Announcements

Week 7 Announcements

Oct 5
  • We have opened up sign-ups for Week 3 DUEs sign ups. Please go to #143 for more information. Due to the midterm being this week, we will release some slots next week as well.
  • Project 2 has been released! Please see more information at #82! It’s important to read through the spec and release post carefully.
    • We have updated instructions in the Getting Started Section regarding the starter code. Please refer to #111 for any questions regarding Classroom50 setup. Make sure you have accepted invite to the cs161-students organization on GitHub sent to your Berkeley email.
    • Friday, September 25th: Project 2 Spec Quiz Due
    • Friday, October 2nd: Design checkpoint due
    • Friday, October 23rd: Testing checkpoint due (Upcoming Deadline)
    • Friday, October 30th: Project 2 (coding and final design doc) due
  • The midterm is this Thursday October 8th. For more information, refer to #124.
    • We have two review sessions this week, you can find the information at #145.
    • If you need any alterations (i.e. left handed desk, extended time) for the midterm, or have an issue with your assigned time/location, please email staff at cs161@berkeley.edu. However, we will no longer be able to guarantee to accommodate your request at this time.
  • A reminder about extensions:
    • While we try to grant all extensions as quickly as possible, please allow 1 full business day for your request to be processed. (A business day refers to the typical hours in a day when normal business operations take place. A business day is normally Monday through Friday, from 9am to 5pm and excludes weekends and public holidays).
    • Emailing any members of staff will not make this faster, in fact it usually slows down the response time for the extension request.
    • Take care of yourselves: your health is most important. Please request an extension if you are ever feeling stressed. We are here to support you!

Week 6 Announcements

Sep 28
  • We have opened up sign-ups for Project 1 DUEs. Please go to #109 for more information. The bulk of the slots will be available this week and next, so please don’t procrastinate till the end since we can’t ensure staff availability after next week.
  • Project 2 has been released! Please see more information at #82! It’s important to read through the spec and release post carefully.
    • We have updated instructions in the Getting Started Section regarding the starter code. Please refer to #111 for any questions regarding Classroom50 setup. Make sure you have accepted invite to the cs161-students organization on GitHub sent to your Berkeley email.
  • Project 2 Timeline:
    • Friday, September 25th: Project 2 Spec Quiz Due
    • Friday, October 2nd: Design checkpoint due (Current Week)
    • Friday, October 23rd: Testing checkpoint due
    • Friday, October 30th: Project 2 (coding and final design doc) due
  • The midterm is next Thursday October 8th.
    • If you need any alterations (i.e. left handed desk, extended time) for the midterm, the accommodations form has already closed. Please email staff at cs161@berkeley.edu if you have any conflicts or requests. However, we will no longer be able to guarantee to accommodate your request.
    • We will be releasing a midterm logistics post and the exam locations/time.
  • Homework:
    • Homework 2 is due this Wednesday, September 30th 11:59PM
    • Homework 3 will be released this Wednesday and due Oct 14, 2026 11:59 PM.
  • A reminder about extensions:
    • While we try to grant all extensions as quickly as possible, please allow 1 full business day for your request to be processed. (A business day refers to the typical hours in a day when normal business operations take place. A business day is normally Monday through Friday, from 9am to 5pm and excludes weekends and public holidays).
    • Emailing any members of staff will not make this faster, in fact it usually slows down the response time for the extension request.
    • Take care of yourselves: your health is most important. Please request an extension if you are ever feeling stressed. We are here to support you!

Week 5 Announcements

Sep 21
  • Project 1 DUEs: Congratulations on finishing Project 1! We will open up sign-ups for DUEs later this week, please be on the look out for the announcement. Don’t worry if you couldn’t sign up in this first week, we will be offering more slots in the following week as well.
  • Project 2 has been released! Please see more information at #82! It’s important to read through the spec and release post carefully. Some key due dates to keep in mind:
    • Friday, September 25th: Project 2 Spec Quiz Due
    • Friday, October 2nd: Design checkpoint due
    • Friday, October 23rd: Testing checkpoint due
    • Friday, October 30th: Project 2 (coding and final design doc) due
  • The midterm is coming up in 2 weeks.
    • If you need any alterations (i.e. left handed desk, extended time) for the midterm, you must fill out this accommodations form to request them. If you do not fill out the form by the deadline (Friday, September 25th, 11:59 PM PT) we cannot guarantee any accommodations for you.
    • If you have DSP accommodations that are specified in a letter, it is helpful to us if you fill out this form too.
  • A reminder about extensions:
    • While we try to grant all extensions as quickly as possible, please allow 1 full business day for your request to be processed. (A business day refers to the typical hours in a day when normal business operations take place. A business day is normally Monday through Friday, from 9am to 5pm and excludes weekends and public holidays).
    • Emailing any members of staff will not make this faster, in fact it usually slows down the response time for the extension request.
    • Take care of yourselves: your health is most important. Please request an extension if you are ever feeling stressed. We are here to support you!

