Support and Resources
The School of Computing wants to make sure that students are provided with all of the tools they need to succeed during their time at Grand Valley. A huge perk of studying computing at GVSU is our staff of advisors dedicating to advising only PCEC students. Our advisors will be able to guide you throughout your degree process, as they know our degrees and programs inside and out.
Computer Recommendations
Deciding on what computer to buy for college is a personal and important decision. The School of Computing has some respective recommendations for what works best in our program. Computing students are considered Power Users, or students who are in frequent use of software, photo or video editing software, or design software.
Click here for information on discounts offered to GVSU students
Need Help with Python?
The School of Computing recently launched a weekly study group for CIS 160, 162, and 163 students called The Python Wave Program to help first-year Computing students feel welcomed and supported, and to help connect them with fellow Computing students from the very beginning of their education.
Need Remote Access to a Lab?
The School of Computing provides remote access to the ARCH, EOS, and Datacom labs utilizing SSH and RDP. SSH provides a console based connection into any of the lab machines while RDP provides a virtual desktop environment as if you were sitting at the lab computer itself.
Do you Need a Keycard?
If you would like to access a lab after your class time or lab time is over, then you must obtain a keycard from the School of Computing's main office in Allendale.
Computing Success Center Schedule
The School of Computing Student Success Center (SSC) is located in MAK C-2-205 and is provided to help students succeed in introductory classes including but not limited to CIS 101, CIS 150, CIS 160, CIS 162, CIS 163, CIS 231, CIS 238, CIS 241, and CIS 260. Services include scheduled and walk-in tutoring, faculty office hours and group study sessions. Be sure to check out the schedule below for scheduled class times.
The School of Computing SSC offers both in-person and online (via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra) tutoring. You can access the virtual tutoring sessions on Blackboard located in “My Organizations.” For more information or questions please email [email protected].
If the drop-in tutoring hours offered by SSC do not work for you, you can schedule Appointment Tutoring via the Tutoring Center: Schedule a 50-minute individual tutoring appointment online through The Tutoring Center for CIS classes (CIS 162, CIS 163, CIS 263). Appointments can be made in advance for just one week or you can schedule ahead and meet every week. Make an appointment with a tutor.
Need Help with Java?
The School of Computing knows that learning a new skill can be difficult, which is why we have created the Java coding style guide to assist you. You are expected to follow these conventions for all source code you develop.