SAPC Report May 20061
/ Senate Academic Planning CommitteeMay 16, 2006
To:Senate
From:Alan Harrison, Provost
RE: Curriculum Changes from the School of Computer Science
The School of Computer Science is proposing three program changes. The proposed changes are:
- Introduction of a B.C.S. General Degree
- Introduction of a new Stream in the B.C.S. Honours – Computer Game Development and four related courses.
- Renaming of the existing Bioinformatics stream in B.C.S. Honours as “Biomedical Computing”
These initiatives are being brought forward at this time so that, with Senate approval, they can be reflected in the OUAC application process and our recruitment campaign for 2007 – 2008.
As well, the first change is to be treated as a late curriculum change and if approved, the new program will be offered starting in September 2006. This will allow some students who will be suspended from the B.C.S. Honors program to continue in the General program as permitted by the regulation changes at the March 31, 2006.
Note that co-op will be available for both of the new programs with the customary elevated CGPA requirements for access and continuation in this option. It is anticipated that only rarely will students in the B.C.S. General be eligible for co-op, but the door remains open.
1. Introduce BCS General degree
Please see the accompanying report for the rationale for the new program.
Bachelor of Computer Science General (20.0 credits)
A. Credits Included in the Major CGPA (8.0 credits):
1.6.0 credits in COMP 1405, COMP 1805, COMP 1406, COMP 1402,
COMP 2402, COMP 2003, COMP 2404, COMP 2805,
COMP 3000, COMP 3004, COMP 3005, COMP 3007;
2.0.5 credit in Computer Science at the 2000-level or above;
3.1.0 credit in Computer Science at the 3000-level or above;
4.0.5 credit in Computer Science at the 4000-level;
B. Credits Not Included in the Major CGPA (12.0 credits):
5.1.5 credits in MATH 1007, MATH 1104, STAT 2507;
6. 0.5 credit in Mathematics and Statistics at the 2000 level or above;
7.0.5 credit in CCDP 2000;
8.2.0 credits in Approved Arts or Social Sciences;
9.3.0 credits in Approved Arts or Social Sciences or Science or Business Electives;
10.4.5 credits in free electives.
Admission requirements
The admission requirements will be the same as for B.C.S. Honours.
Support
1. The School for Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, who teach CCDP 2000, has expressed strong support for this initiative.
2. The Registrar’s Office and the Office of Admission Services have been consulted and support the introduction of this program in the time frame indicated above.
2 Introduce new Computer Game Development stream for BCS Honours degree
Surveys of students interested in Computer Science indicate strong interest in designing and implementing computer games. In a recent phone survey of 30 students admitted to our BCS for Fall 06, about half thought a program in computer game development would be the most desirable addition to the BCS. Given the highly competitive market for CS undergrad enrolments, the School feels that such a program addition would be a valuable recruiting tool.
The stream is loosely based on our Software Engineering stream. There are four new courses, all directly related to the new stream’s theme.
No new resources are needed: the School will reduce its offerings in other areas to accommodate the new courses, and any software used will be free.
2.1 The Program
The courses introduced specifically for this stream are underlined in Item 2 and described below.
Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours)
Computer Game Development Stream (20.0 credits)
A.Credits Included in the Major CGPA (11.0 credits):
1.7.0 credits in COMP 1405, COMP 1805, COMP 1406, COMP 1402,
COMP 2402, COMP 2003, COMP 2404, COMP 2805,
COMP 3000, COMP 3004, COMP 3005, COMP 3007, COMP 3804,
COMP 4905;
2.2.0 credits in COMP 1501, COMP 2501, COMP 3501, COMP 4501;
3.2.0 credits in COMP 2405, COMP 3104, COMP 4004, COMP 4104;
B.Credits Not Included in the Major CGPA (9.0 credits):
4.2.5 credits in MATH 1007, MATH 1104, MATH 2007, MATH 2107, STAT 2605;
5.1.0 credit in an Experimental Science;
6.1.0 credit in Science or Business Electives;
7.2.5 credits in Approved Arts or Social Sciences;
8.0.5 additional credit in Approved Arts or Social Sciences or Science or Business Electives;
9.1.5 credits in free electives.
2.2 The New Courses
COMP 1501 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Computer Game Design
Introduction to computer game programming interfaces. Topics may include: game balance and level design; storytelling and narrative; basic game architecture; sprite-based games and isometric games; representation of scenes; user interaction; architecture of game consoles; development tools for game consoles; interaction with game peripherals.
COMP 2501 [0.5 credit]
Computer Game Design and Development
Topics may include: user interaction in multiplayer games; representation of animated scenes; tools for game character development; special effects; sound programming; game AI; motion planning and control; collision detection and physics; digital rights management.
Prerequisite: COMP 1405
COMP 3501 [0.5 credit]
Foundations of Game Programming and Computer Graphics
Mathematical concepts of 3D engines. Topics may include: illumination and visibility determination; quaternions; homogeneous coordinates; transforms; ray tracing; bump mapping; portal systems; polygonal techniques; shadows; and linear and rotational physics.
Prerequisite: MATH 1104
COMP 4501 [0.5 credit]
Advanced Computer Game Design and Development
Selected computer game topics including: networked games; online games; high performance computing for game development; high resolution scenes; massively multiplayer online game (MMOG); advanced character development; facial modelling and animation; the computer games marketplace and business models.
Prerequisite: COMP 2501 or permission of the instructor.
3. Rename Bioinformatics Stream
Old:Bachelor of Computer Science
Bioinformatics Stream (20.0 credits) / New:
Bachelor of Computer Science
Biomedical Computing Stream (20.0 credits)
This stream gives Computer Science students a solid grounding in biology and biochemistry. Graduates of the stream can apply their knowledge of information technology not just to bioinformatics, but to biotech and the life sciences in general. The name “Biomedical computing” better conveys this generality, and should be more meaningful to high school students. The stream does have two significant deficiencies: it has no course specifically on computational problems in medicine, and it does not have a course in human physiology. Both of these problems will be corrected in time for the 07-08 academic year. The School will offer a new course in Medical Computing, and the Biology department is committed to creating a new course in human physiology. These two course are not yet in place, but we are seeking approval of the renaming now so that the new name will appear in this fall’s recruiting materials and on the OUAC list of programs.
Program Requirements (unchanged)
A. Credits Included in the Major CGPA
(9.5 credits):
1.7.0 credits in: COMP 1405, COMP 1805, COMP 1406, COMP 1402,
COMP 2402, COMP2003, COMP 2404, COMP 2805,
COMP 3000, COMP 3004, COMP 3005, COMP 3007,COMP 3804,
COMP 4905;
2.0.5 credit in Computer Science at the 2000-level or above;
3.0.5 credit in BIOC 3008;
4.1.0 credits in Computer Science at the 4000-level;
5.0.5 credit in BIOC 4008 or COMP 4300;
B. Credits not included in the Major CGPA
(10.5 credits):
6.2.5 credits in MATH 1007, MATH 1104, MATH 2107, MATH 3101, STAT 2507;
7.0.5 credit in STAT 2509 or in MATH or STAT at the 2000-level or above;
8.2.0 credits in BIOL 1003, BIOL 1004, BIOL 2104, BIOL 2600;
9.0.5 credit from BIOL 3104 or BIOL 3609;
10.2.0 credits in CHEM 1000 [1.0]; CHEM 2203, CHEM 2204;
11.1.0 credit in BIOC 2200, BIOC 3101;
12.2.0 credits in Approved Arts or Social Sciences.
Note: the co-op work term pattern will be modified for this stream.