Written by Julie Zelenski, modified for CS107E by Pat Hanrahan
Labs are Tue evening from 7-9 pm in Gates 415.
What is a lab?
Each student must participate in a weekly 2-hour lab section that focuses on active hands-on experimentation and practical skill-building. In lab, you will work on a set of exercises/tasks that reinforce the week's material. All the instructors and CAs will be available during the labs.
The labs will often involve hardware. For example, in the first lab you will learn how to create a circuit on a breadboard. We will bring tools and supplies to the labs.
How is lab credit awarded?
Labs are graded for participation on a credit/no-credit basis. To earn credit, you need to arrive on-time and actively participate for the full lab period. We are hopeful the lab period will be enough time to work through all exercises, but what you don't finish, we encourage you to complete on your own. At the end of the lab period, you submit your checkoff sheet to the lab leader so your participation can be recorded. When turning in a checkoff sheet, you are asserting that you (and any partner named) fully participated in the lab. It is considered a violation of the Honor Code to misrepresent your or a peer's participation.
What is the lab collaboration policy?
More heads are better than one for this kind of experimenting, so you will work in pairs. You are also encouraged to discuss the work and share ideas with others in your lab room. Lab time is for active, hands-on, collaborative learning -- please offer your help to your peers and seek advice from your peers and the staff. The goal is for everyone to come away with a clear understanding of the lab concepts and be prepared to go on to complete the assignments (which are done individually).
Is it okay to arrive to lab late or leave early?
We award credit for labs based on participation and effort. We expect you to arrive on-time and participate for the full lab period (or until satisfactorily completing all lab exercises). We won't quibble about few minutes here or there but beyond that, arriving late or skipping out early will result in not receiving lab credit.
What happens if I miss my lab?
If you do have to miss attending a lab entirely, you must still complete the exercises on your own.
Many of the labs go over material for that weeks assignment. If you miss a lab, you may have trouble doing the assignment.