FAQ for tutors

Who decides who is in my tutorial class?

Someone is in your tutorial class if they have a printed timetable
showing that they are.  By the magic of modern software, this will
be the same set of students who appear on your class list (when you
get it).  However when a student changes tutorials they get their
new timetable immediately, whereas class lists take longer.  So
students' printed timetables are more accurate than class lists.

Students change tutorials in only one way:  by getting a fresh
timetable.  Depending on their Faculty they can do this at Merewether
(Economics students), Engineering (Engineering students), or the
Student Centre (others).  However they can all also do it with great
convenience at our own Help Desk, Madsen Room LG44, 12-2pm and 5-5.45pm
daily.  You don't have to be an expert on this.  Just say "Go to
the Help Desk".

For the first week only it's reasonable to allow people into your class
who don't belong there, because there is always a certain amount of
confusion in the first few days.  However from the second week you must
tell the students in your class clearly that if they are not timetabled
for your class they have to leave.  Given the exceptionally high
quality of the timetabling software in use at the Help Desk and the
Student Centre, it is perfectly reasonable to say this.  Students
always tend to drift into tutorials that suit them best, and we must
prevent this because it causes some classes to get too large and others
to get very small.  Students cannot always have their first preference,
because the University does not have enough rooms to allow it.

It is not in your power to decide on your own initiative to accept a
student permanently into your tutorial class.  The student must get a
new timetable.  If they claim that they have already tried, or if the
case seems intractable for any other reason, send them to me.

Ring the Computer Science Department on 9351 3423 ("mail office" also
works).  All you have to say to them is "My name is ... and I am sick
today."  They know what you're teaching, they know who to ask to replace
you, they will do it all.  You can fall back into bed with complete peace
of mind.  This strategy requires you to store the CS department phone
number at home.

If you know several days in advance that you are going to be absent
(and rare absences for good reason are everyone's right), it's polite
to at least attempt to arrange a replacement yourself and let the
office know.  If it's getting close and there is no replacement
arranged, call the office.

Do I have to lock my lab?

You are not responsible for locking your lab.  The 5-5.45pm Help Desk
person is responsible for locking the labs between 5.45 and 6.  However,
if you leave at 6pm, please do lock the lab as a favour to the Help
Desk person.  Before locking up *please* remember to close all windows
and turn out the lights.  Open windows in locked labs are by far the
most frequent security problem we face, and it also risks the equipment
because rain and dust can blow in overnight.
What can we do if students are "stuck" with UNIX? 
Feel free to offer specific points of assistance, but also show them how to
use "man" in the future (however, man is not much use if you don't know the
name of the command you want).  There is also "learn unix", an on-line Unix
tutorial.  If the problem arises from non-standard environment settings,
feel free to tell students that non-standard environments are their own
responsibility, and that the only assistance you offer is in running the
"reduce" command, which returns a student's environment to the standard.

How can we fix students who are over their disk quota?

The "quota" command can tell you if the student is over quota (this is
also run when the student logs in).  If so, one useful way to fix the
problem is to run the "search-and-destroy" command, which searches their
file space for redundant files (such as "core") and removes them.  It
will also ask for y/n for some large files it's not sure about.

What do I say if a student wants to leave a lab 2 hours early?

The University rules say that students must attend most classes in order
to obtain a pass in a course (this regulation is a well-kept secret), but not
that a student must attend any particular class.  You should make sure that
students leaving early do not plan to do so regularly (tell them that they
must change their timetable if the reason is a recurring clash), and warn
them that regular non-attendance is likely to lead to failure and will
disqualify them from any group they are in.

Is the Help Desk supposed to answer academic questions?

Yes for first and second year questions (including COMP1000), but No
for third year questions (if you know the answer, feel free to give
it, but if not, tell them to ask their tutor or lecturer).

What do I tell a student who doesn't have an account?

Tell them to register at the Computer Science Help Desk, Madsen LG44,
12-2pm and 5-5.45pm daily.  Their account should be created within
one day of registering.  If they claim to have already done this, send
them to the Help Desk or try finding them in /etc/passwd and changing
their password for them.

Doan

ps Feel free to propose other frequently asked questions.