CS 105

CS 105 is a computer science course designed for global business and digital arts (GBDA) students, with CS 106 as the following course. These students are not computer science students and this may be their introduction to the topic.

Starting in Winter 2020, we switched to a coding website called Open Processing. The course instructor should invite you to be a teacher in the class group.

Websites

The main course website used can be found at https://student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~cs105/

We used Visual Studio Code and PuTTY to update this website.

The CS105 ISA Handbook can be used as a reference: https://student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~cs105/ISAHandbook/CS105_ISA_Handbook.html

Note that the Handbook was made when the course was offered online during COVID, so some items may be outdated. However, there are plenty of useful tips. It is recommended to read this page first for more general information, then to reference the handbook for specifics.

LEARN Setup

Currently, we use LEARN for assignment, lab, and test submissions, as well as grade distribution.

If you do not have access to LEARN, ask your instructor to enroll you as a Level 4 TA. This will give you access.

DROPBOXES

Additional resources:

https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ISTKB/pages/1287323649/Dropboxes

https://distancelearning.elgin.edu/d2ltutorials/d2l_10_3_faculty_guides/en/Dropbox%20basics.html

The 'new assignment create/edit experience' is on by default. You may want to turn it off and use the older version to categorize the dropbox under a different category (Labs, Assignments, Final Project, etc.).

To create dropboxes: Submit > Dropbox > New Dropbox

Marking that occurs in the dropbox should be linked to the Grades section. When filling out a dropbox, the Score Out of box should match the Maximum Points in the Grades section.

To edit sections: There is an arrow pointing down beside the name of each dropbox, click on it and press 'Edit Folder'

Besides the 'Score Out Of' box should be a box to link the dropbox to the Grades section. Click on the down arrow > Choose from Grades > Link to an existing grade item. All the options there should be the existing sections from Grades.

The Availability Dates & Conditions section can be used to give 'Special Access' to students. This feature is used for reopening their dropbox after the due date. Search and select the student's name first before filling out the new due date. Filling in the dates first will reset after you search for a name!

Any rubrics you make can be linked to the dropbox in the Evaluation & Feedback section. Multiple rubrics can be linked to one dropbox but only one can be used for assessment!

RUBRICS

To make a rubric, go to Resources > Rubrics > click on the blue button that says New Rubric

The very bottom of the rubric has a section for additional options. This shows as Options with a drop arrow next to it. There are options to display the rubric, hide the rubrics from students, or hide the rubric from students until the feedback is published. The rubric may want to be hidden if it is still a draft and the marking criteria changes.

Marking Assignments

In Fall 2021, student submissions were a .pdf or .docx with links to their Open Processing code.

Students have to give access to 'My Teachers' or else it might show up as a private sketch. In this case, you can leave a comment to ask the student to change the access and email you an updated pdf (the links should be connected from their account to their dropbox submission but getting an email is easier to access than going through the dropbox again).

You can check the student's edit history in Open Processing. Go to the coding screen and click on the icon at the top right (3 circles on a slider, under your picture icon). Click on the right-most icon (clock with an arrow). You can click on the red text to show you the exact date and time.

When marking, check the edit history such that the code is not edited past the due date. Additionally, make sure students who ask for remark requests do not edit past the due date. We do not allow remarks for these cases.

MOSS

After the assignment due date is passed, run MOSS to detect cheating cases. Do not run MOSS only at the end of the term, students should be caught cheating as soon as possible, so they may be talked to and have all appropriate measures taken. If students who are cheating are not found using MOSS, they may continue to cheat on all subsequent assignments, which becomes much harder to deal with if numerous cheating cases are caught only at the end of the term.

In Fall 2021, submissions were a pdf with links to sketches on Open Processing instead of zip files. We need to first run the script "moss_openprocessing.py" (available in the moss folder in the CS 105 course account). The script examines the pdf submissions downloaded from LEARN and then downloads the corresponding JavaScript files from Open Processing for each student. Everything will be organized in folders named after students' quest id usernames and ready to be checked with MOSS.

MOSS would get run with PuTTY, see https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/twiki/view/ISG/MossBasics

These cases were reported on the Academic Integrity section on ISC Barbara Daly's database. You must be connected to the University of Waterloo VPN before accessing this database. Highlight similarities between students' code.

iClickers

iClickers are currently used during in-person lectures. They are used for participation grades. The instructor and ISC will likely update these but ask to check if unsure.

Fall 2021: Due to COVID-19, this course was provided online and iClickers were not used. Participation grades were earned through a "question of the week" provided by the Instructor. Sometimes, multiple questions were provided, but students only needed to answer one to get the mark. ISAs kept track of these marks.

Microsoft Teams

In Fall 2021, We used MS Teams as a primary way to communicate with students and post participation questions/announcements. We also posted the same announcements to LEARN in case students did not get notified.

There are separate channels that can organize a topic. For example, a General channel where announcements are posted, a Questions and Answers channel where students can post quick questions, or an Office Hours channel where you host your Office hours.

We conducted Marking Meetings on this platform. There was a channel called Marking for this. At the top of the channel, besides the channel name, are two sections called Posts and Files (every channel has these). Under Posts is where you can make posts, announcements, and discussions. Under Files, is where PowerPoints for the Marking Meetings were uploaded, edited, and stored. Any external media uploaded to the channel gets stored there as well.

If you want to restrict who can post messages (owners, students, or both) hover your mouse over the channel name, click on the three horizontal dots then Manage channel with the gear icon.

Lab Tutorials

With classes being offered in person again, lab tutorials were held.

Winter 2023: We used MC 3003 as a lab tutorial space which was mainly allotted time for students to ask questions while working on labs and assignments.

Additionally, mini demos were made to present at the start of the tutorial to review the material from that week or to give hints for the labs/assignments. PowerPoints were made on MS Teams. First in the CS 105 STAFF Team, then after it was presented, added to the CS 105 Class Team. A new channel was made to put the PowerPoints into the Files section. There were two projectors in that room which were used to present the PowerPoints. If you get a lab tutorial room with projectors and want to use them, ask your ISC or CSCF on how to set it up, the code may change term to term.

If you also want to make tutorial presentations with mini-demos, you can reference ISA Jennifer's past demos: https://openprocessing.org/user/254430

The two IAs were also in attendance to answer questions. Our class was small so students could raise their hands or come over to one of us for help. In case attendance is larger and multiple students are waiting, a common method used during tutorials or office hours is to have students write their names on a whiteboard/chalkboard and in a list. Cross out/erase the name when done and call out the name of whoever is next.

Expect the days that the Assignments and Labs are due to be busier!!