Lecturer

        Mr. James Wissel, M.B.A., Associate Professor

Contact Information

Course Description

      A study of the process of software engineering from initial concept through design, development testing, and maintenance to retirement of the product. Development life-cycle models are presented. Topics include issues in configuration management, integration and testing, software quality, quality assurance, security, fault tolerance, project economics, operations, human factors, and organizational structures.

      Prerequisites: CMIS 240, CMIS 241, CMIS 340, or CMIS 315 required; CMIS 310 recommended. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CMIS 330 or CMIS 388A.

Course Introduction

      When computer software succeeds, when an application meets the needs of the users and when the program functions without flaws over a long period of time, the application changes the live of the users for the better. However, when software fails, when users are dissatisfied, when the program is error prone, the application leaves the user frustrated and disgruntled. All software developers desire to build programs that fulfills the expectations of the users while avoiding pitfalls which lead to a failed effort.

      Although managers and software developers recognize the need for a more disciplined approach to create software applications, the debate upon the manner in which software is to be developed has not been resolved. As a result, many individual programmers and companies develop software haphazardly; software that is destined to service the most advanced technologies of the age. Therefore, the majority of software applications developed are not flawless; the applications suffer as well as the users.

      Computer and Information Science 330 is a survey of topics in software engineering, focusing on the development of software for large computer systems. Because of their complexity, these large systems are the most difficult to build and require teams of developers to complete the process. Each developer must possess the skills of problem analysis, system and software design, and test planning and test case design. In other words, each member of the team must be a software engineer. Although new by engineering standards, software engineering has an influence on our personal and professional lives as pervasive as that of computing systems.

      Software engineering will be presented by studying the software engineering development process and the software product. The goal of the process is the product and there is no product without the process. To accommodate the differing roles of software products, several software development processes will be studied. Furthermore, software process and product exist within the larger framework of a of software methodology. This is, essentially, a fundamental view of software. The methodologies which will be covered are structured (also referred to as functional) and object-oriented. Both guide the software engineer in the performance of the tasks of software development.

Methodology

      Classes will be taught under the assumption that students have read the required materials and prepared the assignments prior to the conclusion of the class week. Classes will include reading class lectures, conference discussions, and case study analysis.

Learning Outcomes

      The emphasis in CMIS 330 is on understanding software process models, software engineering models and software tools. Specifically, students successfully completing this course should:

• Compare and contrast the software engineering processes used in the past and present and provide speculations for the future
• Argue the importance of analysis and modeling to establish system and software requirements
• Enumerate the fundamental design guidelines for software
• Define concepts that form the basis of structured and object-oriented methodologies
• Identify the characteristics of problems that lend themselves to object-oriented solutions
• Describe the special design considerations of distributed, user interface, and real-time systems
• Discuss the role of testing and of configuration management in software development
• Describe the significance of measurement of the software process and product to software testing, software quality assurance, and project planning
• Specify the attributes of integrated software development tools and environments
• Define the steps of software project planning
• Prepare concise technical written documentation associated with the software engineering process

Textbooks

      Pressman, R. (2001). Software engineering: A practitioner's approach, (5th) International Edition, 2001. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. (ISBN: 0-07-118182-2)

Course Requirements

Grading Standards

       In order to receive full credit, assigned work must be submitted by the submission deadline as stated on the assignment. Late assignments will not be accepted. Arrangements for make-ups of the examinations and late submissions of the quizzes and assignments are made only for official emergencies. Documentation must be provided showing the reason for the student’s inability to complete the assignment, quiz or examination during the time period as stated in the course syllabus.

Attendance and Participation

       By registering for a Web-based course, students have made a commitment to participate in the course conferences as well as other online activities. To contact the professor, use the conferencing software or e-mail links provided, which allow each student to communicate with the professor and classmates in a virtual classroom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As stated in the grading policy, online conference participation counts towards the final course grade.

       Attendance is not taken during the period of this Distance Education class. However, if a student participates in this course, the student must insure their presence has been noted. The best manner in which to make one’s presence noted is through the weekly conferences. However, there are periods when a student must be physically absent from the classroom. During such periods, the student maintains the responsibility to obtain information concerning the material covered and upcoming assignments.

       All students are expected to adhere to the general rules of online etiquette. To prepare to use the online conference, each student should read the notes on WebTycho Participation and Online Etiquette in the WebTycho classroom.

UMUC Academic Policies

       UMUC Academic Policies are not course specific and are therefore created and housed separately from this syllabus. One may access and print Academic Policies from the Syllabus sub-menu in the WebTycho classroom.