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Program Director Self-Study Report
For Program:
Game Design and Development (GDD)
Submitted by Program Director Name:
Diane Christie
Year:
2014
Planning and Review Committee
1.
UW-STOUT’S STRATEGIC PLAN
1.1 UW-Stout's Strategic Plan
1.1.1 Describe early and ongoing experiential learning opportunities to students
within the program.
The concept of “learning through experience” is implemented in two major places in the
Game Design and Development (GDD) curriculum. Although students have early handson learning experiences in the many lab, project, and studio courses, a major experiential
learning opportunity comes in the capstone courses. Students learn a great deal when they
have the experience of designing, building and implementing a complete game with a
team in each of the junior and senior capstone courses. This process requires research,
problem solving, teamwork, communication skills, project management, documentation,
design, prototyping, and testing to successfully complete the game projects. In GDD-325,
students are required to build and deliver a serious game to meet client requirements. In
GDD-450, students research and propose game ideas, create conceptual designs and
working prototypes to prove feasibility. In GDD-451, students create a finished, shippable
game.
Students have another major experiential learning opportunity when they participate in the
co-op/internship program. Although participation in this program has been voluntary up to
this point (but highly recommended), some students have participated. In response to
comments from the Program Advisory Board and accreditation agencies, co-op
participation is now required in the GDD-CS curriculum and a co-op, internship or field
experience will be required in the future for GDD-Art.
1.1.2 Describe program initiatives employed to support and/or increase student
enrollment, retention and graduation rates?
The GDD Program was approved by the Board of Regents in June 2009 with
concentrations in computer science and art. Students were accepted into the program
beginning in fall of 2009. The first year, there were only a few months between the
approval and the beginning of the school year, so there had been no time to market the
program to prospective students. By the second year, the number of students entering the
program had increased dramatically. In order to be able to deliver a quality program, we
instituted program admission requirements for students entering the program in fall 2011.
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The program is expected to continue to grow a little in the next few years, but is probably
leveling off.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
GDD-Art Students
21
66
77
89
96
108
GDD-CS Students
5
61
89
107
127
151
Total Students
26
127
166
196
223
259
The Board of Regents has given permission for the GDD-Art concentration to plan a
separate BFA Game Design and Development-Art program. The Authorization to
Implement is in the process of getting on-campus approval and will go to the Board of
Regents for approval in December. It is planned to be implemented in fall 2015. The BS
Game Design and Development will be renamed as BS Game Design and DevelopmentComputer Science to be effective when the split is complete.
GDD-Art
One-year Retention in Program
UW-Stout Average in Program
One-year Retention at UW-Stout
UW-Stout Average
2009
81%
57.9%
85.7%
74.6%
2010
48%
57.4%
66.7%
70.6%
2011
66.7%
57%
81.0%
69.2%
2012
68.5%
49.8%
71.9%
72.8%
GDD-CS
One-year Retention in Program
UW-Stout Average in Program
One-year Retention at UW-Stout
UW-Stout Average
2009
80%
57.9%
80%
74.6%
2010
57.8%
57.4%
73.3%
70.6%
2011
65.9%
57%
82.9%
69.2%
2012
66.4%
49.8%
76.6%
72.8%
Admissions standard initiated in fall 2011 has raised and stabilized the one-year retention
in program rate, which is higher than the average at UW-Stout. One-year retention in any
program at UW-Stout is also higher than the university average.
Currently the GDD program participates in Preview Days, individual preview visits,
STEM Career Day, Wisconsin Science Olympiad, UW-Stout Scholar Day, Summer PreCollege Program and various other special group visits to campus to help with program
enrollment. We have also traveled to participate in High School Career Days at
Menomonie High, Baldwin-Woodville High and Altoona High as well as an 8th Grade
Career Clusters Day for regional students at WITC-Rice Lake. All students who
participate in a co-op experience are required to present back at their high school or at
UW-Stout. This presentation is used as a recruiting tool for our program. Students discuss
the skills they have learned, courses they have taken, and how they applied these during
their co-op experience.
1.1.3
Describe, provide examples and explain how the program intentionally
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integrates diversity efforts, functions and contributes to the program in
support of Inclusive Excellence: “UW-Stout’s plan to intentionally integrate
diversity efforts into the core aspects of everything we do. Diversity is
broadly defined and includes, but is not limited to, race/ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, age and disability status.”
