Getting Help¶
Having questions or getting stuck on something is entirely expected in the learning process. If you find something challenging with your studies, that is a sign you are learning! Learning is not something that you need to do alone though! In fact, connecting with your peers or asking a member of the course staff for help can add extreme depth to your knowledge.
-
Synchronous Help (Office Hours): One place to go to get help is our Office Hours hosted throughout the week. TAs staff office hours for many hours a day to provide you the help you need when you need it! This is a great place to go if you want to review a particular course concept, work on a practice problem with the help of a TA or your peers, or get help on a Creative Project or Programming Assignment if you are running into difficulties.
Tip
A common misconception is that you can only go to office hours with specific homework questions. That is not true! If you have any questions about course concepts (e.g., from class that day), you are super encouraged to go work on that concept with a member of the course staff at office hours! Getting help with a concept earlier, when you first are feeling unsure, is much better than saving it until you need it on the homework.
-
Asynchronous Help (Ed Discussion): With a class of our size, directly emailing a member of the course staff is not always recommended. There are many of you and only few of us, so if you email one person directly we can’t make a guarantee how quickly we can respond! To alleviate this one-on-one communication of email, we have a course discussion board that will be a much more lively place for discussion and a way to make sure you can are helped more quickly. The message board is set up so that all of the course staff can help you, which will make it more likely for you to receive a quicker response!
Ed Tips
- If you are asking a general question about the course logistics or content, you can make a public post. This way other students can benefit from seeing your question, and you can even answer each other’s questions to share your perspectives!
- If you want, you can choose to post anonymously so that other students in the course can’t see your name. Note that anonymous posting does not hide your identity from the course staff.
- You’re encouraged to answer each other’s questions as well! Explaining a topic to someone else (even on a discussion board) is a great way to help you better understand the material. The course staff will still look over student answers and can nicely point out some misconception if there is one so that everyone benefits.
- If you have a question that’s pretty specific to your homework solution, or, is about some personal details that you would not want to share with the class (e.g., DRS accommodations), you can make a private post on Ed that is only visible to the course staff. This way, any member of the staff can respond to get you the help you need!
- For sensitive matters that you only want to discuss with Melissa, you can instead email Melissa directly if that makes you feel more comfortable. Note that the response time for email is longer than posting on the Ed board.
- If you are asking a general question about the course logistics or content, you can make a public post. This way other students can benefit from seeing your question, and you can even answer each other’s questions to share your perspectives!
Instructor¶
Office Hours
Melissa Lin she/her/hers
Hi everyone, I’m Melissa!
I’m currently a BS/MS computer science student in the Allen School. Previously, I was a TA for 8 quarters (3 quarters for 122, 5 quarters on some 300 level CSE courses). This will be my first time being the instructor for a course, so I’m super excited for this quarter!
I’ve spent my whole life in the Seattle area, from Redmond where I was born and raised, to Seattle when I started at UW as a direct admit to the Allen School. After doing some computer science tutoring and realizing how much I enjoyed teaching, I became a teaching assistant here and have been doing it ever since. Outside of school and teaching, I enjoy crocheting, bouldering, watching TV shows, reading, going on walks, and exploring Seattle. My favorite weekend activity is going to a cafe to read or do work, so please let me know your favorite cafes so I can try them!
Looking forward to a great quarter with y’all!
Teaching Assistants¶
Atharva Kashyap he/him/his
Quiz Section: AA
Hello everyone! I am Atharva, a fourth-year Computer Science student. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, watching comedy shows, playing board games, and walking dogs. I am excited to meet and get to know you all this quarter!
Audrey Lin she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AE
Hi there, I’m Audrey! I’m a sophomore majoring in computer science with a minor in music and math. In addition to being a TA, I’m a violinist, cyclist, and video game lover. Looking forward to a great quarter with everyone :)
Ben Wang he/him/his
Quiz Section: AF
Hi everyone, my name is Ben, this will be my 3rd quarter in 122, and I’m super excited to meet all of you this summer! A little bit about me in a two truths and a lie format: I’m from Chicago but recently moved to Redmond, I have absolutely zero spice tolerance, and I used to work at McDonald’s.
Feel free to chat with me about anything CS or non-CS related, and to find out which one the lie was!
Colton Harris he/him/his
Quiz Section: AE
Hey y’all! I’m a third year majoring in computer engineering with a minor in physics. I love playing board games so if you have any good recommendations please reach out! I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can this quarter :)
Darel Gunawan he/him/his
Quiz Section: AD
Hi! My name is Darel and I’m currently majoring in computer science. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games, playing/watching basketball, and most recently bouldering. I’m super excited to TA this quarter and I’m looking forward to meet all of you!
Di Mao she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AB
Hi! I’m Di, a rising third-year excited about the summer quarter (aka the best quarter 😎). Academically, I’m fascinated by the intersections between computer science and neuroscience 🧠. In my free time, I’m listening to music (probably kpop 🕺) and creating art for Grey Matters, a neuroscience journal here at UW. I’m excited to meet you all, feel free to swing by my office hours to chat!
Eesha Kunisetty she/her/hers
Hello! I’m a CS major and I’m excited to TA CSE 122 this quarter. I like trying new foods, crafting things, whether that be knitting, crocheting, or quilting, and watching travel vlogs. Don’t be shy to reach out and I’ll do my best to get us through the quarter!
Jaylyn Zhang she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AB
Hi, I’m Jaylyn! I am a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. In my free time, I love hiking, drinking taro with milk:D, and exploring Seattle with my friends. I am also really into oil pastels recently. Super excited to meet you all!
Poojitha Arangam she/her/hers
Hey everyone, I’m Poojitha! I’m currently a rising senior pursuing a double degree in Computer Science with the Data Science option and minoring in Mathematics and Computational Neural Engineering. I grew up in Mukilteo, WA, just outside of the Seattle area. This is my 10th quarter TA! Outside of school, I love to go hiking, play tennis and badminton, spend time with friends and family, bake sweet treats, and visit new places.
I’m really excited for CSE 122 and meeting all of you! If you have any questions this quarter or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out any time.
Steven Nguyen he/him/his
Hey! My name is Steven and I’m from Vancouver (WA, not BC!). In my free time I love exploring the PNW with my pals. Some of my biggest passions include binge watching TV shows (currently watching Black Mirror + House of the Dragon), swimming, attending concerts, and winning free Starbucks at UW football games (I know, a little bit odd but I have a strategy). Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just wanna chat!