Introduction to Learning at GA and Classroom Culture





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Learning Objectives

  • Introduction to the classroom, instructors and roles
  • Take a look a the daily happenings & deeper dive into each portion
  • Communication tools

Welcome to SEIR-Flex Liberty

In Class

  • Before class:

    • Find the zoom link for the day sent out in the classroom slack channel
    • Let all IAs know if you are running late!

  • In class:

    • Review where we are in the course.
    • Work through lesson modules.
    • Preview upcoming projects/homework.
    • Fill out exit ticket.

  • After class (optional):

    • Ask additional questions on Slack.

Instructor Team

  • Instructional Leads: Arthur Bernier Jr.
  • Instructional Associates: Teo Marcelo, Joshua Miller


Roles

  • Instructor Lead (IL)

    • Lesson Blocks
    • Code-alongs
    • In-Class Code Reviews
    • In-Class Interview Prep
    • Create Homework
    • Assign HW and Projects
    • Grading and giving feedback on projects

  • Instructional Associate (IA)

    • Will help with labs and homeworks
    • Give Feedback
    • Fix Bugs During Class in breakout rooms
    • Grade Homework and Handle Attendance

  • Outcomes

    • Outcomes course content
    • Post-class job placement questions
    • Out-of-class Interview Prep

  • Student Support

    • GA Support
    • Financial Issues

Note: These roles define who leads a section, and whom you should go to if you have a question on a certain topic, but each of these roles are shared responsibilities.




Communication

  • Feedback goes both directions, we love getting/giving feedback at GA
  • Let us know how you're doing and how we can improve your experience

Communication Tools


Slack

4 channels

  • seirfx-XXX-classroom
  • seirfx-xxx-outcomes
  • seirfx-xxx-partytime
  • seirfx-xxx-resources
  • seirfx-xxx-debugging



How To:


Communicate in one of the outrun channels:

@username

  • sends a notification to a specific user

@channel / @here

  • sends a notification to everyone / everyone currently online
  • DO NOT use these unless absolutely necessary (usually only instructors/TAs use this)



Communicate privately:
  • Direct messages are one-on-one messages nobody else can see
  • In addition, you can make group direct messages to talk to multiple people at once, privately



Other:
  • You can mute channels that you no longer need (e.g. Fundamentals)
  • You can adjust the sound / notifications of your messages



Zoom

Our video conferencing tool!

  • Share video always during class time
  • We use breakout rooms for group meetings
  • Don't forget to mute!
  • You can share your screen with us / anyone
  • Grid for speaker view

Course Dates SEIR Flex Liberty

Start: 9/19/2023

End: 3/27/2023

Off Days
Dates Holidays: 11/11, 11/22, 11/23, 11/25, 12/26, 12/27, 12/28, 12/30, 1/13, 2/17

Tenative Class Schedule (Subject to Change based on class speed)

Important Note: All times will be EST/EDT Eastern Standard Time/ Eastern Daylight Time

Class Meetings

  • Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 6:30 - 10:00 PM Eastern time

  • Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 5:00PM Eastern time

    Office Hours

  • Structured Homework Time (Mandatory) - 10:00 PM - 10:45 PM Tuesday & Wednesday
  • Instructor Office Hours - Saturday 5pm - 6pm and Thursday 8:30 - 10:45pm EST

  • Monday - 1 on 1 hours as needed Arthurs Calendly

    Outcomes

  • Every other Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 PM Eastern time

Weekly Homework

  1. Theoretical Homework - Solve Something
  2. Practical Homework - Build Something
  3. Written Homework - Explain Something (Either how you build something, why you would build something a certain way, or answer a list of questions)
  4. Hungry for more hw - For pushing yourself to the next level
  5. Reading & Video Material- Material You need to watch before the following week

Overall you should expect to invest 24 - 32 hours a week on school

  1. 16 1/2 hours in class
  2. 8 - 16 hours completing homework, projects

If you are a little advanced, you won't feel the 16 hours until we get to around week 6 or 7. But if you develop bad habits it will hit you like a ton of bricks.

If you are brand new, you will feel it from day 1, Don't ever exceed 16 hours of time on your homework, we will be lenient on grading as long as we see improvement up until week 10.

Week 11-26 we expect everyone to be caught up and able to do well with the basics.

Trust the process, I am now hitting over 600 students with your class.

