Schedule & Instructions
Course Activities
All class sessions take place in Studium, with the exceptions of group playtest and feedback sessions, which transpire in a video conferencing software of your choice. Uppsala supports Zoom for student use.
All activities and homework assignments are listed in the Course Calendar in sequential, chronological order. Modules are also organized in sequential order. To find a specific assignment or due date scroll down or use CTRL-F and search.
This course integrates asynchronous and synchronous virtual exchange activities between multiple universities in a program called ROCKET. The asynchronous ROCKET activities are compulsory unless otherwise states. Synchronous ROCKET activities are usually given an alternative written assignment for students who cannot attend over Zoom (but synchronous sessions are highly recommended).
All activities are compulsory unless marked Optional in the Course Calendar. You will need to plan 20 hours a week for all activities, e.g., the equivalent of a 50% job, so please plan your schedule accordingly. We have done our best to weigh the time it will take to complete your homework each week, including the relative complexity of the materials. Some days you will have more videos, whereas others you will have more readings.
- Submit all deliverables in the corresponding links in the Units under Modules.
- You must complete all requirements of assignments, including replies to your peers, for full credit.
- Optional assignments will be marked accordingly in the Course Calendar. They enable you to achieve a Pass with Distinction instead of a Pass so you can make decisions about your workload.
- All assignments are due the end class on the day assigned, i.e. Mondays at 11:59pm in your time zone. When possible, please post the night before to make sure your peers have time to read your posts.
- If your country has a holiday on a due date, complete your work on the next work day.
- All discussion posts require replies to two peers, which should should be in Ask a Question, Answer a Question format, as described in the Unit instructions.
- Plagiarism and the use of generative AI for writing tasks is not permitted in any courses in the Transformative Game Design Master’s and may result in disciplinary measures.
Rules for Absence & Compulsory Elements:
The course requires consistent engagement on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, especially in forum discussions. In order to pass this course, you must achieve a Pass or Pass with Distinction on the majority of your assignments (see below). Instructors have the right to require specific assignments be completed to pass the course, e.g., Major Assignments. If you need to be absent, please notify your instructor(s) over email immediately to help you create a plan for your success.
Assignments, Deadlines and Attempts:
Each Assignment in this course has a re-exam offered 45 days after the original due date. Re-exams requires that you apply to be made part of the assessment. Contact your instructor over email for approval to turn in any late work.
If you fall behind in Transformative Game Design courses, you are permitted to turn in work late, but you may incur a grade penalty. If you must prioritize assignments, please focus on the time sensitive assignments that involve your peers, i.e. playtests, peer reviews, and discussion forums. Make sure to email your instructor(s) for guidance on getting back on track in the course.
Rules for Group Work:
Students are expected to join a group under People in the first week and engage in all playtests by the required due dates. Refer to the Schedule to take note of these dates.
If for some reason playtesting is not possible with the group, please contact the instructor immediately to see if you can find a solution. We recommend joining the student-run course Discord to work out solutions before contacting the instructor. Abandoning group members without making other arrangements is not an option.
If the group experiences issues destructive for the learning environment, please contact the Course Responsible. Failing to be a functional part of a group may lead to removal from the group and failing the group assignment, if grading criteria pertain to performing within a group context.
Grading Criteria and Weighting:
For the grade Pass, students are required to achieve the grade Pass on the two Major Assignments. Please review the assignment instructions and Grading Rubric for details. Students may revise each paper twice.
Students must also receive an overall average grade of Pass or Complete for all other assignments (Discussions, Journals, and Game Design Document). In this course, an overall grade of Pass on these assignments is 70% in the Assignments Weighted Total.
Students must also take part in all playtests and provide one (1) peer review for a member of their playtest group, provided that member submits on time.
From Fall 2024: For the grade Pass with Distinction, students are required to achieve the grade Pass with Distinction on the two Major Assignments. Please review the assignment instructions and Grading Rubric for details. Students may revise each paper twice.
Students must also receive an overall average grade of Pass with Distinction or Complete for all other assignments (Discussions and Journals). In this course, an overall grade of Pass with Distinction on these assignments is 85% in the Assignments Weighted Total. A grade of Complete is also needed for the Game Design Document.
Students must also take part in all playtests and provide peer reviews for all members of their playtest group, provided the members submit on time. (2 reviews in groups of 3 total including the reviewer; 3 reviews in groups of 4 total).
In exceptional circumstances, based on conduct within the online classroom or toward teachers, the instructor reserves the right to lower a student’s grade.
Supervision and Tutoring:
For help with course content, please email the instructor. For help with writing, please contact the online linked Language Workshop. Note you should contact the Language Workshop earlier rather than later to be able to get help during peak periods.
Expected Entry Skills:
You are expected to be able to read and write in English, as well as to learn to navigate the Learning Management System, Studium. Knowledge of games and design will be helpful, but not necessary.
Feedback:
In this course, you will receive brief feedback on discussion posts and journals. You will receive feedback on your Major Assignments, which generally be a paragraph of comments in addition to how you were assessed in relation to each of the grading criteria based upon an attached rubric.
Technical Requirements:
You are expected to have a functional computer running either MacOS or Windows (not tablets), for the duration of the course. You must have reliable internet access throughout the week and the ability to run Zoom and watch videos at sufficient bandwidth.
Rules for generative AI:
You may not use AI tools in this class. We would much rather read a post with imperfect spelling and grammar or structure than a post that was constructed largely by a computer. An exception is spelling/grammar checker in Google Docs or Word.
See the Department Standards for the general rules for using generative AI.