CS 3500 - Game Development

Syllabus for Fall 2025

Class Times: Section 1 of CS 3500(40496) meets MWF from 10:00 to 10:50 in Smith 113. Final is Wednesday December 10 from 9:00 to 10:50.

Instructor: Barton T. Stander, Professor of Computer Science
E-MAIL: bart.stander@utahtech.edu
PHONE: 435.652.7973
OFFICE: Holland 452.
Fall, 2025 Office Hours:

• M from 9:00 to 9:50 and from 2:00 to 2:50
• W from 9:00 to 9:50
• R from 1:00 to 2:50
• Whenever you can find me
• Or by appointment

House Rules: DO NOT's: Don't do anything that would diminish the learning environment of another student. Don't play computer games. Don't browse the internet. Don't talk on your cell phone. Don't talk loudly or much at all while I'm lecturing.
DO's: Be Polite and courteous. Help the student next to you (quietly). Take a nap, if you need one. Read a book, if you are bored. Ask questions, if you are lost. Correct me, if I make mistakes.

Lab hours: Click here

Course fee: $20, used to assist in maintaining CIT infrastructure.

Course Description: For students pursuing degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or others with an interest in 3D Game Design and Development. Uses a modern 3D Game Engine.

Prerequisites:  CS 3005 (Grade C or higher)

Objectives: At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

• Develop GUI software in a variety of environments. [CS/SE PLO #1, #2]
• Interview with local software companies with jargon and skill sets that are meaningful to them. [CS/SE PLO #1, #2, SE PLO #5]
• Debug software using at least one integrated development environment. [SE PLO #1, #2]
• Profile software to find where it is running slowly. [SE PLO #1, #2]
• Publish software using GIT. [SE PLO #1, #2]

Resources: There is no required text for this course. We will be using the Unity 3D Game Development System this semester, which is free. There are several links and other readings given through the course.

Attendance:  Students are responsible for material covered and announcements made in class.  School related absences may be made up only if prior arrangements are made. The class schedule presented is approximate.  The instructor reserves the right to modify the schedule according to class needs.  Changes will be announced in class.

Labs: There will be Teaching Assistants (student tutors) in the Smith Computer Center that may be helpful, especially in the beginning Computing courses.

Tests:  There may be one or two midterms and a comprehensive final. Tests will likely be extensions of homework assignments, so be sure to keep backups of all of your work.

Homework:  Homework will be graded on accuracy of function. Homework is due at 11:59p.m. on the date listed in the schedule, or as stated by the instructor during class. I cannot over emphasize the importance of starting early and getting all your assignments done before their due date. Programs that do not run correctly will receive no credit.

Ways to Turn In Homework:

• Show it to Teaching Assistant, if there is one assigned to your class. The Smith lab and TA hours will be announced and posted.
• Show it to the instructor during his office hours, or by appointment.

Late Policy: Assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. on the date specified in the schedule, or due as announced in class. I will allow a generous one week grace period to find me or a TA to pass off, but do not abuse this week. The assignments should be done when they are due. After the grace week, assignments will not receive any credit.
If you need to be gone on a test day, you must work that out with me in advance. Otherwise you cannot makeup the test.

Time Commitment:  Courses at Utah Tech University should require about 45 hours of work per credit hour of class.  Thus, a three credit class is designed to require about 135 hours of work on the part of the student.  If you don’t have the time to spend on this course, you should probably rethink your schedule.

Cheating:  Cheating is turning in homework assignments or test answers that are not the student’s work. It doesn't matter whether the student copies from another student, from the Internet, or from an AI engine. It's all cheating. While it may seem harmless, or even necessary, it hurts society and especially the individuals who engage in it more than most realize. I went through my entire 10 years of college without cheating even once. You can, too. Or at least you can, starting from right now. Please always choose your personal integrity over quick points, even if that means you'll have to retake a class.

Proper use of Humans: You are encouraged to work in groups while studying for tests, discussing class lectures, discussing algorithms for homework solutions, and helping each other identify errors in your homework. However, each student must create and type in their own solution.  Any kind of copying and pasting is NOT okay.  If you need help understanding concepts, get it from the instructor, the tutors, fellow classmates, or even an AI engine (be careful!).  But never copy another’s code, either electronically or visually. Likewise, copying code from the internet is considered cheating.

Proper use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) :  While AI tools are powerful and can generate correct answers for many problems in this course, the goal of this class is for YOU to learn, not to see whether AI can do your homework for you. AI can write simple programs, but it cannot replicate the reasoning, debugging, and adaptability, and experience required in real-world programming environments. If you rely too heavily on AI, you may pass early assignments but you will not build the foundational skills needed to succeed in later courses or in the workplace. It would be absurd to believe you could master the piano, painting, or dance, just using AI. Likewise, to master computer science or just about any topic, you will need hands-on experience, including Many hours of practice, practice, practice! That said, using AI as a coach or study aid can be extremely helpful, especially when used responsibly. For example, you may:

      "Use AI to learn - not to avoid learning." Author - ChatGPT

      "AI Is an Augmenter, Not a Replacer." Author - ChatGPT

Cheating Summary: If you cannot recreate your assignments from scratch without help from humans, Internet code, or AI engines, then your solution is not your own work. Remember that turning in someone else's work is my definition of cheating. If you cannot explain what every line of your code does, then at some point you crossed the line from "getting help" to "getting the answer." If you realize or suspect that you got too much "inappropriate help", then no problem. Get additional "legitimate learning help," and try again if you can redo it by yourself. Repeat until you can. Then you are ready to submit.
NOTE: Tests will be given in class and usually written on paper to help ensure that you are actually learning.

Grading: Tests are worth more than homework assignments. It is easy to find homework solutions. The heavier weight on tests is intended to motivate you to understand those solutions.

Important Dates: For University-wide dates see: https://catalog.utahtech.edu/academiccalendar/

Disability/Accessibility Resources: UT welcomes all students and strives to make the learning experience accessible. If you are a student with a medical, psychological, or learning disability that may require accommodations for this course, you are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as soon as possible. You may request reasonable accommodations at any time during the semester; however, they are not retroactive. The DRC is located next door to the Testing Center in the North Commons Building (435-652-7516, drc@utahtech.edu, drcenter@utahtech.edu).

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Should you or someone you know experience behavior that is coercive, discriminatory, harassing, and or sexually violent in nature, or if you or someone you know has questions about their rights and options regarding such behavior, you are encouraged to contact:
- Hazel Sainsbury, Dir. Of Equity Compliance, Title IX Coordinator: 435-652-7747 (ext. 7747) hazel.sainsbury@utahtech.edu ; titleix@utahtech.edu
Incidents may also be reported directly to law enforcement, either separately or in conjunction with any report made to the University's Title IX Coordinator, and the University will aid in making contact if requested.
- Utah Tech University Police: 435-275-4300 or by calling 9-1-1.
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