CS 1150 PEEE   Programming Project

Overview

As noted in the course syllabus, a programming project is a required part of the course. You may work in pairs on the project or choose to do it independently. I anticipate that most of the projects The project will be done using Scratch, and this document is written with that assumption. However, after seeing NetLogo, you might choose to use the Logo language. If that interests you, please see the instructor for guidance in what the expectations will be.

Regardless of which language is used you should think about what you want to do before you start thinking about how you can meet the programming specifications. If you pick a good project we can almost certainly figure out a way to have it meet the specifications for the project.

The anticipated due date for the project is a week before finals, i.e., by noon on, December 06. I would like the programs to be "shared" and will create a web page so all of us can see each other's work. Please do not publish the link to that page which I will share with you. You will submit your work and I will transfer it to the server and put a link to it on the web page I create.

Project Coding Expectations

Regardless of the programming environment, the project is to address all the basics / fundamentals of programming, i.e.,

• data—variables and, if reasonable, collections of variables (lists)
• actions of various sorts
• controlling actions and data manipulation
  • sequence—putting statements/instructions in the appropriate order
  • selection / conditional execution—if statements
  • repetition—via code, not user-clicking
  • modularization / creating & using new instructions or blocks

The program should start with a click of the green flag. It should use the Places Everyone! concept. You should be able to stop at any time and click the green flag and have the program start appropriately. Finally, when done, no script should continue running.

The projects should also have reasonable complexity. Complexity can be based on amount of code but is also on as many of the following as is applicable to the kind of project. Note that adding sprites with code the same as another sprite (or otherwise just duplicating code) does not increase complexity.

• number of sprites/actors/actions
• copies of the sprites/actors (via cloning)
• amount of data and/or data manipulation
• interactions between sprites/actors
• some element of randomness
• programmer-produced element, e.g., a sprite, costume, sound or student-recording imported from outside Scratch or created with the Paint environment
• use of varied costumes, colors, shapes, etc.
• if drawing figures, various orientations of shapes, e.g., triangle with point at top or to the right, hemisphere with flat bottom or flat top, etc.
• sprites/actors with multiple "lines"
• requests for and utilization/manipulation of user input
• "animation", perhaps of several types/mechanisms
• data lists used reasonably
• input controlling the motion of sprites
• "progression", e.g., more sprites, sprites appearing more rapidly, sprites moving more rapidly, reduction of lives, etc.

Code Submission

I'd like you to download your project and send it to me as an attachment to a submission message. That message should:

• be addressed to east@cs.uni.edu
• be CCd (or sent) to you (both if done in partnership)
• have the subject: PEEE Project
• include in the body of the message:
  • your name (or both names if done in partnership)
  • anything else you want me to know
• have your .sb2 file that you downloaded to your computer attached to the message

  Please rename the file using your initials, e.g., jpe_proj.sb2. If done in partnership include both initials, e.g., abc-jpe_proj.sb2.

Please do not use the submission message to ask questions. I will likely not see them until I start grading the submissions.

Project Report

In addition to the project code, each person is to submit a project report. For those working in partnership, the reports are to be completed separately and not shared with the partner. The report is mostly descriptive and should include or address the following:

• general description of the project
• time spent on the project

  Report weekly values at least. You may report more specifically if you wish. I suggest keeping a log so you can be accurate and perhaps more specific.

• discussion of the how all the "programming basics" were included (or not included) by the code used
• identification and discussion of how complexity was achieved in the project
• discussion of extensions, improvements, of changes to the program that you think reasonable
• self-evaluation

  Indicate the quality of the project — mediocre, okay, good, excellent. Then provide a rationale for that assessment. The assessment and rational should address the quality of the program, not the quantity of the "effort".

• anything else you'd like me to know

  You can add anything else to your report that you'd like, perhaps the effort, learning, etc. that occurred. Note: this is not a requirement for the report.

The report should be as long as necessary but not longer. I imagine less than a page of information is too little and more than two or three pages may be too much. I suggest you prepare it in some application so you can save it, and proof-read and revise it.

I prefer the project prose be included in in the body of an e-mail message rather than an attachment. When done drafting, proofing, and revising it, just copy and paste it into the submission message discussed below..

Report Submission

When you have drafted, proofread, and saved your report prepare and send a submission message to me. That message should:

• be addressed to east@cs.uni.edu
• be CCd (or sent) to you
• have the subject: PEEE Report
• include in the body of the message:
  • your name
  • your report (copied and pasted from whatever application you used)
  • anything you wish to say about the report or partnership or ...

Please don't use this message to ask questions. I will likely not see them until I start grading the submissions.

Grading

Keep in mind that I will be grading what you submit, not on the time or effort you expended, and (unfortunately) not on the learning. Hopefully, what you produce will reasonably reflect effort and learning.

The project overall counts 20% of the class score. I anticipate counting the project code as 12% and the project report as 8%.

Project Code

The grading discussion in the course syllabus is a good place to start thinking about grading. Submissions that minimally meet the specifications will likely receive some sort of C. Not fully meeting the specs or having errors in the program can reduce the score/grade. The grade/score can be enhanced by:

• adding complexity to the basic expectations of the program
• have code that looks to result from planned rather than guess-and-check coding
• consistency in coding
• lack of typos
• creativity/interestingness in coding approach
• creativity/interestingness in the approach/design of the project
• otherwise impressing the instructor with your program (demonstrating your skill and creativity)

Project Report

The report will be graded similarly to reflection reports. See the course syllabus—the discussion of grading there is applicable to this part of the assignment.