The use of presentations and competition in an introductory computer graphics course
David R. Surma · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2006
In recent years it has become common for computer science departments to offer an elective course in computer graphics. Such classes typically have large enrollments due to a high level of student interest.Having a captive audience provided the instructor an opportunity to challenge them by incorporating new elements in the course during a recent offering. It has long been accepted that graduates entering the workforce should have good communication skills and should be prepared to compete with peers. To address communication, many universities require a speech course. While taking such a course is important, students benefit from making presentations in various situations throughout their academic careers. To address competitiveness, one learns to compete by taking part in competitions. Hence, in an attempt to improve student presentation skills and graphics mastery, an introductory computer graphics course was designed to incorporate student presentations and peer competitions. This paper presents the assignments used and discusses how presentations and competitions were incorporated in a recent offering. It was found that the overall quality of student work was excellent and student presentation skills improved significantly