Section 4 How Will We Communicate in This Course?
Subsection 4.1 Canvas
We will be heavily relying on Canvas, UT’s Learning Management System. Details of lectures (topics, slides, book sections, problem sets), discussion sections (topics, slides, worksheets), programming assignments, and assessments (quizzes and exams) will be posted on the Canvas page for the course on a weekly basis. It is your responsibility to check Canvas regularly.
Subsection 4.2 Ed Discussion
We will be exclusively using Ed Discussion for class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from your classmates and the instructional team. Rather than emailing questions to the instructional team, I encourage you to post your questions on Ed Discussion.
You must read the discussion board at least once per day, and you should post course-related technical or administrative questions or problems there. You are encouraged to respond to your classmates' posts. I expect you to make good use of the discussion board when you have technical or administrative questions or problems. The instructional staff will be closely monitoring the discussion board.
Course-related announcements will be cross-posted on the discussion board. Every time I check throughout the semester, you must have read at least 85% of the discussion board posts (as recorded by the discussion board, so you must read them through the website, not through emails).
You are responsible for any and all information posted to the discussion board by any member of the instructional team. You are expected to read all announcements within twelve hours of being posted.
Subsection 4.3 Gradescope
We will be using Gradescope for handing in and autograding programming assignments. You will find this tab in the Canvas navigation panel on the left-hand side of the Canvas course page.
Subsection 4.4 Emails
In this course, email will be used as a means of communication with students. You are responsible for regularly checking (at least every 24 hours) both your CS email and your email officially registered with UT for class work and announcements.
Emails to the instructional team should begin with "CS429 <section number>" in the subject line, followed by a brief description of the purpose of your email. By following this format, you will help us better address your questions in a timely manner. If you miss this detail, a response to your email may be delayed indefinitely, since it may require uncessary back-and-forth email exchanges to figure out who you are.
Do not use the Canvas Inbox to communicate with the instructional team, as you will not receive a reply to such messages.
Last-minute assistance requests by email will not be supported. More generally, you cannot expect to get detailed answers to technical questions by email. If you must send an email, spend extra time to ensure that you are both brief and clear. Email is a valuable tool for communicating with the instructional team. But be sure to use it properly and follow the rules of good email etiquette (e.g., no flaming, spamming, etc.). Although it’s easy for you to dash off an email question, it takes a lot of thought and effort on the instructional team's part to answer it.
In general, try to avoid emailing the instructional team regarding a question whose answer you can find in resources such as the syllabus, Canvas, Ed Discussion, or the textbooks.