London, England; 31st March 2020 – Imagination Technologies announces that its rejuvenated and revitalised Imagination University Programme (“IUP”) is now offering a complete mobile graphics course designed to teach undergraduates how to create graphics for mobile devices. The 2020 Edition now includes support for OpenGL® ES 2.0 and 3.2, and Vulkan, as well as new hardware platforms such as the Chromebook and BeagleBone Black.
Author, Darren McKie, lecturer and fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Department of Computer Science and Technology at The University of Hull, says; “Designing graphics for mobile devices is challenging but essential, as more and content is consumed through smartphones and tablets. Students must understand the complexities of working with mobile technologies, from coping with multiple resolutions and relative pixel sizes through to using a fluid layout.
MacKie continues; “The IUP’s 2020 Edition contains everything a teacher needs to give a high-quality, hands-on course in graphics from a mobile perspective. Even sample exam questions are included. Plus, the support for the BeagleBone Black board, which costs around £40 ($50), means the learning is even more accessible to students – they could buy the board and do the course at home.”
The exercises in the 2020 Edition have been expanded to enable students to develop their knowledge on a range of hardware, such as PC, Android and the BeagleBone embedded device. The exercises use the latest Imagination PowerVR SDK, which contains many helpful utilities; for example, it allows for graphics code to be developed outside of an application and to emulate mobile devices on a PC.
Key dates:
- 31st March 2020 – The 2020 Edition will be available for download from the Imagination University Programme website. Students and teachers can register at https://university.imgtec.com and can request a download of the complete package.
- September 2020 – exact date to be confirmed. A special one-day workshop will be held in London, England, for teachers to learn about the course. The event will be hosted by author Darren McKie who will explain the teaching practice behind the course, give an overview of the contents, and give all participants hands-on experience by doing selected exercises. The port to the “pocket lab” using the BeagleBone will also be demonstrated. Admission is free to Teachers. Register to gain access.
Key additions to the 2020 Edition:
- Multiple platforms – the PVR SDK Simulator (Mac/PC), Acer Chromebook and the BeagleBone Black, a low-cost pocket platform for hobbyists and students
- Updated to OpenGL ES 3.2 (from 2.0)
- Introduction to Vulkan, the latest API for cutting-edge graphics development
- Expanded exercises, getting started with debugging and optimising power consumption using the PVRTune tools
- Online video tutorials
The materials are a complete semester course: lecture slides, practical exercises and example exam questions, giving teachers the flexibility to choose between a practical and an exam-based structure for the course at your faculty.
To find out more, visit https://university.imgtec.com/
