Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. I am on the waitlist for CSE 8A and I would like to know my chances of getting in the class.
Course instructors do not manage waitlists and so we will not be able to help you with this. Waitlists are managed by CSE student affairs. Please contact UCSD CSE student affairs and they will be able to help you with this.
Link to CSE Student Affairs: https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/advising/cse-student-affairs-office-hours
2. I don't have access to Autograder. What should I do?
If you don't have access to Autograder, you can request access by going to autograder.ucsd.edu and clicking on "Join a Course". Fill in your details and choose "Course - CSE 8A". You can select any section, and make sure to write a brief explanation. Once you submit your request, a member of the staff will approve it, and you should have access to Autograder soon.
3. I do not have access to PrairieLearn. What should I do?
You should be able to enroll yourself using the link on our class homepage.
4. I do not have access to PrairieTest. What should I do?
Please make a private piazza post so the instructional staff can help you.
5. When can I use Copilot (or ChatGPT) and when can't I?
On projects and homeworks you can feel free to use these tools. On homeworks, an indicator in PrairieLearn is if we give you a workspace that has Copilot, you are explicitly intended to use it. If we just give you code to edit, modify, etc. without that workspace, we hope you can do it without the tools but feel free to use them to get more help. On projects, feel free to use Copilot throughout the creation of your project.
On exams, you can ONLY work in the PraireLearn website (no outside tools or help) so you'll be limited to what the question dictates. Most exam questions won't allow you to use Copilot (particularly for code comprehension, etc.). Our final quiz will include code writing of functions without Copilot. You will occasionally have access to the tool in quizzes/exams when we offer you a workspace to do so. (You will need to connect the workspace to your Copilot enabled GitHub account.)
6. I added the class late, what should I do?
Welcome to the course! We're glad to have you. With a 10-week quarter system, we cover a lot of ground every week, which means you have some catching up to do. Things to do:
Complete HW0 (details on canvas)
Sign up for all the course platforms linked on the home page of the course.
Complete the reading quizzes on PrairieLearn: RQ1 (Chapter 1-2), RQ2 (Chapter 3), and RQ3 (Chapter 4 and 5). (See the class schedule for more details.)
Watch the podcasts for the course either available on podcast.ucsd.edu or on canvas under Media.
Unfortunately, labs are held in person and cannot be made up. You can drop one lab in the course.
Homework 1 is due on 10/13/23. Please complete it if you can. If you've added after the deadline, remember that you can drop your lowest homework.
Review how to get help in the course - nearly all your questions should be posted on piazza or asked in Office Hours or Open Lab Hours.
Class attendence is entirely maintained electronically. If you've missed classes, we started attendance on Tuesday of Week 1 and you can miss up to 4 classes and still receive full participation marks. Even if you miss more than 4 classes, it just means your final exam will be weighted more heavily.