Pace notes for assignments

Last week I set the 1st assignment for the 3rd year Computer Graphics module. This is a technical implementation (in C (yep, no objects) and OpenGL) that has a submission deadline in January. The students will need to implement a physical model of a spring based un-directed graph to create interesting dynamic data visualization of a complex, interconnected data set. I have given them a code template and detailed assignment brief with a maths primer for the computational algorithms.

This assignment is not one student's can complete in a caffeine fueled weekend. I also find many students seem to think they can solve the problem 'at the keyboard', writing code from day one, even though the actual requirements and principles of the approach needed are not understood. There is a relatively small amount of code to write, but alot of complexity. I am looking for a refined, well structured solution that delivers a stable dynamic computational model with user interaction to define multiple layouts and options. 

To help frame the assignment work I ask the students to self assess themselves against the marking scheme, signing off each aspect of the work as they achieve it. This is submitted with the completed assignment.

To support the students I write a weekly 'pace note', delivered through the VLE, that explains how I would break down the assignment. The pace note outlines what I would have done in the previous week and what I would be aiming to do in the coming week. Much of this is focused on the thinking and planning part of the assignment. Through the pace notes I aim to model an approach that is more reflective and breaks the problem down into components that can be implemented and tested. It also provides a framework for my support where I can focus the conversation about the assignment on the pace note.

While this approach seems to work for many of the students, I am sure I will hear similar comments to previous years from a small number. The most common is "I am saving the pace notes so I can read them all together before I start", typically I hear this about a week before the assignment is due in!