Simulation Design 1 Syllabus
Columbia College Chicago
600 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605
Simulation
Design I
Joseph Laiacona - Instructor
joseph@laiacona.org
Phone 773-539-2607
Brian Nielsen - Instructor
brian@iam.colum.edu
(708) 254-3658
Class:
36-2500-01 Monday 12:30 to 3:20, Room
608, 624 S Michigan Ave
Term: Fall 2007
Book: Learning by Design by Clark
Aldrich, ISBN 0-7879-7735-7. It is highly
recommended that you also have a book of
C# syntax.
Joe Laiacona - Office Hours: by appointment
Brian Nielsen - Office Hours:
|
Monday |
Tues |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|
6:30pm – 10pm |
4pm – 10pm |
4pm – 10pm |
4pm – 10pm |
3:30pm – 5pm |
9am - 4pm |
Additional: You will also need a notebook and it is advised you have portable memory of some kind.
Course Description: Though games are traditionally viewed as being for "fun", there exists a significant potential for using game-style presentations and techniques for "realistic" purposes, usually called simulations. This course introduces the students to the concepts of simulation design and develops the student's ability to analyze a realistic process or environment in terms of the elements within each that lend themselves to modeling, interaction, play, and learning. The course develops the designer's practical skills through the use of a programming language and generally available interactive authoring environments and design tools.
Course Rationale: Simulation Design is at the heart of both electronic learning and entertainment. This class familiarizes the student with both the tools and the processes necessary for planning, goal-setting, designing, creating, and distributing simulations.
Course Objectives: By the end of the course the student should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of electronic simulations through successful interaction with the computer, including the ability to design and implement actual simulations.
- Be able to use a current programming language (in this case C#) to write the computer code necessary to create such simulations.
- Have knowledge of design requirements for the development of simulations, including pedagogical goals, asset creation and management, and implementation of simulations in their respective environments.
- Be able to identify and discuss issues involving simulations including copyright issues, goal-setting, evaluation, and production.
- Be able to identify and discuss current issues involving technology and society vis-à-vis simulations.
- Understand basic simulation terms and use appropriate vocabulary.
- Know basic programming concepts as applicable to the creation of electronic simulations.
- Know basic strategies to deliver simulations to their respective audiences.
Exams: A midterm and final exam are scheduled for this class. Material covered in the exams consists of all material covered in the lecture, the textbook, and the lab. You will prove your knowledge of the software by following instructions and using the software during the exam, as well as answering questions.
Quizzes: In addition to the midterm and final exam there will be short quizzes. Quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class and take roughly 15 minutes to complete. It may cover material from the previous class, current reading, or lab work. Missed quizzes can not be made up.
Lab
Assignments & Projects: Assignments
will be posted on Oasis and will be due
on that date at the beginning of class.
In addition to the Lab Assignments, a larger,
more complex Application Projects will be
assigned. Lab Assignments will usually be
short and cover a small number of application
features. The Application Project will require
more time and creative thought on your part.
You will be given more information on these
as the class progresses. The Application
Project should also be submitted on time.
Assignments and Projects will be collected
in class on the day they are due. If you
do not submit the assignment at the time
it is due, your grade on that assignment
will be reduced as follows: one week late,
10% penalty, two weeks late 50% penalty.
Assignments later than that will not be
accepted. THIS IS A HARD AND FAST RULE --
NO EXCEPTIONS. No assignments will be accepted
after the end of the last class.
Email: You have and Oasis email address and should use it for all correspondence with the instructor.
Printing:
All printed assignments and projects should
be submitted on laser printed copy. Don't
wait until the last minute to print your
assignment. As soon as it is finished-print
it. A breakdown of the laser printer will
not be accepted as an excuse for late submission
of assignments/projects.
Makeup: See above.
Attendance:
Eighty percent of success is showing
up -Woody Allen
Attendance will be taken at the beginning
of each class. You should be in class at
the time roll is taken. If you arrive after
this time, you are late. Students leaving
class early will be considered late for
the amount of time missed. Students who
do not get to class before break or those
who do not return after the break will be
marked absent. We have a total of 15 class
sessions. You must attend at least 12 of
those. Less than 12 will result in an automatic
failure (F).
Lateness of more than one half hour constitutes a missed class.
Grades:
The final grade is a composite of the points
earned as follows:
| Attendance |
45
|
| Assignments |
370
|
| Quizzes |
50
|
| Midterm |
100
|
| Final |
100
|
| Total |
565
|
which gives percentage points for a grade as follows:
| Grade | % Points |
| A | 93-100 |
| A- | 90-92 |
| B+ | 87-89 |
| B | 83-86 |
| B- | 80-82 |
| C+ | 77-79 |
| C | 73-76 |
| C- | 70-72 |
| D | 60-69 |
| F | 59 or less |
There are no additional "gimmes." An 89.9% is a B. A 59.9% is an F.
Tutoring If you feel the need for help in
areas outside the computer field you may
wish to contact:
Writing
Center -- Wabash & Congress
Sci/Math Learning Center --Rm. 509A, 623
S. Wabash
Academic Advising -- Suite 300,623 S. Wabash
Homework
Labs
1. You must have an appropriate student
ID to use the homework labs. If you don't,
you will not be allowed into the homework
labs under any circumstances.
2. Lab assistants are placed in the lab
to maintain computer equipment and not to
help you with your homework.
Lab
Hours (Subject to change)
Wabash Building, Rm. 407
600 Michigan Building, Rm. 2nd Floor Time:
M-Th: 9am-1Opm, F: 9am-5pm, S: 9am-5pm
Warning about Computer Viruses
Columbia College uses several of the best
anti-viral and security programs available.
However hundreds of new viruses are created
each month. Due to the volume of students
using the classroom and homework labs, it
is strongly recommended that disks used
in class or lab should not be used in your
personal or business machine. You do so
at your own risk.
Disclaimer
Due to unexpected hardware and software
failure this syllabus is subject to change
at very short notice. WARNING: You should
use computer software and hardware 100%
compatible with the equipment we have at
Columbia. If any element of your work is
performed on an incompatible system, you
may not be able to work on it in class.
For best results, software version numbers
must match exactly. All homework assignments
and projects should be stored on the provided
floppy diskette.
Classroom
Conduct
A few rules for the safety of students and
computer equipment are necessary.
Absolutely no food or beverage in the classroom.
Do not sit on top of desks. They are not
engineered to support the weight of adults.
Do not place feet on top of desks.
Cell phones and pagers will be turned off
or in "buzz mode" in the classroom.
During the break all students will be required
to leave the classroom and the room will
be locked until we return.
WARNING: Hundreds of students use the computer
labs everyday. Unfortunately not all students
are as good, kind, ethical and moral as
you. They like to steal their school supplies
instead of purchase them. When working in
the computer labs, never leave your possessions
unattended.
Simulations Design I Spring 2007 Schedule
Week Content Assignments*
1 Introduction Read LbD xxv to 6
2 Branching Simulations Read LbD 7 to 17
3 Interactive Simulations and Pseudocode Read LbD 18 to 32
4 Game-Based Models and Assets Read LbD 33 to 41
5 Virtual Labs and User Interfaces Read LbD 42 to 58
6 Project Proposals and Presentations
7
8 Midterm
9 Project development
10 Project development
11 Project development
12 Project development
13 Project development
14 Present Final Projects
15 Final exam
Please note that this is a tentative plan and will be changed as necessary. Check your Oasis account for details of each class.
*Additional assignments are detailed in the Assignment Handout on Oasis. This list only includes required reading.
This syllabus is subject to change. You will be notified in class when that happens.
