Andrew M. Phelps

MUPPETS: multi-user programming pedagogy for enhancing traditional study

This paper discusses the pedagogy and use of MUPPETS (Multi-User Programming Pedagogy for Enhancing Traditional Study) for both introductory and advanced students. MUPPETS is a desktop collaborative virtual environment (CVE) that allows students to learn introductory programming skills through the creation of objects and avatars. The goals of the MUPPETS system are twofold. First, the MUPPETS system provides a complex, interactive, collaborative playground in which introductory students can learn the fundamental principles of objects-first programming, which places emphasis upon encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism over traditional constructs such as selection and repetition. Objects created by introductory students can be shared with peers and upper division students. Second, the MUPPETS system provides a mechanism through which upper division students can contribute to the success of introductory students. Upper division students are responsible for the development of MUPPETS extensions as well as complex artifacts intended for use within introductory courses

MUPPETS: multi-user programming pedagogy for enhancing traditional study: an environment for both upper and lower division students

This paper discusses the pedagogy and use of MUPPETS (Multi-User Programming Pedagogy for Enhancing Traditional Study) for both introductory and advanced students. MUPPETS is a desktop collaborative virtual environment (CVE) that allows students to learn introductory programming skills through the creation of objects and avatars. The goals of the MUPPETS system are twofold. First, the MUPPETS system provides a complex, interactive, collaborative playground in which introductory students can learn the fundamental principles of objects-first programming, which places emphasis upon encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism over traditional constructs such as selection and repetition. Objects created by introductory students can be shared with peers and upper division students. Second, the MUPPETS system provides a mechanism through which upper division students can contribute to the success of introductory students. Upper division students are responsible for the development of MUPPETS extensions as well as complex artifacts intended for use within introductory courses

Games in the Classroom: Using Games as a Motivator for Studying Computing: Part 1

Its no secret that undergraduate computer science enrollment, which has suffered through one of its periodic downturns, seems to have bottomed out but is now on an upswing. This cyclic behavior has been occurring for many years now, producing many exciting ideas concerning how to revamp introductory computer science courses to make them more exciting and relevant, and to show beginning students that computer science entails more than just programming. Georgia Tech, one of the active participants in this revamp, has developed the concept of threads (a means to connect chunks of related knowledge across different courses) and is devising techniques to enrich beginning courses using minirobots and multimedia. The present article, the second of two parts, written by Andrew Phelps and his group at the Rochester Institute of Technology, describes a parallel effort to use gaming as a way to improve learning and to demonstrate to students that computer science is indeed exciting and cool.

Hello, M.U.P.P.E.T.S.: using a 3D collaborative virtual environment to motivate fundamental object-oriented learning

With the advent of the objects-first approach for introductory programming, instructors are challenged to think differently regarding the projects and exercises they create for their classrooms. The objects-first approach reduces the emphasis on syntax and encourages the student to focus upon the proper construction and use of classes. This change in emphasis means that students must understand the relationships between classes within a code solution and how such relationships affect the overall design of a system. Unfortunately, such critical thinking exercises can prove challenging to the introductory student, especially if presented in an manner. In this paper, the authors examine how fundamental principles such as inheritance, composition, and association can be conveyed to introductory programming students within a collaborative virtual environment. The examples chosen follow established guidelines for objects-first examples while leveraging features of an engaging, three-dimensional interactive environment.

Media Impact: Games in the Classroom: Using Games as a Motivator for the Study of Computing: Part 2

This article, the first in a two-part series that explores using games as a gateway to studying computing in the classroom, explores the need for a motivator in todays educational environment and places games in the context of constructivist learning approaches. In addition, it provides an overview of several recent approaches and looks at issues associated with student perception, exploring how existing paradigms relate to these perceptions.

Bridging the gap: balancing faculty expectations and student realities in computer gaming courses

As game design and game development emerges as an academic discipline, it is important for programs to balance the technical and creative aspects of the curriculum. Students must be exposed to both the technical and content creation experiences that define the field, and also be exposed to critical areas such as games and media history, games analysis, literature, media study, and psychology. Furthermore, students must understand the ramifications of cultural and societal factors as they intersect games and entertainment technology. In this paper, the authors examine how a technically focused game program can provide students with a broader exposure to the world of game development. In particular, the authors will discuss where their treatment succeeded and failed, and how the curriculum has evolved over several offerings.

An open-source CVE for programming education: a case study

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Multimedia at Work: Games in the Classroom at the Rochester Institute of Technology: A Case Study

This article explores curricular approaches designed to motivate students in computing through the use of games as an application domain. The authors examine three approaches: a games-centric introductory programming sequence, the incorporation of game-based projects into core courses, and the creation of virtual environments that mimic multiplayer online games.

Technical properties of play a technical analysis of significant properties for video game preservation

Digital preservation for video games and electronic entertainment is an important endeavor to preserve the history and significance of the game design and development field. However, in practice, it is often difficult to tell what parts of preservation strategy must be emphasized in order to preserve the gameplay experience at an appropriate level of expectation of each stakeholder group. In preservation, we often talk about the concept of “significant properties” to determine which aspects of an experience must be preserved in order to faithfully recreate the experience for the stakeholder. This paper examines the concept of “significant properties” from a technical/layered approach, examining how the concept of significant properties relates to console hardware, firmware, peripherals, and play experience.

Trial by a Many-Colored Flame: A Multi-disciplinary, Community-Centric Approach to Digital Media and Computing Education

Computing is currently overwhelmed by barriers to engagement and efficacy and suffers from a lack of diversity in participation. The field, while being substantially creative often distances itself from its artistic underpinnings. At the same time, those who view the field as a strictly technical endeavor often struggle in advanced software design. Through the use of game-based projects in a production studio course, this chapter explores two case examples that seek to challenge these notions. The course directly engages students in experiential, focused work that illustrates the field as a combination of creative practice and technical implementation. Students approached many of the activities in production studio through lenses that attempted clear-cut divisions between design, art, and development. Our challenge was to show the strength of blurring these lines in creating a quality production-level product. This chapter explores successes and challenges of this approach over successive offerings.