Computer Engineering Labs: Teaching Assistant (TA) Orientation
Contents
Where is the CEL?
- The CEL is located in rooms 368,
373 & 375 of Durham
Hall.
- 368 Durham is the main CEL room.
- 375 Durham is reserved for ECE4534.
- 373 Durham is a shared resource for:
- ECE4514 Projects
- ECE4534 SmartHome Projects
- Overflow for 368 Durham
- ECE4405 and ECE4406
Policies and Procedures may change as
needed to insure that the
CEL operates effectively and efficiently
- CEL TAs should refer to policies and procedures on the CEL web
pages, rather than memorize them or ask another TA.
- CEL
TAS *will not* loan
Spartan-3E boards to students.
Opening the CEL
- When the first CEL TA arrives for scheduled hours each day, he or
she should:
- open the deadbolt locks for each
of the 3 CEL rooms
Closing the CEL
- When the last CEL TA leaves at the end of scheduled hours each
day, he or she should:
- Check that all users have left the CEL
- *or* a faculty member, with a deadbolt key, may promise to
lock the lab.
- Lock each locker in each CEL room
- Turn out the lights
- Deadbolt each of the CEL doors (4 deadbolts)
- CEL TAs will close the CEL when there is a fire alarm or other
emergency.
What is expected of CEL TAs? (follow the
links to learn more)
- CEL TAs will read their email regularly.
- CEL TAs will attend CEL orientation (to be announced).
- CEL TAs will complete the TA Quiz during the first week of
classes in the semester.
- CEL TAs will guard the master keys, checked out to them during
orientation. These master keys provide access to all CEL lockers and
oscilloscopes.
- CEL TAs will be responsible for navigating the CEL web pages to
find the information they need to perform their duties.
- CEL TAs will follow CEL Policies.
- CEL TAs will send their class schedule and list of other
commitments to the Lab Manager.
- CEL TAs will perform tasks for the Lab
Director and Lab Manager prior to the
official lab opening
day.
- CEL TAs will not loan tools, books, kits, boards, or equipment to
Faculty or Staff. Contact Lab
Manager.
- CEL TAs are directly
responsible for their assigned hours .
- CEL TAs will open and close the lab according to the Schedule.
- CEL TAs may access the CEL after scheduled hours according to these guidelines.
- CEL TAs will walk around and be aware of activities in each of
the CEL rooms.
- CEL TAs direct questions, concerns, or problems to http://helpdesk.ece.vt.edu
- This method allows multiple people to respond to CEL needs.
- CEL TAs will divide their time wisely among their CEL
responsibilites, CEL-supported course professor, and their own
coursework and research.
- CEL users are responsible for all items they
bring into the CEL.
Which TA helps which students?
- CEL TAs will help a student in any CEL-supported course.
- CEL TAs should use phrases like, "Let's see what I can do to help
you".
- CEL TAs should encourage a student to solve his or her own
problem.
Guidelines for Helping Students
- It is important that the TAs have worked out the solutions to any
homework or labs themselves, so that they have a firm understanding of
the issues involved.
- TAs should never write code for a student. This includes
putting code on the whiteboard in the CEL to show students how to
perform a certain function. Writing code is the student’s
responsibility. Forcing students to write all of their own code
will help eliminate the issue of students who get excellent grades on
all of their homework and labs and yet cannot write very simple code on
tests.
- In response to general questions such as “why doesn’t my program
work” it is not appropriate for the TA to figure out why the code
doesn’t work and tell the student how to fix it. Rather the TA
should suggest ways for the student to debug the problem. Most
students, especially at the sophomore level, need help with debugging
skills and one-on-one interaction with a TA in the CEL is a great way
to teach these skills. It will always be much easier to just fix
the student’s problem for them, but this does not promote significant
learning and does not develop the skills necessary for the student to
fix the next problem. It is also appropriate for the TA to
suggest reasons why the code may performing as it does so that the
student has a general idea of where to look for the problem.
- In response to specific questions it is best to help the students
work through the question to find the answer themselves rather than
just telling them what the answer is. This takes longer, but
promotes learning and helps students learn how to solve problems
themselves.
- In response to general questions regarding how perform a certain
task in software, avoid directing the student down a narrow path
leading to the cool way you figured out to do it when you solved the
problem. Get the student to suggest approaches and go along with
their ideas to help them find a way to perform the task, even if it is
much less elegant than your solution. This approach will help
students learn to solve a problem themselves and to better appreciate
and learn from elegant solutions when they see them in class or in
discussions with others.
- Helping the students learn will always take longer than just
telling them the answer and it will only make the CEL more crowded
initially. But ultimately it should reduce the amount of help we
must provide to the students by enhancing their ability to solve their
own problems.
- TAS are not substitutes for attending class. There is no need to
repeat a lecture .
CEL TAs provide first-tier hardware
support for lab kits.
Team Building
- CEL TAs will join the discussion group, announced by the Lab Manager, during the first week of classes
in the semester.
