CS 528: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality - Spring 2024


INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Andy Johnson

Electronic Visualization Laboratory
2032 Engineering Research Facility (ERF)

ajohnson@uic.edu
www.evl.uic.edu/aej
(312) 996-3002

Lecture: 36788 T/Th 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm on campus in 2068 ERF
Office Hours: T/Th 4:45 pm - 6 pm on campus in CAVE2 and by appointment


COURSE WEB SITE:

all of the class material is available at the course web site https://www.evl.uic.edu/aej/528/


COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will focus on learning about current research topics in virtual reality and augmented reality including hardware, applications, middleware, user experiences, and societal issues and how these topic's put into VR and AR's historical context.

Goals:

Activities:


COURSE MATERIALS:

There is no official textbook but there will be a number of assigned paper readings and two optional textbooks

 
Understanding VR cover
Understanding Virtual Reality: Interface, Application, and Design, 2nd Edition

William Sherman and Alan Craig

Morgan Kaufmann

ISBN-13: 978-0128009659
ISBN-10: 012800965

VR Developer Gems

CRC Press

William Sherman

ISBN-13: 978-1138030121
ISBN-10: 1138030120


PREREQUISITES:

You should have a solid grasp of programming in a language like C / C++ / Java  / Python, basic data structures, experience writing code in groups, testing, version control, and patterns.

Standard departmental disclaimer: If you do not have the prerequisites for this course make sure that you drop this course right away. The department will verify the prerequisites for all students registered in this course during the first few weeks of the term and if you do not have the prerequisites, you will be notified and dropped from the course after the normal drop/add period. By that time, you will not be able to enroll in any new course.

If you want to add the course during week 2 you will need to send me an email.

REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY:

You will need access to a reasonably modern laptop computer with a modern graphics card. You will need root / admin access on this machine to be able to install free software. During class time you will use SAGE3 on your laptop to interact with the classroom wall to present and comment on research papers. You will also need to run the Unity3D game engine to develop a virtual reality application to run on evl's CAVE2 hybrid reality environment. You will likely need to be able to run other free software packages such as audacity for audio and blender for 3D model creation. You will need a 3 button mouse to effectively interact with Unity.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

(the relative amount of time given to the different presentations may change depending on the number of students in the class at the end of week 2)

Week
Projects
Topics
1
1/9 & 1/11

Intro to the Course, Demos, Tools
2
1/16 & 1/18
Project out
Overview of VR and AR
3
1/23 & 1/25

Overview continued
4
1/30 & 2/1

🎤Classic Paper Discussions
5
2/6 & 2/8

🎤Classic Paper Discussions
6
2/13 & 2/15
Project phase 1 due
🎤Classic Paper Discussions
7
2/20 & 2/22
paper choice due 🎤Classic Paper Discussions
8
2/27 & 2/29

🎤Recent Paper Presentations
9
3/5 & 3/7

🎤Recent Paper Presentations
10 3/12 & 3/14
  🎤Recent Paper Presentations
🌴 3/19 & 3/21
🌴 Spring Break 🌴 🌴 Spring Break 🌴
11
3/26 & 3/28

🎤Recent Paper Presentations & Project testing (4/9 & 4/11)
12
4/2 & 4/4

Project testing (4/16 & 4/18) & Project testing (4/23 & 4/25)
13
4/9 & 4/11
Project due 🎤Project Presentations
14
4/16 & 4/18
  🎤Project Presentations
15
4/23 & 4/25

🎤Project Presentations

"so much time, so little to see ... wait a minute, strike that, reverse it" -- Willy Wonka


ATTENDANCE:

Attendance is very important, but not mandatory. Part of your grade will be based on your in-class participation (i.e. asking good questions, making good comments) so please take that into account.

I will occasionally send out emails to the class using your UIC email address so please make sure that you are checking for email from that account every day or two. 

I will be putting all of my notes on the web, however these notes should not be considered official until the day of class. If I make any major changes to a page afterwards, then I will announce it in class, but note that at the bottom of each page is a modification date so you should be able to tell when the notes were last modified. I try to ensure that the notes on the web accurately reflect the lecture, but its what is discussed in class that counts, not what's written in the notes.


"Those who are absent are always wrong." - African proverb


ASSIGNMENTS:

The best way to learn about VR is to make VR applications. There will be one project, discussions on classic VR and AR papers, a presentation on a recent research paper about VR or AR, and points for class participation.

You will be making a short presentation about each of your projects to the class. If the project is not done then you can't present it, so late assignments lose 50% per day - if something is turned in within 24 hours after the deadline then the max score is 50 points out of 100; after that its a 0. Assignment deadlines will not be extended for any reason other than a headline in the Tribune or Sun Times describing an army of undead ghouls walking the streets of Chicago eating people. In order to get an A a student must get a passing grade on all the projects.

