Please refer to the course syllabus for relevant policies and information that apply to the course as a whole.
The purpose of discussion and lab sections is to exercise and cement the knowledge you gained in lecture. Discussion focuses on on-paper problem-solving skills and challenging theoretical concepts. Lab focuses on technical implementation skills and further builds upon the ideas you learn in class. Both are integral to your computer science education.
In section, we agreed to the following guidelines surrounding section participation:
Attending discussions and labs accounts for 5⅓% of your grade. 16 points out of 300 total are dedicated to discussion and lab participation.
Discussion participation (8 points): You will receive one point for each discussion you attend, but no more than 8 points in total. The first discussion (disc 00, 6/21) will not count.
Lab participation (8 points): You will receive one point for each lab you attend, but no more than 8 points in total. The first lab (lab 00, 6/22) will not count.
There will be 12 labs and 12 discussions for which you can earn credit toward section participation, so you need only attend ⅔ of credited labs and ⅔ of credited discussions to earn full participation credit. However, I highly encourage you to attend as many sections as possible. Due to the fast pace of class during the summer, attending section is even more important than usual for your success.
Participation is determined through your completion of a brief form and is verified through a secret word distributed at the end of each section. Lying on this form or sharing the secret word for the purpose of misrepresenting attendance is academic dishonesty.
In general, if you need help outside of discussion/lab, the following resources are available to you:
For course policy questions or generic written advice, please see cs61a.org. It has the course syllabus in addition to written guides that can help you navigate the course.
For online, asynchronous debugging assistance, other questions about course material, or course policy questions that are not answered by the syllabus, please use Piazza.
For personalized, in-person help with homework, lab, or project problems, you can come into office hours. You do not have to attend the office hours of your discussion TA for this kind of help.
Coming into my office hours is the best way to talk with me for whatever reason—be it to share feedback about my section, to expound on a problem from discussion, or to receive miscellaneous advice. My office hours are Wednesday 1:00–2:00 p.m. in Cory 521 or Friday 9:00–11:00 a.m. online.
Advising office hours are also available by appointment for advisory questions unrelated to specific course content (e.g. declaring the computer science major).
You can email me at classon@berkeley.edu. Please try not to email me with concerns that are better handled by the above methods.
I welcome and encourage honest feedback from section participants. Our attendance form includes (optional) feedback questions. Additionally, there is a form for you to provide feedback to me where you have the option of remaining anonymous. I will also be asking for feedback in the middle of the semester.
I do not have the power to grant extensions even in extenuating circumstances. Please go to go.cs61a.org/extensions to request an extension. Do not email me about extensions; I will just send you this information.
24-hour extension requests made in good faith are approved automatically.