This site is from a past semester! The current version will be here when the new semester starts.
CS2113/T 2020 Jan-Apr
**Schedule**
  • Full Timeline
  • Week 1 [from Mon Jan 13]
  • Week 2 [from Wed Jan 15 noon]
  • Week 3 [from Wed Jan 22 noon]
  • Week 4 [from Wed Jan 29 noon]
  • Week 5 [from Wed Feb 5 noon]
  • Week 6 [from Wed Feb 12 noon]
  • Week 7 [from Wed Feb 19 noon]
  • Week 8 [from Wed Mar 4 noon]
  • Week 9 [from Wed Mar 11 noon]
  • Week 10 [from Wed Mar 18 noon]
  • Week 11 [from Wed Mar 25 noon]
  • Week 12 [from Wed Apr 1 noon]
  • Week 13 [from Wed Apr 8 noon]
  • Textbook
  • Admin Info
    • **Links**
  • Report Bugs
  • Forum
  • Instructors
  • Announcements
  • File Submissions
  • Tutorial Schedule
  • repl.it link
  • Java Coding Standard
  • Forum Activities Dashboard
  • Participation Dashboard
    •  Individual Project (iP):
  • Individual Project Info
  • Duke Upstream Repo
  • iP Code Dashboard
  • iP Progress Dashboard
    •  Team Project (tP):
  • Team Project Info
  • Team List
  • tP Code Dashboard
  • tP Progress Dashboard
    •

    • Week 3 [from Wed Jan 22 noon] - Admin Info

    1. Submit coding exercises on repl.it midnight before tutorial
    2. [CS2113 students only] Form teams during the tutorial

    1 Submit coding exercises on repl.it midnight before tutorial

    • As before, submit the coding exercises allocated for the current week, and any pending exercises from previous weeks.

    2 [CS2113 students only] Form teams during the tutorial

    + Other info relevant to this week:

    Admin Tutorials

    Tutorial Timetable

    Our tutorial IDs are different from LumiNUS. Format: CS2113T-W09 means a tutorial of CS2113T module, held on Wednesday at 0900, and so on.

    Module Venue Time Tutorial ID
    in LumiNUS
    (don't use this!)    		 Our Tutorial ID
    (use this!)    		 Tutors
    (contact details)
    CS2113T COM1-B103[1] Mon 16:00 LC03 CS2113T-M16 Damith
    CS2113T COM1-B103 Mon 17:00 LC04 CS2113T-M17 TBD
    CS2113T COM1-B103 Tue 12:00 LC01 CS2113T-T12 Ryan, Wei Xiang
    CS2113T COM1-B103 Tue 13:00 LC02 CS2113T-T13 Tejas, Wei Xiang
     CS2113  COM1-B103 Tue 14:00 T01 CS2113-T14 Glen, Rachel
     CS2113  COM1-B103 Tue 15:00 T02 CS2113-T15 Jerry, Manaswini

    What happens during the tutorial:

    • A tutorial group is handled by two tutors. Each tutor will work with two teams.

    • The tutor will facilitate tutorial activities, observe your progress, and give feedback. If you are facing difficulties with a weekly activity, the tutor can direct you to get help from another student in the tutorial.

    • Please bring your laptop to tutorials. You'll need it for tutorial tasks.

    What if I don’t carry around a laptop? : OPTIONAL

    If you do not have a laptop or prefer not to bring the laptop, it is up to you to show your work to the tutor in some way (e.g. by connecting to your home PC remotely), without requiring extra time/effort from the tutor or team members.

    Reason: As you enjoy the benefits of not bring the laptop; you (not others) should bear the cost too.

    The role of our tutors is different from tutors in other modules.

    • No direct tech help: Tutors are prohibited from giving direct technical help, other than to give you some general direction to finding a solution. Rationale: We want you to learn the vital survival skill of troubleshooting technical problems.

    This guide is mostly about getting tech help, but it also applies to getting clarifications on module topics too. e.g. what is the difference between refactoring and rewriting?

    Keep in mind that instructors don't have ready solutions to all technical problems. Unlike tutorial questions for which instructors have model solutions, given the complexity of industry tools we use (Gradle, Travis, Git, ...) and the rapid pace they are updated, instructors don't have ready solutions to most technical problems you face in this module. The only realistic way to solve those problems at a large scale is crowd-sourcing i.e., someone else who faced a similar problem might know how to fix it.

