Development of a 3D Game Engine

This paper presents the development history and specification of a 3D game engine titled "Spark Engine". The term "engine" is used to describe a complex graphics software suite that streamlines application development and provides efficient rendering functionality. A game engine specifically provides tools to simplify game development. Spark Engine is fully shader driven and is built on top of Microsoft's XNA Framework. It is a reusable and flexible platform that can be used to build any type of graphics application ranging from gaming to simulation. The engine was released as open source software under the New BSD License with an interest in furthering its development.

Measuring College Student Satisfaction: A Multi-Year Study of the Factors Leading to Persistence

Using Tinto's (1987) social integration theory as a framework, this study measured student satisfaction in six transformative areas: educational experience, skills development, faculty interaction, personal growth, sense of community, and overall expectations. Emerging as a strategic planning process priority, this project sought to identify those areas where students succeeded or were at risk. Employing a three-phase mixed methods approach, this descriptive, longitudinal study was conducted from 1990-2004 at a highly selective specialized college and assisted college administrators in developing or modifying programs that would enhance student satisfaction to ensure degree completion.