Core lab: Environments
PUDT 2201 C, CRN 1366 6 E. 16th St., Room 1208 Mondays & Thursdays 3:50-6:30 PM, Spring 2018 Pamela Liou lioup@newschool.edu Office hours by appointment
Course Description This course provides production skills and processes for projects in Core Studio: DT2 - Environments | Creative Technology. Students will expand their knowledge and application of data, physical computing for interactive environments, as well as objects and processes in a workshop-style class.
Learning Outcomes By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of spatial contexts as they affect interactive media relative to physical scale. (IE: small installations to immersive environments)
- Expand their creative vocabulary in the design and creation of dynamic/interactive works, using new forms/processes/materials.
- Develop a range of methods for the expression and articulation of ideas, including experimentation, information gathering, testing and refinement.
- Articulate their thoughts, both in their own design process and in critical feedback to others.
- Implement a final interactive project that integrates spatial or environmental themes in the class towards their own creative practice.
Class blog https://bfadtcorelabenvironments.wordpress.com/
Class github https://github.com/PamelaLiou/bfadtEnvironments
Themes • interactive spaces • virtual environments • interdependency • space as laboratory
How • networked interfaces • multi-screen displays • data structures/visualization • web development
Deliverables Weekly demos introduce students to new forms & processes for the first 6 weeks. The remaining time will support students work toward a shared final project to critique, advise & troubleshoot student works.
Assessment Criteria Attendance & Class Participation 10% Assignments 40% Midterms 20% Final 30%
Resources Lynda.com Github Student Pack Terminal CheatSheet Github CheatSheet
Course Outline
Week 1 Introduction- Public Space both digital and IRL Thursday 1/24 In Class: Introduction to the class, teachers background, students’ background, what are they looking to learn in this class and their interests. Introduction to the idea of environments in the public realm Good documentation practices In-class group exercise, reckoning with digital digital spaces irl Mentioning Resources we will use this class Class Blog on Wordpress: Setup individual student profile GitHub: class repository, clone and push Additional resources https://www.lynda.com/GitHub-training-tutorials/1384-0.html https://guides.github.com/ Class Tutorial on google slide and GitHub
Monday 1/22 Assignment: Register for the class blog Complete in class assignment. Make a short film (1 minute) documenting your IRL interpretation of a feature or function on a digital platform (instagram, facebook, snapchat, weChat, etc). This can be shot on your cell phone.
Week 2 What is the Internet? Monday 1/28 In Class:
Students Present their homework assignment Class discussion on Public Spaces In class activity: Union Square observation exercise RECAP: Git & Github; forking & cloning, basic Documentation What is the Internet? History of the Information Age Basics of UI/UX
Monday 1/28 Assignment:
Read Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt Read Lyn Loftland The Public Realm, pages 29-41 Make a change in your local repository (any change), push the change to github, add the link of your repository to you blog post Before and After: write a short blog post about a process before and after the advent of the internet. How did people pay their bills? Invoice clients? Try on shoes? Detail the evolution of how the internet changed these processes.
Thursday 1/31 In Class:
- HTML review
- text based communities and decision trees
Thursday 1/31 Assignment: Create a hyperlink Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story using linked HTML pages. The prompt: A character caught between two worlds, paradigm shift, or transformative event.
Monday 2/4 lecture: Digital communities.
Monday 2/4 Assignment:
Prototype the UI/UX of a social platform to serve that particular community, post assignment to class blog. What are the unique needs of your community? Privacy/convenience? Accessibility vs. Anonymity? How are different behaviors incentivized? Anticipate unintended consequences of design decisions Build a simple website for the digital community you researched based on the previous assignment. Focus on the flow of the interface and less on styling/ branding
Thursday 2/7 In Class: CSS Nitty Gritty CSS Box Model in class time for assignment and 1 on 1
Thursday 2/7 Assignment: Use CSS to refine the styling of your previous assignment Create a blog post detailing your digital community research, sketches/prototypes, and a link to your website.
Week 4 Javascript pt 1 Monday 2/11 In Class: Present your platform and research on digital communities Javascript 101 Variables Functions Objects
Monday 2/11 Assignment: Read Javascript for Cats Watch Javascript RoadTrip pt 1 Complete exercises to class blog
Thursday 2/14 In Class: In class game building Creating a browser based card came from javascript Creating you own modules in Interacting with the DOM
Thursday assignment 2/14: Chose a card game or simple board game. Break down the programmatic logic into a UML chart. Post your charts to the class blog by . Begin coding your card game, which is due monday 2/25
Week 5 Javascript pt 2 Monday 2/18: NO CLASS
Thursday 2/21 In Class: the Javascript Landscape: In class QUIZ, coding your card game. Frameworks, Libraries and modules
Thursday 2/21 Assignment: Complete coding your card game
Week 6 - User Testing Monday 2/25 In Class: Present and test your classmates card games. User testing lecture
Monday 2/25: Complete first prototype for midterm. Design user testing questionnaire for class.
Thursday 2/28 In Class: Class user testing. Document your results. Thursday 2/28 Assignment: With new insights gleaned from your tests, rework your midterm assignment. Complete gant chart.
Week 7 MidTerm Support Monday 3/5: 1 on 1 meeting Thursday 3/8: 1 on 1 meeting
Week 8 MidTerm Presentation Monday 3/12: Midterm presentation- Studio and Lab combine for two sections of presentations.
Thursday 3/15: No class.