    What not to do:

    • Send a help request to an instructor: When faced with a technical problem or a doubt about a concept, don't fire off an email lecturer/tutor immediately, unless it is something only the lecturer/tutor is supposed to know.
    • Request to meet the instructor to solve the problem: That can only work if the person is supposed to know how to solve all technical problems, which is not the case.

    What to do:

    • Double-check the given instructions: Often, technical problems arise due to deviations in how you perform a step or a difference in your environment.

    • Get your team to meet for a weekly work-together session. When you do module tasks together, it is easy to compare with each other and figure out what deviation is causing the problem. That is, crowd-source your team first.

    • Search: It is very likely the answer already exists somewhere in the cyberspace. Almost every programming-related question has been answered in places like stackoverflow. Don't give an opportunity for someone to ask you to STFW.
      Pay attention to the error message you encounter. Sometimes it also contains hints as to how to fix the problem. Even if not, a web search on the error message is a good starting point.  

    • Ask in the module forum:

      • Give full details of the problem Conversations via online forums take time. If you post everything that is relevant to your problem, your chances of getting an answer in the first try is higher. If others have to ask you more questions before they can help you, it will take longer. But this doesn't mean you dump too much information into the thread either.

        • Include full error message, screenshots, code snippets, stack traces, etc.
        • If the problem is code-related, push the current state of the code to a branch in your fork and give the link to the branch. That gives a chance for someone to reproduce the state of your project in their computer.

      • Avoid addressing the question to one person (e.g., the prof), unless really necessary. Doing so will discourage others from answering that question.

      • Isolate the problem. "My code doesn't work" isn't going to help even if you post the whole code. Others don't have time to go through all of your code. Isolate the part that doesn't work and strip it down to the bare minimum that is enough reproduce the error. Sometimes, this process actually helps you to figure out the problem yourself (have you heard about Rubber Duck Debugging?).

        How to isolate problematic code? Delete code (one bit at a time) that is confirmed as not related to the problem. Do that until you can still reproduce the problem with the least amount of code remaining.

      • Generalize the problem. "How to write tasks to a text file using Java" is too specific to what you are working on. You are more likely to find help if you post a thread called (or search for) "How to write to a file using Java".

      • Remember to thank those you try to help, and close the issue after the issue has been resolved.


    Rubber duck debugging is an informal term used in software engineering to refer to a method of debugging code. The name is a reference to a story in the book The Pragmatic Programmer in which a programmer would carry around a rubber duck and debug his code by forcing himself to explain it, line-by-line, to the duck.

    [for more, see wikipedia entry]
    • Ask the world using programming forums such as stackoverflow.

      • PLEASE search for existing answers before you post your question in those public forums; You don't want to appear as a 'clueless' or 'too lazy to do your research' person in a public forum.

        Know what these stand for: RTFM, STFW, GIYF
    • Raise your question during a tutorial. Some questions can be discussed with the tutor and tutorial-mates. What kind of questions are suitable to discuss with the tutor? Consider these two questions you might want to ask a tutor:
      • Good This is how I understood/applied coupling. Is that correct? - Such questions are welcome. Reason:This question shows you have put in some effort to learn the topic and seeking further clarification from the tutor.
      • Bad What is coupling? - Such questions are discouraged. Reason: This question implies you haven’t done what you could to learn the topic in concern.
    • Ask the lecturer: Failing all above, you can talk to the lecturer before/after the lecture, or email the lecturer.

    Some technical problems can take a long time to resolve. Therefore, plan ahead and schedule your work much earlier than the deadline.

    Some problems might not get resolved at all; while waiting for a solution, explore alternatives and workarounds.

    Resources

    • No ‘teaching’: Tutors are prohibited from “teaching” concepts that are covered in lectures or other learning resources given to you as self-learning is a vital part of the module. For example, the tutor will not do a mini-lecture at the start of the tutorial. Of course tutors can help you clarify doubts under the right circumstances.
    • Raise your question during a tutorial. Some questions can be discussed with the tutor and tutorial-mates. What kind of questions are suitable to discuss with the tutor? Consider these two questions you might want to ask a tutor:
      • Good This is how I understood/applied coupling. Is that correct? - Such questions are welcome. Reason:This question shows you have put in some effort to learn the topic and seeking further clarification from the tutor.
      • Bad What is coupling? - Such questions are discouraged. Reason: This question implies you haven’t done what you could to learn the topic in concern.

    • No leading from the front: Tutors are not expected to lead your project effort. They will not tell you how to do project tasks or when to do project tasks. You have to figure those out yourselves. But tutors will give you feedback on how you are doing (or have done) project tasks so that you can improve further.

