The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will launch its first-ever Local Open Online Course (LOOC) March 5, presenting “Beginning App & 2D Game Development” through May 28. “Beginning App & 2D Game Development” is open to any student, including those in high school, with at least high school-level algebra proficiency. The course focuses on entry-level app and game development, and is taught from a beginner’s perspective. It assumes no prior programming knowledge, although those with prior knowledge are welcome. Taught by UW-Green Bay faculty members Ben Geisler and Peter Breznay, this LOOC is all about learning to program and develop video games and applications for mobile devices. By the end of the course, students will have created a completed game and a starter Android app. Students also will be introduced to a variety of platforms including XNA Game Studio, Eclipse (Java) and the ADK. In addition to learning and enrichment, students who take “Beginning App & 2D Game Development” have the chance to earn college credit through successful completion of the course. Individuals who earn a passing grade will be waived past UW-Green Bay’s Computer Science 201, a three-credit course that is the first course in the University’s Computer Science curriculum.