Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 19:05:43 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.1 Content-type: text/html Last-modified: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 21:02:04 GMT Content-length: 7197 CS 381 Software Engineering

CS 381 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Fall 96-97

Lasted updated August 27, 1996


Computer Science Home Page Univ. of Idaho Home Page

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Instructor: William S. Junk, Computer Science Dept., University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-1010
Telephone: 208-885-7530 / 800-824-2889
Fax: 208-885-6165 (alternate: 208-885-9052)
E-Mail: billjunk@cs.uidaho.edu

Video Tapes Are Available: The Fall 94-95 offering of the combined J381/J581 course is available for purchase or rental. The content of that course are very similar to that described here. Contact Engineering Video Outreach at 1-208-885-6373 for more information.

Note: Prior to the Fall 95-96 semester, Software Engineering was offered as a joint course combining an undergraduate and graduate version in the same lecture section under the course number J381/J581. Beginning in Fall 95-96 these courses were split to better serve a diverse student population.
Prerequisites: (CS Majors) Certified for upper division course work in computer science. (Non-CS Majors) Experience in development of moderate sized programs in a structured, high-level language. Knowledge of C and Pascal programming is helpful and the ability to read and understand simple C or Pascal programs is required. Examples in these languages will be used to illustrate some fundamental programming ideas.

Textbook: Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach, Fourth Edition, Roger S. Pressman, McGraw-Hill, 1996.

Class Meetings: The schedule is a guide to the coverage of course material. In preparing for each class please read and study the appropriate material in the text. There will be self evaluation and assessment forms for you to complete on each reading assignment. We will also do in-class activities to explore or solidify concepts. Discussion is an important part of this course. Outside reading in trade and professional publications is also encouraged. Some articles from professional journals may be provided for reading.

Other information sources: There are a number of excellent publications that provide access to contemporary writings in Software Engineering. A number of these are listed in the section describing the term project. In addition, the Internet has a news posting dedicated to discussion of general software engineering topics (comp.software-eng) and there are additional news groups relating to special interest areas.

Homework: There will be about fifteen homework assignment given in this course. Normally, homework assignments are due at the start of the next class session. If you are allowed additional time for a particular assignment it will be indicated in the instructions. If your response to the assignment requires more than one page, staple the pages together in the upper left corner. Make sure your name is on the first page of the assignment.

Exams: A mid-term and a final exam will be given. The exams will be given on the dates indicated in the course schedule.


COURSE OVERVIEW

This course will study some of the major problem areas in software development and will review, analyze, and apply many of the new techniques being used in the development of medium to large scale software systems. Although the emphasis for their development has stemmed from large project environments, most of the techniques can be easily adapted and applied to smaller projects as well, with the similar expectations of improved project performance. This is not a programming project course, but we will extensively study the software development process. Major topics to be covered include: We will also cover topics of contemporary importance including, Software Quality Assurance, Total Quality Management, Object-Oriented Development, and Software Process Maturity.

A "survey" textbook has been selected for use in this course, but the most up to date material can only be found in the recent technical literature. Examples include the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Reliability, IEEE Computer, Communications of the ACM, ACM SIGSOFT Notices, and IEEE Software. Most of these are available at the U of I library. Selected articles may be assigned for reading and study during the semester to supplement the text. Some of them will be discussed in course lectures.

A term project on an approved topic relating to a software engineering discipline is also required. In preparing the term project,you will need personal access to a reasonable technical library.

GRADING

Final course grades will be determined on the following basis:
	Collected Homework	20 %	
	Mid-term Exam (2)	20 %	
	Term Project		25 %	
	Final Exam		25 %	
	Class Participation	10 %	
A numerical grading system will be employed with the final grade based on the weighted sum of the points accumulated in each of the above categories. Final grades will be determined by a "curve" based on class performance, but in no case will the curve be more severe than a standard (90, 80, 70, etc.) curve.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

All students are expected to make a regular contribution to the class. You should be prepared to offer your comments regarding material presented, ask interesting questions during class, and respond with good answers to questions asked in class. You may also make contribution via e-mail. A significant contribution about every other week is considered a satisfactory participation level.
Computer Science Home Page Univ. of Idaho Home Page

billjunk@cs.uidaho.edu