- CEL TAs will attend weekly team building sessions (Fall and
Spring only) or email an
explanation to the Lab Manager
within 24 hours of non-attendance.
Signs and Reserved Spaces
- CEL TAs may post temporary signs to clarify instructions,
procedures, or warnings
- Students may not post
signs on walls, windows, doors, bulletin
boards, lockers or partitions.
- Students may not reserve
spaces in any of the CEL rooms
- Students may place a sign on a project in 373 or 375 Durham,
indicating that a fragile experiment is in progress.
- CEL TAs will report abuse of "fragile experiment is in
progress" signs.
- If the CEL Lab Manager posts signs or rearranges furniture or
reserves space, CEL TAs will receive an email. The CEL Lab Manager does
not scribble on the back of a homework assignment and post it as an
official sign.
Spartan S3E Board Testing and Distribution
- Before the beginning of each semester, the CEL TAs burn
approximately 400 DVDs on PCs in 368 Durham.This is a long process, so
volunteers (who would like special privileges) should bring their
laptop and some reading material.
- Most of our undergraduates will be required to purchase a
Digilent Spartan3E board for their classwork. You will be
responsible for distributing boards sold to students who purchased
them. We will be using an online database tool to manage the
distribution of the Spartan3E boards. You will need to create a Zoho
(www.zoho.com) account. To start the registration process, and to
access the
online database, go to:
- It is imperative that you use extreme care when entering board
distribution data. You will be held accountable for the accuracy
of the data you enter into this database. Make sure that you
sign-out of your account when you are away from your computer. Do
not make any changes to this database until you've been properly
briefed by Bob Lineberry.
- CEL TAS must test each
Digilent Spartan3E board before
entering the serial number in the distribution
database. This
discourages a student from damaging a board and returning it for
warranty replacement. TAS may use their laptop or CEL desktop for these
tests.
- During the first weeks of the semester, fewer students will
require TA assistance. This is a perfect time to pre-test S3E boards. If you pre-test
a board, put a yellow sticky note
inside the box
with
your name and the date you tested the board. Sticky
notes may be found in the "TA Supplies" locker.
Every TA in the CEL will be responsible for
supporting (at least) the following:
- the Digilent Spartan S3E board
- the Xilinx software required to create, compile, debug, and
download a program on the S3E board
- Logicworks
- the Microchip IDE (later in the semester).
- You will need to be able to assist students with issues such as
installing this software, basic operation of this software, and
diagnosing a physical malfunction of the board. You are not,
however, necessarily required to be able to help them complete an
assignment using the software or board. Please install this
software on your computer and familiarize yourself with it
immediately. Please connect with an S3E board and ensure that you
can do
the tasks that you will be assisting students with.
What is expected of students? (See
Student Orientation)
What resources does the CEL provide?
Computer Security
- TAS should never use a student's computer. Students should never
use a TA's computer .
- A student may attempt to use credentials stored on a TA's
computer to access sensitive information, like grades.
- If a TA uses a student's computer, and the student has a
keystroke logger installed, the student may capture the TA's username
and password.
- Link
to TA password file
(restricted)
What's in the lockers in 368 Durham?
- To the left of the white board: Stuff for TAs to help Students
- To the right of the white board: TA Only Stuff
- Tools, supplies, textbooks
- Under the white board: S3E pre-paid distribution.
- Feel free to explore locker contents.
- Make sure you lock each locker after access.
What's in the lockers in 375 Durham?
- ECE4534 students will need access to project parts from the
lockers in 375 Durham.
- The Lab Manager will establish a
procedure to insure the proper
return of ECE4534 project parts to these lockers.
What if my professor wants me to have a lab kit so I have experience with
the assigned projects?
- Contact the Lab Manager
to check out a lab kit.
Lab kits must be returned at the end of the semester. We expect that
you will use some of the components.
- TAs should not loan their personal or borrowed project board or
lab kit parts to students.
What if I want to change my Course Assignment
or Lab Hours?
- To change your course assignment, contact the Lab Director or Assistant Department Head.
- To change your CEL hours, contact the Lab
Manager.
What are some known limitations of the
CEL?
- A typical validation takes 5 minutes, if a student is prepared.
Therefore, each CEL TA may be able to perform 12 validations per hour.
If a student waits until the last day or last hour, his or her project
may not get validated by the deadline.
- There
are only 30 to 50 seats available in the CEL to service approximately
700 students, enrolled in CEL-supported courses. Do most of your work
at home.
- TAs have their own homework, projects, and tests. TAs are paid
only for assigned hours. Do not ask a TA to stay
after the CEL closes.
- The CEL is open according to the Schedule.
Lost and Found
- There is no "Lost and Found" service in the CEL.
- CEL users are responsible for all items they bring into the CEL.
- There is a box, near the universal programmer, which contains
items left in the CEL.
- CEL TAS may choose to place items in this "lost and found" box,
but they may choose not to.