Office of Digital Humanities
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Winter Semester 2011 Web site: http://livecode.byu.edu/index310.html |
Instructor:
Devin N. Asay |
CHum 310 deals with advanced skills in developing instructional applications using LiveCode®, a cross-platform rapid application development program. While we will be doing in-class exercises and activities primarily on the Macintosh platform, the program is virtually identical on the Windows and Linux operating systems, so you may do your work on any supported platform. The skills we will be covering include instructional design, principles of programming, digital audio and video, computer graphics, and hypertext/hypermedia design. Please refer to the Class Schedule for a more detailed list of topics to be covered.
CHum 310 is one of a series of courses dealing with computer technology in the Humanities. There is a minor available for those interested in taking other courses. You can get more details by talking to the instructor, or see our Computing in the Humanities Web site .
Due dates will be given when the assignments are given out. Late assignments will be accepted, but with a 10% reduction in points. If you know beforehand that you will have trouble meeting a deadline due to a university obligation (for example, intercollegiate sports or performance groups), arrange this with the instructor before the due date. Late assignments due to illness or legitimate family emergencies will be dealt with case by case.
There is an additional advantage to turning assignments in on time. I will always evaluate on-time assignments immediately and provide you with feedback soon after I receive them. If they are late, I give no guarantee of when, if ever, you will receive feedback. Therefore, if you want to get the greatest value out of your assignments, turn them in on time.
Assignments will include:
- frequent short out of class activities and programming problems;
- a networked database project;
- a LiveCode techniques stack containing scripting techniques and tricks that you should pick up throughout the semester;
- a final team project due at the end of the term.
More details on the projects will be given during the course of the term.
This will be a practical examination that requires you to solve specific programming tasks.
In-class Exercises
The nature of the exercises vary: modify a template program in certain ways, create a stack with certain capabilities, etc. These are intended to give practical experience using the capabilities and techniques taught in class. Although not all in-class exercises will be graded, failure to complete them consistently will result in a lower grade.
Quizzes (40 - 60 points)
Learning to program is a cumulative process. It is not possible to skip some parts and expect to understand everything that comes later. Therefore I will expect that you come prepared, and that you participate. On most days there will be an assigned reading (usually on line). On some days there will be a short (5-10 questions) quiz covering the major points in the reading or a special topic. I will always announce a quiz the class period before it is given. If you are late and miss the quiz you will lose the points for that quiz. There are no makeups for missed quizzes.
Most assignments come in the form of LiveCode stacks. These are to be turned in via a class folder on a remote server. You may access the server remotely as instructed here. Once logged in you will find a folder for this course. Within that folder is a folder entitled Assignment Drop. This is where you are to place all your assignments and finished exams. All assignments and exams are due before class time on the day indicated. Anything submitted after class starts is subject to the late penalty (unless appropriate prior arrangements have been made with the instructor).
Although I do not formally take roll, daily attendance is expected. I hold students responsible for the information presented in class, whether they were present or not. It is the student's responsibility to make necessary arrangements for missed lectures. The on line readings are by no means comprehensive, but rather give an overview of what will be presented in class via discussion and hands-on activities. Regular attendance contributes considerably to comprehension and mastery of course content. Weigh carefully your choices and be prepared to accept the consequences.
As a corollary to this, you should not just be present in class, but you should contribute to the learning environment in a positive manner. Activities such as (but not limited to) instant messaging, typing e-mail, and internet browsing during the lecture are categorically forbidden. Such activities not only limit your ability to learn from the lecture, but also provide visual and aural distractions to those around you. Please be considerate.
Text and Reference Books: There will be no required textbook for this course. It is strongly recommended that you get yourself a copy of the LiveCode User Guide. It can be freely downloaded as a PDF, and some students have chosen to have this document printed and bound at one of the campus copy centers. In addition, we will use several different electronic resources for reference, including various LiveCode reference stacks and World Wide Web LiveCode sites. The LiveCode program itself has excellent documentation included online as part of the development environment. Finally, several copies of Software at the Speed of Thought are available for use in the Macintosh Lab (1133 JFSB). If you want to check one of these books out for use outside the lab, please see me.
E-Mail Accounts: We will be using e-mail and the World Wide Web extensively in the course to communicate information regarding the lectures and assignments. All BYU students can set up an e-mail account at no cost. (If you already have a non-BYU e-mail account you may also use that if you prefer.) Please provide your e-mail address to me, and I will establish an e-mail list consisting of all class members for quickly communicating important course information to all class members. If you do not know your e-mail address, see me for instructions on how to activate your account.
Data Storage: Space will be available on the Humanities Research Center's servers for you to store your projects for the duration of the semester. However, you cannot count on this for long-term storage and backup of your work. You will need to keep your own primary and backup copies of your work. While you can use whatever medium you wish, I recommend you purchase a USB flash drive to keep copies of your assignments and projects. Both the Macintosh and Windows PC labs have USB-equipped computers. USB Flash drives may be purchased at any computer supply store, including the BYU Bookstore.
A note about USB Flash drives: I recommend that you not actively work on files stored on your USB flash drive. Students have lost files in the past while doing this. It is best to copy your work temporarily to the computer's hard drive, make your changes, then copy it back to the USB drive. You have been warned!Backups: You should keep a master copy and at least one current backup of all of your work. As mentioned above, while you are working on your assignments you may wish to temporarily copy your files to the hard drive you are working on. However, all lab computer hard drives are automatically cleaned daily, and there is no guarantee that your work will still be there when you return, so always copy your work back to your primary and backup disks after you are finished working.
Software: All of the software you will need for this class will be available in the Macintosh (1133 JFSB) and Windows PC (1131 JFSB) labs. Please note that this is copyrighted and licensed software; you do not have permission to copy it or use it for other than class purposes. Violators may lose lab privileges and may be referred to University Standards.
A Word About the BYU Honor Code and Dress and Grooming Standards
I support the BYU Honor Code and Dress and Grooming Standards without reservation. Whatever your personal feelings are about their relevance to your education, please consider adherence to them a matter of personal integrity, since you all committed to abide by them. I really dislike being the police, but am bound by my employment here to uphold university policies.