Computer Games & Software Engineering | Student Profiles | Ross Davies
Ross Davies is in his final year of the BSc Computer Games Development. As part of his degree, Ross was chosen to go on a two-month placement to Fanshawe College, Ontario to help develop a computer game with an educational slant.
“It was a great project to be involved in because it brought together gaming and graphics, a combination I really enjoy. The idea behind the game, which was being developed by academics at Fanshawe, was to blend gaming and mathematics so that the kids learned as they played. The level of mathematics would increase as the game progressed with the aim that the pupils’ mathematic ability would improve, almost without them noticing.
I was able to develop the networking side which allowed the results of the game to be sent to the lecturer in ‘real time’ so they could see instantly who needed help and in what areas.
The trip was an amazing experience, both academically and for me personally. Canada is a fantastic place and somewhere I would love to live and work. Gaming is a big industry over there so having the experience on my CV is a definite plus from an employability point of view.
Academically, the trip highlighted the quality of the computing gaming teaching at the University. I was amazed at how much I knew. It also flagged up the areas where I needed to improve so there were lots of late nights spent reading up on things. I definitely came back knowing more than I did going out there.
Before deciding, I looked at lots of computing courses in different parts of the country. I chose The University because it’s one of the very few computing degrees that teaches the programming language C++. Most concentrate on Java-based systems but for me C++ gives you more control and more options.
The department is big on feedback. As students, we’ve been able to say how we think the course could be improved and I am pleased to say these suggestions have been listened to and implemented.
I’ve been impressed by the one-to-one tuition you get from the lecturers. I know of lots of universities where you are pretty much left to get on with it, but here, the lecturers have an open door policy so you can go and see them whenever you need a bit of help or support. It’s an excellent course and lots of fun, too.”
