Need help to get through first year programming?

• make sure you understand each topic as we do it
  The course material builds very sequentially: what we learn in any given week we need to use in nearly every exercise afterwards.
  As a result, if there is a topic you don't understand then it often prevents you from succeeding in almost any part of the rest of the course.
  If you miss a lecture then catch up on the material as fast as possible.
  If there is a topic you don't understand then please come see me or one of the other 159 instructors or one of the help centre tutors.
• practice, practice, practice
  Like learning any other language, the only way to become fluent is to practice. For programming languages this means writing programs, compiling them, and debugging both the syntactic errors and the behavioural issues.
  Similarly, problem solving is a skill that improves with practice - the more (and more varied) programs you develop and implement solutions for the better (and more confident) you'll get at handling new problems.

Got off to a rocky start?

• Don't panic!

• Come see me!
  I can help with problems you're having with C++, linux, program design, or studying in general, but only if you come talk to me. My office is in building 315, room 222 (the end of the cul-de-sac on the second floor).

  See me in office hours if possible, but if you can't attend those then please talk to me after class or send me an email (David.Wessels@viu.ca) and we'll arrange an alternate time.

• Go see the tutors in the CSCI help centre:
  Building 315 room 102 (our regular lab room) (the times each tutor is available are posted in the lab)

• Work through all the labs, in sequence
  The labs build on each other, and are much easier if done in order. Make sure you understand what's happening in each lab, and come talk to me if you don't.

• Investigate the course website
  I've got a lot of notes, suggestions, and practice problems linked off the course website: csci.viu.ca/~wesselsd/courses/csci159

• Practice as many small programming problems as you can
  Learning C++ really is learning a new language, and the only way to become fluent in it is to use it as much as you can. I've got practice problems and questions on the course website, practice problems, plus try to actually code, debug, and run the different code segments we work with in lectures.

• Try other learning resources for C++
  You can find any number of free online C++ tutorials, here are a couple of examples:
  cplusplus.com
  Washington Univ., St. Louis
  cpp-home.com
  cfanatic.com
  learncpp.com

• Come see me!
  I know I said this before, but it really really really can help!