Dec 6, 2007

Today is our last day so we'll wrap up the semester. I'll collect the Cell Phone papers, then I'll have just a few final words and take a few closing comments.

Then you're done!

Topics

Homework

Dec 4, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 29, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 27, 2007

Yet another brief day as all we have to do is see Luke's presentation from last week.

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 20, 2007

Today is a very brief day to let you start your Thanksgiving a bit early.

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 15, 2007

Topics

Homework

Nov 13, 2007

I don't think it's possible for the day to get any simpler.

Topics:

Scavenger Hunt:

Nov 08, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 06, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Nov 01, 2007

Topics:

• Real Life Sim Presentation by Heather
• Discuss: Virtual Itza
• Discuss: Virtual World, Real Life Lawyers
• Discuss: Second Life Faces Mobile Death
• Discuss: Beijing Police Will Patrol Web Virtually
• Discuss: Real Hope in a Virtual World
• Discuss: Dennis Kucinich Opens Up Shop in Second Life
• Discuss: How a Computer Game Glitch Could Help to Fight Off a Global Pandemic

Homework:

Oct 30, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 25, 2007

Today we tackle the issues surrounding the second half of your "final" project. ...among other things...

Homework

Oct 23, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 18, 2007

No Class in the classroom today.

Please take this time to work on your Software Simulation Instructional Design packet. They're due next Thursday!

Oct 16, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 11, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 9, 2007

Topics:

Homework:

Oct 4, 2007

Three Real Life Sims: Bobby, Alex, & Brian

Topics:

• Oddware Presentations.

Homework:

Oct 2, 2007

No SL Presentations today.

Topics:

Homework:

Sep 27, 2007

Two Real Life Sim presentations. Bobby & Jesse

Topic:

Homework:

Sep 25, 2007

• The Crooked House
• Virtual Hallucinations
• Myst Online

Scavenger Hunt : A pet of some sort. We'll meet at the Beach House and show them off.

Sep 20, 2007

Real Life Simulation Presentation by: Bobby

Topics:

• Hardware Prototypes

Homework:

• Oddware

Sep 18, 2007

Second Life Sim: Mike

Other places by Damian

Homework

• Optional: Jewelry with "bling."

Sep 13, 2007

Real Life Sim: Jerilyn

Topics:

• My 4th Newspaper Interview about UB and Second Life.
• Four interesting Second Life books.
• Second Life Terrorism
• Second Life Punishment
• Reuters in Second Life
• Disaffected!

Homework

• Play Disaffected

 

Sep 11, 2007

Today we meet in Second Life at 11am.
Jesse will be presenting his first Second Life simulation.

Sep 6, 2007

Here are the topics we will be covering today:

• Ricky's Real Life Sim Presentation
• Non-Computer Platforms
• Computer Based Platforms

Homework

• No Homework
• Optional: New Avatar Hair in Second Life

Sep 4, 2007

Today we meet in Second Life.
Regular class time: 11am.
Run Ventrilo and log in to the server.
(Get the server / port info from the blue panel.)
Log into Second Life and I'll send you a teleport
to our location.

Homework:
(Read the Class Requirements for fuller details.)

• Student Setup
• Scavenger Hunt #1
• Class Photo

APPLIED SIMULATION     
COSC330.SG1     
Fall 2007     

-Ventrilo Information-     
Server: 69.12.74.141     
Port: 4143     

Homework Assignment - Final Project Part One: Instructional Design
Due: October 25

(Remember that we're doing the final way, way early so that you aren't trying to complete huge projects for all your classes at the end of the semester.) This is the first half of your final project.

Giving careful consideration to what I was able to say about Clients and Instructional Designers, your assignment is to take on the roles of both.

As a Client, you are to pick a common software package, and design a three- to four-step training process for one aspect of that software. Although it's just a small training process, try to think like a Client. Why do you want to hire a company to create this training for you? What result do you expect this training to provide for your company?

For instance, you might decide that you want to train your people on how to recover a file from the trashcan on the Windows desktop.

As an Instructional Designer, take the information given to you by the client (yourself, so it should be easy) and develop the training. The client may tell you, for example, that the steps to be taught are:

1. Open the trashcan.
2. Locate the file.
3. Right-click the file.
4. Click Restore from the pop-up menu.

With this in mind, create the training that you want your learner to experience. Decide on the type of interface you want (mostly the textbox), and if you want any particular theme (limited though that may be in this case). Create the storyboards and the flow. Provide the textbox text, and the feedback text for right and wrong actions. Provide screenshots--preferably actual graphic files as well as print-outs--showing your graphics department and programmers how you want the screen to look prior to, and after, each step.

Here is a whole bunch of things to take into consideration:

1. The project is due in two weeks. That's not a lot of time, so I don't expect amazing Herculean feats from you. (Although the better it is...the better it is.) That's why I only said three to four steps.
2. However, just because I said I wasn't expecting amazing feats, doesn't mean you can dawdle and try to slap something together on the Monday night before it's due.
3. No less than three steps. No more than four steps. (Steps as in "user actions". Even after the last action, there will be some sort of positive feedback and/or closing/congratulatory reaction.)
4. This is the first half of your final project grade. So give it the effort that a final project deserves.
5. This is the first half of your final project. If you're forward thinking, you can probably guess that the second half will entail creating the actual simulation.
   • This is why I said only three to four steps. Don't do more than four. Don't worry if you do four steps and don't complete an entire process.
   • Try to avoid situations where the learner will have to enter text. Grading text is notoriously hard to do. If you do create a situation where text has to be entered, try to think of a way to relieve the programmer's of the burden of grading that text. There is a way or two to do it.
   • You will not be programming your own simulation. The Great Student Randomalizer will make that determination in two weeks.
6. Because someone else will be creating your simulation, you will want to make absolutely sure that you provide them with everything they need to make it happen:
   • Storyboards
   • Flow Charts
   • Screen size and resolution information.
   • The actions that are expected of the user in each step.
   • How the simulation reacts to that action.
   • What incorrect actions might be performed by the user in each step.
   • How the simulation reacts to those incorrect actions.
   • The textbox text.
   • The feedback text.
   • Screenshots--both printed for the storyboard and as graphic files.
   • Sound effects--if you choose to include any.
   • Additional graphics--Next and Back buttons, arrows, widgets, etc.
7. Try to find a balance between throwing too much work at your programmer, and requiring so little that your simulation suffers from malnourisment.
8. You do not need to include any sort of evaluation in your simulation. Just the three to four steps.
9. As you design your simulation, become an "expert" at the topic. When your programmer begins to work he/she may have questions for you and you'll need to be able to provide answers.

Make three copies of your instructional design package.

1. One for your records
2. One to be distributed to your programmer.
3. One for me. I don't need graphic files and so forth, I just need the storyboards.