According to The Entertainment Software Association
(http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp), 48% of all game players are women. However,
the game development industry is not so evenly represented. The International Game
Developers Association states that women made up only 22% of the game industry
workforce in 2013, which was nearly doubled since 2009
(http://www.igda.org/news/179158/Press-Release-IGDA-Developer-Satisfaction-Surveyresults-are-released.htm). This is compounded by the fact that only 26% of computing
professionals in the 2013 workforce were women and only 12% of computer science
undergraduate degree recipients were women in 2012 according to National Center for
Women & Information Technology.
(http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/btn_02282014web.pdf). At UW-Stout,
there are 16.7% (16/96) of GDD-Art students and 3.9% (5/127) of GDD-CS students are
female.
In 2013-2014, 8.3% (8/96) of GDD-Art students and 10.2% (13/127) of GDD-CS students
were minorities. This is similar to the UW-Stout population in general which is 8.8%
(821/9286) minority students. The GDD program has conducted recruiting activities to
increase diversity by offering courses in Multicultural Student Services’ PreCollege
Program in 2009 and 2010. The PreCollege Program serves all Wisconsin students who
qualify for a Department of Public Instruction (DPI) scholarship (receive free or reduced
lunch at their school or are income-eligible).
The faculty and staff which support the GDD program are very diversified including
persons of different gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, modeling the benefits of
a diverse community.
Testing and classroom accommodations are made for students with disabilities, including
hiring student assistants to help students with disabilities.
1.1.4 Describe environmental sustainability initiatives embedded and supported
by the program: “UW-Stout’s attempt to make students, faculty, and staff
more aware of the importance of sustaining our environment through energy
conservation, waste reduction, and other measures that will not bring harm
to the environment, and to provide students with innovative research
opportunities in these areas.”
Due to the nature of our program, game design and development, computer science and
various other courses are paperless using D2L to post materials and grades. Students also
use the course management systems to submit assignments.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
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2.1 Curriculum Design
2.1.1
State the approved program objectives.
Original program objectives were approved by the Board of Regents in June 2009.
Upon completion of the B.S. in Game Design and Development, graduates will:
1. Have a basic understanding of the historical, cultural, sociological, and psychological aspects
of computer and video games.
2. Have a basic understanding of the narrative, visual, audio, and level design principles for
computer and video games.
3. Be able to work effectively in goal-oriented game development teams and have welldeveloped project leadership and management skills.
4. Have developed a solid portfolio illustrating their abilities and work experience. This may
include examples of industry experiences, research, writing samples and creative works.
5. Have experience in a complete realistic game design and development process through
participation in an interdisciplinary team-oriented game production project.
6. Show strong evidence of success as a team player with a variety of programmers, artists, and
other non-technical team members.
7. Have a clear understanding of current game technology.
In addition, students in the Computer Science concentration will:
1. Have an understanding of the mathematics, physics, computer science, software engineering,
and writing skills and concepts used in the design, development, and documentation of
computer software and video games.
2. Have developed the skills to be able to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies,
environments, and methodologies.
In addition, students in the Art concentration will:
1. Have an understanding of issues related to aesthetics, art and design theory, and critical
evaluation of artifacts.
2. Be able to synthesize creative ideas, concepts and technology toward the creation of
meaningful and compelling artistic artifacts.
The Game Design and Development—Computer Science concentration was accredited in August
2014 by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. This is the only Game Design and
Development program to be accredited under the computer science curriculum standards. To
meet ABET accreditation requirements, the program advisory board approved new program
educational objectives (PEOs).
The Game Design and Development Program develops computer scientists who are:
 In demand by employers
 Recognized for their ability to apply computing expertise
 Recognized for their leadership and teamwork skills
 Demonstrate an ability to learn and adapt to the changing environment created by societal
and technical influences
 Demonstrate continued career growth and professional development
The program must enable students to attain, by the time of graduation:
(a) An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline.
(b) An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements
appropriate to its solution.
(c) An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component,
or program to meet desired needs.
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(d) An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal.
(e) An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities.
(f) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
(g) An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations,
and society.
(h) Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development.
(i) An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practice.
(j) An ability to apply mathematical foundations, algorithmic principles, and computer science
theory in the modeling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates
comprehension of the tradeoffs involved in design choices.
(k) An ability to apply design and development principles in the construction of software systems
of varying complexity.
