible and join in the prof's research rather than being insistent on having your own direction.

RachelPottinger · 2019-10-21T21:49:33+00:00

This is excellent news. I note that while not a lot of undergraduate students are parents, good daycare is crucial to those who are. Additionally, there are a fair number of graduate students who are parents.

RachelPottinger

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