Week 4 Announcements

Sep 14
  • Homework:
    • Homework 1 has been released and will be due this Wednesday September 16th at 11:59 PM.
    • Homework 2 will be released this Wednesday and due Wednesday September 30th at 11:59 PM
    • We have updated our policies regarding homework on the site with a schedule of when homework will be released/due on the main page. Homework will be worth 5% of your overall grade.
  • Project 1 has been released! Please see more information at #13!
    • Friday, September 18th: Write-up and Project 1 Autograder submission due
    • Since we are getting closer to the final due date, we will have extra office hours this week. Please refer to the calendar for more information.
    • In addition, we will have Project Party again this Thursday 5-7 PM in-place of the OH at that time.
  • We have updated the site regarding Exam dates and times:
    • Midterm will be Thursday October 8th, 2026 7:00PM - 9:00PM Final will be Friday December 18th, 2026 11:30AM - 2:30PM
    • Please plan to take these in-person at the times listed since we will not be offering remote exams. If you have a conflict with another class, please let staff know ASAP by emailing cs161@berkeley.edu.
  • Extensions
    • A reminder about extensions (from the extensions form): While we try to grant all extensions as quickly as possible, please allow 1 full business day for your request to be processed. (A business day refers to the typical hours in a day when normal business operations take place. A business day is normally Monday through Friday, from 9am to 5pm and excludes weekends and public holidays).
    • Emailing any members of staff will not make this faster, in fact it usually slows down the response time for the extension request.
    • Take care of yourselves: your health is most important. Please request an extension if you are ever feeling stressed. We are here to support you! Good luck on Project 1!

Week 3 Announcements

Sep 8
  • Project 1! Please see more information at #13!
    • The checkpoint is due this Friday September 11th at 11:59 PM PT. The overall project (code and writeup) is due next Friday, September 18th at 11:59 PM PT.
  • Office Hours
    • Office hours will be taking place this week according to the schedule on the course calendar.
    • In an effort to help you (and help our TAs) with office hours, we have template that you should fill out before submitting an OH queue ticket. That template will automatically exist as part of the description field when you create an OH ticket on the queue.
    • Tickets that do not have this template filled out may be put on hold and will not be taken by a TA until the description contains the required information.
  • Project Party
    • We will be hosting a Project 1 Project Party this Thursday (September 10th) from 5-7pm in Gateway Building B1040 Bear. This will replace any overlapping OH times, where we will dedicate these two hours for Project 1 questions.
    • Please sit in groups by question # and we will have staff circulate the area for any questions.
  • Extensions
    • A reminder about extensions (from the extensions form): While we try to grant all extensions as quickly as possible, please allow 1 full business day for your request to be processed. (A business day refers to the typical hours in a day when normal business operations take place. A business day is normally Monday through Friday, from 9am to 5pm and excludes weekends and public holidays). - Emailing any members of staff will not make this faster, in fact it usually slows down the response time for the extension request. - Take care of yourselves: your health is most important. Please request an extension or a meeting with the Student Support team if you are ever feeling stressed. We are here to support you!

Week 2 Announcements

Aug 31
  • Regular discussion sections and Exam Prep discussion sections take place weekly on Tuesday-Wednesday. The location and times are posted on the course calendar.
  • The Office Hours schedule can be found on the course website calendar, and in OH we will take any type of question within the guidelines listed on the OH queue page.
  • We will host a C Review Session Tuesday 12-1 PM in Cory 289 and on zoom going over the worksheet posted last week. It will be an opportunity to practice 61C content going into the first unit of this class.
  • Project 1:
    • Project 1 will be released tomorrow. If you want start taking a look ahead, the specs has already been posted. We have updated directions for set up regarding connection to Berkeley’s instructional machines.
    • The checkpoint is due Friday, September 11 at 11:59 PM PT.
    • The overall project (code and writeup) is due Friday, September 18 at 11:59 PM PT.
    • As a note, most material for Project 1 is taught in lectures 3 - 5, however, it will be beneficial for you to make sure your environment is set up correctly before then.
  • Exams:
    • The midterm date is currently TBD but will likely be during the week of October 5th.
    • The final will take place on Friday December 18th 11:30AM - 2:30PM.
    • If you are unable to take the exam at the scheduled time, we will be offering only one alternate exam time, in-person only for each exam. We are only offering the alternate exam time if you are unable to take the exam at the normal time. For example, if you have another exam at the same time, you can take the alternate-time exam. (If these timings do not work for you, this may not be the semester to take this course).

Welcome!

Aug 26

Hi everyone, and welcome to CS 161 Fall 2026!

First Lecture

  • Our first lecture will be on Wednesday August 26th, 12:00–1:00pm PT in Physics Building 1.
  • All lectures this semester will be recorded and posted in bCourses.
  • All lectures will be live streamed over Zoom.

Course Communication

Assignments

  • In general, the assignment schedule for this course is available on the course website, and upcoming due dates will be reiterated in weekly announcements posts on Ed. You are expected to keep up to date with these announcements posts.

Office Hours and Discussions

  • See the course calendar for the office hours and discussion schedule. Please note that discussion times are still tentative, and will be finalized by the end of this week. You are free to attend any discussion you wish and attendance will not be recorded, however, we do encourage you attend these for practice.

Exams

  • The midterm and final exam dates are TBA. More information will be released shortly on Ed as well as on our Course Policies Page. Please make sure you keep up to date with any announcements.

Questions

We look forward to a great semester with you!