Entertainment arts and engineering(or how to fast track a new interdisciplinary program)

ABSTRACT

The Entertainment Arts and Engineering (EAE) program is a unique, new undergraduate interdisciplinary program at the University of Utah bringing together the School of Computing and the Division of Film Studies in an effort to teach both video game development and computer animation. Students pursuing a film or computer science degree may enroll in the program as a means of focusing their education on digital arts and entertainment. The key characteristic of the program is the shared classes where students from both Computer Science and Fine Arts study together and cooperate on game and animation projects. The program is highlighted by a yearlong capstone course in which the students work together to make a video game or animated short from scratch. This paper chronicles our efforts starting the EAE program and demonstrates how to create an interdisciplinary program that not only attracts students to CS, but also equips them for careers or research in video games and animation.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education

General Terms:
Design

Keywords:
3d modeling, animation, digital entertainment, education, machinima, video games