Date modified: 01-09-2019
Table of Contents
This course is designed to teach code so that it can become a tool for art and creativity.
The goal is to begin a journey in which the creative and technical possibilities of the computer become a tool in your palate. These tools will become an extension of you, something you think through, express yourself through, and can contribute to the world through. Ultimately, this course is designed to offer you a deeper understanding of the essential possibilities of computation. The course focuses on the fundamentals of programming the computer (variables, conditionals, iteration, functions, and objects) while also touching on a few advanced topics, and relating this all back to the creative and expressive possibilities of media art. The JavaScript-based ‘p5.js’, programming framework will be utilized within this class. The course will conclude, with your design, development, and implementation of a final project of your choosing.
The instructor of record and developer of this course is;
The delivery of this course will primarily be handled by;
They will handle grading and daily operations of the course.
This course will also utilize two additional lab assistants to help you with problem solving. Their information is available from the “Instructors” Page
Time
You should plan to spend 3-9 hours of work a week on homework and coding outside of class time (in this case, the time it takes you to read/watch the weeks content). This is a very intense course that will require a significant time commitment on your part.
This means you will need excellent time management skills. Schedule time for this course in your week, or you will not be capable of being successful.
Creativity
You are taking this course because it offers the opportunity to learn coding skills through creative means. Please take the time to be creative in your weekly code assignments. Pushing the boundary creatively will make this course more meaningful.
Cleanliness
Coding is hard. But, messy code, documents, and files will make it more difficult. Try to be as clean and tidy as possible in your organization for this class. When writing code, try to keep it organized, and provide many comments. This will make it easier for the grader, the instructor, and you.
Required
The following book is required.
Optional
The following are additional optional resources which may prove useful.
The following may prove to be useful additional resources for you.
Videos
Sites and Forums
Students work and progress will be assessed through;
We will have weekly assignments that are relevant to material from recent content. These assignments are required and you will need to talk about them in your technical reports. It is expected that everyone in the class will create and maintain a github repository for their assignments.
The assignments are your opportunity to put your skills to the test. They’re designed to test and deepen your knowledge while giving me valuable information about how you’re progressing in the class. Finished is better than perfect. An attempt at them is better than nothing at all.
In addition to the weekly code assignments, you will be expected to also complete a weekly reflection report. In this, you will discuss;
Homework will be submitted via weekly Moodle forums. You will submit links to your code, sketch, and technical report (both hosted via your GitHub repository) for every coding assignment. Every homework assignment will have an entry in the Moodle Course Page.
Due to the size of the class and the nature of grading code-based homework, you may not receive individual feedback for assignments. Please feel free to send specific queries about homework or reasons for why you received the grade you did to the instructor via email. Grades for all assignments will be based primarily on the student’s ability to:
IMPORTANT: Assignments handed in after the due date and time will have points deducted for lateness. This will be in addition to any points deducted for content. Those that are uploaded late but within one week of the due date will lose 10% for lateness. For those uploaded after that, the number of deducted points will be at the discretion of the faculty.
This class will be participatory, you are expected to participate in discussions and give feedback to other students through on-line participation with the “issues forum” and project submission forums.
This course will culminate with final projects. You are expected to push your abilities to produce something that utilizes what you have learned in the class that is useful in some manner to yourself or the world.
The final project will be a self-developed creative work utilizing the principles and ideas developed throughout this course. This project should equal roughly the same amount of work as 3 regular homework assignments. In other words, this is a significant creative piece.
Required: Please note, the final project is required. Failure to complete a final project will result in a letter grade of F for the course. This is regardless of the students current grade standing in the course. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Grades will be determined according to the following breakdown:
| Grade Category | Total % |
|---|---|
| Regular Assignments | 75% |
| Final Project | 15% |
| Participation | 10% |
Letters are assigned according to the following final course percentages:
| Grade | % Range |
|---|---|
| A | [93-100] |
| A- | [90-93) |
| B+ | [87-90) |
| B | [83-87) |
| B- | [80-83) |
| C+ | [77-80) |
| C | [73-77) |
| C- | [70-73) |
| D | [60-70) |
| F | [0-60) |
For each project your grade will be assessed upon the following:
Below gives you a sense of the spectrum, giving examples for high, middle and low grades.
Please note: A letter grade of “C” is an average grade. Average is not bad. It means average. Most of us are average, in some way. An average level of work is being done. It does not mean perfection. It means that the work still has room to develop at it’s current state. It also means that the work has noticeable achievements and evidence of some acquisition of knowledge. I look at this on an individual basis as well as across the whole class.
Please read examples of each assessment point below to get an idea of my expectations. Note that a “B” is between Satisfactory and Superior.
Students are expected to adhere to academic conduct policies of the University of Montana as explained in Section V of your University of Montana Student Conduct Code: “Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. Academic misconduct is defined as all forms of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to: (1) plagiarism, (2) misconduct during an examination or academic exercise, (3) unauthorized possession of examination or other course materials, (4) tampering with course materials, (5) submitting false information, (6) submitting work previously presented in another course, (7) improperly influencing conduct, (8) substituting, or arranging substitution, for another student during an examination or other academic exercise, (9) facilitating academic dishonesty, and (10) Altering transcripts, grades, examinations, or other academically related documents.”
Dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. This includes, but is not limited to, cheating on tests, cheating on assignments, fabricating information or citations, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used, or tampering with the academic work of other students.
Plagiarism is the presentation of the work of another without acknowledgement. As defined by the University of Montana’s Student Conduct Code, plagiarism is “Representing another person’s words, ideas, data, or materials as one’s own.” Students may use information and ideas expressed by others, but this use must be identified by appropriate referencing.
Students who cheat or plagiarize will receive academic sanctions, which may include an “F” grade on the assignment, examination, and/or in the course. Students will also be reported to the Dean of Students for possible further disciplinary action.
It is easy to find code and media (i.e. videos, sounds, images, etc.) online. If you use code or media from elsewhere (which you will at times), I expect you to cite the work and author.
If you use found code, you are expected to comment each line, as to what each line does programmatically. Do not summarize several lines of code from a high level (i.e., TV Guide). I expect you to comment each line on a granular level. In addition, in these cases, I am also looking for significant modification of the code, for you to enact your own ideas and to experiment heavily. Significant modification means beyond variable name and value changes. It is bending these concepts to your idea, especially graphically. It is not a copy and paste job. Also, never more than 40% of your code may be supplied from elsewhere. Period. If you use code from online, whether for inspiration, modification or reference, I expect to see a link in your comments from where you got the code and who wrote it. Otherwise it will be considered as plagiarism, and you will fail the assignment. The code must have a reference, along with URL and be commented out LINE BY LINE.
If you use found media, YOU are responsible to ensure it is used according to fair-use guidelines. The pieces you make in this course are intended to be portfolio-quality works. Therefore, you should not utilize found media with restrictive use guidelines or licenses. You can read more about various licenses at;
For found media, you are also expected to cite the media in your documentation for the project.
The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students. Students with disabilities are encouraged to plan ahead and can contact Disability Services for Students (DSS). If you think you may have a disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with Disability Services, please contact Disability Services in Lommasson Center 154, or call (406)243-2243. I will work with you and Disability Services to provide an appropriate modification.
I reserve the right to change the intended content of this course throughout the semester. This may be done to adjust for the speed of the class, to better meet educational goals, or to account for changes in technology.