Course support
Most of you will need help at some point and we want to make sure you can identify when that is without getting too frustrated and feel comfortable seeking help.
Lectures and labs
If you have a question during lecture or lab, feel free to ask it! There are likely other students with the same question, so by asking you will create a learning opportunity for everyone.
Student Hours
A lot of questions are most effectively answered in-person, and student hours are the best place to come ask me questions! I encourage each and every one of you to take advantage of this resource! Make a pledge to stop by office hours at least once during the first three weeks of class. If you truly have no questions to ask, just stop by and say hi and introduce yourself.
| Tuesdays | 2:10 pm – 3:00 pm (in-person) |
| Thursdays | 2:10 pm - 3:00 pm (in-person) |
Discord
We will use Discord to manage questions and responses regarding course content. There are channels for the different components of each week (e.g., Week 1 Lab Assignment). Please do not send an email about homework questions or questions about the course material. It is incredibly helpful for others in the course to see the questions you have and the responses to those questions. I will try to answer any questions posted to Discord within 3-4 hours (unless it is posted at midnight). If you think you can answer another student’s question, please respond!
Please refrain from emailing any course content questions (those should be posted to Discord), and only use email for questions about personal matters that may not be appropriate for the public course forum (e.g., illness, accommodations, etc.). For such matters, you may email Dr. Allison Theobold at atheobol@calpoly.edu.
I do my best to reply to emails promptly and helpfully. However, I receive a lot of emails. To help both you and me, here are some specific expectations about emails:
- Please tell me what course and section (by time or number) you are in!
- If you email me between 9am and 4pm on Monday through Friday, I’ll try my best to reply to you on the same day.
- If you email me outside of those hours, I will do my best to respond to you by the next working day. For my own mental health, I do not work on weekends. Thus, if you send an email after 4pm on Friday or during the weekend, you will not receive a response until Monday morning.
- If your question is much easier to discuss face-to-face, I may ask you to meet with me in my office or on Discord (at a time that works for both of us) rather than answering directly in an email.
- Include any relevant photos / screenshots / error messages / PDFs / links with your email.
Well-being, Access, and Accommodations
What if I have accommodations or feel that accommodations would be beneficial to my learning?
I enthusiastically support the mission of Disability Resource Center to make education accessible to all. I design all my courses with accessibility at the forefront of my thinking, but if you have any suggestions for ways I can make things more accessible, please let me know. Come talk to me if you need accommodation for your disabilities. I honor self-diagnosis: let’s talk to each other about how we can make the course as accessible as possible. See also the standard syllabus statements, which include more information about formal processes.
I’m having difficulty paying for food and rent, what can I do?
If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or if you lack a safe and stable place to live, and you believe this may affect your performance in the course, I urge you to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to advocate for you and to connect you with other campus resources.
My mental health is impairing my ability to engage in my classes, what should I do?
National surveys of college students have consistently found that stress, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, interpersonal concerns, death of a significant other and alcohol use are among the top ten health impediments to academic performance. If you are experiencing any mental health issues, I and Cal Poly are here to help you. Cal Poly’s Counseling Services (805-756-2511) is a free and confidential resource for assistance, support and advocacy.
Someone is threatening me, what can I do?
I will listen and believe you if someone is threatening you. I will help you get the help you need. I commit to changing campus culture that responds poorly to dating violence and stalking.
What if I can’t arrange for childcare?
If you are responsible for childcare on short notice, you are welcome to bring children to class with you. If you are a lactating parent, you many take breaks to feed your infant or express milk as needed. If I can support yo in navigating parenting, coursework, and other obligations in any way, please let me know.
Technology accommodations
Students with demonstrated high financial need who have limited access to computers may request assistance in the form of loaner laptops. For technology assistance requests, please go here. Please note that supplies are limited.
Note that we will be using Duke’s computational resources in this course. These resources are freely available to you. As long as your computer can connect to the internet and open a browser window, you can perform the necessary computing for this course. All software we use is open-source and/or freely available.
Course materials costs
There are no costs associated with this course. All readings will come from freely available, open resources (open-source textbooks, journal articles, etc.).