What Will This Course Be Like?

Now that you have gone through the syllabus, along with its technical details and policies, lets talk about how this course will actually look like.

Text & Reading

There may be some reading, and it should help you accomplish your goals. Most of the text will be written write here on this website or text from linked readings.

Code Examples

There also will a number of code examples. In addition, there will always be download buttons for the code, so that you can play with it on your own. Remember, you are learning new languages, this means you will need to take time to explore, play, dissect, rebuild, break, etc.

Videos

There will be videos! I like to make small videos all along the way. I will also record the live sessions for offline viewing. I like shorter videos as they will give you a tidbit of information that can be viewed multiple times if needed. Then you can focus on the parts you need help on the most. I think they are easier to digest and I hope you feel the same way too.

This course also utilizes videos from the web on the topic of creative coding. We will draw from a number of resources to help augment and provide additional examples. There will be videos related to each language and then when we get to p5, we will look at some from Daniel Shiffman’s “Coding Train”. These are excellent resources for learning and exploring code. So, we will use them!

Pace

As mentioned a few times already, this course should be fun first and foremost and hopefully even if you have to put time into it, it should be something that you enjoy.

This week is a chance for you to familiarize yourself with a few new tools on your computer, absorb the syllabus, and schedule out time in your week for class work.

Next week, we will dive into writing some simple programs using Code.org and explore logical reasoning.

Dates & Weekly Flow

Currently, I am planning on having weekly “modules” run from Monday to Sunday.

Homework will be due on Mondays at 11:59 pm giving you the weekend to work on the projects.

Homework

In the course website, there will be a Homework section and it should mirror the submission located on Moodle. Let me know if that is not the case!

Feel free to share your programs with each other via our github links. I will have a forum for that each week as well.

Additionally, we will have topics of discussion each week that will cover a variety of different subjects.

Getting Help

When you have problems in this course, you have a number of solutions available to assist you in solving them. The following list is the order I would suggest you follow for problem solving.

1. Google the problem.
   • A critical skill in creative technology is learning to problem solve. Part of this involves learning how to form a good google query. Your first go to for help should always be google.
2. Post to the course issues forum.
   • In a couple pages, you will follow along with a short tutorial that will help you signup for GitHub, then star and follow the “course repository”. Part of this repository is an “issues forum” where you can post questions and problems you are having. These “issues” will be e-mailed to you, and you can then respond to them.
   • The advantage to the GitHub issues forum is its advanced system for including formatted code. This will help with problem solving.
3. Go to the 127 Media Arts Lab – I will update you on this one.. I am not completely sure about this –
   • The Media Arts Lab in room 127 of McGill hall has daily “lab monitors” who are hired to assist with problem solving and class help. Take advantage of these people and this resource. The lab hours, along with who is in during specific times will be located under the “Help” tab above.
4. Contact the Teaching Assistant. Tina tinamdigitalart@yahoo.com.
   • Feel free to contact Tina with questions any questions.
   • She plans on holding regular lab hours in 127 once a week once she gets her schedule worked out..
   • She will also monitor the GitHub issues forum.
   • If you need to contact them directly, please use email
     • Tina
5. Get help from Michael Cassens – definitely use me! That’s what I am here for!
   • If you have a problem, please contact me. I am in my office a lot beyond my office hours and I can work through Skype, TeamViewer and/or Zoom. Let me know!
   • One way to get a hold of me is to swing by my weekly office hours. These are posted (and updated) under my office hours section. This is another way is to email me, text or call me.
   • If you are a distance student or cannot make one of those times, please email, text or call. (I check my email multiple times a day – well actually it just alerts me, so I should get it unless I am out of commission or in a meeting – sometimes they feel the same to me.)
     • michael.cassens@umontana.edu

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A quick list of these links is available from the “Help” menubar tab above.