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.
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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 one of the take-home assessments if you are running into difficulties.
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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 get 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 personal sensitive matters that you only want to discuss with Suh Young, you can instead email Suh Young if that makes you feel more comfortable. Note that the response time for Suh Young’s email is longer than posting on the Ed board.
Instructor¶
Office Hours
Suh Young Choi she/her
Hi folks! I’m Suh Young (not Suh—common mistake!), and I’m a recent graduate of the UW, where I studied Statistics and Classics (of the Greek and Roman variety). I did most of my growing up in Northeast Arkansas and I’ve been vaguely adulting in Seattle for the past few years.
Just like all of you this quarter, I took CSE 163 in Summer Quarter. I joined the staff as a TA the following Winter, and I’ve been here for the past two years! This class has a special place in my heart, since I think it’s actually the only CSE class at the UW that I didn’t pull any all-nights for! I’m very excited to be your instructor this summer. While my primary goal is to help you all get the most out of this course, you can also help me improve by letting me know what’s working for you and what isn’t. I’m always open and ready to hear your feedback!
When I’m not working or schooling, I like reading, watching shows, and drawing. Some people tell me that I devote too many brain cells to Shakespearean tragedy, foreign-language musicals, Star Wars, and the various iterations of the Marvel universe. Some people can be impolite. Come down to office hours for questions, chill vibes, and/or impromptu puns.
Teaching Assistants¶
Elizabeth Bui she/her
Quiz Section: AC
Hello all! My name is Elizabeth, and I am a first year, Junior-standing (shout out to my fellow Running start students!) intended ACMS/Math major. I grew up in Auburn, WA (South of South Seattle) and attended Green River College (go Gators!).
One of the things I enjoy most in the world (besides sleep) is food! Some of my favorite comfort foods/drinks are banh bao, spring rolls, and cold brewed Jasmine tea. I also like to hangout with friends, read Webtoons or literature (there is no in-between~), and listen to my favorite songs (at the time of writing: Call Me by Rangga Jones).
In terms of academic interests, I am incredibly passionate about AI ethics and responsibility, in particular, the tendency of AI to magnify racial and gender biases. Naturally, I am also really interested in American Ethnic Studies (focus on AAS) and ethics in computing (education, technological impact, and social justice).
If you ever want to talk racial triangulation (iykyk), my experiences in math/CS classes (’cause I’ve taken a bunch of them ;0;), or honestly anything above, feel free to catch me after class or OH!
Jainaba Jawara she/her
Quiz Section: AB
Hello! My name is Jainaba, and I am an Informatics major. CSE163 has been my favorite class at UW so far since we learn about Data Programming techniques and how ethical some of those techniques are. I enjoyed it so much, that I chose to return again this quarter to TA. Outside of school, I enjoy hiking and binge-watching Netflix (Gilmore Girls, The 100, and Fairly Odd Parents). Please stop by during office hours if you have any questions or just want to talk about tv shows!
Karen Velderrain-Lopez she/her
Quiz Section: Logistics Team
Hey y’all, I’m Karen! I’m a new Computer Engineering graduate and this is my ninth quarter TAing this class. Outside of school, I like boxing, the scream movies, and kpop. This summer I’ll be preparing for the Barbie movie, going to Mariners games, and going on hikes. Looking forward to meeting you all! :)
Max Bi he/him
Quiz Section: AA
Hey! I’m Max (incoming MS Biostatistics student), and I’ve always had fond memories for 163 as it’s the class that pulled me back into programming after a pretty bad intro Java experience. I typically TA for 154 (Web Programming), but in truth, I much prefer Python even with all its quirks.
Outside of TAing this summer, I’m going to be an officer for the Husky Badminton Club. I’ve been playing badminton for just about a couple years now and still really enjoy it! It’s been a great hobby to keep me busy and a major way for me to socialize outside of school.
Murtaza Ali he/him
Quiz Section: AA
I am a PhD Student in HCDE, working with Professors Cecilia Aragon and Sayamindu Dasgupta. I earned my B.A. in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley, with a focus in Computer Science.
My research focuses on computing education and data visualization. I am particularly interested in the design, teaching, and structure of introductory computing and data courses. This is my second time as a TA for 163; I love teaching Python and am excited for the course!
I also love cooking, hiking, and reading fantasy novels. If you don’t have questions about data science, my office hours are also open for conversations about The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
Sheamin Kim she/her
Quiz Section: AB
Hi everyone! My name is Sheamin and I’m a rising sophomore majoring in Informatics (and specializing in Biomedical and Health Informatics!). I was born in South Korea but raised here in the PNW. This is my second quarter TAing for this course after taking it in Winter 2023, and I really loved it (both taking and TAing the course) so I hope you all will enjoy the content as much as I did. :)
Some of my interests include rowing, crochet, embroidery (I know 5 kinds!), sewing and cooking. I’m also assisting in bioengineering research (since last summer) and have worked in oceanography research as well.
Looking forward to meeting you all!
Vatsal Chandel he/him
Quiz Section: Logistics Team
Hey everyone! My name is Vatsal and I am third year human centered design engineering (HCDE) student with an intended minor in data science. I have lived in Washington all of my life so I’m used to the gloomy PNW.
When I’m not working I love to bike, listen to music (270k minutes on my Spotify Wrapped, cooking, exploring new places and meeting new people. Recently I have also been getting into cars, my favorite being a 911 Turbo S, and F1 racing.
If you ever want to talk about anything feel free to reach me! I’m really excited to getting to know you all!
Vibhav Peri he/him
Quiz Section: AC
Hello! My name is Vibhav and I’m going into my third year in CS here at UW. I’ve recently been learning about AI which I find super intriguing.
In my free time I like going on runs, watching movies, kpop, and playing video games. Let me know if you have any recommendations!
Feel free to reach out for questions or just to chat!