tP: Forming TeamstP Week 4: Set Direction


tP Week 3: Kickoff

  1. Individual Task: Explore AB3 features Sat, Feb 1st 23:59
  2. Team Task: Set up a project meeting time Tue, Feb 4th
  3. Team Task: Check up on team's collective iP status Tue, Feb 4th

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, Feb 1st 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, Feb 1st 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 Tue, Feb 4th

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

  • Submission: via Canvas. Submission will open Friday evening, after team forming is complete for all tutorials. We'll let you know when it is open.
    Details to submit:
    • Which day of the week, and at what time, your team will hold weekly team meetings?
    • What is the mode (online or F2F)?
    • If F2F, where will you be meeting? If Online, which software will you be using for the meeting?
    • Have all teams explicitly agreed to the above plan? If anyone has not agreed, state who and why (e.g., uncontactable).

FAQ What if a member is not contactable?


3 Team Task: Check up on team's collective iP status Tue, Feb 4th

  • 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.
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.
  • Submission: via Canvas. Submission will open Friday evening, after team forming is complete for all tutorials. We'll let you know when it is open.
    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 submit a brief summary of the status of this task.
    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.


tP: Forming TeamstP Week 4: Set Direction