Course Help

Computer science coursework is challenging, and we want you to succeed. We encourage you to take advantage of the wide variety of coursework help the department offers. If you cannot find the help you need here, just contact our faculty, staff, or advisors, and we'll point you in the right direction.

Office Hours

Office hours for professors, instructors, and GTAs may be found in some or all of the following locations:

• faculty/staff member webpages
• course webpages
• your hardcopy course syllabus
• posted by the faculty/staff member's office door

GTA and Tutoring Help

The current semester schedule for GTA and tutor help can be found on the bulletin board behind the main desk in Linux Lab (CSB120). The schedule lists the dates/times GTAs and tutors are available and which class they TA or tutor for.

For private tutoring, you may find a tutor or offer your services as a tutor by using the tutor board located on the wall behind the printers in the Linux Lab (CSB120).

Advising

There are many forms of advising help available in the computer science department:

• James Peterson, Key Advisor, peterson@cs.colostate.edu
• Debbie Bartlett, Assistant Director of Advising and Mentoring, bartlett@cs.colostate.edu
• Elaine Regelson, Director of Mentoring and Retention, regelson@cs.colostate.edu
• Faculty members are also happy to help you with academic issues. You can find their Web pages by clicking here.

Feel free to contact us by phone, email, or in person whenever you have an academic problem.

Great Tips on How to Improve Academic Performance

Students who are having difficulty in their classes often complain that they are trying as hard as they can, and are frustrated by their inability to do better. Much of this frustration can be alleviated by changing your study habits and taking simple measures to organize your time and use it wisely. Here are a few suggestions that can have a profound effect on your grades:

• Go to class. We know this sounds obvious, but resist the urge to skip class. Research shows the biggest factor in determining your academic success is class attendance.


• Use faculty and GTA office hours. This is one of the best investments you can make – it’s basically free, one-on-one tutoring with the teacher. When you don't understand something, make a note of what you don't understand, and ask for explanation during office hours. Faculty/GTA office hours are notoriously underused.


• Get help early. If you are having difficulty with coursework, don't wait until the end of the semester to get help.


• Set aside blocks of time each week to study. Treat this time as sacred, or as a job that must be done at the same time each week, no matter what.


• Do the reading assignments in the assigned text book. Students tend to view text book assignments as optional, or as mere reference works. This is not the case. Text books are the framework of the course, which lectures highlight and supplement. In order to do well in any college level class, doing the reading assignments is essential to success.


• Use your study time to do the reading assignments in advance of the class in which the material is to be discussed, and working problems at the end of the chapters (if appropriate). Make notes when you read, and mark things that are not clear to ask about in class.

For more information, we recommend you visit the CSU Center for Advising and Student Achievement.