FAQ

1. Questions about space, building access and locations
2. Questions about prereqs, threads and classes
3. Questions about advising, grad school and careers
4. Questions about emails

Questions about space, building access and locations

Why did the TA labs move? Why is there so much reshuffling of offices in CCB?

The opening of the CODA building at Tech Square opened up the opportunity to shift away the large research labs occupying the CCB. This made about 3,300 new square footage of space available. In an effort to return this space to students, the adminsitration partnered with instructional staff to make this space, much larger in square footage than the total space on the 1st floor, available for TA use. At the close of Fall 2019, all of the TA lab spaces (CS 1301, 1331, 1332, 2340, 2110, 2200, etc) moved up to the newly vacated 2nd floor, while staff members managing important student-facing services (such as Career Services) moved down from the 3rd floor into these offices. The thrid floor is now the administrative floor, containing our Dean’s offices.

Where’d the Nest go?

The Nest was a quiet study space on the 3rd floor that usually did not see much student traffic. In the CODA/3rd floor switch (discussed above), it is now being renovated into a conference room for the administrators who now reside on the 3rd floor. There is a plan to open a new quiet study space for students on the first floor in Spring 2020. In a meeting discussing the CODA/3rd floor changes with the College’s space management team, we shared that having ample collaborative space and makerspaces are important for students’ sense of community, which they are enthusiastic about incorporating into their vision.

Why is my class so far away?

Classroom location allotment is based on expected class sizes and is done well in advance for a given semester. There are only so many locations across campus that are able to safely house large numbers of students (like over 100). A few examples of classrooms that can hold close to 200 students include those in Paper, Scheller, CCB’s basement, and the IC. Ultimately, where your class is located comes down to space, faculty availability, and expected class sizes.

Who gets access to CODA?

CODA access is only open to the GT departments that now reside in CODA and since the Institute doesn’t own the entire building – leased spaces – access is permitted for employees and staff of GT offices, non-GT companies with space, and anyone willing to pay for WeWork space. When the retail and dining spaces open, students and the community will have access to that. For tours, you’d have to email Portman Holdings to see if there’s a public tour available or to set up a student tour if allowed.

Questions about prereqs, threads and classes

Why did the College of Computing remove the Linear Algebra Bridge Course?

The “Linear Algebra Bridge Course” (MATH 2802 - Applications of Linear Algebra) was a course restricted to CS students with credit for MATH 1553, MATH 1502 or MATH 1522 to help change of majors satisfy their MATH 1554 credit. Unfortunately, this course was offered by the Math Department, not the Computer Science department, which means we can only speculate as to why the course is no longer offered (perhaps staffing the course was difficult). Advisors send out recommend that every current or prospective CS student register for MATH 1554.

Some courses are only offered in the Fall or Spring, which makes it hard to plan so that you graduate. Can we address courses like this?

The CoC makes sure that core classes are always offered in the Fall and Spring. Offering certain thread picks and electives, on the other hand, depend on the availability of the instructional staff ready to teach them. If you are concerned about delaying graduation,be assured that you will always be able to find an alternative class that satisfies a thread pick every semester.

Who reads CIOS?

The CIOS is managed by the Office of Academic Effectiveness. Results are anonymous. According to the adminsitration, both the instructor and the department reads the CIOS, because they are considered for promotion and tenure decisions. There are mechanisms in place to handle concerning student feedback.

Can we expand online course options?

Currently, CS 1302 and CS 1331 have online offerings, and other 1000 and 2000 level classes are being looked into. There is currently no roadmap for expanding upper level classes online.

Questions about advising, grad school and careers

Do we have resources for those interested in grad school?

Yes! The CoC is growing the budget for such resources at an advising and career services level. Keep an eye out for workshops and events like the Graduate School Dinner event hosted along with the Big-O Theory and The Agency organizations, and mentorship programs with GradWAC, Robograds and RoboJackets. Career Services in particular is working on debriefing companies about the skillsets of students going through this degree path and understanding graduate specific rotational programs to share with students.

Students in our Town Halls have brought up the following ideas which we have shared with concerned parties: involving more masters and PhD students in these events, providing more resources for learning about the graduate school application process, and creating more sessions about personal statements, etc.. As we recieve more information about the status of these suggestions, we will update you.

Why is there confusing information shared about the BS/MS program?

We recieved a lot of feedback about BS/MS information and shared this with the advising team. The response is that since the program is so new, a lot of details are still being ironed out and they encourage us to continue share feedback through Town Halls. We encourage you to keep bringing up issues so that we can continue to constructively help advising make their services better.

Can we get more advisors?

In Fall 2019, 2 new academic advisors were hired and assigned to populations. The advising ratio has been going down significantly, with advisors having an average case load of 400-500 students. In addition to this, they participate in FASET, process 40-50 major changes per month, and develop programs/events centered around academic advising for CS and CM students. Advising staff are hired based on funding. As the CoC sees more influx of students, funding will be decided accordingly.

Questions about emails

How do I send things out to the whole CoC?

This is the address of the emailing list: cc-newsandevents-request@lists.gatech.edu cc-newsandevents-request@lists.gatech.edu

You can send emails out on this addressed to the CoC, they will be put into a moderation queue and sent out after being moderated. You can address the CoC directly (you don’t have to greet the moderator or asked if they can help you send this email out, unless you really want to:)) On average, batches of moderated emails are sent out twice a day. We recommend sending info on upcoming events in advance, because sometimes emails might not get sent out on time. Please be mindful of how many emails we get as students before deciding to send something out!

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