Below are some typical questions student have about CSE131.
If your question isn't answered here, please ask!
-
How is the online version of this course different
from the live version?
-
The assignments and conceptual content are identical. The courses
differ in the following ways:
- Lecture
- The online course uses videos and responsive components in place
of lecture. These can be done at the students' convenience online, but
the pacing of the course requires them to be done prior to the live session.
- Studio
- In the online course, these are offered as
Adobe chat room sessions, and are marked as live sessions on
the syllabus.
The instructor
and TAs staff these sessions, and students work in groups just as they
would on-campus.
- Participation
- The online course awards participation based on students submitting
the results of exercises they will find interspersed with the video content.
- Why should I study computer science at Washington University?
-
- Computer science is a discipline that has roots in mathematics,
logic, philosophy, and engineering. Computer science and computation are
an integral aspect of almost all areas of study. The issues looming largest
for our society today (health,
environment, and energy) all have interesting and challenging applications
within computer science.
-
The study of computer science teaches
and fosters a logical approach to solving problems, and students
in computer science say the discipline teaches them to think
in a different way.
- Computer science lends itself well to studies abroad, with students
traveling to Israel, England, Australia, Scotland, and New Zealand.
- Our students intern, coop, or are employed at the foremost
established companies, the most exciting start-ups, and all points in
between.
The future is bright for those who study computer science, with all of our
graduates receiving strong offers of employment.
- Our department is well situated to get you started, having received
funding from the National Science Foundation in recognition of our pioneering
approach to pedagogy. Our prerequisite chain is short, so that you can
soon take courses that most suit your interests. Our curricula are
flexible, with most of our students earning majors or minors in other
disciplines of interest along with their computer science major or minor.
- Our department eagerly attracts and involves undergraduates in research.
In this way,
as you learn the basics of our field, you also contribute to solving its
open problems.
- How is this course different from a typical lecture class?
- A 3 unit lecture class typically consists of 3 hours of lecture per week. This
course is quite different, in that it uses
active learning for most of the material you will study.
Each week generally consists of the following:
- A single lecture to introduce the topic(s) studied.
- A studio session in which you work collaboratively with
other students to extend and enhance the material covered in lecture
- A lab/recitation/quiz session in which you work on lab assignments,
review the current week's material, and take a quiz on the previous week's
material.
Thus, you spend 1.5 hours in lecture, but 3 hours working in much smaller
groups to learn the materail for this course.
- If I am struggling with the course material, how do I get help?
- We recognize that the material you are studying is nontrivial. It
is challenging and at times you will need help.
We have a myriad of resources at your disposal:
- Weekly recitation sections
- Your TAs hold office hours
- Your instructor holds office hours
- Tutors can be arranged through your school.
Contact Assistant Dean Chris Ramsay
to arrange for a tutor
- How do I earn participation credit for this course?
- Ben Murray and Ron Cytron have developed an application called
WUTexter,
which allows you to interact anonymously with the live lecture.
This application is similar to iClicker, but it requires
no special equipment and can be accessed via any cell phone that can send
text messages.
You can prepare for participation by following the
instructions.
With this application, you can do the following:
- Respond to multiple-choice questions posed in class
- Ask a question of the instructor anonymously
- Indicate that you would like the lecture to speed up or slow down
While your participation is anonymous during class, sufficient information
is retained to award you participation credit at the end of the semester.
- What is the difference between CSE131 and CSE131R?
- CSE131 is the standard course, and CSE131R is an optional 1-unit pass/fail
seminar associated with CSE131 offered in the fall semester.
This seminar
is intended for students who may intend studies in computer science: a
major, a minor, or a second major from another school.
Credit is given for CSE131R based on attendance and submission of one
lab assignment (also an extension for regular 131 class).
The seminar features:
- Guest lectures by
Computer Science and Engineering faculty about their research.
- An extra lab is assigned so that
students are better prepared for subsequent studies in computer science.
- Further exploration of certain topics covered in the main course.
