Course Description

• WebDev200  Foundations of 3D Computer Animation and Game Development.

  This course for non-majors and majors introduces the basic concepts of computer programs in a 3D visual environment.Because of the pervasive digital nature of nearly everything in our technology and media environment, computing has become a fundamental literacy. Narrative, visual design and music are essential skills in making an animation or game experience come alive. In this course, students experience developing their own animated stories or games and, in the process acquire the basics of programming, accessibilty, algorithmic and critical thinking, and develop strategies for problem solving with or without computers. The experiential visual environment makes the course engaging and accessible to just about anyone in any major.

• Prerequisites: None
  

Course Objectives

Programmers represent actions in a world through programs. Programming is as much artistry as it is science. Programmers, like artists, tease out a world of their creation from a medium. Their medium is a computer program. Modern object-oriented, event driven programming requires a logic of design for the computer to process and a rhetoric of interaction to communicate with the computer user.

At the conclusion of the course, you will be able to

• Create an animation using Alice
  
• Create an interactive program using Unity
  
• Identify and use
• planning tools such as storyboards, pseudocode, and algorithms
  
• classes, objects, methods, parameters, and inheritance
• events and event handlers
• control structures - functions, if/else, loops
• recursion
• list and arrays
• Relate concepts from the visual environment of Alice to a fourth generation object-oriented language
• Understand the purpose of an Integrated Development Environment
• Modify programs by using Java or C# programming languages
  

Text and Other Materials

A personal computer, either a MAC or Windows is required. 
The software is free. The links below will allow you to install the software on your personal computer.
You are recommended to install the software on your personal computer.
Software is installed on the RWU computers, but the RWU Cloud can be unreliable as the projects become more in depth.

Alice Software (Weeks 1 - 5)
Free	Alice 3.x Software https://www.alice.org/get-alice/alice-3/
Free	Alice 3.x NBM https://www.alice.org/get-alice/alice-3-with-netbeans/
Free	NetBeans link on Alice page or https://netbeans.apache.org/download/nb122/index.html
Unity Software (Weeks 7 - 15)
Free	Unity 3D software https://unity3d.com/

Required Text

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition Schell, Jesse PDF Provided - You may purchase the text as well.

Optional/As Needed Text

Series of 5 books - will use as necessary     Unity 5 From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations) Unity 5 From Zero to Proficiency (Beginner) Unity 5 From Zero to Proficiency (Intermediate) Unity 5 From Zero to Proficiency (Advanced) Patrick Felicia PDF or Paperback Versions

Supplemental (extracts will be provided)

Alice 3 in Action: Computing Through Animation, 1st Edition  Joel Adams

Course Communications

Course Requirements

Readings and Labs
Read the chapters or online materials and complete the lab assignments. Assignments are due when ASSIGNED  as class activities depend upon them. All assignments must be completed to pass the course. Assignments a week late or more will get a zero. You are responsible for keeping your completed lab sheets. Some of the lab assignments may require on-line quizzes.

Projects
There are three projects to complete during the semester. Projects are open ended assignments where you can display your knowledge. Project details will be discussed in class.

Tests
Frequent testing (approx. every 3 -4  weeks) and an optional final exam. Lowest or missed test grade eliminated (no make-up test) if the final is taken. Final average incorporates class attendance, participation, completion of case assignments, projects, and test results. Accommodations for learning issues will be in accordance with Roger Williams University policy. 

Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend class via zoom. I generally do not make class recordings (they are too much like MTV Unplugged) Please connect with me if you miss class. We have been able to work around COVID by making sure we keep communications open.

Academic Integrity
You are encouraged to work with others in your class because an alternate explanation can be helpful. However, assignments you submit and projects you present are your own work alone unless specified otherwise. You will be required to complete at least one project as a team. You are expected to credit intellectual property sources for all media used in your projects. Intellectual theft results in a zero for the assignment.

Plagiarism Checker (Vericite, TurnItIn.com, SafeAssign or other service)
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to an auto-checker for the detection of plagiarism.

Services for Academic Access
Students with disabilities are encouraged to speak with me in private, and as early as possible, about your particular needs or accommodations that may promote your success in this course.  It also is very important that you register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS).  SAS is located in the Jeremy Warnick Center for Accessibility on the 1^st floor of the Main University Library and is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.  The office can be reached at 401-254-3841.  For more information about SAS, visit the Student Accessibility Services Website

Course Grading

Component	Weight
Attendance/Participation	100
Cases/Labs/Log	100
Performance Assessments	300
Project 1	100
Project 2	100
Project 3	300
Total	1000

Proposed Schedule (this is based on prior class experience and may need to be adjusted for the fully async environent):

Week	Topics	Readings - Schell	Dates
00	Install Alice Software		26 Jan
I	Class Introduction - Animation Concepts - Project 01	Cha 01	02/04 Feb
II	Animation & Storyboards	Cha 04 & 05	09/11 Feb
III	Programming Actions & Conditionals	Cha 08 & 09	16/18 Feb
IV	Performance Assessment /Parameters		23/25 Feb
V	Inheritance	Cha 11 & 12	02/04 Mar
VI	Performance Assessment/Project 01 Presentations		09/11 Mar
VII	Netbeans - Unity Introduction - Project 02	Cha 13 & 14	16/18 Mar
VIII	Unity IDE	Cha 17 & 18	23/25 Mar
IX	Unity	Cha 19 & 20	30 Mar/01 Apr
X	Performance Assessment/Project 02 Presentations		06/08 Apr
XI	Unity - Project 03	Cha 25 & 27	13/15 Apr
XII	Unity	Cha 32 & 33 & 34	20/22 Apr
XIII	Unity/Performance Assessment		27/29Apr
XIV	Final Presentations*		04/06 Apr
XV	Final Exam Period *		11 May
*these dates may change

Course Materials
Course materials are covered by the appropriate copyright. Locally prepared course materials are the property of the faculty, which includes hand-outs, website content, and other presentation materials or assignments. Use beyond the classroom requires permission.

Course Recordings
Audio and video recordings of the course are permitted with the instructor's consent. These materials are to assist you  in completing your coursework and are not authorized for redistribution.

Student Course Materials
Completed assignments, especially projects, may be used to build instructional portfolios and serve as instructional examples for future classes, or in instructional workshops. All reasonable attempts to remove personal identification while maintaining the integrity of the project will be made. Permission to use your class projects at academic conferences may be requested.

National Science Foundation (NSF)
The development of Alice has been supported by the NSF, you may be requested to participate in evaluation or assessment of the program. Participation is voluntary and will be anonymous and confidential unless you provide written release.

Title XI
    Roger Williams University fosters a campus free of power-based personal violence including sexual harassment, domestic violence, relationship violence, stalking, and/or any form of sex or gender-based discrimination. If you disclose a personal experience as described above, either verbally or in writing, the course instructor is required to notify the Title IX Coordinator. To disclose any such violence confidentially, contact one of the three resources listed below:
    The RWU Counseling Center – 401-254-3124 https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/student-life/health-and-counseling/counseling-center
    Health Services – 401-254-3156 https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/student-life/health-and-counseling/health-services
    Additional information regarding your rights and resources are available at: https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/student-life/health-and-counseling/sexual-assault-and-dating- violence/title-ix-rwu