Talk to Jeff Ondich (CMC327, x4364, jondich@carleton.edu), Mike Tie (CMC305, x4067, mtie@carleton.edu), Math/CS department lab assistants in CMC 304 and 306, the couse grader Michelle Phillips (phillipm@carleton.edu), friends, and classmates. There are also ways to get help on-line for some kinds of problems. But don't hesitate to ask a real person for help when you need it.
Your main Carleton account (also known as your "Novell account" or your "Netware account" and perhaps other secret names of which faculty are not aware) will be yours throughout your time at Carleton. This is the account associated with your email name (somebody@carleton.edu).
If you do not already have an account, go to the SCIC (or, if rumors of renaming are true, the Window Formerly Known as the SCIC). To get there, enter the main door of the CMC and go down the hall to your left until you arrive at the SCIC or whatever it's called these days. There should be somebody there who can help you get an account.
Once you have an account, account name, and password, log in. Use a web browser to go to the Using Netware page. Read this page carefully and try doing the things it describes. Don't forget to follow the links through the entire table of contents. Even if you have been using your Netware account for a while, you may learn something useful from these pages.
This will be done automatically for you once it is clear who is going to be enrolled in the class. You won't need your Math/CS account right away.
Go to http://caucus.carleton.edu/, log in using your Netware account name and password, and follow the instructions you find there. Note that every Caucus page has a collection of icons on the top and bottom, one of which is labeled "Help." If you have questions about how Caucus works, try the Help icon.
Once you get to the Caucus Center, follow the "edit your list" link. Choose CS107 from the right-hand list, check the "Add selected conferences to my list" checkbox, and click on the "Make These Changes" button. The CS107 conference will now appear in your conference list whenever you use Caucus.
Once you have access to the CS107 conference, post a message to the "Introductions" topic to let the conference readers know who you are.
Go to http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html and click on the "To subscribe or unsubscribe, Click here" link a few paragraphs down. I recommend that you choose the "Digest (traditional)" subscription type, the default settings for Mail Header Style and Acknowledgements, and check "Address concealed from REVIEW listing" under Miscellaneous.
Edupage is an e-mail newsletter on miscellaneous technology-related topics, which arrives about twice weekly.