Syllabus

Welcome to 4773! Please check out the following resources and course information...

Resources

• Lecture and Reading Schedule
• Final Review Sheet
• Assignments
• Course Project Page
• Log on to WebCT to access Blackboard's discussion and chat pages for this course.
• The Design Patterns Explained companion website.
• "Practical UML: A Hands-On Introduction for Developers," by Randy Miller. Sometimes it takes the page a while to load, be patient or try again.

Overview

An introduction of principles and methodologies of good software design. Study of object-oriented concepts and techniques, encapsulation, inheritance mechanisms, polymorphism, and programming in one or more object-oriented languages. Examination of design patterns that provide reusable solutions to problems in object-oriented design.

Lecture topics will include:

• The Object-Oriented Paradigm, Concepts, and Mechanism
• UML
• Limitations of Traditional Object-Oriented Design
• Design Patterns
• Values of Patterns
• Thinking in Patterns
• Principles of Design
• Factories
• Refactoring and Code Smells
• Advanced Object-Oriented Languages and Features

The course will also involve a semester-long group project, which will involve developing a substantial application in Java, and provide an opportunity to apply the principles learned in lecture to a concrete project.

Course Objectives

This course will provide students an opportunity to...

• Master the application of object-oriented design concepts
• Learn to read and use simple UML diagrams
• Recognize and apply design patterns
• Work collaboratively on a large programming project
• Master development in Eclipse
• Become competent with advanced features of Java
• Gain exposure to other object-oriented languages, such as Smalltalk or Scala

Textbooks and Readings

The primary text book for this course is:

• Alan Shalloway and James R. Trott. Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design, Second Edition. 2005.

I also suggest a reference book for the Java programming language, such as:

• Ken Arnold, James Gosling, and David Holmes. The Java Programming Language, Fourth Edition. 2006.

If you are unfamiliar with Eclipse, JUnit, Ant, or version control systems, I suggest that you read:

• David Carlson. Eclipse Distilled. 2005.

Additionally, other readings from web pages or handouts will be assigned over the semester.

Prerequisites

This course is designed with the assumption that students are capable programmers and familiar with the Java programming language.

The course CS 3773 - Software Engineering is a prerequisite of this course. This requirement can only be waived with a permission form signed by the instructor.

Grading

Grading will be based on the weighted average of:

• Assignments: 25%
• Weekly Quizzes: 10%
• Midterm Exam: 10%
• Group Project: 25%
  Composed of:
  • "Stand up" Status Meeting (SCRUM) Participation: 5%
  • Project Milestone Documents and Demos: 15%
  • Project Presentation: 5%
• Final Exam: 30%

The lowest two quiz grades will be dropped. Electronic devices cannot be used during quizzes or exams.

Late assignments will not be accepted. Regrades of work on the group project may be permitted, but only after significant progress on the project's milestones have been achieved.

There will be no opportunities for extra credit.

Course Policy

Class attendance is required to receive credit for status meetings (SCRUM) participation. Students who are observing a religious holy day or are participating in a University-sanctioned event may be excused, when prior notice is given to the instructor.

University wide policies and services regarding disabilities may be found online at: http://www.utsa.edu/disability/students.htm.

You are also responsible for knowing UTSA's policies regarding academic dishonesty. Plagiarism (see Section 203) or copying of programming code will not be accepted. If you are in doubt (for example, about using a code sample from a tutorial) be sure to make a proper citation to the author and the source of the code.

Note that: (a) Students are not automatically dropped from a class if they stop attending the class; (b) University policy does not permit visitors in a class; and (c) University policy does not permit faculty or office staff to report grades by telephone, fax, or email.