Frequently Asked Questions for Fall 2025 CS 189/289A

Table of Contents

  1. Where is the course website?
  2. I need an enrollment code/enrollment is too limited/I’m on the waitlist/etc.
  3. What are the official prerequisites for this course?
  4. I am waitlisted. What should I do? What are my chances of getting into this class?
  5. I have a Concurrent Enrollment Request that hasn’t been approved yet. What should I do? What are my chances of getting into this class?
  6. I am a campus student who wants to audit the course. What can I do?
  7. Can the instructors assist me in my enrollment, make an exception for my case, or provide me with an “enrollment code”?
  8. What aspects of the course will be offered online?
  9. What is the proctoring/accommodation policy for exams?
  10. I require specific accommodations. What should I do?
  11. What is the alternate exam policy?
  12. What is the midterm schedule for this class?
  13. What is the final exam schedule for this class?
  14. What is the conflict policy for the course?
  15. I have a conflict for the final exam. What can I do?
  16. When will the full schedule of discussions be announced?
  17. Where can I find links to the class schedule, optional textbook, and other relevant resources?
  18. Where is the Class EdStem?
  19. I can’t find any information on bCourses. Why?
  20. I have added the course later in the semester. Can I catch up? Can I be excused for all the late work?
  21. I didn’t turn in a HW in time because I had X (illness, etc.). Can I have an extension?
  22. I would like to make a class-wide announcement about my project/group/initiative/etc.
  23. Who do I contact if I have further questions? How do I email the instruction team?

Where is the course website?

Here!

I need an enrollment code/enrollment is too limited/I’m on the waitlist/etc.

The instructors are not able to provide permission codes or any new information about enrollment in CS 189/289A at this time.

What are the official prerequisites for this course?

The official prerequisites are:

  • Multivariable Calculus: MATH 53
  • Linear Algebra: MATH 54 or equivalent
  • Probability and Discrete Mathematics: COMPSCI 70 or equivalent

I am waitlisted. What should I do? What are my chances of getting into this class?

The course is currently at its capacity due to the classroom size and the staff resources. Please do not reach out to the instructors about getting off the waitlist. If you are on the waitlist, you are expected to keep up with the course material in case spots open up in the course due to other students dropping the course.

I have a Concurrent Enrollment Request that hasn’t been approved yet. What should I do? What are my chances of getting into this class?

By campus policy, we must first process the entire waitlist before we can admit you. We will do all we can to ensure all waitlisted students are promptly admitted so that you can also enroll in the course, though we cannot provide a 100% guarantee that this will be the case. But we strongly suggest you start working on the course, following lectures, and turning in assignments from the start. This will prevent you from falling behind and will give you the best chance of success in the class.

Note that once all CE requests are processed (in the first few weeks of classes), we will remove all temporarily added students who do not end up with permanent enrollment in the course.

I am a campus student who wants to audit the course. What can I do?

Most class materials are available online to all campus students, and you can access the lecture videos, slides, etc., without limit. We kindly ask student authors not to attend the lecture in person, as the room is at capacity and enrolled students have priority to attend lectures.

Note, however, that the class EdStem, our only other class resource, is reserved for enrolled students and faculty auditors, as homework details and solutions are discussed in that environment. Furthermore, we do not add auditors to bCourses, Pensieve, etc., as our limited instructional resources are reserved for officially enrolled students.

Can the instructors assist me in my enrollment, make an exception for my case, or provide me with an “enrollment code”?

No. There are no exceptions from the instructor’s perspective to the enrollment and time conflict policies stated in this FAQ. If you need assistance with enrollment or think your circumstances warrant exceptional consideration, you must discuss those with an enrollment advisor. They are the only ones authorized to handle such situations and enroll you. See the first question above for more links about enrollment resources.

What aspects of the course will be offered online?

We will offer:

  • Recordings of all lectures are available for online viewing shortly after the lecture is delivered. Note these will not be live hybrid lectures where remote students could participate, only static recordings, available post-lecture.
  • Discussions will be in-person, but we will make discussion worksheets, solutions, and some other resources available to all students.

What is the proctoring/accommodation policy for exams?

Exams will be in-person and subject to standard proctoring procedures, with appropriate accommodations for DSP students.

I require specific accommodations. What should I do?

All accommodations in this course are handled uniformly through the DSP Office. If you have a letter of accommodation from the DSP office, we have already received it, and we will honor all accommodations listed in your letter. Please see the syllabus for more details on this topic.

What is the alternate exam policy?

There will be no alternate final exam time beyond the standard time assigned by scheduling.

What is the midterm schedule for this class?

The midterm is on Tuesday, October 21, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

What is the final exam schedule for this class?

The final exam is on Tuesday, December 16, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am.

What is the conflict policy for the course?

The basic policy is the following:

  • ENROLLMENT TIME CONFLICTS: This class will NOT allow time conflicts.

  • FINAL EXAM CONFLICTS: This class will NOT accommodate final exam conflicts.

I have a conflict for the final exam. What can I do?

The course does not allow for time conflicts. Additionally, no accommodations will be made for travel.

When will the full schedule of discussions be announced?

Discussion sections and sign-ups will be released within the first week of class.

The course website for Fall 2025 is linked here.

Check out the course homepage and the resources page.

Where is the Class EdStem?

The EdStem will be made live in the first week of class.

I can’t find any information on bCourses. Why?

As long as you are enrolled in the class right now, you don’t need anything. All class materials are available online through the website; communications happen on EdStem; and computational work is done on the Google colab.

I have added the course later in the semester. Can I catch up? Can I be excused for all the late work?

The answer to the first question is impossible to give in general, as it depends both on how late you add the course and what your own background is. But as a general rule, the course moves quite quickly and covers new ground from the start. We estimate most students will probably struggle to catch up effectively if they join any later than the first few days of the semester, unless they have a particularly strong background already in the initial topics (Python and Pandas).

As for the second part of this question (Can I be excused for all late work?), we will not be accommodating extensions beyond our extension policy below (see next question for details).

If you are currently waitlisted/on the fence for adding this course, please see the Enrollment section above.

I didn’t turn in a HW in time because I had X (illness, etc.). Can I have an extension?

We have a generous slip days policy for assignments. This is meant to allow most students to manage delays that can occur due to illness, accidents, personal problems, etc. You must use your slip days first for any and all circumstances that cause you to be late with an assignment. You should not think of slip days as “free extra days to be late any time.”

We will only provide an extension in case of a major and documented set of exceptional circumstances (death in the family, illness documented with medical paperwork, or similar). In such a case, please fill out the Additional Accommodations Form on the course website. Given the already flexible slip days policy, these exceptions will only be granted sparingly.

I would like to make a class-wide announcement about my project/group/initiative/etc.

We only allow posts made on EdStem, and you must make it yourself. We do not make posts on your behalf. These are our guidelines for EdStem posts from student groups - they must be text-only posts (no videos) where the announcement:

  1. Has to do with teaching or tutoring in a non-commercial setting,
  2. is directly related to the material in the course, or
  3. is seeking to recruit students to help with the public good in a non-financial way (no solicitations for donations!) and in a context explicitly connected to their work in the course.

Who do I contact if I have further questions? How do I email the instruction team?

You may ask all your questions through EdSTEM which is monitored by instructors and TAs. If you have a confidential matter that you’d like to discuss privately, please e-mail cs189-instructors@berkeley.edu and one of the instructors will get back to you.

We’re excited to have you in the class!