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Creative ComputingProfessor: Serita Scott Office 241 Telephone 771-2982Office Hours: Monday and Thursday 11:30 to 12:30PM in the lab or by appointment for another time in my office.Texts: Learning to Program with Alice, Final Version ISBN: 0-13-187289-3 For a free download of Alice software see these websites: AND Web Wizzard's Guide to Dreamweaver ISBN: 0-321-14265-9 Reference: Bentley, Peter, and Corne, David. 2002. Creative evolutionary systems. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Nilsson, Nils. 1998. Artificial Intelligence: A New Synthesis. Elsevier. Polk, Thad and Seifert, Colleen. 2001. Cognitive Modeling. MIT Press. Sandefur, James. 2003. Elementary Mathematical Modeling: A Dynamic Approach. Brooks/Cole. Ward, Lawrence. 2001. Dynamical Cognitive Science. MIT Press.
Course Description This course explores the
frontier of computation, especially in connection to human creativity involving
art, music, language,
Notes 1. The programming language will be Alice. 2. This course satisfies the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the TCNJ liberal learning. Learning GoalsPurpose Statement
Human creativity has always been one of the most amazing phenomena we experience every day. It is easily observed in art, music, language, as well as many other forms of human activities, all of which involve human mind and cognition at the heart. Although such phenomena are purely human creation, it is also becoming more and more common that even these creative activities depend on the use of computers. More and more arts, music, and writing are created using computers. At the same time, researchers are trying to model all sorts of human cognition including creativity, again, using computers. Thus, it is important for many of us to explore the connection between human creativity and computation.
In this liberal learning course, students will develop (1) simple computational tools for creative activities and (2) simple computational models of human cognition. In both of these areas, the essential skills are the principles of Quantitative Reasoning (QR). For example, to develop computational tools, students will analyze the requirements, design a computational representation, implement the design, and evaluate the performance. On the other hand, to develop computational models, they will analyze the phenomenon, translate it to a computational model, implement the model, and evaluate its behavior. In order to accomplish these tasks, students must accomplish the QR goals in a systematic manner. Since human creativity is still a mystery, there will be situations where students will realize various limitations of the computational approach.
Content Goals (core concepts, deep understanding, misunderstanding, and technical knowledge) Understanding of the following concepts, ideas, and interpretations: 1. Creativity is essential for producing novel objects/ideas that are qualitatively different from previous ones. 2. Human creativity is an essential aspect of human evolution. 3. Human creativity can be observed in all areas of human activities. 4. Computational tools can assist human creativity. 5. Cognition is an essential
component of human creativity. 6. In order to cultivate creativity, learning bias needs to be minimized.
Performance Goals (expected outcomes and abilities to be observed as a result of successful learning)
Rationale/Plan This course is expected to facilitate a learning experience through which students can deepen their understanding of the connection between human creativity and computation. Therefore, students’ assessment must reflect their ability to do so in an appropriate context. The assessment tools used in this course include: in-class discussion, in-class and take-home assignments, mini project, persentations, self-evaluation, and peer evaluation. While the actual composition of assessment tools will depend on the instructor, every tool must refer to the learning goals explicitly or implicitly. For example, an exercise problem will address a certain aspect of human creativity and require students to perform tasks described in the learning goals. Since exams are limited in terms of the time and the available computational support, it is expected that the course would involve non-exam type assessment tools.
11. Overview The learning activities will directly reflect the learning goals and will be organized to help students perform well on the assessment tools. The main activities will be in integrated lecture/discussion/lab (two 80-minute sessions per week). In addition, students are expected to work on approximately 360 minutes of assigned work outside class (per week).
Each module consists of integrated lecture/discussion/lab sessions as well as an evaluation workshop at or near the end. Each lecture/discussion/lab session consists of a short cycle of activities such as the following: · Introduction to a unit (background, motivations, overview, etc.) · Survey-type exercise, where applicable · Computer instruction (environment, new concepts, tools, etc.), where applicable · Hands-on exercises with peer and instructor interaction · Class discussion of exercises · Summary of the important points · Self-evaluation, where applicable
Module Organization Module A Number Systems, Boolean Algebra, and Computer Circuitry Module B: Web development with Dreamweaver Module C: Computational tools for human creativity and algorithmic problem solving: Alice programming language Grading Policy 40% Labs: Probramming assignments and interaction on SOCS Assessments. 20% Self-evaluations, Peer Ratings, , Class Participation (based on class discussion, collaborative group work, and Attendance). This involves the evaluations for all modules. 40% One Objective Exam and Final Alice Showcase Presentation Schedule for HON 280 Creative Computing
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