Breaks

  1. Hourly 10 minute breaks
  2. Evening Classes 30 min Lunch/Socialize
  3. Saturday Classes 1hr Lunch/Socialize

Accounts you need

  1. HackerRank.com
  2. Leetcode.com
  3. Codesanbox.io
  4. Repl.it
  5. Github.com

What We Expect From You

Graduation Requirements

HOMEWORK

  • Students must receive a passing grade of 80% on all homework assignments.

  • To receive a passing grade, students must complete 100% of the minimum tasks specified in that assignment

    PROJECTS

  • Students must receive a passing grade on all course projects.
  • Students must present their projects on the specified project presentation date

  • Parameters for passing will be explained when the project is assigned.

    ATTENDANCE

  • Students must have at least an 80% attendance record (you’ve missed 24 hours total or less of class)
  • Attendance is taken at the start of every class meeting.
  • 3 late arrivals &/or early departures will constitute one absence.
  • Unexcused absences are not permitted unless it’s an exceptional circumstance.
  • Students who have been excessively absent may be withdrawn.

You may have up to a three-day grace period period on a project for extenuating circumstances if you get approval before the due date.

Unexcused absences are not allowed. If you will have to miss a class, notify the IA/LI via Slack ahead of time so that we can mark your absence as excused. You may have a 48-hour grace period for notifying the IA/LI in case of emergency. Acceptable excuses include illness, death or critical illness to a family member of significant other, critical life emergency, and religious observances.

Students who have fulfilled all of the above requirements will receive a digital certificate of completion via email 1 week after to the course’s end.

Additional Expectations

  • Take initiative.
  • Ask for help.
  • Practice, practice, practice.

Classroom Culture

Let's all agree to:

  • Treat each other with respect
  • Avoid bringing distractions into class
  • Participate in class
  • Be on video during class

Teaching Philosophy of Arthur Bernier Jr

  • This is not a college class, you should look at this as on the job training
  • Our goal is to teach you how to learn to code
  • Principles over memorization, memorization doesn't help when your job is about solving problems, you should focus on if you understand a concept abstractly over caring about if you can write some code from scratch without looking at the documentation
  • Familiarity through spaced repetition, we will do things over and over at different points of the course, by doing so you will naturally start to memorize certain things, but not memorize like how you cram for a test, memorize like how you have the english language memorized, JavaScript is a language not a degree program, and I am going to teach you how to speak JavaScript and by extension how to speak code.
  • We will purposefully give you things that are hard, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • Why would I give you things that are hard for you too finish
    image

Teaching Execution of Arthur Bernier Jr (EDIPS)

  • Explanation - We will go over what something is and background around why we should care about it.
  • Demonstration - I will show you examples and demos of me using the thing we explained
  • Imitation - I will allow you to follow along and do what I am doing on your own computer
  • Practice - You will use the principles we learned and apply it to a different problem, that may require you to look up additional information in official documentation
  • Share - You will share what you understand about what was learned to others to rehearse it in your mind, and also to develop the skill of talking about your code

Homework policy

  • If you are doing your homework alone, that's not the best idea, you should do your homework with others
  • Everyone is responsible for turning in their own hw unless its a group assignment(Unit 4)
  • Never just give eachother the answer but you are free to share resources
  • Using sites like quizlet, course hero etc, is not ok and will only hurt you
  • Using the recommended reading, official documentation, youtube videos by real developers and reputable resource sites is ok
  • Its always better to turn in the homework on time with the wrong answer, than late. The work isn't given so that you can try to get 10 out of 10 right, it's given to rehearse the skills you learned like when you are learning an instrument.

The 5 E’s for How to Succeed in an Online Course

Please click the arrows to expand the following:
Establish a dedicated, quiet, comfortable workspace 🎯
You are in the classroom. It just happens to be in your home. It will be really important to have a set up that lets you step out of your home and into your classroom. Setting up a desk in a quiet place in your home can help put you in the learning mindspace. You will be interacting and talking with your instructors and classmates throughout the day, so it is important that you are able to do so from your setup. Also, a comfortable chair goes a long way! You’ll be at your desk for almost 8 hours a day — make sure to have a chair you can sit in for that entire time!

Enhance your focus 🎯
The temptation to do other things during class may never go away. There are too many cat videos out there for that to happen. Instead, do your best to remove any potential distractions from your workspace. Allow yourself to check your phone and other websites only at breaks in the class. On your computer, close out other tabs and programs other than what you need to have open for the class. If you need help to stop surfing other websites, there are actually plugins you can download that will lock you out of websites of your choosing for a specific time. Read about one option for [Chrome Here](http://osxdaily.com/2007/03/19/block-access-to-specified-sites-by-modifying-etchosts/)

Set yourself goals along the way that help you get better at eliminating distractions. This will take some practice and will not only benefit you now but also when you start your career as a web developer.


