What are LaIR helper hours?
LaIR helper hours are an additional set of office hours staffed by our awesome fleet of section leaders. At the LaIR, students can get individual help with debugging and conceptual questions.
Logistics
- The LaIR help queue is open Sundays–Thursdays this quarter and is held in-person in CoDa E160 (the large first-floor classroom in the southeast corner of the building). All CS106A students are authorized for after-hours entry to CoDa — just tap your Stanford ID at the card reader by the east entrance (facing the Oval).
- To request help, come to CoDa and add your request to the queue using the LaIR signup page. Be sure to properly identify your location when signing up so the section leader can find you when it’s your turn. Requests are handled in first-come-first-served order and limited to 15 minutes to ensure we can help as many students as possible.
Virtual Queue
- If you are an CGOE student, or have otherwise received permission to be recieve virtual help, please sign up for the virtual queue during regular LAIR hours.
- Please make sure you have Zoom ready to go and are paying attention to the queue so that you are available when it is your turn to be helped.
- Non-SCPD students without prior permission from the Head TA or Lecturer may not request help virtually.
Weekly schedule
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Sunday | 5-9 PM Pacific |
| Monday | 5-9 PM Pacific |
| Tuesday | 5-9 PM Pacific |
| Wednesday | 5-9 PM Pacific |
| Thursday | 5-9 PM Pacific |
Common questions about Lair
I tried to sign up for the LaIR helper queue, but the queue was closed, even though now is within the open hours for the LaIR.
In times of peak demand, the helpers may need to close the queue to new requests before the end of the open hours. We do this to ensure that we have sufficient resources to assist all students in the queue before the end of the shift.
(Virtual) My Zoom isn’t working. Can I still get help?
Yes! Still signup as usual. If you know when you signup that your Zoom isn’t working, leave a note in the request so that the section leader knows to email you once it’s your turn to troubleshoot. If your Zoom stops working after you’ve signed up, you can respond to the email the section leader sends to let them know you need to get help using a different platform (like Google Meet).
(Virtual) My microphone isn’t working! What should I do?
The Zoom invitation includes a phone number that you can call from a phone. You can use your phone as the microphone and audio source for your call rather than your computer’s built-in microphone if necessary.
(Virtual)What should I do if my internet is slow or lagging?
Consider temporarily turning off your video stream and only maintaining the audio stream. Turning off the video should improve communication quality and consistency. If your connection is still not working well enough to share your screen, you can email your code to the section leader helping you. Emailing a zip file is sometimes blocked for security reasons, so better to email a specific code file. The section leader can then discuss the code you sent using Zoom audio or a phone call.
(Remote) I’m having issues with installing the software necessary for the class. What should I do?
If you’re having issues with installing or setting up the software required for the class, the section leader will try to help you figure it out. However, sometimes it is helpful for the SL to be able to debug the issue using your computer. Therefore, they may ask you to enable Zoom’s remote control access tool. First, you should select “Share Screen” and pick the window you would like to share (note that the SL will be able to control whatever you decide to share, so we recommend sharing your entire desktop with them if you are comfortable with this). The SL will then request to control your screen (there should be a pop up asking for your permission). You may have to enable settings in your computer’s preferences in order to activate this option. Once enabled, the section leader will be able to control your computer as though they are sitting at it. This is very useful for troubleshooting software issues; however, if you are uncomfortable with this, let the section leader know, and they can try to give you verbal instructions for how to troubleshoot your IDE issues.