There will be programming labs in most weeks, starting from semester week 2.

The labs consist mainly of exercises that you can do in your own time, on any computer that has the right software installed. During scheduled lab times, tutors will be available to answer questions and help you with the exercises. We strongly recommend that you both:

  • read through, and attempt at least some of, the lab exercises before your scheduled lab; and
  • attend your scheduled lab to talk to fellow students and the tutors about any questions or problems you have encountered.

In some weeks, there will also be assessments during the labs. In those weeks, you must attend your scheduled lab to have your assessment marked. Please read the assessment schedule to see which weeks will have in-lab assessment.

Labs will be held on-line, via MS teams, or on-campus (CSIT N111/113/114/115/116 or HN Lab 1/2).

The Labs (Tentative Schedule)#

Software#

We will be using the python programming language, version 3. Python has two major versions, 2 and 3. They are quite similar, and with small work-arounds python 2 can be made to behave much like python 3. However, assignment solutions will be tested with python 3 only.

The Anaconda distribution provides a set of additional modules that enable more efficient mathematical programming and some graphical data presentation tools, which we will make a little bit of use of in the course.

Depending on if you attend an online or on campus lab, the way labs are conducted and your lab environment will be quite different. If you are attending online labs, see the online labs section. If you are attending on campus labs, see the section on the on campus lab.

In either case, we recommend that you install python on your own computer, so that you can work on your homework or assignment without having to come onto campus, and/or so that you do not have to rely on an internet connection. See the installing python page page on how to do this.

Online labs#

Online labs will be conducted via Microsoft Teams (setup and info here). We also have backup options available in the event that Microsoft Teams causes bandwidth or latency problems for people. To join the team corresponding to your lab group, you will need an access code; these will be posted on the course wattle page.

Since online labs are remote, you will need to install Python on your own device. Please have a look at the installation instructions and notes here.

If for some reason you are unable to or do not want to install python on your computer, or if your installation of python got broken by something, you can try to use the ANU virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). This gives you a virtual desktop that can be used as if you are sitting in front of a CSIT lab desktop.

Note that this method may not work well if you do not have a very good internet connection to the ANU. We strongly recommend you install python locally on your computer instead of relying on the VDI. That said, please follow these instructions if you need/want to use the VDI.

To get the most out of online labs, we encourage you to make full use of the screen sharing features of Teams when discussing with your tutor(s), so that they can see what you are doing and the code that you are writing and running.

Please make sure that you do not have private (or potentially offensive) material on display, before sharing your screen with your tutor or other students.

On campus labs#

On-campus labs are held in CECS computer lab rooms located either on the ground floor of the CSIT building (#108) (CSIT N111/113/114/115/116), or the Hanna Neumann building (#145) (HN Lab 1/2).

The lab computers run the GNU/Linux operating system. If you are not familiar with working with the operating used, a guide to working with the lab computers is available here. There will also be time in the first lab (in semester week 2) to get used to working with the lab computers.

Anaconda python is also installed on the ANU InfoCommons computers. These are the Windows and Mac computers found in, for example, libraries and lecture theatres across the campus. This means you can work on programming exercises also on those machines.

**COVID-19 Notes**

DO NOT COME ON-CAMPUS IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OR IF YOU TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.

If you are not coming to your on-campus lab, let your tutor(s) know by either sending a message in your lab group’s team chat or by private messaging/emailing your tutor(s). Your tutors will organise the lab accordingly once you do so. For example, they can do a joint hybrid session (at the same timing) and organise an individual online meeting with you.

Please kindly do not abuse this system for attending the lab online if you are not sick or down with COVID - it greatly increases the tutors’ workload and can impact the experience of students who are attending the lab on-campus. If you wish to regularly attend labs online please switch to an online lab group.

Please read the information on online labs if you will be attending your on-campus lab session online, or if you decide to switch to an online lab session.

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