This is the schedule of the class on a day-to-day basis. It will be adjusted based on what pace the class proceeds at along with any additions or removals that are necessary.

Week One: Getting Your Bearings

Monday: Introduction to Programming

Tuesday: Numeric Data & Basic Loops

  • E-mail site links
  • Topic: Commenting and Self-documenting code
  • Topic: Python and programming (Ch 1)
  • Ch 2. Basic Syntax and Loops
  • Video: Simpsons Monkey Paw
  • Discussion: Computers are Dumb?
  • Ch 3. Numeric Data Types and Computing

Wednesday: Lists, File I/O, Functions

  • Discussion: How did you solve Fibonacci?
  • Discussion: What are some of the common struggling points for programmers?
  • Ch 4. Strings, Lists, File I/O
  • Ch 6. Functions

Thursday: Deep Lists, Looping, Booleans

  • Topic: Multi-dimensional lists
  • Lab: Maze 1.0
  • Ch 8. Iteration and Looping, Decisions and Booleans

Friday: Classes & Objects

  • Ch 10 & 12. Classes and Objects
  • Guest Lecture: Cyber Monkeys

Saturday: Game History and Design


Week Two: Deeper into the Rabbit Hole

Monday: Digging into PyGame

Tuesday: Nose to the Grindstone

Wednesday: Artificial Intelligence

  • Lab: Catch up
  • Topic: An History of Artificial Intelligence (guest lecture)

Thursday: Movement & Vectors

  • Topic: Movement and Vectors
  • Lab: Catch up
  • Lab: Asteroids

Friday: Team Programming Competition

  • Space Shooter

Saturday: Graphics and Game Theory


Week Three: Capstone So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

Monday: At the starting gate

  • Lab: Game in a Week and Competition journal
  • Final project idea formulation and approval
  • Lab: Get coding!

Tuesday: And they're off!

Wednesday: Rounding the turn into the back stretch

Thursday: Charging into the home stretch

Friday: The Winner's Circle (everybody's invited!)

Saturday: Go home!