Getting Help#
Good help requests make it clear where you are stuck.
The current course syllabus and applicable CSN or college policies take precedence over anything on this website.
Ask early#
Programming problems get harder to fix when you wait until the deadline. Ask for help when you cannot connect, cannot compile, do not understand an error message, or cannot explain why your output differs from the expected output.
Where to get help#
- Use the CIT Discord Server
for course access, announcements, office-hour coordination, and course
discussion.
Use
/registerfor class channel access after your Bellagio Linux account has been activated or updated for the current semester. - Use Office Hours for one-on-one or small-group help.
- Use How to Ask a Debugging Question when preparing a homework or debugging question.
Help tickets#
Do not open a Discord help ticket for ordinary homework or debugging questions. Help tickets are for connectivity issues, Bellagio account problems, registration problems, VS Code setup problems, or other private technical access issues.
For homework issues, post a question in the appropriate course Discord channel without posting your actual code, visit a teaching assistant or me during scheduled office hours, or contact me privately. A direct message is usually the most expedient way to reach me; email may be delayed.
What to include#
Useful help requests include:
- Course and assignment
- The command you ran
- The exact error message or output
- What you expected to happen
- What actually happened
- What you already tried
Do not post private information or prohibited code publicly. Use the proper course channel, office-hour channel, or private contact method.
Compiler messages, command output, filenames, line numbers, and descriptions of the problem are usually okay to include in a public course channel. Do not post your actual source code publicly.