# Communication

> Where to go for what, and what each channel is actually for

Use two channels for this course: this website for course information and
[Ed Discussion](https://edstem.org) for everything else.
[Canvas](https://canvas.anu.edu.au) has a narrower purpose. Use it to access
your marks, lecture recordings, the module for obtaining your Claude API key
(see [your LLM access](https://comp.anu.edu.au/courses/comp4020-agentic-coding-studio/topics/llm-access/)), and the link to Ed.

## Course information on this website {#course-information-lives-on-this-website}

This website is the authoritative source for the schedule, assessment briefs,
policies and how-to guides. If something you read or hear elsewhere disagrees
with it, follow the website. Nothing important is hidden behind a login, so
check here first.

:::tip[This site is built for agents too]

Everything here is as readable by your agent as by you: the site publishes
[llms.txt](https://comp.anu.edu.au/courses/comp4020-agentic-coding-studio/llms.txt) and a machine-readable JSON API of every page. With the
[course skills plugin](https://comp.anu.edu.au/courses/comp4020-agentic-coding-studio/topics/llm-access/#step-5-install-the-course-skills-plugin)
installed, just ask Claude --- "what's due this week?", "what does the crit spec
ask for?" --- and the handbook skill reads the site for you.

:::

## Everything else happens on Ed

**Ed** is the course's one communication channel. Staff post course-wide
announcements there; students use it for questions, help and private messages to
the teaching team. Keep an eye on it.

### Getting in

Go through Canvas: open the course on Canvas and click **Ed Discussion** in the
left-hand course menu. Canvas supplies your ANU login to Ed and opens the
COMP4020/8020 forum. Use this route if anything else fails.

:::warning[Bare Ed links only work once you're signed in]

A plain `edstem.org` link --- from an email notification, a post, or a search
result --- contains no information about your institution. If you're not already
authenticated, Ed will send you to a generic login page rather than the ANU one,
and the link looks broken. Go in via Canvas once; after that, links work for the
rest of the session.

:::

### Questions and getting help

Bring your questions to Ed --- course content, debugging your prototype,
interpreting an assessment brief, anything that isn't personal. Ask in a
**public thread**: if you have the question, someone else probably does too.
Tutors and lecturers monitor the forum and respond to public posts within **one
working day**.

### Anything personal or sensitive

For anything personal --- advice about
[extenuating circumstances (ECAs)](https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/extenuating-circumstances-application),
conduct concerns, or anything you'd rather not post publicly --- start a
**private Ed thread** to the teaching staff, visible only to you and them. The
formal applications themselves do not go through Ed: extension requests use the
School of Computing extension app, and ECAs go directly through ANUHub; see the
[assessment page](https://comp.anu.edu.au/courses/comp4020-agentic-coding-studio/topics/assessment/) for how. You do not need to ask a tutor's
permission before applying. The convenor will respond within **two working
days**.

Private threads are for personal matters. They do not get general questions
answered faster; a course question asked privately will usually be redirected to
a public thread.

## We don't email you directly

Staff will not send you course email. We publish course information on the
website or Ed, including automated warnings at 50%, 90%, and 100% of your weekly
Claude usage budget. Those warnings are private Ed messages.

You may still receive email copies because Ed sends notifications according to
your settings. Keep those turned on so you don't miss an announcement or a
reply. Other parts of the University will still email your ANU address, so keep
checking it. This course does not use it for communication.

## What not to do

Don't message tutors or the convenor on Teams, Slack, Discord, Bluesky, or any
other channel. The website and Ed are the only supported channels --- tutors are
not on call outside crit times, and DMs to the convenor on other platforms will
get a polite redirect.

Both response times exclude weekends and ANU non-working days, so don't leave
urgent questions until the night before a deadline. If you need a faster answer,
the next crit session is the right place.

## Course representatives

You elected course representatives in week 1. They collect anonymous feedback
for the convenor. If there's something you want raised but don't want your name
attached, talk to a rep. Your reps are named on Ed.

Source: <https://comp.anu.edu.au/courses/comp4020-agentic-coding-studio/topics/communication/>\
Licence: [CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)\
Cite as: Swift, B. (2026). _COMP4020/COMP8020 Agentic Coding Studio_ [Course materials]. ANU School of Computing. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21395760