The Game Design and Development-Art concentration has received pre-authorization to convert
the current concentration to a B.F.A. in Game Design and Development-Art. The proposed
B.F.A. has submitted the following program objectives to conform to NASAD requirements.
Upon the completion of the program, the student will be able to:
1. Understand and apply knowledge, techniques, and methods necessary to become a
successful game designer and artist.
2. Define, understand, and identify the elements and principles of art and design and apply
them to a variety of art and design solutions within game design.
3. Have a basic understanding of the historical, cultural, sociological, and psychological
aspects of computer and video games.
4. Communicate successfully using various means, including speaking, writing, and graphic
communication.
5. Have a basic understanding of the narrative, visual, audio, and level design principles for
computer and video games.
6. Utilize industry standard software, equipment, production technologies and materials.
7. Apply methods and theory (best practices) through all research and development phases of
the art and design process.
8. Understand and apply standards of practice for the game design profession including ethics,
professional development, and business models.
9. Draw, model (digital 3D), animate and render using a variety of digital tools and techniques
used in the games industry.
10. Have developed a solid portfolio illustrating learned abilities and work experience. This may
include examples of industry experiences, research, and creative works.
11. Have experience in an advanced game design and development project through participation
in an interdisciplinary team-oriented game production pipeline.
12. Show strong evidence of success as a team player with a variety of programmers, artists, and
other non-technical team members.
2.1.2
Describe processes and initiatives employed in determining the need for
program revision?
The program constituencies consist of the faculty, Advisory Board, alumni, employers,
students and the state of Wisconsin.
Faculty: Stout faculty teaching core program courses and advising program students.
Advisory Board: The advisory board consists of faculty, alumni, employers and students.
The advisory board meets twice a year to discuss program issues.
Alumni: Graduates of the program are contacted by the UW-Stout office of Planning,
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Assessment, Research and Quality (PARQ). The graduates are provided surveys that are
used to assess whether program objectives are being met.
Employers: Companies that have and continue to hire program graduates. The PARQ office
surveys employers to assess whether program objectives are being met.
Students: Informal and formal methods of student feedback. Students have representation
on the program advisory board, and complete an exit survey during their final semester.
Each of these constituencies supplies important information for the direction of program.
The program faculty have primary responsibility for curriculum, instruction and advising of
the students. Faculty are also primarily responsible for direction of the laboratory facilities.
The Advisory Board is highly valued for immediate input related to the skills they are
seeking from graduates and making faculty aware of new practices in the industry. Alumni
can share a valuable perspective on what they feel their education has provided and allowed
them to proceed in their career. They are the product of the program and hopefully will
become strong supporters and donors. Employers demonstrate support for the program by
hiring well trained graduates and providing cooperative work experiences for current
students. Current students provide valuable feedback for program improvement because they
are immediately affected by changes in curriculum, facilities, faculty, advising, and many
times have very current industrial practice related to their cooperative work experience.
The diagram below shows the relationship between the Program Mission, the Program
Educational Objectives (PEOs) and the Student Outcomes. Constituents have a direct line of
input into the PEOs though participation in advisory boards; student, employer and alumni
surveys; faculty meetings and informal feedback to the faculty and program director.
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2.1.3
Check all that apply regarding the program:
_x_Traditional, on campus program
___Offsite location
___Online program
2.1.4
Briefly describe the components of your program where students
participate in scholarly activity such as: research, scholarship, experiential
learning and creative endeavor. “programs are presented through an
approach to learning which involves combining theory, practice and
experimentation” (UW-Stout’s Mission Statement)
As mentioned earlier, all students in the program participate in experiential learning and
creative endeavor through a series of capstone classes (GDD 325, GDD 450, and GDD
451). These courses are designed to simulate an industry environment where the students
work together in interdisciplinary teams with instructors from both disciplines, developing
entertainment and serious video games from ideation to release to the public.
Beginning fall 2014, participation in the co-op program is required by all GDD-CS
students. Co-op/internship or field experience will also be required by all GDD-Art
students upon authorization by UW-System to implement the BFA. With that said,
voluntary co-op participation has yielded an average GDD co-op pay rate for students of
$16.01/hour in 2012-2013.
Because of the nature of the disciplines in the GDD program (art/design and computer
science), many of the required courses are lab, project, or studio courses allowing students
hands-on experience starting as freshmen and continuing throughout their years at UWStout.