Engage with the class 🎯
Jump into this. You will get out of this class what you put into it. Have fun. Support your classmates by commenting on their work. Ask your instructors and classmates questions on Slack or during standups. Attempt to do all activities and answer all questions regardless of who might have already answered in Slack. Don’t worry about making mistakes - that’s one of the best ways for you to learn. This experience is going to feel a bit strange at first if you’ve never taken an online class like this before (and given the way we’ve developed this course, you probably haven’t). We have built this course to keep you constantly engaged and to apply what you’re learning.

Energize yourself 🎯
So much of your success will be about staying motivated throughout the day, and your energy level will affect that. Keep healthy snacks such as fruits and almonds on hand for when your energy level starts to wane. Also, hydrate constantly! During breaks or whenever your energy level is getting low, do some jumping jacks to wake up. Twenty-five jumping jacks can go a long way to getting your blood pumping and your energy level back up. Also, consider using a blue light decreasing app, such as f.lux. It decreases your screen's blue light as the sun goes down to keep screen time from negatively impacting your sleep cycle. A good night’s rest will go a long way to keeping you energized the next day.

Escape your house at least once a day 🎯
You wake up. You are in class all day. You eat. You go to sleep. Repeat the process the next day. It is very easy to get in this routine. We encourage you to get outside at least once a day, otherwise home and work will start to feel like the same thing. Go out for a walk, bike ride, or drive. Go to a restaurant for dinner. Visit a friend. Find some reason to leave the house at least once a day to ensure that you stay motivated throughout the class and don’t feel like being at home means you’re always at work. Getting away even for an hour at the end of the day can help you delineate being at work and being at home.


Communication

If you have a question during a lesson:

  • Post your questions or comments in the classroom slack channel. Questions will be addressed by the instructors.
  • Come off of mute and ask! To reduce confusion, you will mute yourself on Zoom as soon as you sign on to Zoom. If called upon to speak, you will unmute yourself.
  • If you are having a technical issue, you can send a direct message to the instructor who is supporting the lesson. Your contact for support will be posted on slack at the start of each lesson.
  • Please do not send a direct message to the on-camera instructor while the lesson is taking place.

Ways to communicate with other students:

  • Make your own Zoom meeting room
  • Send a slack direct message
  • Make your own slack channels

If you are unable to connect to the internet:

  • Contact the instructional team via slack message via the app or email so that we can setup a backup plan for you. Contact information is at the bottom of this document.

:phone: If you do not have a smartphone, let us know immediately.

If you have a change of address please be sure to update us so you don't miss out on any swag or important documents. Please send this type of update to online@generalassemb.ly.

Student Conduct and Dismissal

General Assembly is a community of learners. Should a student be disruptive to the community, he or she may be asked to leave. Examples of disruption include, but are not limited to:

Aggression or threats towards other students, instructors, or staff; illegal activities conducted or discussed on or around campus; the failure to observe classroom or campus conduct standards set forth by instructors or staff; or other behavior identified as disruptive to the learning environment of other students by instructors or staff.

Students may also be withdrawn for academic violations, per General Assembly’s withdrawal policy below. Students are to treat all members of the staff and other students with respect and dignity. A student who is caught cheating; willfully destroying school property; attending school under the influence of illegal drugs and/or alcohol; or exhibiting disruptive, insubordinate, boisterous, obscene, vulgar, or disrespectful behavior may be dismissed and prohibited from re-enrollment in another course.

Students dismissed due to disruptive and/or disrespectful conduct will not be re-admitted to General Assembly.

Equal Opportunity

General Assembly is an equal opportunity organization and does not discriminate based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, or other categories protected by law of the states in which we operate.

General Assembly strictly prohibits and does not tolerate sexual harassment or other unlawful harassment (including verbal, physical, or visual conduct) based on protected status. Individuals who believe they have been subject to or witnessed conduct that violates this policy should immediately notify the Regional Director. All complaints will be investigated and prompt corrective action will be taken, as appropriate. Interim measures may be taken, as appropriate, when a complaint is made.

General Assembly prohibits retaliation against any individual who raises concerns under this policy or participates in an investigation. General Assembly will conduct its courses, services and activities consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

Students who seek accommodations related to a disability should contact their Producer or Regional Director. General Assembly provides reasonable accommodations to individuals who desire to participate in our educational programs.

