This course is different from other courses. We will not any formal tests. We will not have any formal homework. We will not have formal projects. Instead, you will pick your own projects within broadly-defined guidelines. Your work and grading will be almost entirely based on your work on this project during each sprint.
Doing sprints gives you greater flexibility in choosing what you work on, introduces you to agile development processes, and gives me greater insight into how each student is doing. While it is different than what you may be used to, most students enjoy the flexibility of the sprint system.
For the first two or three weeks, we will have a lecture every day we have class, much like you would in a traditional class. There are no assignments due during this introductory period. After that we will starting doing "sprints" for the rest of the semester.
For the rest of the semester, each week will be an individual sprint (as seen in agile programming). During sprints, the first time the class meets during a week will be a "sprint day". The second time the class meets during a week will be a normal lecture day.
At the beginning of each sprint day, we will begin class with a self-assessment. This is administered as a quiz in canvas. You will be asked what you did during the last week (previous sprint) and then to do a self-assessment on your performance. This self-assessment will form the basis for that sprint's grade.
Following your self-assessment, you may be required to take a quiz about what we talked about in class previously. The frequency of these content-based quizes varies by class, but will always be announced in advance.
Once you are done with your self-assessment and (possibly) quiz, the rest of the class time is yours to work on your own project. During this "free-time" you are required to be working on material for this course. I will go around the class and talk to each of your individually. This gives me a chance to see what you are working on, to verify that your self-assessment is accurate, and to answer questions. I will ususally interrupt the course at least once during sprint time to talk about questions I am frequently getting, something I did not explain well during lecture, or to explore an interesting topic.
During your sprints you can work on one or more self-defined projects. Some students choose to work on only one project during a semester, but most end up working on one or more. You are free to change projects at any time as long as the work done during the semester shows what your have learned in the course.