Application
for a New Undergraduate Certificate Program
A student completing the Undergraduate
Game Development Certificate will 1) be
able to design and develop computer games and simulations 2) be familiar with
current 3D gaming technologies 3) gain technical skills in real-time rendering
and content creation and 4) gain experience in working with the concepts behind
the development of story, character, environment, level design, user interface,
and sound augmentation.
This certificate will be offered so that
students who have studied computer programming through data structures can get
the certificate either online and face-to-face.
Currently, the required preparatory courses are only offered
face-to-face, but the department will attempt to address that in the future.
Applicants must be admitted to ECU. In order to enroll in any course listed in
the Computer Game Development Certificate curriculum, a student must have
completed all of the prerequisites specified for that course.
Students enrolled in Undergraduate
Certificate program will be required to take the following courses, totaling five
courses. It is possible that to have
transferred credit to the preparatory courses, CSCI 2310/2311 and (CSCI 3200 or
CSCI 3300).
Preparatory
courses:
CSCI
2310, 2311. Algorithmic Problem Solving
and Programming Laboratory (4,0) (F,S) P: MATH 1065; C for 2310: CSCI 2311; C for 2311: CSCI
2310. Design of algorithms and their
implementation as programs in a high level language such as Java.
One
of the following two courses.
CSCI
3200. Data Structures and Their Applications (4)(F) P: CSCI 2310, 2311. Common data structures and how to use them in
advanced problem solving.
CSCI
3300. Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures (4) (F,S) P: CSCI 2310; C: CSCI 2427. Advanced data representation schemes such as
lists and trees, including associated algorithms and use of both static and
dynamic memory.
Game
development courses:
New Course:
CSCI 3550. Introduction to Computer Game
Development (3) (F) P: CSCI 3200 or 3300. A broad view of computer game development from an applied computer
science point of view. Content
creation, story, character, environment, level design, user interface, and
sound.
Existing Course:
CSCI
4550. Computer Game Development (3) (S) P: CSCI 3550. Topics in animation development, multi-layer technologies, haptic displays, spatial
issues in gaming and 3D immersion technology, terrain and special effects.
(This course is in the process of being
revised.)
Elective
course:
Sudents
must select one of the following courses:
3800. Introduction to Computer Graphics
(3) (F) P: CSCI 3200 or
3310; MATH 3256 or 3584. Computer graphics systems, hardware, interactive
methods; line and curve drawing; two- and three dimensional transformations;
and perspective transformation.
4530. Computer Networks and the Internet (3)
(S) P: CSCI 3200 or 3300
or consent of instructor. Theory and case studies of modern networking
protocols and telecommunication methods. Local area and long-haul networks.
5800. Artificial
Intelligence (3) P: CSCI
3200 or 3310 or consent of instructor. Fundamental problems and techniques of
artificial intelligence. Heuristic search. Concepts of expert systems.
Certificate
in Computer Game Development
The
1. Preparatory courses....................................................................................................................8
s.h.
CSCI
2310, 2311. Algorithmic Problem Solving and Programming Laboratory (4,0) (F,S)
(P: MATH 1065; C for 2310: CSCI 2311; C
for 2311: CSCI 2310)
CSCI 3200. Data Structures and Their
Applications (4) (F,S) (P: CSCI 2310; P/S: MATH 2427) or
CSCI 3300. Introduction to Algorithms and
Data Structures (4) (F,S) (P: CSCI 2310; C: CSCI
2427)
2.
Advanced courses:.....................................................................................................................9
s.h.
CSCI 3550.
Introduction to Computer Game Development (3) (F) [P: CSCI 3200 or 3300]
CSCI 4550.
Computer Game Development (3) (S) [P: CSCI 3550]
CSCI 3800.
Introduction to Computer Graphics(3)(F)[P: CSCI 3200 or 3310] or CSCI
4530.
Computer
Networks and the Internet (3) (S) [P: CSCI 3200 or 3300 or consent] or
CSCI
5800.
Artificial Intelligence (3) [P: CSCI
3200 or 3310 or consent]
The
preparatory courses give students the tools necessary for the more advanced
courses.
The
two required courses CSCI 3550 and CSCI 4550 are specifically aimed at computer
game development. CSCI 3550 introduces
the full range of concepts, and gives students the ability to create an
elementary game. CSCI 4550 reexamines
some of those concepts in more detail, introduces some new ideas, and prepares
students to create more involved games and simulations.
The
choice of one of three elective courses in the curriculum will allow students
to gain advanced knowledge in 1) artificial intelligence, 2) computer
networking or 3) computer graphics. Each of those areas has applications in
computer game development.
A nationwide decline in
computer science student enrollment has led many universities to introduce
computer game development courses in order to reinvigorate the computer science
curriculum at the same time that it encourages teamwork activities and
multi-disciplinary efforts. The high degree of student interest in computer
gaming 1) facilitates the recruitment and retention of computer science
students, 2) allows students to learn computing skills in the highly
motivational context of computer game development, and 3) allows instructors to
teach problem solving to students who are motivated by their keen interest in
computer gaming.
According to Microsoft and
the Computer Research Association, computer science enrollment has declined
each of the past four years. The percentage of incoming undergraduates
indicating plans to major in computer science declined by more than 60 percent
between fall 2000 and 2004, and is now 70 percent lower than its peak in the
early 1980s. Moreover, the number of women and minority students, while low in
the past, has declined at an even faster rate, as many former CS students are
pursuing other majors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
computer systems analysts, database administrators and computer scientists are
expected to be among the fastest growing occupations in the
In order to help stop the
large loss of computer science students in introductory courses, Dr. Randy Pausch
proposed an effective new approach to teaching computer science. He developed a
new teaching tool called
7.
The names of the faculty
associated with or contributing to the certificate program, either by teaching
one or more of the courses associated with the program or participating in the
design of the course sequence. Adjunct faculty associated with the program
should also include up-to-date curriculum vitae;
Dr. John Placer (Chair
of Computer Science)
Dr. Nasseh Tabrizi
Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan
Dr. Abrahamson
Dr. Masao Kishore
Mr. Robert Hoggard
8.
The name and curriculum
vita of the faculty member who will be designated as the coordinator of the
program for purposes of communication.
Dr. Masao Kishore
9.
If the proposed graduate
certificate program contains no new courses, no new faculty, no additional
costs, and maintains the admissions and academic standing requirements of a
related degree program, the proposal will be given expedited review in the
approval process.
The proposed
Undergraduate Certificate Program requires approval of one new course but it
does not require hiring new faculty and will incur no additional costs.
10.
The unit offering the
certificate program must specify what professional license, if any, for which
the certificate qualifies.
Completion of the Undergraduate
Certificate in Computer gaming does not qualify students for any professional
licensure.
11.
The Classification of
Instructional Program (CIP) title and six-digit code (descriptions available
at:
11.0199 Computer and Information Sciences.