1. How to ask for help
During the Academy, you might have technical questions. You might not understand certain concepts and get in trouble with your exercises. This is not only ok, it’s desirable! But how should you ask for help?
1.1 I’m doing my Learning Units at home, and have a question
If something isn’t clear to you, it is very likely not clear to other people as well. We use the questions raised to improve the Learning Units iteratively.
I know the first instinct will be to go to Slack, but (if possible) resist the temptation and follow these steps first:
Step 1: mmmmayyybee it’s in the Notebooks?
First thing, check the Learning and Example notebooks, more often than not the answer is be there somewhere.
Step 2: StackoverGoogle
If still unclear, try throwing the question into Google (especially if it is a python question!), or seeing what StackOverflow says about it.
Step 3: Slack
Stackoverflow failed you? Oh my. Ok, time for Slack. Head to the channel of the learning unit and see if someone and see if someone has asked a similar question. If not, it’s your turn. Describe the problem and where it is (which notebook, section, exercise). Remember to not share code in public channels.
Step 4: If you need to, you can ignore all of this and talk to someone directly
If you are shy and would rather talk to an instructor, we can of course talk on Slack by DM. Always use a DM if you need to show your code.
1.2 I have a Python or devops question which isn’t directly about the material I’m studying
If you are blocked on a Python or devops question, do the following:
- Google the problem! StackOverflow is your friend!
- If that doesn’t work, ask it on Slack in the devops channel.
1.3 I have a data science question, but it’s not specifically about any Learning Unit
Please use a general channel on Slack (e.g. #random) or save your question for the classes (inS01) or the AMA session (in the other specializations).
1.4 Houston, we have an issue.
If you found an error in the materials or have an improvement suggestion, you can open an issue on the students repo in the Issues tab. Remember to check first if the issue already exists.
If it doesn’t exist, click New Issue, and write in a clear and comprehensive way. Remember to use a title that makes sense for those who are searching for it (for instance, don’t use “Question in LU2” as a title).
After you have written your issue, label it accordingly (in which specialization and learning unit is it, in which notebook?). Unlabelled issues might go unnoticed!
2. How to give help
Yay! You rock!
2.1 Do not give the answers to exercises
Provide hints, not solutions. Explain the general case, point towards the place where something is explained, but don’t tell the answer to an Exercise notebook question.