2.1.5
Does your program currently have an accreditation or certification agency
that reviews the program? If so, which agency and to what extent does it
influence the structure of the curriculum?
Each concentration has a different accreditation agency with specific curriculum
requirements which are very different from each other. This is a driving reason for the
pre-authorization of a B.F.A. in Game Design and Development-Art. The B.F.A. in Game
Design and Development-Art proposal modifies the concentration curriculum slightly to
meet National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) Handbook 2013-14
(NASAD14) guidelines to conform to NASAD accreditation, while addressing the
concern NASAD expressed regarding the title of the degree in relation to the curriculum
content.
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers-Computer Society (IEEE-CS) created a joint task force on
Computing Curricula and released the Computer Science Curricula 2013 (CS2013)
guidelines. The B.S. in Game Design and Development—Computer Science
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concentration curriculum content is designed to meet ABET accreditation requirements as
previously stated, as well as meet these guidelines.
Both the B.F.A. and B.S. curriculum requirements also conform to the International Game
Developer’s Association’s (IGDA) most recent Curriculum Framework for the Study of
Games and Game Development (CFSGGD).
2.2 Faculty/Academic Staff Expertise
2.2.1 List key instructors in the program. A key instructor is one who teaches at
least one required professional course in your program (this should be the
combined faculty of Key A and Key B who were surveyed by the PRC).
Terrence Mason
Wan Bae
Amitava Karmaker
Brent Dingle
Dennis Schmidt
Seth Berrier
James Dean
David Beck
Kevin Pontuti
2.2.2 What additional faculty/academic staff expertise is needed?
One of the major strengths of the program is having students from 2 disciplines
(Art/Design & Computer Science) and faculty from 2 disciplines (Art/Design & Computer
Science) working together in the capstone courses. By having faculty work together, it sets
an example for the students and they are able to see the faculty "walk the talk" while they
are having the students from both disciplines work together. The combined classes
simulate the industry standard, in that art/design students work together with the computer
science students to create a good end product.
Unfortunately, the capstone courses have not been consistently staffed by permanent
Art/Design faculty. Last year and this year, although the computer science instructors
have been faculty, the Art/Design instructors for GDD courses have been temporary
academic staff. This is currently being address with a search in the Design department
with a new faculty position. We are just beginning to see the larger freshmen classes
hitting the upper level courses. As the number of sections increase, we may need to
address this issue again.
With the increasing demand for computer science courses by other majors on campus as
well as the GDD-CS program, the number of computer science faculty are insufficient to
cover the all CS and GDD courses that need to be offered currently. This need is being
addressed in the short-term by the MSCS department using a vacant Mathematics position
for a computer science faculty search. This is in addition to a current computer science
adjunct staff member that will continue to be needed. Long-term, additional computer
science faculty positions will be needed by this department. Additional course offerings
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need to be developed and taught to keep up with the ever increasing variety of technical
demands of the industry. We must also meet the demand for upper level electives in
computer science as indicated by our program advisory board and student surveys (see
section 3.3). With faculty already stretched to the limit and current deficiency in the
number of computer science positions, this situation will only get worse in the future. If
we do not adjust to the demand, the quality of the program will suffer and students will go
elsewhere.
2.3 Facilities
2.3.1
Describe facilities and or capital equipment currently used and how it
supports or strengthens the program? What program specific facilities
(unique classrooms, labs, additional space involving minor construction)
have been requested and provided?
On the GDD-Art side, MICH 176 received new Macs and a new PC lab was created in
MICH 178 this summer through Lab Mod funding. On the GDD-CS side, JHSW 316
received new PCs this summer through Lab Mod funding as well. However, there needs
to be a long-term plan for replacement of computers other than hoping to receive lab mod
funding. Even with the lab mod funding that we received, we are still in need of another
computer lab. Although the GDD-Art students have access to both a Mac and a PC lab,
the computer science students have no opportunity for experience with Apple products.
The laptops they receive are PC and there is no Mac lab available to them, restricting the
creation of games and apps to mobile devices that use the Android operating system. The
MICH 176 Mac lab is booked with classes for the School of Art and Design and is not
available for use by the computer science students in the GDD-CS concentration. Lack of
iOS knowledge and experience puts our students at a disadvantage when they are
competing for full-time and co-op positions, as well as creating a gap in their knowledge
as compared to the current industry expectations. We need a lab with 25 Mac stations and
software for use on the computer science side of the program.
