Welcome to distance education at Cuesta College! My name is Jennifer Hubbard, and I will am the instructor for the online/in-person hybrid of CIS 271 - Computer Game Design. This letter is to inform you of some important details prior to the start of class.

This class will have weekly, mandatory, in person class meetings on the San Luis Obispo campus of Cuesta College in room 3413 every Wednesday from 6:00-7:30 throughout the semester.

Please take a look at the information below.  If you have additional questions about the class, please feel free to contact me at jhubbard@cuesta.edu.  

Important: this course is a HYBRID offering.  This means that the 50% of the course content will be online.  This also means that you must attend EVERY class meeting AND participate in ALL of the online activities. 

If you are not sure if you are suited to online classes, please take the survey at the link below:

Are online classes right for me?Links to an external site.

Course Description

This course is an introductory overview of the history of the electronic game development process, historical context, content creation strategies, and future trends in the industry.

The course will explain how games are produced, tested, and released. The game industry is the fastest-growing segment of the entertainment market and an excellent field for career advancement. 

The course will include a combination of game theory as well as the use of software and introductory programming to create games that will be evaluated and played by your peers. 

While there is NO prerequisite for this class, a basic familiarity with computers as well as introductory programming skills is essential to your success. 

Not sure if this class is for you?  Take a look at the course textbooks listed below:

1. Challenges for Game Designers, Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Scheiber, ISBN 1-58540-580—X (Required)  https://www.amazon.com/Challenges-Game-Designers-Brenda-Brathwaite/dp/158450580XLinks to an external site. 
2. Unity Game Development in 24 Hours, Sams, ISBN 0-672-33751-7 (Required)  https://www.amazon.com/Unity-Development-Hours-Teach-Yourself/dp/0672336960Links to an external site. 

Canvas:

Most of your assignments will be submitted online through Canvas.  You can access Canvas by going to https://cuesta.instructure.com/ 

Your user name and password will be the same as your MyCuesta user name and password.

Important links

Please make sure that you are familiar with all of the campus policies below:

Add Policy: 

http://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/addcourse.htmlLinks to an external site. 

Drop Policy: http://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/dropcourse.htmlLinks to an external site.

Academic Honesty Policy:

http://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/admissions_records/code_of_conduct.pdfLinks to an external site.

Waitlist Procedures:

 http://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/Waitlist.htmlLinks to an external site.

Accessing Canvas:

http://www.cuesta.edu/student/documents/distance_ed_students/Canvas_Quick_Reference_Students.pdfLinks to an external site.

Tech Support Cuesta’s LMS: http://www.cuesta.edu/student/aboutacad/distance/technical_support.htmlLinks to an external site.

I am looking forward to meeting you.  If you have any questions at all PLEASE contact me via email.

Jennifer Hubbard

jhubbard@cuesta.edu