explain how the semester’s four units cover the six units of the second approved record and the CTE standards, and show a reviewer where each is taught.
Semester B completes the approved Video Game Design Foundations course. Its approved record, J5QTDP, lists six units: prototyping and playtesting; level design and player experience; balancing and iterating game systems; publishing, marketing and distribution; careers in game design and industry insights; and a capstone playable prototype. The Open Curriculum Edition covers them in four units, each with the same five-part CTE structure as Semester A, and replaces the commercial textbook the record lists with original course text, the Godot documentation (CC BY 3.0), Kenney assets (CC0) and federal public-domain sources.
How the six become four. Record units 1 and 2 each get a full unit, because prototyping and level design are where most of the semester’s building happens. Record units 3 and 4 share Unit 3: balance and monetization belong together, because how a game earns money shapes how it is balanced. Record units 5 and 6 share Unit 4: students research careers while building their capstone, and present both at the showcase. The capstone runs across weeks 14-18, but students’ games grow from Unit 1 onward, so the capstone is the fourth iteration of a game they have been developing all semester, not a five-week scramble.
Standards. Across the two semesters the course cites every CTE anchor standard (AME.1-AME.11) and every pathway D standard (AME.D1-AME.D10). Semester B carries the testing and quality-assurance standards (AME.D5), business and marketing (AME.D7), the ethics and impact of games (AME.D8), careers (AME.D9) and the team production plan (AME.D10), with WHST, RST and SL literacy standards in every unit.
A-G rigor. Point reviewers to the quantitative work (time-to-defeat breakpoints, drop-rate simulation, expected value of randomized purchases, schedule and budget arithmetic); the evidence-based technical writing (playtest, level design and balance reports); the argument about loot boxes, which requires representing the opposing view fairly; and the capstone defense.
Continuity from Semester A. Students who took Semester A arrive with a narrative concept and a portfolio. Students new to the course need Godot basics: assign the Semester A builds from Lessons 1.2, 2.2 and 3.2 as catch-up work in the first two weeks, with a peer mentor.
Where each approved-record unit is taught (semester 2, J5QTDP)
| Record unit | Student unit | Key evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Prototyping and Playtesting | Unit 1 | Greybox build (1.2); ethical playtests (1.3); playtest report (1.5) |
| Level Design and Player Experience | Unit 2 | Level design lesson (2.1); tile build (2.2); accessible revision (2.5) |
| Balancing and Iterating Game Systems | Unit 3 | Breakpoints (3.1); simulation build (3.2); balance chart (3.5) |
| Publishing, Marketing, and Distribution | Unit 3 | Monetization (3.3); web export and store page (3.4); launch plan (3.5) |
| Careers in Game Design and Industry Insights | Unit 4 | Working conditions and contracts (4.1); career profile and mock interview (4.4) |
| Capstone Project: Designing a Playable Prototype | Unit 4 | Menus and release build (4.2); milestone review (4.3); capstone (4.5) |
A reviewer asks where the record’s ‘Publishing, Marketing, and Distribution’ unit is taught. What is the answer?
How confident are you that you can show a reviewer where each record unit and standard is taught in Semester B?