- I cannot access my SVN repository
- First, make sure you have a repository. If you added the class after the first day
of classes, then ask the instructor to make sure you have a repository set up. The information
on how to access your repository is included with Lab 0.
The most common problem is that you are not authenticating correctly with the server.
-
For your username, be sure to supply your WUSTL key name but spell it completely in lower case.
For example, if you are used to typing John.Doe as your user name, type it in
as john.doe.
-
For your password, be sure to supply the password you use for logging into WebSTAC, and spell
it just as you type it in to WebSTAC.
For example, if your password is NobodyWillGuessThis, then type in
NobodyWillGuessThis.
- I have installed eclipse on my Windows 7 computer. However, when I follow the instructions
to set up subversive (SVN), the relevant menus don't seem to be there.
- For reasons we have not yet fathomed, this problem occurs only when your eclipse files are
in the special program files folder in Windows 7. So don't put the files there,
just put them on your desktop (the folder will be called eclipse, and the thing you
click to run eclipse is inside that folder).
In other words, re-download the eclipse project from the website, but this time unzip the files
to your desktop.
- I am on the waiting list for CSE131 or for the lab section I need.
Will I be able to take the course?
- Almost certainly!
Be sure to attend class on the first day.
In the past, we have been able to accommodate everyone from the waiting
list.
- Do I need any computer science background to succeed in CSE131?
- No. The only prerequisite for this course is that you be
comfortable with algebra and geometry at the high school level.
No programming background is required. We start from the beginning. However,
the course is demanding and does move rather quickly. If you're looking
for an easy course, this isn't it.
- I have some programming experience. Will I be bored in
CSE131?
- Most high school computer science courses cover programming, but not computer science as a discipline.
In other words, you may have learned the nuts and bolts, but the background
and theory are likely to be missing.
However, we do not want you to waste your time! If you have had an AP
course in computer science, or some other substantive experience, please
see the instructor. We have a placement exam you can take to see if you should
place out of CSE131.
- How much time should I expect to spend on CSE131?
- CSE131 emphasises learning by doing. Most of your time outside of
class will be spent on lab assignments.
You will spend very little
time reading, since everything you need to know will be covered in
lecture, studio, or in the lab assignments. Since CSE131 is a 3 unit course,
you should expect to spend about 9 hours per week on average
doing the lab assignments, including the lab session itself.
Some weeks will
require more time, some will require less.
- Is there a textbook for CSE131?
- Yes. Although previous instances of our course were offered without
a textbook, we have found it easier to teach the course consistently by
using a textbook. Also, students have felt more secure with the material
by having a textbook handy.
In addition to the text,
on-line materials will be provided or referenced.
The textbook in use for this semester is listed on the home page.
- Do I need a CEC account for CSE131?
- No. You should be able to log into our lab computers using your
standard WebSTAC authentication. Moreover, you are able and encouraged to
use your own computer by
installing the course software.
- Do I need to buy a computer for CSE131?
- No. You do not need to own a computer to take this course,
but most students do own their own computer and you are encouraged to do
so as well.
You are welcome to use our lab computers whether you have your own
computer or not.
Labs are reserved for classes at certain times, and open for
general use at other times. See the
schedule posted by the lab door for details.
- If I want to buy a computer, what should I buy?
-
This is a matter of personal preference, and you should discuss your options
with the instructor, other students, and with whoever will be paying for
your computer.
- Where should I store my work?
-
No matter which computer you use, your work is managed
by subversion, which saves your files in a very safe place
(meaning it is frequently backed up by someone other than you)
when you commit them. This will allow you to work from any place that has
an Internet connection if you have
installed eclipse with subversion.
- I'm having trouble with my computer.
Where can I get help?
- Try the EIT/CEC help desk in Lopata Hall. If your computer is not working,
use a lab computer until yours is fixed so that you don't fall behind in
your work.
- I have accommodation on timed exams and quizzes. How do I arrange
to take these?
- Please present your accommodation documentation to the instructor
the first week of class. The in-term exams will have extra time for you
to complete the work. You will be allowed extra time for recitation quizzes as well.
No extra time is allowed for labs, except as provided by the
late lab policy.