Web Animation and Game DesignSyllabus

Web Animation and Game Design can be counted as one SEMESTER (1/2 credit) course towards the Computer Science in the elective course graduation requirement.

Expectations of students concerning behavior and etiquette

Students are expect to:

  • Complete all the assignments and turn them in by the given due date;
  • Arrive to class on time and be prepared to work;
  • Make up any work missed during an absence on their own time;
  • Understand and respect all classroom and computer lab policies;
  • Handle all department equipment and materials with care;
  • Be respectful of the teacher, each other and each other’s work;
  • Participate in critiques and class discussions;
  • Participate in set up and clean up.

Materials

Each student will be provided with a textbook Adobe Flash Professional CS5.  At the end of the semester, the book will be returned in good condition.

Assessment/Grading practices

Students will be evaluated with the school wide practice of assessing the level at which the student is working using the rubric classifications of Distinguished, Advanced, Meets, or Not Yet.

Various assignment categories in Web Animation include hands-on projects, written and oral critiques, tests, quizzes, and notebooks. With the exception of the final experience, all assignments are of equal value in assessing the student's working level for the purposes of progress reports and final grades. The final experience has twice the weight of any other assignment.

The majority of the assignments in Web Animation are hands-on projects and are assessed with the following criteria:

Computational Thinking and Programming, Collaboration, Communications and Presentations, Ethical Impacts, Creative Problem Solving, Discipline Literacy and Work Habits.

Both oral and written critiques are assessed with consideration to content and presentation.

In accordance with the new changes to the school-wide grading system:

All students will receive two grades in each class.

(1) a grade based upon the cumulative average of each academic Graduation Standard;

(2) a grade for Work Habits.

Students’ overall GPA will only be based on the grades in the academic Graduation Standards, the Work Habits grade will not be included when the GPA is calculated.

Grade 9 students / students who graduate in 2018 and beyond, must demonstrate basic proficiency (75%) in all of the course’s Graduation Standards to receive credit for the course.

If a student’s cumulative average within a course is above a 75%, but the student has a failing average in one or more of the Graduation Standards, the course grade will be preceded by the letter “I” for “Incomplete.”

Students can only graduate after all “Incomplete” notations have been removed from their grades.

Students may remove an “Incomplete” notation by attending Standards Recovery Classes to demonstrate proficiency in the previously unmet Graduation Standards; these courses are available during the school year and during the summer.


Graduation Standard Grade

Work Habits Grade

What is included?

Any assessment which measures a student’s progress and/or proficiency in a Graduation Standard and which receives a grade in Infinite Campus. Some assessments will assess only one Graduation Standard, while others might assess multiple Graduation Standards (e.g. a test with multiple sections might assess Word Knowledge and Analyzing Literature).

Summative Assessments: Given at the end of units to assess a student’s understanding of skills and knowledge and to see how well students can demonstrate their learning.

  • Examples: performance assessments, cumulative projects, essays, unit tests, etc.

Interim Assessments: Given throughout units to assess a student’s progress and current understanding of skills and knowledge. These can be used to monitor how well a student might perform on a future summative assessment.

Examples: graded assignments, quizzes, shorter essays & responses, smaller projects, etc.

What is included?

This grade reflects a student’s proficiency at managing time and deadlines effectively, being prepared for class, and maintaining an effective organizational system. It’s important for students to develop strong work habits as well as content knowledge. The NHS school-wide Work Habits rubric will be used to assess students.

Practice Assignments: Given throughout units as a way for students to practice key skills associated with Graduation Standards and to prepare for graded assessments. Practice assignments will not be graded, but will be recorded in Infinite Campus and factor into the Work Habits grade. The Work Habits grade is shown on the transcript.

Check-Ins: Students will have at least 3 Work Habits check-ins throughout each semester. Students will have the opportunity to self-assess their Work Habits and be assessed by me.

Notes:

Students will be informed if an assignment is considered non-graded practice or a graded assessment.

Work Habits might also be assessed separately for certain graded assessments.

Turning in Assignments

Graded assessments are due on the set due date. Assessments measure your proficiency in Graduation Standards and do factor into your overall average for the course. A failure to submit a graded assessment on time will result in a penalty on your Work Habits grade. KnightTime will be provided as an opportunity to complete missing work. A failure to use resources and opportunities to make up graded assessments could result in the work not being accepted.

Extra Time: You may use the NHS Extension Request Form to request an extension on a summative assessment if you’ve been working hard, but are still having difficulty meeting a set deadline. This form is to request an extension for other than medical reasons. Extensions will not be granted automatically. If an extension is granted, we will arrange a new deadline for you to submit the assessment without a penalty on your Work Habits grade.

Revision Policy

If you are working hard and showing initiative in this class, but have not been able to demonstrate proficiency on a graded assessment, you will be eligible for revision and retake opportunities. Revised work that was originally scored as Does Not Meet (NM) may be revised to a Basic (C-/C/C+) level. Some assessments may be revised to an Advanced (B-/B/B+) or Distinguished (A-/A/A+) level depending on the assignment and teacher discretion.

In order to revise a graded assessment that did not meet a Graduation Standard, you must:  

Demonstrate good work habits by completing at least 75%* of the practice assignments associated with a Graduation Standard and/or have a passing Work Habits grade

*The percentage could vary depending on what is deemed appropriate and fair by the teacher

Complete the revision by the specified revision due date (this will be announced when work is handed back)

No revisions will be accepted after the final revision due date. There will be no extensions for a revision/retake, except for severe extenuating circumstances.

If you wish to revise a quiz or test, you must schedule a time with me a minimum of two days in advance and within a reasonable time frame after the assessment was originally given in class.

Opportunities for extra-credit are offered at the teacher's discretion, usually twice a semester. Extra credit assignments are designed by the teacher and are meant to be as challenging as a regular assignment, they are graded with the same criteria as a regular assignment.

Presentations

If a student does not complete a presentation on the due date s/he will have to complete a written research assignment. This does not apply to students who are absent on the due date and the absence is recorded by the office as excused.

Academic Honesty

I have a strict policy regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty. It is expected that all work completed for this class is your own! Academic honesty applies to copying work from other students as well as including another person’s words in your work without the proper citations. Should a need arise, I will refer to the NHS plagiarism policy to determine the appropriate consequences. Copying someone else’s work will not help you in any way! If caught, there will be consequences and it prevents you from truly learning material which, in turn, will prevent you from demonstrating proficiency and possibly earning credit in the class.