“Collaborative Learning via 3-D Game Development” by Ault, Nakra, Pearson, Sanders and Wolz

The tremendous growth of the 3-D, first person video game genre provided a vehicle through which to create a one-year, upper level undergraduate experience in multidisciplinary, highly collaborative software design and implementation. We report on a team-taught course that encompassed concepts from the contributing disciplines of computer science, digital media, film, theater and music. The learning environment balanced individual experiential skills development with reflective analysis of media implementation as our students built a media-rich interactive game. This panel provides four perspectives on the design and execution of the course and resulting game from our contributing areas: computer science (Wolz), digital art (Sanders), music/sound technology (Nakra), and writing (Pearson). As moderator, Ault, whose own work is at the intersection of our fields, provides a unifying perspective.