CSCI 141 - Getting Started Checklist

By Friday, 4/2

Read the Syllabus

  1. Log into Canvas and follow the link to the syllabus/course webpage. Read the syllabus carefully. I recommend bookmarking the webpage for easy access to course materials. There will be time on Friday to address any questions or clarifications on the syllabus.

Get Discord Set Up

  1. Class meetings will start out on Zoom, then in most cases we will switch to doing teamwork in groups on Discord. If you already have a Discord account, you can use your existing account as long as you're willing to set your avatar picture to a photo that includes your face. If you don't already have an account or want a separate one for school work, create an account: go to www.discord.com and click the "Login" button in the top right. Under the "Login" button, click "Register" and fill out the form to create your account. You can choose any username you like here; you will set your "nickname" in our server to be your first (or preferred) and last name.
  2. Although you can use Discord from within a web browser, certain features are not supported in the browser version. For this reason, I highly recommend installing a desktop Discord client. On the main page of www.discord.com you should see a button to download the client.
  3. Join our CSCI 141 Discord server by following this link: https://discord.gg/qPNhxJG4Sj
  4. Set your nickname to your actual name (or whatever you prefer to be called). In the top left of the client, click the server name ("CSCI 141"). In the drop-down menu that appears, select "Change Nickname" and enter your name.
  5. Set your Avatar image to a photo of you that includes your face. I probably don't need to say it, but please make sure that your avatar is appropriate for a classroom setting.
  6. Find your team number. You will be spending much of class time working in pre-assigned teams. Teams may switch once or twice later in the quarter, but for now you'll be working with the same team every class. You can find your team number on Canvas either using the Groups icon in the left menu bar (underneath Courses) or by going to our course, visiting the People page, switching to the Groups tab and searching for your name.

Next, you'll join your team's channels in Discord and ensure that your microphone and webcam (if you have one) is working. Discord servers have Text channels, which behave like chat rooms, and Voice channels, which are like group voice calls (that also allow you to share your screen and/or webcam video). Our Discord server has one text channel and one voice channel for each team, named "team-#" (text) and "Team #" (voice). After you've set your nickname and avatar, I will assign you to either the @11am or @1pm role, which will allow you to see the right set of channels. Once I've done this, you can proceed with the following steps:

  1. Join your team's voice channel by clicking on the channel name in the channels list on the left (the voice channel is the one with a speaker icon next to it). In the bottom left next to your name, you should see a green message that says "Voice Connected". When you speak, a green circle should surround your name under the channel name - this indicates that your mic is picking up audio. If you don't see this, click the gear icon in the bottom let next to your name and go to Voice & Video settings. Make sure the correct input and output devices are selected and use the Let's Check button to ensure that your audio is getting picked up.
  2. If you have a webcam, test it out by clicking Video in the bottom left. Test out Screen Sharing using the Screen button. You can leave the voice channel by clicking the "disconnect" icon to the right of the "Video Connected" text.
  3. Join your team's Text channel (with a "#" next to it, under the Text Channels heading). Leave a message in your team's text channel saying hello and indicating that you've tested out voice, screen, and video (if applicable) sharing.

Watch the Lecture Videos and Complete the Exercises

Friday will be the first day of our usual in-class activities. Prior to class you are expected to:

  1. Read the syllabus and answer the 1S - Syllabus section of the Lecture 1 Exercises (E01) linked from the Schedule table on the course webpage.
  1. Watch each video linked from the Lecture 1 row of the Schedule table on the course webpage. After each video, answer the corresponding section of the E01 Exercise set. You do not need to solve the Problems - those will be done in class.
  1. Come to class prepared to compare your answers with those of your teammates and write up a common solution set in a Google Slides document.

If you run into any trouble completing the above steps, please ask your question in the q-and-a channel on Discord or send me an email.

By Monday 4/5

  1. Watch the lecture videos and complete the exercises as usual. They will be posted no later than the start of Friday's class.
  1. Fill out the About You Survey on Canvas.