Reporting errors

If you’re struggling with a lesson, exercise, or assessment then there’s a decent chance I made a mistake when I created the materials. Thank you in advance for letting me know! Here’s what I would like you to do.

  1. Point your browser to the course website’s GitHub repo https://github.com/FlukeAndFeather/BIOE215fall23.
  2. Navigate to the file where you found the error. For example, an error in the Working with Data lesson would be in lessons/03_working_data.qmd.
  3. Find the line where the error originated. Use your browser’s find function to jump straight to the relevant line. You don’t have to be 100% correct! Even if you’re not sure you’ve identified the right line of code, finding something in the general area is helpful.
  4. Click on the line number, then …, then Reference in new issue.
  5. You should see the new issue page. Give it a concise title (e.g., “Wrong data frame name in Lesson 3”) and briefly describe the error.
  6. Click on Submit new issue (green button).

That’s it! I’ll receive an alert that you’ve found an issue. When I fix it, the code change will be linked to your issue.

Here’s a screencast of me opening an issue and fixing an error that a student discovered.

Why not just email?

This might seem like a lot of work. But I’d like you to try this for a few reasons.

  1. Get more comfortable navigating GitHub repos
  2. Learn how to use Issues, a great project management tool
  3. If/when other students run into the same error, they’ll see that it is in fact an error, which is helpful for everyone’s sanity