CS109: Think Lab

Fall 2025

Welcome! This course introduces incoming computer science majors to the field and its possibilities. It also teaches a holistic approach to success in the field, both in college and beyond.

We are exicted to have you and look forward to a great semester!

Course Details

Think Lab Team:
     Dr. Devangi N. Parikh (dnp"at"cs).
     Dr. Alison N. Norman (ans"at"cs).
     Ms. Michaela Cicero (mcicero"at"cs).
     Ms. Claudia Trevino (ctrevino"at"cs).

Each section will be assigned an Undergraduate Course Assistant. Please consult your Canvas course for their information.

Office hours are by appointment.

Time and Place: Tuesday/Wednesday, 7p-8p in WEL 2.224

Web page: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~ans/classes/cs109/index.html

Prerequisites: Admittance to the UTCS Undergraduate program.

Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course.

Communication
Discussion: Your class discussion board is linked from your Canvas course. This semester we are using Ed Discussion.

We will post course-related announcements and information on the board. You must read the discussion board at least once per day, and you should post course-related questions and responses there. We expect you to make good use of the discussion group when you have questions or problems.

You are responsible for any and all information posted to the discussion board by any of the course staff.

Email to you: In this course, email will be used as a means of communication with students. You are responsible for regularly checking (at least every 24 hours) both your CS email and your email officially registered with UT for class work and announcements. Your CS address may be forwarded to another account (see http://apps.cs.utexas.edu/udb/update/).

Email to the Instructor or TAs: Emails to course staff should begin with "CS109:" in the subject line, followed by a brief description of the purpose of your email. If you follow this rule, we will be better able to address your questions in a timely manner. If you do not, a response to your email may be delayed indefinitely.

Facebook, text message, Twitter, calling a mobile phone, or other forms of informal communication: None of these should ever be used to communicate with course staff regarding 109 material.

Expectations

Course Structure: This course has scheduled lecture and discussion sections. During the weeks that have a scheduled lecture (on Tuesday or Wednesday) the discussion sections will not meet.

There are four scheduled lectures throughout the semester. These lectures will introduce you to the field of computer science as it pertains to the department here at UT Austin and beyond. They will also introduce you to the workings of the department, college, and university.

The discussion sections will be led by your undergraduate course assistant. In section, you will learn about computer science, resources at UT, and develop academic skills.

Assignment/Lecture Schedule: A schedule of meetings, topics, and assignments is available online, via the class web page.

The schedule is subject to change, so please check it throughout the semester.

Professionalism: Professional conduct is built upon the idea of mutual respect. Such conduct entails (but is not necessarily limited to):

Attending class: The class benefits from the attendance and participation of all students. Your grade will be affected by your attendance and participation.
Arriving on time: Please do not hesitate to come to class, even if you are arriving late. We would rather you attend some of class, than miss out altogether. However, if you must arrive late or leave early, please be considerate of others---sit near the door and move about quietly.
Minimizing disruptions: Modern technology permits constant communication, but We ask that you leave all digital devices off and out of reach during class unless you are waiting news of an emergency nature (wife delivering a baby, critically ill relative, etc.).
Focusing on the class: Laptop computers or hand-held devices are not allowed in class.
Respect: You should act respectfully toward all class participants.

Professional conduct is expected in this course.

Whole-Person Care

I ask that all students work with me to create an environment that is welcoming to all people and in which we treat each other with professional courtesy and respect. In this section, I highlight some common forms of support offered by the course and the wider UT community. If you need other types of support, though, please let us know. Note that this section discusses what to do if you face an emergency during the semester, such as a death in the family, and it also includes harassment reporting requirements.

Personal Pronouns

Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to how we address each other, and we strive to address you in the ways you prefer. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's chosen name, which you may update through UTDirect ( https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/ais/chosen_name/student/). That said, we will gladly honor your request to address you by a name that is different from what appears on the official roster and by the pronouns you use (she/he/they/ze, etc). Please advise us of any changes early in the semester so that we may make appropriate updates to our records.

