tP: Forming TeamstP Week 4: Set direction


tP Week 3: Kickoff

  1. Individual Task: Explore AB3 features Sat, Aug 31st 23:59
  2. Team Task: Set up a project meeting time by the end of the tutorial
  3. Team Task: Check up on team's collective iP status Tue, Sep 3rd

Intro to tP Week 3

This week, we kick off the tP with a few light individual and team tasks, described in the sections below.

indicates an individual task (i.e., each team member has to do the task, graded individually)
indicates a team task (i.e., some or all members may do the work; graded for the whole team).
/ indicates one-person-per-team task (i.e., one member can do the task on behalf of the team, although other members are welcome to pitch in).

Stronger teams are welcome to stay one week ahead of the tP schedule. However, do not move ahead more than one week, as doing tP in a short burst will interfere with some of its learning outcomes.

1 Individual Task: Explore AB3 features Sat, Aug 31st 23:59

  • Objectives: (1) To get each of you to think of ways to improve AB3 (2) To detect any Java version compatibility issues between your local set up and the expected Java version.

  • Submission: via Canvas survey named tP: AB3 Initial Experience by Sat, Aug 31st 23:59

  • Steps:

    1. Download the latest released version (i.e., the jar file) of AB3 from its upstream repo.
    2. Get it running in your computer. Play around with it to familiarize yourself with its current features.
    3. Add yourself to the list of contacts in AB3 (using the add ... command).
    4. Take a screenshot of the AB3 Window, while it shows your own contact info you added earlier. Save it as a .png file.
    5. Think about how the AB3 user experience can be improved, for example, by tweaking the command format, or the GUI, or the features. Note them down as a list of feature suggestions, as free text (i.e., no specific format).
      Suggested: Try to come up with at least 5 ways to improve AB3, while also trying to go beyond the simple/obvious ones (i.e., this is a chance to be insightful but also creative).
      Also keep the following tP constraints/recommendations in mind when doing this, as improvements that are not aligned with tP constraints are unlikely to be useful later.

  1. Use the Canvas survey mentioned above to submit the screenshot and the feature suggestions.
    Note: The feature suggestions you submit will be shared with the team members later, so that your team can use them when designing the tP product later.

2 Team Task: Set up a project meeting time by the end of the tutorial

  • After forming teams, set up a weekly project meeting time/venue (and communication channels) with your team members:

3 Team Task: Check up on team's collective iP status Tue, Sep 3rd

  • Check with all team members if any of them needs help doing the iP, and source within the team to provide the needed help as much as you can e.g., offer to sit with them while they do the iP so that you can try to help when needed.
    Submission: After completing this task (i.e., after asking all team members if they need help for the iP, and coming up with a plan to help those who asked for help), one member should inform your tutor so that we can track the status of this task. We don't need to know who asked for help though e.g., One member is slightly behind and one significantly behind. We plan to have a code-together session on Sunday so that we can help them if they encounter problems.
Mentorship within the team is highly-encouraged and rewarded. Besides, it is in your interest to help team members level up before the tP coding begins, and also, a good early opportunity to build team spirit.


tP: Forming TeamstP Week 4: Set direction