Credit Points: 10 / Unit Code: DAC414
FHEQ Level: 4 / Academic School: Media Arts and Technology
Unit Designation: Traditional / Programme Group: Computer Games and Digital Arts
Unit delivery model: CD / Max & Min Student No: N/A
TOTAL STUDENT WORKLOAD
Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal scheduled sessions for the unit. Students are also expected to manage their directed learning and independent study in support of the unit.
PRE-REQUISITES AND CO-REQUISITES: None
UNIT DESCRIPTION
This unit is designed to develop mathematics skills needed for computer games development, providing a foundation for all students, no matter what their previous maths experience might be.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the unit, students should be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
K1 Explain a range of mathematical concepts and how the compiler interprets them.
Cognitive Skills
C1 Deduce and implement formulas required to solve specific problems.
Practical and Professional Skills
P1 Develop a usable mathematical library.
AREAS OF STUDY
Mathematical Functions:
The student will study required mathematical fundamentals including graphs, co-ordinate spaces, trigonometry and basic formula manipulation among other mathematical bases.
Physics:
How to apply mathematics to physical systems in two dimensional spaces.
Logic and Numerical systems:
Understanding of how computers interpret different types, bitwise operators and number systems using a base other than 10.
LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY
The unit will be taught through lectures and workshops. The lectures combine information elements, where the theory and concepts are taught in a group environment, with more task-focused and discursive activities. Students will be required to complete exercises and the class will then be walked through the solution. This allows the tutor to identify and explain any complex issues that may arise and to identify and address misconceptions. It also allows the student to monitor their own progress and to identify issues with their learning. More complex exercises will be supplied as extra learning material. As the unit progresses the exercises will increase in difficulty requiring the student to break complex problems down and employ combinations of concepts and methods in order to achieve a solution. The students are encouraged to create a written record of applications of key concepts and methods.
The workshop provides students with the opportunity to get extra help with any aspects they may find difficult. The student will be expected to take incomplete code and apply the concepts learnt during the lecture to complete the code. The code can then be tested against a unit test. The object of this approach is to ensure that students are able to apply the theory to the process of programming and in this way understand its relevance to their broader career aspirations. It culminates in the production of a maths library that each student creates and can be used to support programming throughout the course and beyond.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGY
Throughout the module the students will be completing a simple coursework assignment in the form of a ‘maths library’, a collection of pieces of code illustrating the application of mathematical methods used in programming. Workshops provide opportunities for students to practise and receive feedback from the tutor and from peers in creating code and passing it through unit tests. This supports the production of a codebase addressing a specific set of programming problems that will be expected to pass the same unit tests.
ASSESSMENT
AE1 weighting: 100%
assessment type: Codebase and Report
length/duration: 500 words
online submission: No
grade marking: Yes
anonymous marking: No
Re-assessment Arrangements
If the assessment is referred, students will be required to re-work and improve their original submission, benefiting from tutor feedback.
Unit Author: Mark Bennett
Date of version: May 2016
Unit history:
Unit Approved/Year Implemented/Code / May 2013 / 2013/14 / CGP402Unit modified/Year Implemented/Code / June 2017 / 2017/18 / DAC414
Unit modified/Year Implemented/Code