The need for a long-term plan for computer lab replacement has been recognized outside
of this university. Facilities were noted as a concern in the ABET accreditation report for
the GDD-CS concentration. “Since there is no lifecycle replacement plan for computers in
the program’s upper-level computer laboratory, the potential exists for the program’s
computer laboratories to fall short of student needs over time.” This short-fall is already
being experienced by the program’s computer science students with a lack of access to
iOS. This problem will compound when the current labs need to be refreshed again.
2.3.2
What added facilities needs (if any) such as unique classrooms, labs,
additional space involving minor construction exist in the program?
The GDD-CS students do not have access to Macs. This is a problem since many games
are designed for Apple products such as iPads and iPhones. Students cannot get
programming experience with this platform since programs that run on iOS cannot be
created on PCs. A Mac lab for the GDD-CS students is essential if we want our students
to be competitive upon graduation. Currently they are missing key skills that are now
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essential in the industry. Closing this skill gap will require the addition of Mac hardware
and software as well as a dedicated lab space with a layout conducive to teamwork. It
will create a teaching lab in which students can learn to program in Cocoa and objective C
as required for iPad and iPhone apps. It can also be used for students who create games in
commercial game engines to export the game to multiple platforms including iOS. This
will allow students to understand differences in software requirements for different
hardware configurations. As stated above, we need a lab with 25 Mac stations and
software for use on the computer science side of the program.
2.4 Resources for the Program
2.4.1
Evaluate the quality, relevance, and quantity of the library resources to
support the program. Include a brief statement as to how these needs
have been met by the library.
Library resources are adequate for the GDD program. The addition of the Gaming and
Digital Innovation Lab is a great resource for our students. Most journals are now
available online and have decreased the use of the resources through the library. However,
the program sends lists of books requested to help support the program. Our most recent
request was last spring and was fulfilled. Resources such as Lynda.com and Digital Tutors
are also very valuable to students in the program.
2.4.2
List any special resources used to meet program and/or student needs such
as: Learning Technology Services for curriculum materials development,
ASPIRE, Research Services, Advisement Center, Disability Services,
Multicultural Student Services, etc.
Currently the department owns two servers maintained by LTS and has four servers
locally to help support class activities and ongoing research. The four local servers are
currently maintained by staff members of the MSCS department.
Our program also encourages all faculty/staff to work closely with the ASPIRE office to
ensure courses are accessible to all students. With the large use of laptops in the program,
it is essential to maintain open communication with their office.
Faculty/staff supporting the program also make use of the Nakatani Teaching and
Learning Center for implementing innovative teaching methods and impacts of technology
in the classroom.
2.4.3
Describe other resources (if any) needed to meet the program objectives?
As mentioned before, a Mac lab for computer science students is required. Student should
also be exposed to other equipment that allows for user interaction with games beyond the
keyboard, mouse, or game controller. This will require acquisition of equipment such as
touch screen/mobile devices, Oculus Rift, Kinect, etc. Sound considerations for games are
currently poorly addressed. Sound engineering equipment and a room that is sound proof
will be needed to improve this facet of the students’ knowledge.
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3.
Quality of the graduates of the program
3.1 Describe program graduate demand and/or anticipated changes or trends
impacting the future demand.
National projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm) indicate that: “the employment of software
developers and web developers is expected to grow approximately 20.1 - 22.8% between
2012 and 2022. The employment of multimedia artists, animators, graphic designers, and
other designers is expected to grow approximately 6.3-8% between 2012 and 2022.”
Projections from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
(http://worknet.wisconsin.gov/worknet/default.aspx) predicts a 21.9 percent increase in the
number of computer software application engineers and a 11.1 percent increase in the
number of multimedia artists and animators from 2010-2020.
3.2 Interpret the data provided by the Planning, Assessment, Research and Quality
(PARQ) office of the alumni follow-up surveys.
The program began in 2009, so students graduating in 2012 did so when the program was
only 3 years old. None of these students entered as freshmen into the program, but were
transfer or change of major students. There were only 7 GDD program graduates in 2012;
all were students in the GDD-Art concentration. Of the seven graduates, only 2 responded
to the alumni one-year follow-up survey. However, there were also 8 students taking the
GDD-CS coursework on the computer science side of the program that also graduated in
2012. These students were in the GDD concentration of the Applied Math and Computer
Science program. This is where the GDD program was housed when they entered the
program in 2008 (prior to GDD program creation). They did not transfer to the GDD
program after it was created since the curriculum did not change. Because they were not
in the newly created GDD program, they were not included in this survey. The very small
sample of 2 out of the 15 students who graduated that year was not very representative of
the group as a whole.