Week 9 Spring Break March 18-24
Week 10 Character Design Monday 3/25: 1 on 1 meeting
Thursday 3/28: 1 on 1 meeting
Week 11 3D modeling and movement Monday 4/1: 1 on 1 meeting
Thursday 4/4: 1 on 1 meeting
Week 12 Environment Design and Concepts of Computer Graphics
Week 13 Presentation - webgl, cardboard and other platforms
Week 14 Prototyping and user testing
Week 15 In class final work
Week 16 presentations
Grading Policy
A student’s final grades and GPA are calculated using a 4.0 scale. Please note that while both are listed here, the 4.0 scale
does not align mathematically with the numeric scale based on percentages of 100 points.
A [4.0; 95 – 100%]
Work of exceptional quality, which often goes beyond the stated goals of the course
A- [3.7; 90 – <95%]
Work of very high quality
B+ [3.3; 87 – <90%]
Work of high quality that indicates higher than average abilities
B [3.0; 83 – <87%]
Very good work that satisfies the goals of the course
B- [2.7; 80 – <83%]
Good work
C+ [2.3; 77 – <80%]
Above-average work
C [2.0; 73 – <77%]
Average work that indicates an understanding of the course material; passable
Satisfactory completion of a course is considered to be a grade of C or higher.
C- [1.7; 70 – <73%]
Passing work but below good academic standing
D [1.0; 60 – <70%]
Below-average work that indicates a student does not fully understand the assignments;
Probation level though passing for credit
F [0.0; 0 – <60%] Failure, no credit
Grade of W The grade of W may be issued by the Office of the Registrar to a student who officially withdraws from a course within the applicable deadline. There is no academic penalty, but the grade will appear on the student transcript. A grade of W may also be issued by an instructor to a graduate student (except at Parsons and Mannes) who has not completed course requirements nor arranged for an Incomplete.
Grade of Z The grade of Z is issued by an instructor to a student who has not attended or not completed all required work in a course but did not officially withdraw before the withdrawal deadline. It differs from an “F,” which would indicate that the student technically completed requirements but that the level of work did not qualify for a passing grade.
Grades of Incomplete The grade of I, or temporary incomplete, may be granted to a student under unusual and extenuating circumstances, such as when the student’s academic life is interrupted by a medical or personal emergency. This mark is not given automatically but only upon the student’s request and at the discretion of the instructor. A Request for Incomplete form must be completed and signed by student and instructor. The time allowed for completion of the work and removal of the “I” mark will be set by the instructor with the following limitations:
Undergraduate students: Work must be completed no later than the seventh week of the following fall semester for spring or summer term incompletes and no later than the seventh week of the following spring semester for fall term incompletes. Grades of “I” not revised in the prescribed time will be recorded as a final grade of “F” by the Office of the Registrar.
Divisional, Program and Class Policies
● Responsibility
Students are responsible for all assignments, even if they are absent. Late assignments, failure to complete the assignments for class discussion and/or critique, and lack of preparedness for in-class discussions, presentations and/or critiques will jeopardize your successful completion of this course.
● Participation
Class participation is an essential part of class and includes: keeping up with reading, assignments,projects, contributing meaningfully to class discussions, active participation in group work, and coming to class regularly and on time.
● Attendance
Parsons’ attendance guidelines were developed to encourage students’ success in all aspects of their academic programs. Full participation is essential to the successful completion of coursework and enhances the quality of the educational experience for all, particularly in courses where group work is integral; thus, Parsons promotes high levels of attendance. Students are expected to attend classes regularly and promptly and in compliance with the standards stated in this course syllabus.While attendance is just one aspect of active participation, absence from a significant portion of class time may prevent the successful attainment of course objectives. A significant portion of class time is generally defined as the equivalent of three weeks, or 20%, of class time. Lateness or early departure from class may be recorded as one full absence. Students may be asked to withdraw from a course if habitual absenteeism or tardiness has a negative impact on the class environment. Whether the course is a lecture, seminar or studio, faculty will assess each student’s performance against all of the assessment criteria in determining the student’s final grade.
● Canvas Use of Canvas may be an important resource for this class. Students should check it for announcements before coming to class each week.
● Delays
In rare instances, I may be delayed arriving to class. If I have not arrived by the time class is scheduled to start, you must wait a minimum of thirty minutes for my arrival. In the event that I will miss class entirely, a sign will be posted at the classroom indicating your assignment for the next class meeting.
● Electronic Devices
The use of electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, etc.) is permitted when the device is being used in relation to the course’s work. All other uses are prohibited in the classroom and devices should be turned off before class starts.
● Academic Honesty and Integrity
Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences, including (but not limited to) one or more of the following: failure of the assignment, failure of the course, academic warning,disciplinary probation, suspension from the university, or dismissal from the university. Students are responsible for understanding the University’s policy on academic honesty and integrity and must make use of proper citations of sources for writing papers, creating, presenting, and performing their work, taking examinations, and doing research. It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their own work from that of others. The full text of the policy, including adjudication procedures, is found at http://www.newschool.edu/policies/# Resources regarding what plagiarism is and how to avoid it can be found on the Learning Center’s website: http://www.newschool.edu/university-learning- center/student-resources/
The New School views “academic honesty and integrity” as the duty of every member of an academic community to claim authorship for his or her own work and only for that work, and to recognize the contributions of others accurately and completely. This obligation is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual debate, and creative and academic pursuits. Academic honesty and integrity includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on research findings or any aspect of the work of others (including that of faculty members and other students). Academic dishonesty results from infractions of this “accurate use”. The standards of academic honesty and integrity, and citation of sources, apply to all forms of academic work, including submissions of drafts of final papers or projects. All members of the University community are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty and integrity. Please see the complete policy in the Parsons Catalog.
● Intellectual Property Rights: http://www.newschool.edu/policies/