CS3733-D04: Software Engineering

General Information

• Class lectures. MTRF 3:00-3:50, Salisbury Labs (SL104)
• Course staff and hours for help sessions
• Class schedule
• Assignments
• Project page
• Resources
• Academic and grading policies
• Visual-Paradigm Academic Partner Certificate. This is a tool that we can use for our UML analysis and design needs.
• Mid-term study guide
• Final exam study guide
• Course evaluation: extra questions

Course Description and Objectives

Creating software systems involves much more than programming. It involves selecting the appropriate set of tools, development process, and team members. It involves the coordination of several activities from various disciplines in order to effectively deliver value to the stakeholders in the system. Software engineering is the application of computer science, engineering, mathematics, and business knowledge to effectively deliver software systems.

This course introduces the student to the topic of software engineering. Major disciplines such as requirements specification, analysis and design, testing, project management, and implementation will be examined. Additional topics such as software life cycle models, the Unified Modeling Language (UML), agile software development techniques, configuration management, change control, and project documentation, will be covered.

Students will work in teams to complete a small, but non-trivial, software project. Each team member will assume multiple project roles as the project progresses. Each team will keep a project notebook and make a final presentation on their project's results and their experiences.

Upon completion you will be able to do the following:

• Plan and execute a software development project
• Specify and manage requirements
• Construct UML use-case, sequence, and class diagrams
• Develop software incrementally and iteratively as part of a team
• Perform various levels of software testing
• Use object-oriented methods to build a small Java program

Objectives

There are several possible learning objectives from any course. The essential objectives for this course are:

1. Develop proficiency in developing and producing software process artifacts, most importantly the code and user documentation.
2. Acquire skills that help you work effectively as a member of a software development team.
3. Improve your oral and written commiunication skills.

Two other objectives are important in this class:

1. Learn the fundamental principles of software engineering. Be able to identify and describe the software life cycle, roles, artifacts, and activities. Understand the concepts of software "best practices" and when they apply.
2. Show that you are able to adapt a process to your needs and select an appropriate set of best practices that will guide you in completing a software development project.

Recommended Background

All programming work will be done using the Java programming language. If you do not know Java, there will be some help sessions available for you, but you should expect that you will need to spend extra time to hone your Java programming skills.. You may also consult the Java resources for information on learning Java. You are responsible for being, or becoming, a competent Java programmer.

Textbook(s)

There is one required textbook for the class: Software Engineering An Object-Oriented Perspective, Eric J. Braude, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001, ISBN 0-471-32208-3.

A recommended text, especially if you need to develop your Java expertise is Objects First With Java, David J. Barnes and Michael Kölling, Prentice Hall, 2003,ISBN 0-13-044929-6.

Modified: 30-Apr-2004
Gary Pollice