Getting Help

We have tried to provide you with a lot of resources, both during class and office hours. However, we realize that sometime students need a little extra. While Cornell has experimented with different forms of tutoring over the years, right now the primary form of out-of-class help through the Academic Excellence Workshops or AEWs.

While AEWs, are offered by the College of Engineering, they are open to any student enrolled in CS 1110. They offer an opportunity for students to gain additional experience with CS 1100 course concepts in a cooperative learning environment. Research has shown that cooperative and collaborative methods promote higher grades, greater persistence, and deeper comprehension.

AEWs are not remedial. The material studied in the workshop is at or above the level of the regular course. For example, statistics have shown that for courses with an AEW component, students who took the AEW component averaged a .3 higher grade over those that did not, even though the average SAT score of those who took the AEW component was lower. With that said, our experience with AEWs is that they more effective at helping a student raise a B to an A than they are helping a student raise a C to B.

The AEW carries one S/U credit based on participation and attendance. You will be allowed three non-excused absences. The time committment is two hours per week in the lab; there is no homework.

The CS 1110 AEW program is not required, and in fact there are not enough sections to handle everyone. You should consider joining an AEW section if you are looking for better ways to study and like studying in a group. An AEW is a wonderful opportunity to get extra help on course topics in a small-group setting and to meet other students.

Your fellow undergraduate students who are familiar with the CS 1110 material teach the sessions with material that they prepare. The CS 1110 staff provides guidance and support, but they do not actually teach the AEW course content or any session.

Each workshop can accommodate up to 25 students. AEWs for CS 1110 are listed as ENGRG 1010 in the course roster. This semester, the following AEW sections are available:

  • Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:25 pm, starting September 10
  • Thursday, 12:20 – 2:15 pm, starting September 11
  • Tuesday, 2:30 – 4:25 pm, starting September 9