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand" - Chinese proverb


GENERAL POLICIES:

UIC values diversity and inclusion. Regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic background, religion, political ideology, language, or culture, we expect all members of this class to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of our class. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion, engagement,accurate assessment or achievement, please notify me as soon as possible

UIC is committed to full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of university life. If you face or anticipate disability-related barriers while at UIC, please connect with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at drc.uic.edu, via email at drc@uic.edu, or call (312) 413-2183 to create a plan for reasonable accommodations. In order to receive accommodations, you will need to disclose the disability to the DRC, complete an interactive registration process with the DRC, and provide me with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Upon receipt of an LOA, I will gladly work with you and the DRC to implement approved accommodations.

The University Holidays and Religious Observances calendar can be found online at http://oae.uic.edu/religious-calendar/ I will make every effort to avoid requiring student projects be submitted on religious holidays. If you wish to observe your religious holidays, please notify me by the tenth day of the semester of the date when you will be absent unless the religious holiday is observed on or before the tenth day of the semester. In such cases, please notify me at least five days in
advance of the date when you will be absent. I will make every reasonable effort to honor your request and not penalize you for missing the class. If an examination or project is due during your absence, you will be given an exam or assignment equivalent to the one completed by those students in attendance. Students may appeal through campus grievance procedures for religious accommodations

UIC is an academic community committed to providing an environment in which research, learning, and scholarship can flourish and in which all endeavors are guided by academic and professional integrity. In this community, all members including faculty, administrators, staff, and students alike share the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of academic honesty and quality of academic work so that such a collegial and productive environment exists. As a student and member of the UIC community, you are expected to adhere to the Community Standards of integrity, accountability, and respect in all of your academic endeavors. When accusations of academic dishonesty occur, the Office of the Dean of Students investigates and adjudicates suspected violations of this student code. Unacceptable behavior includes cheating, unauthorized collaboration, fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, multiple submissions without instructor permission, using unauthorized study aids, coercion regarding grading or evaluation of coursework, and facilitating academic misconduct. Please review the UIC Student Disciplinary Policy for additional information about the process by which instances of academic misconduct are handled towards the goal of developing responsible student behavior. By submitting your assignments for grading you acknowledge these terms, you declare that your work is solely your own, and you promise that, unless authorized by the instructor or proctor, you have not communicated with anyone in any way during an exam or other online assessment. Let’s embrace what it means to be a UIC community member and together be committed to the values of integrity. Cheating is bad; if you are caught cheating at minimum the punishment will be that you will get a failing grade for the entire course.

A comprehensive list of student resources is available through the Provost’s Office, the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Program, the UIC Library, the Office of the Dean of Students, and Technology Solutions.

Current Student Resources (a one-stop shop for links to resources in the following categories: General, Academic, Student Support, Student Life, Technology, Health and Safety, and Getting Around Campus)
UIC Tutoring Resources
• Offices, Programs, and Initiatives Supporting the UIC Undergraduate Experience and Academic Programs with particular attention to the Student Success Units
• For students who are dealing with personal hardships and need resources and assistance, please direct them to the U&I Care Program supported by UIC’s Office of the Dean of Students.
Student Guide for Information Technology (a comprehensive resource for UIC students describing the most commonly used IT services and tools supporting their success).

Importantly, if you are in immediate distress, please call the UIC Counseling Center at (312) 996-3490 to speak directly with a counselor or to schedule an appointment with a counselor. If calling after business hours (which at UIC are typically from 9 am - 5 pm, M-F), press 2 to be connected to a crisis counselor. You can find additional online mental health resources on the Counseling Center Resources page.

As a UIC student, you've chosen to live in one of the nation's largest cities. But, as at any university, crime is a reality. At UIC, we are strongly committed to our public safety programs, and we encourage students to be proactive in learning what programs and services are available in case of an emergency. You are DISCOURAGED from staying in university buildings alone, including lab rooms, after hours and are ENCOURAGED to use the WALKING SAFETY ESCORT and/or NIGHT RIDE if you are uncomfortable traveling anywhere on campus. Navigate to https://police.uic.edu/rides-and-escorts/student-patrol/ and https://transportation.uic.edu/night-ride/ for more information.

Also, you can download the UIC SAFE app, a free personal security tool for students, faculty, and staff. It allows you easy contact with dispatchers and first responders in case of emergency. Navigate to the UIC SAFE Toolkit to download the app: https://ready.uic.edu/toolkit/uic-safe-app/

Finally, by dialing 5-5555 from a campus phone, you can summon Police or Fire for any on-campus emergency. You may also set up the complete number, (312)355-5555, on speed-dial on your cell phone.


ASSESSMENT:

The current grade sheet will be found on these web pages. 

The final grade will be Letter grades will be calculated as follows:

Project:                    500 points          A: 880 - 1000 points
B: 770 - 879 points
Class Participation 300 points C: 660 - 769 points
Paper Presentations: 200 points D: 550 - 659 points
F: 000 - 549 points
--------------------------------------
Total: 1000 points

Please note that all grades (A, B, C, D, F) are available to all students. Being a graduate student does not limit the potential grade that you can receive.


This syllabus is intended to give the student guidance in what may be covered during the semester and will be followed as closely as possible. However, as the instructor, I reserve the right to modify, supplement, and make changes as course needs arise. I will communicate such changes in advance as in-class announcements and via email.


latest revision 12/11/2023