Mental Health

Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress. That said, sometimes that is not enough. If you experience any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. All of us benefit from support during difficult times. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. You may begin by talking to any of us, and we'll help you get connected to resources, or the Counseling and Mental Health Center is here to help you. http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/individualcounseling.html. Asking for support sooner rather than later is often helpful.

If you are struggling, know you are not alone.

Religious Holy Days

Religion (or lack thereof) is an important part of who we are. If a holy day observed by your religion falls during the semester and you require accommodations due to that, please let your instructor and TAs know as soon as possible. Email is an acceptable form of communication, though please use the format described above so I am more likely to receive it. If we do not indicate that we have received it, please do talk to us in person or follow-up again in email. In order to guarantee accommodations around exams and other big deadlines, we will need notice of two weeks or more. If you are unable (or forget!) to provide that notice, please contact us anyway in case we can still accommodate you.

University-required language: A student who is absent from an examination or cannot meet an assignment deadline due to the observance of a religious holy day may take the exam on an alternate day or submit the assignment up to 24 hours late without penalty, if proper notice of the planned absence has been given. Notice must be given at least 14 days prior to the classes which will be missed. For religious holy days that fall within the first 2 weeks of the semester, notice should be given on the first day of the semester. Notice must be personally delivered to the instructor and signed and dated by the instructor, or sent certified mail. Email notification will be accepted if received, but a student submitting email notification must receive email confirmation from the instructor.

Students with Disabilities

My policy is to fully support all students with disabilities to the best of my ability. At no time is it required that you disclose the nature of your disability to me, and I will not ask you to do so.

If you are a student with a UT-acknowledged disability, I ask that you meet with me in person to discuss accommodations as soon as you have your accommodation letter in hand. I do ask that you meet with me by the 12th class day so that we can put your accommodations in place as soon as possible.

If you are a student with a disability that has not yet been acknowledged by UT's Services for Students with Disabilities, I hope that you will be willing to disclose your status to me, and I ask that you meet with me in person to develop a plan for your success this semester.

University-required language: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Division of Student Affairs, Disability and Access at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.

Policy on Children in Class/on Zoom

Children are always welcome. I understand that if you have childcare responsibilities you are a special-level of exhausted. Please talk to me if you need help.

Policy on Outside Responsibilities and Other Circumstances

At all times, we are not just our academic selves but our whole selves, with responsibilities and pressures from outside the classroom. If you find that those responsibilities or your circumstances are preventing you from participating in this class, please contact us as soon as possible.

Emergency Situations

If you experience an emergency situation during the semester, Student Outreach and Support (SOS) is here to help you. They can help in the event of family emergencies, medical or mental health concerns, and interpersonal violence, among other situations. If you experience such an emergency, you may contact them directly through email (studentemergency@austin.utexas.edu) or by phone (512-471-5017), or you may contact one of us and we will assist you with the process.

Please, if you are in an emergency situation, focus on "forgiveness, not permission". Please focus on your needs, and assume we will do something reasonable when we learn of the situation. If you have time to drop us a note to let us know what is going on, please do---but otherwise, focus on you. Documentation through SOS will eventually be required, but it does not need to be immediate.

Harassment Reporting Requirements

: Senate Bill 212 (SB 212), which went into effect as of January 1, 2020, is a Texas State Law that requires all employees (both faculty and staff) at a public or private post-secondary institution to promptly report any knowledge of any incidents of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, or stalking "committed by or against a person who was a student enrolled at or an employee of the institution at the time of the incident". Please note that the instructors and the TAs for this class are mandatory reporters and MUST share with the Title IX office any information about sexual harassment/assault shared with us by a student whether in-person or as part of a journal or other class assignment. Note that a report to the Title IX office does not obligate a victim to take any action, but this type of information CANNOT be kept strictly confidential except when shared with designated confidential employees. A confidential employee is someone a student can go to and talk about a Title IX matter without triggering that employee to have to report the situation to have it automatically investigated. If you would like to speak with someone who can provide support or remedies without making an official report to the university, please email advocate@austin.utexas.edu. For more information about reporting options and resources, visit http://www.titleix.utexas.edu/, contact the Title IX Office via email at titleix@austin.utexas.edu, or call 512-471-0419.