Of the responders, one student was employed as a part-time game artist, the other student
was employed part-time outside the major. This had a direct effect on the responses with
one student rating the overall effectiveness of the program as satisfactory and the other
ranking it as very low. When asked if you have to do it again, one student would
definitely enroll in the same program at UW-Stout and the other student would definitely
not. However, both students indicated that they were better prepared by their education at
UW-Stout compared to other people from other colleges. The cost of that education as
well as investment of time and effort was exceptional to one of the students and acceptable
to the other.
One student noted program strengths as the knowledgeable, helpful instructors who
worked really hard to teach and prepare students for the industry. The other student noted
working with a real world client as a strength. When asked how UW-Stout could improve
its education and services, it was noted that as a new program we are working to connect
with potential employers, but that industry connections are an area for improvement.
Other comments indicate that more focus should be placed on portfolio creation,
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developing a student's personal strengths, and teaching them how to market
themselves/build a web presence. One student wanted to focus less on group projects.
The classes to which these comments refer have already been refined to address some of
these issues.
3.3 Interpret program specific surveys (students, faculty and advisory committee)
conducted by the Planning and Review Committee.
This section provides an analysis of data collected by the PARQ office of the student,
faculty, and program advisory board surveys.
Student surveys:
The GDD program had 115 students who were surveyed for this report with 30 responding
(26% response rate). Out of the 30 who responded they were split evenly among juniors
and seniors. On a scale of 1 to 5 for their questions, all mean scores were higher than a
3.5, with the highest scores in enhancing critical thinking skills, enhancing problem
solving skills, accessibility of professors, and professors achieving stated objectives in
course syllabi.
Strengths listed are knowledgeable and helpful faculty/staff, course content related to their
concentration, rigor of program, and job preparedness. In general many of the weaknesses
mentioned have to do with the newness and quick growth of the program. Weakness
mentioned include the need for better lab equipment, additional courses in the program,
more industry veterans, availability and scheduling of courses, and keeping current with
new technology.
Faculty surveys:
The GDD program had 9 faculty who were surveyed for this report with 7 responding
(78% response rate). Faculty surveyed are from two different areas, art/design and
computer science. Some instructors teach only in their discipline, but some instructors
from each discipline also teach GDD courses. For these instructors, turnover has been an
issue. In the last five years, 5 of the 10 instructors who taught GDD courses are no longer
teaching at UW-Stout.
On a scale of 0 to 5, all aspects of the program listed were rated at a 3.5 or higher with the
exception being quality of classroom facilities which was rated at 3.29. This may have
been related to the comments about ventilation issues, which have been resolved, and
comments about classroom layout not being conducive to team work. Highest scores were
in clerical support, program director leadership, and communication with the program
director. Faculty are pleased with library resources. The biggest strength of the program
is the collaboration between the disciplines. Integration of art and computer science
students working on teams under the guidance of instructors from both departments was a
theme that was reiterated in every comment.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this program, communication between
departments in two different colleges will continue to be an opportunity for improvement
for both sides. The collaboration required to keep this interdisciplinary program
integrated is extremely important to the success of the program. As the art concentration
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moves to a B.F.A., collaboration between the programs will become more critical to the
success of GDD’s future at UW-Stout. Although the program has grown considerably in
the last five years, resources have not. As large number of students are becoming upper
classmen and taking more program courses, there is a need for multiple sections in upper
level courses for the first time. This requires faculty and departmental supply budgets.
Competition with other growing programs that these departments serve will affect the
scheduling of courses, therefore student progress. Continually changing faculty and
technology is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Game development is exceptionally
demanding and requires the ability to respond to technology changes quickly. Lab mod
funding has addressed some short-term hardware needs, but a long-term plan for
hardware/software updates needs to be put into place. More faculty positions should be
created to address turnover and ability to create and schedule new courses and additional
sections of existing courses to address student demand.
