Resources For Students#

Students taking a course with a data science component may need extra resources in order to be successful. In this section, we provide information and links to connect students with computers and in-person help.

Semester-Long Laptop Lending (Connectors)#

Connector course classrooms do NOT have computers for student use. Students who need access to a computer can borrow a Chromebook from Moffitt Library for the semester. You can read more about this program here.

To check the availability of laptops at the current time:

  1. Go to http://oskicat.berkeley.edu/search/r

  2. Search for “CS C8”

  3. Scroll down to the see the list; individual laptops are marked either AVAILABLE or otherwise

To borrow a Chromebook, can go to the circulation desk at Moffitt Library. Students must present proof of course registration. For more details, please see this page, also linked above.

Note on using external software: Chromebooks will not support software that must be downloaded and installed. Therefore, using such external software is not recommended.

Short-term Laptop Lending (Modules)#

The library has MacBook Air laptops (running OSX or Windows) available for short-term checkout to any undergraduate or graduate student with a valid Cal ID or yellow library card. Loan periods and locations are as follows:

  • 4 hour loans: Engineering Library, Social Research Library, Moffitt Library

  • 1 day loans: Bioscience Library, Social Research Library

  • 14 day loans: Moffitt Library

    All laptops are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved ahead of time. For more information on laptop lending and restrictions, please see the library’s Electronic Devices Lending Policy and Frequently Asked Questions.

You can check the availability of laptops using the links below:

Library devices use Deep Freeze to restrict data from being saved to the hard drive, meaning that all work and downloaded software will be deleted when the device is shut down. Students must save any work to a cloud-based service (like datahub) or an external drive.

Office Hours: Data Peers#

The Data Peers program hosts drop-in office hours and other data science support for Berkeley students. Data Peers are students affiliated with data science courses or clubs. They can assist students with troubleshooting code and understanding a wide range of data science topics, including statistics, web scraping, visualization, and more. Students can find Data Peers on the 1st floor of Moffitt Library. Hours and consulting topics are available at https://data.berkeley.edu/education/datapeers.