CSSE TUTORING CENTER
CS Tutoring Services
Cal Poly’s Computer Science Department offers free tutoring for all students taking CSC courses. We offer help at all scheduled times primarily for students in CSC/CPE 101, 202, 203, and 225. We can also help with basic C and systems concepts, but we will not help with 357 projects or assignments. Depending on the tutors on duty, we may also offer help for other CSC courses, including 123, 234, and 349.
If you need help outside of class and office hours, the tutoring center is for you. We focus on near-peer tutoring which means that we are run by students, for students. We are committed to providing computer science and debugging assistance in a safe environment and we work with our faculty advisors to make sure that our help is as quality, up-to-date, and accessible as possible.
Hybrid Tutoring
Since many classes have shifted to in-person instruction, the tutoring center will be mostly returning to the upstairs CSSE lab. However, to accommodate students who are unable to come to campus, the tutoring center will continue to offer virtual tutoring via Zoom. See the 1-on-1 Tutoring tab for the schedule and more information. Our methods may change throughout the year as we determine what works best for students.
What We Will Do
We’ll help you figure out course material that you’re having trouble understanding on your own. This material may include:
- Basics of programming in Python, Java, or C
- Debugging techniques and independent problem solving
- Data structures
- Unix shell commands
- Text editor operation
Our goal is to give you the tools you need to solve problems.
What We Won’t Do
We won’t do your assignments for you, help you through an entire project, or do generalized code reviews. We will give you explanations of concepts and guidance on how to proceed with your assignments and any bugs you run into
Want to be a Tutor?
If you’ve passed CSC 357 (or are currently enrolled, or have equivalent experience) and want to be a tutor, please email one of the current head tutors. Tell us about yourself and attach a resume, and we’ll schedule an interview!
Tutoring Center Hours
The tutoring center is held in Building 14, Room 302, and is offered Monday through Thursday starting the second full week of the quarter. Tutoring is held in-person from 7-9 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and online via Zoom 5-7 PM on Tuesday. Tutoring is not available during holidays or long weekends.
In the event 14-302 is unavailable (due to conflicts with scheduled classes), tutoring will be held in an adjacent lab (301 or 303).
In-Person Tutoring
- Come to the lab and work on a personal laptop or one of the school computers
- When you have a question, write your name and what class it is for on the whiteboard
- A tutor will call out your name when it is your turn to be helped
Online Tutoring
- When you have a question you would like to ask or want help with something please fill out the following sign-in survey to be placed on the queue
- Join the Zoom meeting that serves as our virtual tutoring center here. This will put you in a waiting room with other students who are also in the tutoring center at the same time. You can choose to interact with the other students if you want or not. You can also manually join using 883 4476 0511 as the meeting ID and tutoring as the password
- A tutor will now pull you into a breakout room from the waiting room when it is your turn to be helped
- After you’ve been helped, please fill out this Google Form to give us feedback
Help Queue
Check your place in the queue to get helped here.
Policies
- You must be present to be helped. If we cannot find you, we will skip you
- If you join the Zoom waiting room or fill out the form outside of tutoring hours, you will not be helped
- We will not share any personal information about individuals with anyone including instructors – data collection is anonymous and requires names and emails only for setting up 1-on-1 meetings with students
- Collaboration policies of professors still apply in the waiting room. Do not share code with other students or violate your professor’s policies
If you have any questions or comments or if you are interested in becoming a tutor, then please email one of the the current head tutors listed below or Dr. Ayaan Kazerouni (ayaank@calpoly.edu).
Tutoring Schedule
current tutors
Head Tutor: Austin Shin
CLASS OF 2022
Hello! I am a graduate computer science student from Fullerton, California. I discovered coding early on because I wanted to make video games, and my love for CS has only grown since. In my free time, I like cycling, drinking coffee, and skiing. I also love my wowies!
Contact at aushin@calpoly.edu.
Head Tutor: Garrett Desrosiers
CLASS OF 2022
Hi, I’m a fourth year Computer Engineering major from San Diego. When I’m not playing hide and seek with semicolons, I enjoy surfing, fitness, and hanging out with my Labrador, Nala.
Contact at gdesrosi@calpoly.edu.
Jeremy Berchtold
CLASS OF 2022
I’m a Computer Science major and my main interests in the field are parsing and graphics. I particularly like programming language design and raymarch rendering. I’ve been a tutor since Winter Quarter 2019. My other interests outside of programming include: beach volleyball, hiking, and exploring.
jonathan schreiber
CLASS OF 2022
Hello! I am a fourth year Computer Science major from Denver, Colorado. I started programming my Junior year in high school and haven’t looked back since – I love how it combines creative problem solving with logic! In my free time you can find me rock climbing, skiing, exploring, or producing music!
mcclane howland
CLASS OF 2022
Hello! I’m from Mountain View. I help write software for satellites at PolySat. When I’m not staring at a screen, I enjoy mountain biking, surfing, and skiing.