Overview The purpose of this Module is to get set for success. Communication tools will be established and we intend to familiarize students with the hardware and software to be used this semester. During the first week of the semester, students should update any and all materials as a result of lessons learned in CS 410. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance The business and research communities provide capabilities for online communication and collaboration using asynchronous and synchronous tools. Students will be exposed to such tools, and will be required to be an effective member of a non-geographically centric team by contributing to the development of a prototype on a computer science department virtual machine. | Activities Getting Started
The Fun Part of Module 1
Lab 1
|
Overview The work will begin on the prototype development environment. Teams must configure their virtual machines to support coding. Development milestones will be identified, along with a list of tasks for each milestone. A schedule will be created and resources applied. Lab1 will be outlined and individually written. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance The software design approach of agile development is reflected in our approach to prototype design. This is based around user stories that may change (usually do) along the way. The goal of prototype design in this module is to confirm mentor acceptance of the development approach of the detailed Gantt chart. The technical paper is representative of the type of descriptive documents students will be required to create in the workforce. The practice of following specific formatting and style is a critical skill set. | Activities
Prototype Milestones & Design
Lab 1
Team Evaluation
|
Overview The goal of Module 3 is to prepare a detailed list of tasks necessary to complete each milestone. The tasks will have associated timelines and resources. This will allow for the creation of a weekly “to do” list for the team and each individual of the team. The associate paper describes and defines the specifications and requirements. The mentors should be actively consulted during this design process. Actual coding of the prototype should begin. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance An absolutely critical component of software design is the writing of specifications and requirements. There are industry expected characteristics of each that will provide students the ability to master this type of writing. Also critical is the ability to provide software code based upon provided documents. | Activities Development Schedule
Specifications & Requirements
Lab 2
|
Overview Testing is notoriously given the least amount of time and attention in software development. A move toward test-driven development has gained momentum. We are currently coding aspects of the prototypes, yet need to simultaneously prepare test cases for our requirements. Significant progress should be made on software development over the next four weeks. Each team will collaborate on an outline of Lab 3 – which is a test plan. A portion of the lab will be individually written, and a portion will be a collaborative effort of the team. This Module spans 4 weeks. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance Software development in industry is heavily dependent upon adherence to requirements. The only way to guarantee that the correct software solution to a problem has been achieved is through verification and validation via testing. If the test cases are not written to properly assess the development, time, money and credibility are lost. Possibly resulting in job loss and business failure. Students will experience the detailed process of this critical V & V element using their prototypes as the test bed. | Activities
Lab 2 (Revise)
Lab 3
|
Overview The primary objective of this module is to practice agile (potentially scrum) development of the prototype with frequent instructor and mentor interaction. Weekly progress examinations will be conducted, and feedback will be provided. Adherence to requirements and development toward correct validation and verification is expected. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance The ability to effectively communicate the purpose of user interfaces is a part of software engineering. If the user does not understand the interface, they may not appreciate potential outcomes. The ability to take the reader of a user manual step-by-step through the usage of the screen is also a skillset needed in industry. If the user cannot correctly use the interface, they may not utilize the product. The process of interim reviews of software development requires unique skillsets. A developer must be able to professionally take criticism and ask questions of the customer to deliver a product that solves a problem correctly. | Activities
Lab 3 (Revise)
Lab 4
|
Overview This module guides the student to successful completion of all written labs (re-writes). Teams will be required to modify the software of their product as identified in Module 5. Demonstrations will be necessary to gain approval of their mentor, which is required by the end of the semester. The goal is to provide each student with an appreciation of industry’s expectations upon graduation with a degree in computer science. Objectives At the end of this module, students will be able to:
Relevance At the end of every software development process industry members must analyze the successes and challenges. The goal is to repeat the aspects that were great, and avoid those that cost them time and money. Keeping on top of customer expectations is critical in providing a useful product that correctly solves the prevalent problems that necessitated the need for a software solution. |
Lab Guidance & Grading Notes
Lab 1: Descriptive Paper
Lab 2: Requirements
Lab 3: Test Plan
All times in this schedule are given in Eastern Time.
Symbol Key | |
---|---|
Read: | |
Slides : | |
Event or important date | |
Read | |
Do lab: | |
Assignment: | |
Take the | |
Do: | |
In your recitation section: | |
Under construction: |