I can't enroll but I see space in the class?
I do not control enrollment. It is handled through CS and does give preference to EECS and L&S CS students. We hope to accommodate as many as we can. Please put yourself on the waitlist. We cannot enroll you if you are not on the waitlist. Ignore messages through enrollment that say there are open spaces in the class – these are enrollment artifacts. We are aware of the current and expected enrollment and handling them to accommodate as many students as we can. Final enrollment will be decided by Monday 27th August.
Do I have to attend the first class? What if I am not yet enrolled?
Yes! We will be taking attendance and will drop people who do not attend. If you are on the waitlist and want to enroll, please also attend the first class. That helps us make quick decisions about who should be dropped and who should be added from the waitlist. We will make all final enrollment decisions by Monday 27th August. You also absolutely must be on the waitlist to be added.
How do I get on the waitlist? It's not working for me.
I do not control the waitlist. I have communicated with staff that anyone should be able to be added to the waitlist. I have been told that there are sometimes glitches in the system. If you cannot add yourself to the waitlist, do not email me. I cannot add you to it nor can I provide any help on how to do so. I have been told the following – "If you get contacted by any other students who cannot even waitlist, please have them contact sishelp@berkeley.edu."
I'm at position X on the waitlist. Do I have a chance to get in?
Maybe...maybe not. What I can promise is that we will make final decision and process the waitlist by the end of day on Monday 27th Aug. So you will know by then. We won't know until we actually see who attends the first class and make updates.
I have a finals conflict with CS160 and another class?
No worries, CS160 does not have final. We do have a final critique and public showcase during RRR week that you must attend (exact date can be found on the syllabus).
I see three lecture sections. What does that mean and where is the actual class?
Our main lecture is in 310 Jacobs Hall. There are three different lectures listed on the books because we also have 210 and 220 Jacobs Hall for our class which we will be using throughout the semester. For now, regardless of your assigned lecture, please report to 310 Jacobs Hall for the first class. We will all learn, act, and create as a single class. Regard the different lectures as a bureaucratic necessity.
Will the class be webcast?
Yes, it is scheduled to be webcast. But you are of course strongly encouraged to come to class. Also, there will be a set of required attendance days which can be found on the syllabus. Attendence will count towards your participation grade.
I have another class at the same time?
Please enroll in only one class at the same time. There will be several required lectures throughout the semester. Please don't make myself and the teaching staff work around your complex schedule. We are excited to teach CS160 and will be there and present for every class to share this learning experience with you.
Great, the class is webcast. I'm definitely not going to class.
I know most of you are not thinking that but indeed I'm not naïve enough to not realize that by webcasting lectures that some of you interpret that as an open invitation to not attend. Your experience at Berkeley is precious. It is such an amazing moment in your life. I know you may not realize that now but trust me it is (ask your friends that have graduated and our out a few years)! For you to simply opt-out of many of the important experiences is not only disheartening (for me and you) but also robs of you of the essential, once in a lifetime experience of being a student. Don't take my word for it? Here are public, unsolicited comments about my offering of CS160:
"It is the single most amazing class I’ve taken at Berkeley."
"I owe my current career plans to CS160; this was the class that got me very interested in the area of mobile development."
"The lectures themselves were very nonintuitive and interesting. You kinda have to attend lectures in order to keep up with the class. A couple of my friends tried to study for the midterm the night before by just reading the slides (they had never attended a single lecture). Bad mistake…they only performed a std. deviation above average. They could’ve topped the class had they just gone to lecture."
"Overall I highly recommend taking CS160 if your remotely interested in UI/UX, design, being a program manager, starting your own company, or just a software engineer who wants to build a better user experience. The skills in understanding users, and sketching out ideas have helped me in my career."
So attend class, be engaged, change your perspective, and be rewarded. I'm here to help you along that path. Please be there with me!
I can't make the first day of class?
Please do not enroll if you cannot make the first day of class. This is for several important reasons but one is that there will be many people who want to take this course and we will drop anyone who does not attend the first lecture and add people from the wait-list. Think of it from the other side. Many people want your spot and are happy to attend and we need to know ASAP (as in the first day) who is actually taking the course. Thanks for your cooperation.
I'm not an EECS or L&S CS student. Can I enroll?
Possibly (and hopefully), but you may first be waitlisted. Please put yourself on the waitlist and we will process as the start of the semester approaches.
I have a great project idea I want to work on, can I develop it throughout the course?
We will all work from a single design brief for the final project. The brief will provide enough creative range for everyone but you will need to keep your final design within the final scope of work. Best to jump into the class ready to generate new ideas than to bring one you have already developed or have thought about.
When are the sections and how do I enroll?
Sections are on Fridays. Most are not required but again you are strongly encouraged to attend as they provided much needed technical materials to complete the assignments and build your HCI skills. You are free to attend any of the sections listed. We will likely be collapsing some of the sections after the first week when we sort out attendance and actual section time demand. For now, be prepared to select a section by the first class.
What is the hardware platform we will be using?
We are in the process of finalizing that selection and let you know when appropriate.
Is there a midterm?
Yes, it's Monday October 15th during class time. It cannot be rescheduled (please do not ask) so please confirm you can attend that class.
Can I form my own team?
Please realize that I know there are many functional groups and friendships within our UC Berkeley community. I have tried nearly every mechanism for forming groups and by far the best is for the teaching staff to select the groups. Groups will be formed and finalized by the teaching staff and professor.
Can I enroll in the course as a concurrent enrollment student?
Please understand we would very much enjoy being able to offer this course to the widest range of students. However, as a high touch, qualitative, project-focused design course, CS160 cannot scale as readily as some other courses (we also have a room capacity limits). Because of that, fully enrolled students take priority. Please understand that for many students, this course is part of their path to graduation. Ethically, for myself as an instructor, enrolling a concurrent student would mean denying acccess to a fully enrolled UC Berkeley student that very likely delays their graduation. As a concurrent enrollment student, please put yourself in the situation of a fully enrolled UC Berkeley student working towards their graduation. If I accept you into the course that means denying access to this course and often delaying the graduation of another full UC Berkeley student. Thank you for understanding this policy.
Can I audit the class?
My classroom is open and you are welcome to attend. However, there will likely be diminished returns as we start to work in groups and team projects you will be excluded from those activities. As you are not part of the enrollment, I will not be placing you into groups or teams. I actually won't put you into any such collaborative projects. This is because even though I do believe you have the best of intentions, your participation in a group or team will almost certainly become detrimental once the projects ramp up and your own life pulls you in other directions causing you to disengage from the group. I know this does not reflect your personal values, but I have seen it happen far too many times to travel down that path again. You are welcome to attend lectures. Also, please be aware that I will give priority to fully enrolled students as well during my office hour. Thank you for understanding.
What happens in this class?
For many of you, this will be one of the first times we focus on the user experience within computer science. You will blend your technical and computational lens with a humanist view of people, motivations, needs, desires, emotions, and demographics. You will strengthen your design skills and develop inspiring portfolios of work. If you put in the time and effort, this class will change you ... and you'll likely have some fun along the way.
