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Funded! This project successfully raised its funding goal on April 3.

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Faculty & students at Norwich University write a C++ textbook over a weekend & release the results under a Creative Commons license.

Stretch goal: $5000!

Thanks for the help, everyone! We currently have more than enough to cover our expenses! At $5000, we end up with enough funds to donate about 80 softcover books to schools and libraries. If we go beyond that, we'll be able to give even more away!

My name is Jeremy Hansen, and I teach computer science courses at the oldest private military university in the United States - Norwich University. But enough about me!

Some students have a difficult time with programming courses, and some complaints surface semester after semester:

  • Programming is hard!
  • The textbooks are expensive!
  • The textbooks are confusing!

While it's my job as a teacher to help make learning programming easier, I have a lot less control over the second two complaints. Partially inspired by the Finnish teachers who wrote a mathematics text over a weekend, I proposed to my students writing a replacement textbook over a weekend.

The students were incredibly positive about the idea, and I started going ahead with it. We're going to be doing the "sprint" over 36 hours on April 6th and 7th, and will be livestreaming the event. When we're done, we will publish the textbook in its entirety (and any later updates) on our web site. (I will update this project with a link once we have the web site set up.)

We're looking for funding to offset the cost of the domain, web hosting for the files, and food for the weekend. If we go beyond our $500 target, we will be getting the text professionally copy-edited and may hire a professional graphic designer.

Take a look at the video above to hear what some of the students think, and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Thanks!
Jeremy (jeremyhansen@acm.org)

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

Given that we're setting an ambitious timeline (36 hours), the book may not get finished by Sunday. This is especially problematic if the volunteers who have already expressed an interest in participating do not show up, or only show up for a short time. Should that happen, we intend to finish the book by the end of the semester, even if we don't finish it in the initial "sprint".

FAQ

  • How can I get a digital download?

    We hope to provide a PDF (or similar) version of the textbook on our web site before the physical books ship probably near the end of April if all goes well. This will be freely available to anyone who wants to use it under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license, as described here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

    Last updated: Wednesday Mar 20, 9:36am EDT
  • Will someone not in a programing class be able to use the textbook on his or her own or will the text book need to be coupled with a class to be effective?

    That's a good question - I'm working closely with students who are both skilled and unskilled in programming so that it makes sense to me and to all of them. We're hoping to make the text as straightforward as possible and useful to folks outside of formal classes, but I hesitate to make any promises about what it will and won't deliver before we write the thing. If you have any suggestions, I'm definitely interested in hearing them!

    I'm confident that the subsequent versions will get better and better, so if it turns out that there's one part of the book that's hard to understand, we will want to hear about it so that it can be clarified quickly.

    Last updated: Friday Mar 22, 1:54pm EDT
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Funding period
Mar 15, 2013 - Apr 3, 2013

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  • Pledge $1 or more

    18 backers

    Every little bit counts! We'll add your name as a backer on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Apr 2013
  • Pledge $5 or more

    61 backers

    Have a little more to contribute? We'll add your name as a backer on our web site and in the book.

    Estimated delivery: Apr 2013
  • Pledge $10 or more

    18 backers

    Want to see the project unfold over the weekend of April 6th and 7th? We'll give you exclusive access to a live feed of the room where the magic will happen for the full 36 hours. You'll also be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Apr 2013
  • Pledge $35 or more

    47 backers

    You will get a softcover copy of the first printing of the textbook, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $50 or more

    11 backers

    You will get a softcover copy of the first printing of the textbook signed by all of the contributors at Norwich, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $50 or more

    8 backers

    You will get a hardcover copy of the first printing of the textbook, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $50 or more

    9 backers

    INTERNATIONAL SOFTCOVER: You will get a softcover copy of the first printing of the textbook shipped anywhere in the world, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
  • Pledge $65 or more

    2 backers

    INTERNATIONAL SIGNED SOFTCOVER: You will get a softcover copy of the first printing of the textbook signed by all of the contributors at Norwich shipped anywhere in the world, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
  • Pledge $75 or more

    7 backers

    You will get a hardcover copy of the first printing of the textbook signed by all of the contributors at Norwich, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $75 or more

    1 backer

    INTERNATIONAL HARDCOVER: You will get a hardcover copy of the first printing of the textbook shipped anywhere in the world, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
  • Pledge $100 or more

    6 backers

    INTERNATIONAL SIGNED HARDCOVER: You will get a hardcover copy of the first printing of the textbook signed by all of the contributors at Norwich shipped anywhere in the world, live stream access on the weekend of April 6th and 7th, and will be added as a backer in the book and on our web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
  • Pledge $300 or more

    0 backers

    10 copies of the softcover textbook, plus live stream access, plus a backer listing in the book and on the web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $450 or more

    0 backers

    10 copies of the hardcover textbook, plus live stream access, plus a backer listing in the book and on the web site.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only
  • Pledge $1,819 or more

    0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)

    Along with 10 copies of the hardcover textbook and live stream access, your name is listed as the primary sponsor on the front of the book (some restrictions apply) and you are invited as the guest of honor to a release party on campus! You are responsible for getting yourself to Northfield, Vermont!

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2013
    Ships within the US only