Evaluation

Participation: For students to receive the most benefit from Think Lab, they need to be fully engaged at all course meetings. Thus, part of a student's evalation in this course will be based on their participation and engagement.

To receive credit for participation, you must:

participate in class discussions AND
fully participate in group discussions AND
complete the class activity and submit it correctly AND
have all electronic devices put away for the duration of class.

You are required to attend class. If you must miss class, you are not required to inform the instructors, but you are responsible for learning any material you missed. The best way to know what actually happened in a class is to be there and participate; if you must miss a class, you should talk to your colleagues about the topics discussed and what points were particularly emphasized.

Use of laptops, phones, or other digital devices during class results in the forfeiture of participation points.

Note that "class" includes both section and the large class meetings. Assignments: Assignments in this course will be assigned based on the topic of the week. Information about the requirements for each assignment will be available in Canvas, as will the assignment due dates.

Assignments will be submitted through Canvas.

Think Faire Project: This semester, you will work in a group to explore a computer science topic. Information about the assignment and its associated deliverables will be posted to Canvas over the course of the semester. We will assign groups.

Group Participation: Group participation will be evaluated by the course faculty and through evaluations provided by your fellow group members.

Consistent failure to deliver as a teammate is grounds for early failure from this course. Students about whom the faculty receive multiple complaints or who are observed not contributing will report directly to the professors as part of their "parole." If their performance improves and remains satisfactory, they will not be docked grade-wise on assignments. If performance does not improve and is not satisfactory, they will not receive credit for the project.

Grading: Grades are essential to insuring that your degree has the value that it deserves. As a result, we have a grading system that has two essential properties:

It is fair to everyone in the class.
It is a true measure of how much each student knows the class material.

These class components are used to determine your final grade:

Component Type	Points Available	Description
Participation	42	For each class or section, a sign-in sheet, exit tickets, activity sheet, and other particiaption artifacts will be used to assign credit. We will be observing your engagement in class and you will earn credit based on your attention and contributions.
Assignments	30	Approximately fifteen assignments will be assigned. They will be graded on an Good-Revise-Not Submitted basis.
Think Faire Project	24	The project and its deliverables will be assessed based on correctness, clarity, and effort.
Final Reflection	5	A video reflection of the semester will be assessed based on thoughtfulness and quality.

Grade will be recorded in the gradebook on Canvas. The score-to-letter-grade mapping in this course will be determined by the instructors. It is guaranteed that anyone who earns 90 or more points across all categories will get at least an A, anyone with 80 or more will get at least a B, and anyone with 70 or more of the points will get at least a C. Plus/minus gradients will also be assigned at the discretion of the instructors.

If you have questions or concerns about your grade, contact us via a private post on Ed.

Academic Integrity

A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin. More specifically, you and other students are expected to maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work undertaken at the University. This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by the University's Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to:

acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts;
complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them;
follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and
avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student.

Maintaining Your Academic Integrity in Online Learning
UT’s Standards of Conduct

We enforce a strict policy on academic honesty: Every piece of work that you turn in with your name on it must be yours. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty in assignments or exams are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course, and/or dismissal from the University. Plagiarizing the work of others (classmates or from the internet) or the use of AI-powered software, such as ChatGPT, to create, revise, or complete your assignemnt will be considered academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated. If cheating is discovered, a report will be made to the Dean of Students.

Acknowledgments and Copyright

In the preparation of this course, we used materials from TIDES.

Copyright Notice: These course materials, including, but not limited to, lecture notes, problem sets, and projects are part of the introduction to the PhD course in the UT Austin Computer Science Department. You must ask permission to use these materials.

This copyright extends to any and all video or audio recordings of this class.

We do not grant to you the right to publish these materials for profit in any form.