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
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.
Office hours
I am here to help you be successful in the course. You are encouraged to attend office hours during the times posted on the home page to ask questions about the course content and assignments. A lot of questions are most effectively answered in-person, so office hours are a valuable resource. 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.
Teams
Have a question that can’t wait for office hours? Prefer to write out your question in detail rather than asking in person? The course Team is the best venue for these! There is a chance another student has already asked a similar question, so please check the other posts on Teams before asking a new question. If you know the answer to a question that is posted, I encourage you to respond! Here is a link to the course Team (you should already have access).
Please refrain from emailing any course content questions (those should go to Slack), 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. Friedlander at efriedlander@collegeofidaho.edu.
Barring extenuating circumstances, I will respond to CSCI 2025 emails within 48 hours Monday - Friday. Response time may be slower for emails sent Friday evening - Sunday.
AI tools
NotebookLM
The first tool that may be useful is the course NotebookLM. NotebookLM is a really nice tool provided by Google that allows you to upload course materials (e.g., lecture slides, assignments, readings) and then ask questions about them in natural language as well as generate things like Mind Maps, Audio Overview, Videos, and Flashcards. You can access the NotebookLM for this course here. Note that you’ll need a Google AI Pro account to access this resource. Don’t worry, it’s free for a year for students.
Recitation Leader Gem
Another tool that you will be asked to use is the Recitation Leader Gem. A Gem is kind of like the Gemini Chat but it is specialized for a particular task. The Recitation Leader Gem is designed to help you practice the material from lectures by generating practice problems based on the course material. You can access the Recitation Leader Gem here. To use the Recitation Leader Gem, simply say “I would like to practice material from Chapter 1” or “I would like to practice material from the first lecture”.
AI Feedback
Please post any helpful tips or issues with using these AI tools to the AI channel in the course Teams.