Written by Julie Zelenski, with modifications by Nick Troccoli
Lab Materials
Note: lab materials will be posted here at the start of each week.
You can find the link to your lab's shared document here. Note you will need to authenticate; access is for enrolled students only.
Tip: some students have found it helpful to use web annotation/highlighter tools (e.g. roohit, Marker.to, getliner...) to mark key passages of the lab writeups when working.
Lab Schedule and Signups
Labs meet weekly starting the second week of the quarter. The first week you will choose your lab section time. Our typical weekly schedule offers labs Tues, Wed, and Thurs at various times throughout the day. Lab signups are set to open Tue Apr 2 12:00 pm PDT. Labs signups are not first-come first-serve; the form will ask you to enter your preferences for lab times, and you may do this anytime until Sun Apr 7 11:59 pm PDT. You may also come back and update your preferences until this time as well.
Each lab will have roughly 25-30 openings. We may add additional labs depending on enrollment.
Visit Lab Preferences to enter your lab preferences. The link will display an error if signups have not opened yet.
Once labs have been assigned, visit Lab Schedule and Enrollments to view the lab schedule and choose/change your assigned lab.
Labs are held via Zoom. The week that labs start, you can find the Zoom link for your lab listed on Canvas, under the "Zoom" page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is lab credit awarded?
Lab credit is awarded for attendance and participation. To earn credit, you need to arrive on time, having completed the pre-lab exercises, and actively participate for the full lab period. At the end of lab, your CA will record your lab participation / attendance grade.
What is the lab collaboration policy?
This is participatory collaborative learning -- please offer your help to your peers and seek advice from your peers and the staff. You will work in pairs at a shared computer and are encouraged to discuss topics and share ideas with the group. The goal is for everyone to come away with a clear understanding of the lab concepts and be prepared to go on to individually complete the assignments.
Can I go to a different lab than my assigned one?
Yes; a student attending a lab other than their assigned one is a "visitor". Visitors are accommodated when space is available, but priority is given to the assigned students. For online labs via Zoom, please message the lab TA at the beginning of your visiting lab so that they are aware and can place you in a lab group for that week. We aggregate lab attendance at the end of each week. We strongly recommend attending your assigned lab where possible; past students have found that they learn best with a regular timeslot, the same lab TA, and a recurring lab group.
Can I permanently change my assigned lab?
Use the lab schedule link earlier on this page to re-assign yourself. If your preferred lab is at capacity, it cannot accept additional students and you must retain your current assignment. Keep an eye out for space opening up to allow the switch later as students do shuffle around a bit in the first few weeks.
What happens if I arrive to lab late or leave early?
We expect you to arrive on time and engage for the full lab period. Arriving late or leaving early will result in not receiving lab credit.
What happens if I miss my lab?
If you have to miss your your assigned lab section, you can make it up by attending another lab section as a visitor. You will earn lab credit for participating in either your regular lab or as a visitor to another. If you do have to miss attending the lab entirely, we strongly encourage you to work through the exercises for your own benefit, but there is no makeup credit for missed participation.
Can you provide the lab solutions for the lab(s) that I missed or didn't complete on my own?
We agree that thoroughly understanding the lab exercises is very helpful, but the real value in these "answers" is in what you learned while working it out. Passively reviewing someone else's work is not nearly as beneficial, and for this reason we do not publish lab solutions. Please participate in lab and follow through on the exercises yourself! If you have finished and you would like to double check your understanding, you can review with your CA during lab or stop by helper hours or the online forum. You can also freely discuss lab content with your peers. We would also welcome review of lab exercises (including exchanging your own solution code) on the forum once lab has finished for everyone for the week!