Imagination announces new mobile graphics teaching course for 2020

Imagination University Programme 2020 Edition focuses on helping students design graphics for mobile devices

London, England; 31^st 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:

• 31^st 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, to register click here.

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/

About the Imagination University Programme

The Imagination University Program e (IUP) provides practical help to teachers around the world so that they can use Imagination’s technologies in courses and student projects. The focus is on providing the four vital elements needed to teach a course: a suitable hardware platform at a reasonable price, free software development tools, effective technical support, and best-in-class teaching materials that serve genuine teaching needs. The IUP is open to all members of academia. Register here: https://university.imgtec.com/ click “Register”

About Imagination Technologies
Imagination is a UK-based company that creates silicon and software intellectual property (IP) designed to give its customers an edge in a competitive global technology market. Its graphics, compute, vision & AI and connectivity technologies enable outstanding power, performance and area (PPA), robust security, fast time-to-market and lower total cost of ownership. Products based on Imagination IP are used by billions of people across the globe in their phones, cars, homes, and workplaces. Imagination Technologies was acquired in 2017 by Canyon Bridge, a global private equity investment fund. See www.imgtec.com.

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