    Timing/venue:

    • Please refer to the Schedule page for further details on each tutorial.
    • You are expected to arrive on time. Punctuality is considered for participation marks.
    • You may leave the class 15 minutes before the hour if you have another class right after. There is no need to wait till the tutor dismisses you. However, inform the tutor (as a courtesy) before leaving if you leave before the class is dismissed.
    • Vacate the table 5 minutes before the hour so that the next group can start on time.
    • In the past, many students have requested to increase the tutorial duration because a mere hour is barely enough to get through all the tutorial tasks. Increasing the tutorial time is not possible due to lack of venues and tutors. Instead, let's try to make the best of the one hour available by coming well prepared and starting on time. Note that the better prepared you are, the higher the chance of completing e all activities allocated to a tutorial within time.

    Grading:

    • Your conduct in tutorials will be evaluated by team members and the tutor which can affect your participation marks.

    Admin Peer Evaluations

    This module leverages peer feedback/evaluations in many ways. In particular, we do several rounds of peer evaluations using TEAMMATES.

    Tool Used: TEAMMATES (for Peer Evaluations/Feedback)

    We use the TEAMMATES online peer evaluation system. TEAMMATES is a project run by NUS SoC students and used by over 0.5 million users from over 1000 universities.

    Preparation: When the first feedback session is opne on TEAMMATES, you will receive an eamil from TEAMMATES. There is nothing for you to do until then.

    When you do receive that email, TEAMMATES will allow you to access it without using a Google login. However, we encourage (but not require) you to login to TEAMMATES using your Google account and complete your profile with a suitable profile photo. Reason: CS2113/T is a big class. This profile helps us to remember you better, even after the module is over.

     

    The purpose of the profile photo is for the teaching team to identify you. Therefore, choose a recent individual photo showing your face clearly (i.e., not too small) -- somewhat similar to a passport photo. Some examples can be seen in the 'Teaching team' page. Given below are some examples of good and bad profile photos.

    If you are uncomfortable posting your photo due to security reasons, you can post a lower resolution image so that it is hard for someone to misuse that image for fraudulent purposes. If you are concerned about privacy, you may use a placeholder image in place of the photo in module-related documents that are publicly visible.

    Submitting peer evaluations is compulsory. If you routinely miss submitting peer evaluations, you can lose participation marks.

    Session: Practice Peer Evaluation

    • Objective: to give you a chance to familiarize with the TEAMMATES tool
    • Held early in the semester
    • Submission is compulsory. However, your responses will not considered for grading as this session is for practice only.

    Session: Midterm Peer Evaluation

    • Held about two weeks into the tP
    Important questions included in the evaluation:

    Some of these questions (e.g., contribution to DG) are omitted from the midterm peer evaluation but are in the final peer evaluation (they are given here for your reference)

    Q The team members' contribution to the User Guide is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the Developer Guide is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the team-based tasks is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the product implementation (excluding UG, DG, and team-based tasks) is,

    Q The team members' conduct in the project and during tutorials,

    • Evaluated based on the following criteria, on a scale Poor/Below Average/Average/Good/Excellent:

    Peer Evaluation Criteria: Professional Conduct

    • Professional Communication :
      • Communicates sufficiently and professionally. e.g. Does not use offensive language or excessive slang in project communications.
      • Responds to communication from team members in a timely manner (e.g. within 24 hours).
    • Punctuality: Does not cause others to waste time or slow down project progress by frequent tardiness.
    • Dependability: Promises what can be done, and delivers what was promised.
    • Effort: Puts in sufficient effort to, and tries their best to keep up with the module/project pace. Seeks help from others when necessary.
    • Quality: Does not deliver work products that seem to be below the student's competence level i.e. tries their best to make the work product as high quality as possible within her competency level.
    • Meticulousness:
      • Rarely overlooks submission requirements.
      • Rarely misses compulsory module activities such as pre-module survey.
    • Teamwork: How willing are you to act as part of a team, contribute to team-level tasks, adhere to team decisions, etc. Honors all collectively agreed-upon commitments e.g., weekly project meetings.

    Q The competency of the team member demonstrated in the project and during the tutorials,

    • Considered only for bonus marks, A+ grades, and tutor recruitment
    • Evaluated based on the following criteria, on a scale Poor/Below Average/Average/Good/Excellent:

    Peer Evaluation Criteria: Competency

    • Technical Competency: Able to gain competency in all the required tools and techniques.
    • Mentoring skills: Helps others when possible. Able to mentor others well.
    • Communication skills: Able to communicate (written and spoken) well. Takes initiative in discussions.