Plagiarism Policy

General Assembly, and your instructional team, take plagiarism very seriously. The code you write in class should reflect your current understanding of the material, and should be representative of your own original thoughts. That said, you will often be required to use code that’s not yours to string these thoughts together, or to provide additional functionality.

Additionally, if you do include any code that you didn’t write in your projects / homework, you must include a RESOURCES.md file in your repository notating: the original source of the code, the team which wrote it, and how it’s being used in your project. You must also have a comment in your code referencing the corresponding line number in your RESOURCES.md.



Please click on the arrows below to expand the following:
Definition 🎯
Simply put, plagiarism involves both stealing someone else's work or idea and lying about it afterward; an act of cheating. Plagiarised work includes turning in code that you didn’t write or building someone else’s idea without giving credit. As broken down by Plagiarism.org, to “plagiarise” is to: Steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own Use (another's production) without crediting the source Commit literary or code theft Present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

Policy 🎯
General Assembly has a zero tolerance policy towards plagiarism and cheating. It is destructive to classroom culture, and exhibits a clear lack of respect for classmates, instructors, the company, and the greater community. Any work considered to have been plagiarised will not be accepted and will not count towards graduation requirements. If a project exhibits evidence of plagiarism or cheating, the student will not be able to display the project at a GA-sponsored class “science fair” or “meet & greet.” Any student found plagiarising or attempting to plagiarise will be disciplined accordingly (including but not limited to removal from class).

Open source code is inherently open and usually available for free use to modify and implement into any non-commercial project. However, please review their license and usage guidelines, give credit to the project and/or author, and do not try to hide or disguise the usage of such code.

All of the following are considered plagiarism or cheating 🎯
Turning in work that is not your own. Turning in someone else's work as your own. Hiring, or paying someone to do your work for you. Copying words or code without giving credit. Building or copying someone else’s idea without their knowledge or giving credit. Giving incorrect information about a source. Changing words, variable names, etc. but copying the code or files of a source without giving credit. Copying so many ideas or code blocks from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not. Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks.

**NOTES:** A source can be considered anything found on the internet (i.e. Stack Overflow, GitHub, etc.), an instructor, or another classmate. Plagiarism is NOT the same as copyright infringement

How to avoid plagiarism 🎯
Don’t copy a classmate’s work by looking at their published work, homework repository, works in progress, or looking at their screen. If you need help, ask for it. Don’t build an idea that is not yours without the source’s prior knowledge and consent. Check for a project’s license. Some common ones include MIT License, Creative Commons, and GNU GPL. Give credit to the code you’ve borrowed or adapted. At a minimum, put a link to the source in a code comment. GA expects all course students to be able to explain the usage, meaning, and/or implementation of any code submitted and declared work of the student. If you’re ever in doubt or unsure, talk to your instructor.

Examples of Plagiarism 🎯
This **is** plagiarism:
- Looking over someone’s shoulder and copying what they have done.
- Paying or asking someone to do your work for you.
- Implementing a CSS framework like Skeleton, but renaming some classes and keywords to pass it off as your own.
- Cloning another student's project and passing it off as your own
- Cloning anyone's repo and passing it off as your own without attribution
- Using code from a tutorial or class lesson as the majority of your submission

This **isn't** plagiarism:
- Using a JavaScript library
- Using a CSS framework
- Using a Node package
- Using boilerplate / "starter" code from a library, e.g. Google Maps


In an effort to not plagiarize, credit for this content goes to 🎯: Plagiarism.org, specifically the “plagiarism 101” section. Content was adapted for code. For more information, please see:

Weekly Events

Outcomes Lesson with Career Coach

Every other Wednesday / Thursday, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm EDT

Join your weekly Outcomes lesson in the #seirfx-xxx-outcomes slack channel. The Zoom link for the Outcomes session will be posted in Slack. Students will run Zoom on their external monitor and will follow the deck and lesson in the Slack chat window.

The goal of Outcomes is to arm you with the tools and skills needed to navigate the job market and land a position as web developer! Each of you will meet with your Career Coach to shape and develop your career search. Outcomes programming will be a blend of live Outcomes Sessions, Small-Groups, and 1:1 sessions, combined with portfolio work. During live sessions, you will learn best practices for job seeking, participate in panel discussions, and tour companies. For questions regarding Outcomes, please reach out to your Career Coach, whose contact information can be found at the bottom of this document.