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CS
5754: Virtual Environments |
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Announcements March
26: There have
been several changes to the class schedule. On
April 8, class will be held in the Black Lab at the KW2 building. Class is
cancelled for April 10. In addition, the deadline for project
phase 4 has been changed to Monday, April 7. January
17: CLASS IS
CANCELLED FOR TODAY. January
15: The first
class meeting will be held on Tuesday January 15 at 3:30 pm. CS 5754 Spring 2008 McBryde Hall, room 232 TR 3:30-4:45 PM CRN 16833 Syllabus Course
Description This
class will introduce students to the technology and techniques used in
virtual environments (also known as virtual reality). Students will gain
knowledge about the latest innovations in this field, will understand the
important research issues and methodologies for VEs, and will have the
opportunity to gain practical experience with the hardware and software used
to create VE applications. Prerequisites There
are no official prerequisites for this class. It is assumed, however, that
students will have a background in general human-computer interaction and
user interface design, and that students will be familiar with basic
principles of 3D computer graphics. Instructor AIM:
dougb0@mac.com VT
Knowledgeworks II room 134 (information on CRC shuttle) 231-2058 Office
Hours: TR 12:30-2:00 in McBryde 637, or
by appointment in KW2 NOTE: email is by far the easiest way
to contact me, and the method that I prefer. The office phone number above
should only be used for extremely time-critical matters. Teaching
Assistant None Textbook Required:
Bowman, Kruijff, LaViola, and Poupyrev, 3D User Interfaces: Theory and
Practice.
Addison-Wesley, 2005. ISBN 0-201-75867-9. This link will take you to the book's official website. To provide feedback on the book,
please fill out this survey. Readings/Course
Notes Lecture
notes and additional readings will be available on the schedule page. Readings should be prepared in
advance of the
class for which they are listed. Lecture notes may be printed and brought to
class for your own personal notes if you wish. Listserv The
instructor will use the listserv to post important class-related
announcements - be sure to check your email regularly. Anyone in the class may
post a message to the listserv. Use the listserv to post messages of
relevance to the entire class, such as questions from readings or lectures,
clarification questions on class policies, or links to VE information on the
web. Do not
post advertisements, irrelevant discussion, or flames on the class listserv. Website http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs5754/ All
class announcements, policies, schedule changes, lecture notes, etc. will be
posted on the website. Check it regularly! Grading Log
in to Blackboard to check your grades. Grading
will be based on: 1.
Class Projects (50%) The
main assessment component of this class will be a semester-long project. You
are encouraged to work in groups of either two or three. For more information
on choosing and managing a project, and how projects will be graded, see this page. 2.
Paper Discussions (10%) Each
student in the class will serve as a discussant once or twice during the
semester - he/she will be responsible for leading the discussion of one of
the papers assigned to the class. For more information on how to sign up for
a paper, how to prepare to lead a discussion, and how discussants will be
graded, see this page. 3.
Class Participation (20%) The
participation grade will be based on two components:
For
more information on how the participation grade will be calculated, see this page. 4.
Final Exam (20%) The
final exam in this class will be a take-home exam, handed out in class on
April 29, and due on May 5. The final exam will cover the cumulative
information of the entire semester, and will assess both factual knowledge
and understanding/insight into the material. See this page for format and review information for the final
exam. Additional
Information Schedule
of In-Class Activities This
course meets on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Typically, the instructor will
lecture on Tuesdays, and the class will discuss that week's readings on
Thursdays. However, be alert for changes to the schedule. Attendance Attendance
at all classes will be necessary for students to succeed in this course.
Please show respect for the instructor and the other students by arriving on
time and prepared. Honor
Code All
work in this course is to be your own, and the university honor code is in
effect. Groups will collaborate on projects, but the other three graded
aspects of the course are based on individual work. You will be required to
sign an honor code statement on the final exam. Special
Needs If
you have any special needs or circumstances (disability accommodations,
religious holidays that will cause you to miss class, etc.) please feel free
to visit the instructor during his office hours. |