Syllabus, Policies, Description

CSE 203: Computational Thinking in Context: Interactive Animations and Games

Description

This course is an introduction to computational thinking, focusing on problem solving and programming concepts and skills needed to create interactive graphics, animations, and games.  It includes many opportunities to exercise your creativity and imagination.

Objectives

The main object is learning how to program a computer.  We keep it fun by solving problems in the domains of interactive graphics, animations, and games.  Some technical jargon that names some of the things you will be learning is found in the following list of intended learning outcomes.  Impressive, isn't it?


Prerequisites

None

General Information, Exclusions, Cross-listings, etc.

Texts and Other Course Materials

Topics

Many of these hours are spread throughout the course at different times.  This is a preliminary list, highly subject to change!

Number of Hours Topic
3 Course introduction, software configuration, first program, and window coordinate system
2
Basic iteration and movement of sprites
4 Sequencing and drawing
4
Continuation conditions and collision detection
3
User interaction, polled input, and selection
4
Managing sprite velocities
14 Course project: discussion and evaluation of preliminary ideas; discussion of problems encountered and possible solutions; presentation and evaluation of final projects
3
Quizzes on computing fundamentals
3 Midterm and exam reviews

Communication

Electronic Mail

You will be expected to be able to use electronic mail to communicate personally with your instructor or grader or anyone else.  Relevant e-mail will be sent to your name.number@osu.edu address!  So, please make sure you check it-- or have e-mail forwarded to your preferred account.  Please get in the habit of checking your e-mail once every day or two.

When sending e-mail to your instructor or grader, please be aware that "spam" filters may intercept e-mail sent from an external account (e.g., sally@aol.com or bill@hotmail.com) and either delay it or prevent it from reaching your intended recipient.  We therefore recommend sending e-mail from an OSU account.  Furthermore, it is best to place the course name and number, "CSE 203", in the subject line of each email message to your instructor or grader.

Carmen

You will be expected to be able to use forums on Carmen (http://carmen.osu.edu) to communicate with people associated with your entire course, including instructors and graders, as a group.  Please get in the habit of checking this course on Carmen every day or two.

Messages intended for your entire course -- or sometimes just your section -- will appear on Carmen.  Feel free to send messages to an appropriate Carmen forum if you have technical course-related questions or answers to communicate to all those affiliated with the course or section.  In particular, notice and make use of the "Questions" forum and the topics: "Ask the instructor", "Ask each other", and "Carmen questions".

Etiquette

Three criteria may be used to assess the quality of your class participation, both in the classroom and in on-line discussions:
  1. the ability to provide regular and thoughtful questions and comments on the readings, instructor questions, and other students' questions, answers, and arguments;
  2. the willingness to hear out, in a respectful manner, a range of perspectives and reactions;
  3. the ability to articulate your questions and answers in a manner that extends the conversation in positive ways.
Do not confuse understanding with agreement.  You are not being asked to agree with the views expressed by another; but there is one important rule: Please engage and understand the perspective with which you may disagree and do so in a civil and even-tempered manner.  It is rare that a student forgets this rule in a face-to-face setting, but about once a quarter someone forgets it during an on-line discussion.  Please try not to be that person.

Computing

You might hope to be able to do the lab assignments on your personal computer.  In fact, normal written assignments are best done this way (see below).  But your programming assignments will rely on software that is available only on the workstations in the CSE laboratories, unless you port it to your personal computer.  The course instructors will not be able to assist you in setting up this sort of thing; which is not to say it's impossible, only that you shouldn't expect the instructors to help.  However, you may look on Carmen for information pointing the way to installing Phrogram on your own PC.  If you do so, you may want to obtain your own USB drive as a way of getting files back and forth between your CSE network drive and your own PC.

Currently, the best access to workstations is available in CL 112. For additional information about this and other laboratories, such as hours of operation, see the CSE Labs page, http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/cs/labs.shtml.

Exams

If you expect to be unavailable for an exam, please make alternate arrangements in advance. You will need a documented, valid excuse for missing an exam.  If you have trouble writing in English (and this goes for native English speakers, too), then practice!  Points will be deducted for incomprehensible answers -- probably more than for wrong ones.

Assignments

Homework and other written assignments should be done in a "professional" manner.  This does not mean "expensive".  It means that you should make your reports look nice in addition to having the right content. You are strongly encouraged to use a word processor to prepare them.

You should consider keeping a copy of each homework assignment you turn in.  There are many homework assignments and sometimes the grader gets behind in returning them.  Keeping a copy might help you when it's time to study for an exam, if the assignment hasn't yet been returned.

Late-Work Policies

Accommodation for Disability

If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact your instructor to arrange an appointment as soon as possible.  At the appointment you and the instructor can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs and explore potential accommodations.  We rely on the Office for Disability Services for assistance in verifying the need for accommodations and developing accommodation strategies.  If you have not previously contacted the Office for Disability Services, we encourage you to do so.

Cooperation, Collaboration, and Professional Ethics

The policy on collaboration with others is fairly liberal -- but please don't be tempted to test its limits.  Certain activities are always permissible, except on exams (e.g., discussing problems and solution approaches); other behavior is never permissible (e.g., passing off as your own the work of someone else).  Some people think there is a fuzzy area in between.  If you have doubts about the middle area, ask your instructor for a ruling in advance.  Violations are surprisingly easy to detect and they must and will be dealt with according to OSU rules on academic misconduct.

The following rules are always in effect:

One possibly ambiguous area involves talking about homework assignments and about the design, logic, and implementation of a program.  You are encouraged to talk with others -- especially others taking the class -- about these things.  But do not give anyone or take from anyone written or recorded material, and in all cases please write up your own solution without assistance from anyone (other than your teammate(s), if applicable; see below).  If you feel the need to test these rules or are not sure whether some activity would constitute cheating, please discuss it with your instructor first!

For information about what constitutes appropriate use of the laboratory computing facilities, please see the official policies, http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/Excite/AT-policiesquery.html.

Specific Rules for Team Assignments

Some assignments are explicitly required to be done by a team of individuals ("teammates"), and most others (except quizzes and exams) are explicitly designated as permitting teamwork.  Most teams have exactly two members.  For such an assignment:

Grading Policy

Grading Weights:

Midterm Exam 10% around the 5th week
Quizzes 10% in class
Final Exam 30% as indicated in the master schedule, http://www.ureg.ohio-state.edu/courses
Homework Assignments 10% frequent, due at the beginning of class, http://carmen.osu.edu
Lab Assignments 20% as assigned, http://carmen.osu.edu
Course Project 20% discussed in class

Grading Scale

The instructor hopes to use a 90-80-70-60 grading scale, but reserves the right to make adjustments in the students' favor at the end of the term.