Programming Essentials Using Java: A Game Application Approach

This is a one-semester, introductory programming textbook in Java that uses game applications as a central pedagogical tool to improve student engagement, learning outcomes, and retention. Game programming is incorporated into the text in a way that does not compromise the amount of material traditionally covered in a basic programming course and permits instructors who are not familiar with game programming and computer graphics concepts to realize the verified pedagogical advantages of game applications. The companion disc includes a game environment that is easily integrated into projects created with the popular Java Development Environments, including Eclipse, NetBeans, and JCreator in a student-friendly way and also includes a set of executable student games to pique their interest by giving them a glimpse into their future capabilities. The material presented in the book is in full compliance with the 2013 ACM/IEEE computer science curriculum guidelines. It has been used to teach programming to students whose majors are within and outside of the computing fields. Ancillaries include a comprehensive instructor’s resource disc with programming solutions, slides, quizzes, projects, and more.

FEATURES:

* Uses an objects-early approach to learning Java
* Follows the 2013 ACM/IEEE computer science curriculum guidelines
* Integrates game applications as a central pedagogical tool to improve student engagement, learning outcomes, and retention
* Includes a companion disc with projects created with the popular Java Development Environments; also includes a set of executable student games, source code, and figures
* Uses working programs to illustrate concepts under discussion
* Complete instructor’s resource package available upon adoption

William McAllister has taught a wide range of computer science courses that include basic programming, computer graphics, and data structures.

S. Jane Fritz taught programming courses in BASIC, Visual Basic, Pascal, C, C++, and Java. She also co-authored several papers and gave a number of presentations at SIGCSE Conferences.