Getting Help

Most students ask for help at some point during the semester. Some regularly come to office hours weekly -- that's welcome as well!

In-Person+Zoom Help

Office hours are "walk in" during scheduled times -- no need to email to setup an appointment. Check the Office Hour Schedule to see your options. You must be logged in with your wisc.edu google calendar to be view / add the office hours calendar.

Depending on the time and day, we offer office hours online (Zoom), at Meena's office (CS 7390), and at CS1336.

For online office hours, be sure to join the queue (link on queue) so we can track what order to help people.

If you need an instructor appointment outside of office hours, please email me (ms@cs.wisc.edu) about availability.

Other Online Help

If you have a question of general interest, you can ask on Piazza. Do not post code snippets that are >5 lines long, that's considered cheating.

We don't enable private questions on Piazza. If you have a private question, only relevant to yourself (and perhaps your study group), directly email your group TA. If you have a question about your code, please first submit your latest draft and include a link to your code in the email (don't use email attachments because Outlook often blocks Python code). If you don't hear back from your TA within 2 business days, feel free to CC the instructor and the head TA Yiyin (yshen82@wisc.edu). Everybody's contact info is here.

Extra Support/Accomodations

As a student, you may experience a range of issues that can be barriers to learning. These might include isolation related to COVID-19, strained relationships, anxiety, high levels of stress, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, loss of loved one, and/or loss of motivation. Services exist on campus to support students who find themselves in these situations, like University Health Services and the Dean of Students Office. You can learn more about free, confidential mental health services at UHS by calling 608-265-5600 Opt. 2 or visiting uhs.wisc.edu. Drop-in staff are available daily at the Dean of Students Office to support students and answer questions. To learn more about the Dean of Students Office (DOSO), please call 608-263-5700 or visit doso.students.wisc.edu.

In general, if you have any issues keeping up with the course for any reason, it's better to let me know -- I'll do my best to connect you with resources and try to think of accomodations to help out. I want to do whatever I can to help you succeed.

Student Grievance Procedure

Any student at UW–Madison who feels that they have been treated unfairly has the right to voice a complaint and receive a prompt hearing of the grievance. The basis for a grievance can range from something as subtle as miscommunication to the extreme of harassment.

Ensuring that all students feel welcome and supported is a top priority of our department. The Department of Computer Sciences has developed procedures to handle complaints or incidents that are student-related, such as bias or mistreatment, or academic, such as a grade dispute or incident with an instructor. Information on the CS reporting procedures can be found here: https://www.cs.wisc.edu/report-an-incident/.

For assistance in determining options, students can also contact the drop-in staff member with DOSO (see above).