Code Lab Spring 2020

Wednesdays 5:00pm–6:30pm | Design Center Room 212*

Wednesdays 5:00pm–6:00pm ⚠️ Code Lab has moved online! Please join us at this Zoom link to participate. Sign in with your RISD email.

Code Lab provides foundational skills training for folks interested in computation basics. It will be especially targeted towards students enrolled in [Generative Design: Tool, System, Network], [Web Type], or [Machine Learning and Design]. This won’t be for credit, it won’t assign projects, and it won’t require any commitment other than showing up. It’s about providing support for students enrolled in rigorous computational courses who want it.

The lab section will be about 90 minutes and will meet 6 to 9 times over the course of the semester. Each meeting will consist of introducing a concept, providing you a short prompt/exercise designed to help you learn the concept, and then open work time, where we’ll walk around and support you as you solve the problem.

Nic Schumann (nschuman@risd.edu), Minkyoung Kim (mkim37@risd.edu), Marie Otsuka (motsuka@risd.edu)

Schedule

Code Lab Session 9: Publishing to the Web

In our final session, we will be demonstrating some workflows for web publishing, including an introduction to servers, hosting, DNS / domains, with a Q&A.

Code Lab Session 8: Playing with ml5.js

In this session, we’ll connect a webcam to a pre-trained machine learning model with the ml5.js library. We'll build on our skills with HTML, CSS, and Javascript to build a fun demo of machine learning technology in the browser. There will be a short Q&A at the end ~ maybe 10 minutes.

Code Lab Session 7: Drawing with p5.js

In this session, we will be introducing how to use p5.js library for interactive graphics. We’ll also have an open Q&A session, in which you can ask questions about this topic, or other code topics on your mind.

Code Lab Session 6: Variable Fonts and JavaScript

This week will be a quick workshop on using variable fonts with JavaScript, making your fonts interactive! We’ll also reserve the second half of the class to general questions / technical Q&A.

Code Lab Session 5: Ready, set, loop with Drawbot

Based off of the concepts introduced two weeks ago in Session 3, we’ll have a hands-on workshop using Python 3 and Drawbot.

Code Lab Session 4: Ready, set, loop with jQuery

Based off of the concepts introduced last week, we’ll have a hands-on workshop using jQuery. We’ll also introduce the JSON data structure as a possible application of JavaScript.

Code Lab Session 3: Ready, set, loop

We’ll be introducing fundamental programming concepts that are relevant both on the web with JavaScript / jQuery, as well as Python.

• Basic Datatypes (Integers, Strings, Variables, Booleans)
• Structures (Lists, Objects)
• Iteration (Loops)
• Functions and Methods

Code Lab Session 2: Let’s talk terminal

• Introduction to the terminal
• Navigating the filesystem
• Running programs
• Installing packages

Code Lab Session 1: Let’s get organized

• Getting Started
• Text editors
• HTML, CSS, & JS: How it all comes together
• File and folder naming, where they live (paths), and how to access them (hyperlinks)
• CSS Cascading (css order and hierarchy)
• Development environment setup
• Testing & Debugging

We will be designing future sessions based off of student needs and interests over the course of the semester.

Lectures

Past lecture slides are accessible on Google Drive

Possible Upcoming Session Topics:

• Datatypes
• Structures
• Iteration (loops, etc)
• APIs and libraries
• & more...