Program advisory board surveys:
The GDD program advisory board is made up of students (both concentrations),
faculty/staff (School of Art and Design and Math, Statistics, and Computer Science
Department) and industry professionals. Since students and faculty had separate surveys,
only industry professionals were included in this survey. The GDD program had 7
industry professionals who were surveyed for this report with 4 responding (57% response
rate), most of whom have been on the committee since the beginning of the program. Our
program board meets every semester to discuss the current state of the program, any
revisions or changes, and open discussion on future plans. The industry representatives
unanimously agreed that meeting twice a year is sufficient, that they are well informed of
program data, and that they have had the opportunity to provide recommendations that
impact program decisions leading to the improvement of the program.
Strengths listed include the interdisciplinary classes, strong foundations in chosen
discipline, broad overview of different topics, and quality of staff and students.
Opportunities for improvement indicated were a lack of higher level electives on the
computer science side of the program, a need for a course addressing the business side of
creating games/opening a studio and the need for additional funding for the program.
There was also concern that the introductory course was no longer team taught since this
is where the students are given a view into the process that carries forward into their
careers, setting the groundwork for art and computer science students to work together.
Overall the industry professionals were pleased with the program, faculty, and students.
4.
Program evidence of continuous improvement
4.1 Describe program strengths distinguishing it from similar programs. Describe
and explain program weaknesses?
One of the biggest strengths of the program is the interdisciplinary classes that simulate
industry by integrating art and computer science students who work in teams under the
guidance of instructors from both departments to create fully-functional games. GDD is a
rigorous program that provides students with a strong foundation, a broad overview of
different topics, and depth in their chosen discipline to prepare them for careers in
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industry. The quality of the program is demonstrated in the quality of the staff and
students. In just 5 years, the program has gone from being approved by the Board of
Regents to a large program of over 250 students with international accomplishments.
 2013 E3 College Game Competition Winner—Flash Frozen, senior capstone project
 Ranked by the Princeton Review in 2013 as a Top Undergraduate Game Design
Program
 2014 CHI-Play International Student Game Competition finalist
 Ranked by Animation Career Review in 2014 as a Top Undergraduate Game Design
Program
 The B.S. Game Design and Development - Computer Science concentration was
accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET in 2014 under the
Computer Science curriculum criteria, making it the only Game Design program to
achieve this standing.
The need for continual communication between the faculty of departments in two different
colleges will continue to be the biggest challenge to keeping the program successful. As
the program separates into a B.F.A. and a B.S., collaboration between the programs has
the potential to become the biggest weakness in the program. Because the program is
new, there are still many course offerings that are needed. The industry requirement of
responding to rapidly changing technology requiring a long-term plan to fund equipment
is a weakness that has been noted by ABET accreditation. The rapid growth of the
program requiring more faculty and funding, has put strains on the resources of both
departments. We will continue to work with administration in both colleges to create
solutions to the weaknesses that have been identified by students, faculty/staff, and our
industry professionals on the advisory board.
4.2 Submit evidence of program response to the concerns and recommendations
from previous program review.
This is the first program review.
4.3 In the next seven years, what major improvements or changes are planned for
implementation to improve program quality?
A Notice of Intent has been approved by UW-System to change the B.S. Game Design
and Development-Art concentration to a stand-alone B.F.A. Game Design and
Development-Art program to meet NASAD accreditation requirements. The
Authorization to Implement is scheduled to be considered by the UW-System Board of
Regents in December.
Additional courses in each concentration as well as a sophomore level GDD course will be
implemented. This is the result of input from our industry representatives at the last
program advisory meeting.
The acquisition of a Mac lab for the computer science students is critical to the quality of
the program. Additional courses will be developed to make use of this resource. As the
game industry continues to change and expand, we will need to explore other new
technologies in order to keep our students competitive.
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5.
Attachments - Include electronic links to the following:
5.1 Links of specific program information to be included:
 Current assessment in the major
o https://info.uwstout.edu/UWStout%20Document%20Library/Quality/Univer
sity%20Assessment/Undergraduate%20Assessment%20in%20the%20Major
/2013/UndergraduateAssessmentintheMajorReport20130430.pdf
 Program plan sheet 2014
o Art concentration
http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsgdd/upload/bsgdd_art_pp14.pdf
o CS concentration
http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsgdd/upload/bsgdd_cs_pp14.pdf
 Individual program facts
o Current program advisory committee
http://www.uwstout.edu/curr/committees/progradvisory/index.cfm
 Authorization to Implement BFA Game Design and Development-Art
o http://www.uwstout.edu/curr/committees/cic/upload/Oct14CIC.pdf
 Other items that may be helpful to PRC