FAQ

Course Questions

What tools do I need for this course? Visual Studio Code, Git (git-scm.com), a GitHub account (Babson email), GitHub Copilot (built into VS Code), GitHub Desktop, and Google Chrome. All required tools are free. See the syllabus for the full list.

Can I use AI on assignments? Yes. AI tools are encouraged and expected on every assignment. You can use Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, or any other AI tool. The only rule is that you must understand what you submit. See the AI Policy for details.

Do I have to pay for AI tools? No. GitHub Copilot Free gives you unlimited code completions at no cost, which covers the core work. For fuller AI agent use, the cheapest path is about $5 on OpenRouter, and if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT you can use their agents (Claude Code, Codex) right in VS Code. See the AI tools guide for the options. If cost is a barrier, message the instructor.

How do I submit my work? Your GitHub repos are your submission. Push class exercises and weekly logs to your oim3690 repo. Each mini project and the final project go in their own separate repo. Deploy everything to GitHub Pages so each project has a live URL. The instructor checks your repos directly.

What if I miss a class? All sessions are recorded and posted to Canvas within 24 hours. Recordings do not substitute for cold calls, group work, and demo presentations. If you will be absent, email the instructor before the session. You are still responsible for completing any exercises or logs from that session.

How do I use the AI course assistant? Click the "Ask" button in the bottom-right corner of the course website. Sign in with the GitHub account you use for class, and you are in. It answers questions about the schedule, assignments, slides, and policies.

GitHub Pages

My page shows the README, not my website. Your file must be named index.html (lowercase, not Index.html or home.html). It must be in the root of your repo, not inside a folder.

I get a 404 error. Check that your repo name matches exactly. For your personal site, the repo must be named username.github.io where username is your exact GitHub username (case-sensitive). Wait 2 minutes after activating Pages for it to build.

My CSS or images are not loading. File paths on GitHub Pages are case-sensitive. If your file is css/styles.css, your HTML must say css/styles.css, not CSS/Styles.css. Always use lowercase filenames.

My changes are not showing up. GitHub Pages takes 1-2 minutes to rebuild after you push. Hard refresh your browser with Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) to clear the cache.

VS Code

I can't find my files in VS Code. Make sure you opened a folder, not a single file. Use File > Open Folder and select your project folder.

The ! + Tab shortcut does not work. This is an Emmet shortcut. Make sure your file is saved as .html (not .txt or untitled). Emmet only activates in HTML files.

Prettier is not formatting my code. Check Settings > "Format On Save" is enabled. If it still does not work, try Cmd+Shift+P > "Format Document" manually.

GitHub Copilot

Copilot is not showing suggestions. Make sure you are signed into GitHub in VS Code (check the avatar icon in the bottom-left corner). Restart VS Code after installing the Copilot extension. The free tier includes 2000 completions per month.

Copilot suggests code I do not understand. Press Esc to dismiss the suggestion. You do not have to accept what Copilot suggests. Read it first, and if you do not understand it, ask Claude or ChatGPT to explain it.

Git and Pushing Code

"Nothing to commit" when I try to commit. Save your files first (Cmd+S or Ctrl+S). VS Code does not auto-save by default unless you enabled it in Settings.

"Please configure user.name and user.email." This is a one-time setup. Open a terminal in VS Code (Ctrl+backtick) and run:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@babson.edu"

I pushed but my changes are not on GitHub. Check that you clicked both "Commit" and "Sync Changes" (or "Push"). Committing saves locally. Pushing sends it to GitHub.

General

I am stuck and nothing works. Take a screenshot of the error. Paste it into Claude or ChatGPT along with what you were trying to do and what happened instead. This is the debugging workflow you will use all semester.

Last updated: Wednesday, 6/17/2026