    Q [Optional] Any ANONYMOUS feedback you want to give the classmates you reviewed above?

    Q [Optional] Any CONFIDENTIAL comments about any team members?

    Session: Final Peer Evaluation

    • Held soon after the final project submission.
    • This peer evaluation is compulsory. Not only it will count for weekly participation, those who don't submit will not get a chance to rebut peer evaluations received.
    • This session includes all questions from the Midterm Peer Evaluation:

    Q The team members' contribution to the User Guide is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the Developer Guide is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the team-based tasks is,

    Q The team members' contribution to the product implementation (excluding UG, DG, and team-based tasks) is,

    Q The team members' conduct in the project and during tutorials,

    • Evaluated based on the following criteria, on a scale Poor/Below Average/Average/Good/Excellent:

    Peer Evaluation Criteria: Professional Conduct

    • Professional Communication :
      • Communicates sufficiently and professionally. e.g. Does not use offensive language or excessive slang in project communications.
      • Responds to communication from team members in a timely manner (e.g. within 24 hours).
    • Punctuality: Does not cause others to waste time or slow down project progress by frequent tardiness.
    • Dependability: Promises what can be done, and delivers what was promised.
    • Effort: Puts in sufficient effort to, and tries their best to keep up with the module/project pace. Seeks help from others when necessary.
    • Quality: Does not deliver work products that seem to be below the student's competence level i.e. tries their best to make the work product as high quality as possible within her competency level.
    • Meticulousness:
      • Rarely overlooks submission requirements.
      • Rarely misses compulsory module activities such as pre-module survey.
    • Teamwork: How willing are you to act as part of a team, contribute to team-level tasks, adhere to team decisions, etc. Honors all collectively agreed-upon commitments e.g., weekly project meetings.

    Q The competency of the team member demonstrated in the project and during the tutorials,

    • Considered only for bonus marks, A+ grades, and tutor recruitment
    • Evaluated based on the following criteria, on a scale Poor/Below Average/Average/Good/Excellent:

    Peer Evaluation Criteria: Competency

    • Technical Competency: Able to gain competency in all the required tools and techniques.
    • Mentoring skills: Helps others when possible. Able to mentor others well.
    • Communication skills: Able to communicate (written and spoken) well. Takes initiative in discussions.

    Q [Optional] Any ANONYMOUS feedback you want to give the classmates you reviewed above?

    Q [Optional] Any CONFIDENTIAL comments about any team members?

    • In addition, it contains these additional questions:

    Q Do you agree with the contributions claimed by team members, as stated in their PPP?

    Session: Responses to Peer Evaluations

    • This is a chance for you to submit your objections to the ratings you received in the Final Peer Evaluation

    Guidelines for Giving Peer Feedback

    Giving constructive feedback to others is a valuable skill for software engineers. It is also an intended learning outcome of this module. Half-hearted/trivial feedback will not earn participation marks.

    Here are some things to keep in mind:

    • Assume you are giving feedback to a colleague, not a friend. Keep the tone of your feedback reasonably professional. Do not use offensive language or slang.
    • The feedback should be honest and consistent. Giving positive qualitative feedback (e.g. Thanks for all the hard work! and negative ratings (e.g. Equal share - 40%) to the same team member is not being honest.
    • State your expectations early. All too often students give positive/neutral feedback early (hoping that the team member will improve later) and trash the team member in the final evaluation (because the he/she did not improve as expected). However, this could be confusing to the recipient. It is better to give negative feedback early so that the team member gets a clear signal that he/she needs to improve.

    Admin tP: Supervision

    Your tutor will serve as your project supervisor too.

    The supervisor's main job is to observe, facilitate self/peer learning, evaluate, and give feedback.

    Tutorial time is the main avenue for meeting your supervisor. In addition, you can meet the supervisor before/after the tutorial, or any other time, as many times you need, subject to availability in his/her schedule.

    Note that it is not the supervisor’s job to chase you down and give help. It is up to you to get as much feedback from the as you need. You are free to request more feedback from the supervisor as necessary. Similarly, it is not the job of the supervisor to lead your project to success.

    Admin Apdx B (Policies) → Policy on grading smaller/larger teams : OPTIONAL

    Policy on grading smaller/larger teams : OPTIONAL

    As most of the work is graded individually, team sizes of 4 or 6 are not expected to affect your grade. While managing larger teams is harder, larger teams have more collective know-how, which can cancel each other. We'll give some consideration when grading 3-person teams.

    1. COM1-B103 is also known as the Active Learning Lab

    COM1-B103 is also known as the Active Learning Lab