SE 2811: Software Component Design, Winter 2021-22

Instructor: Rob Hasker (414-277-7326)

Drop-in times (office hours): See my home page: https://faculty-web.msoe.edu/hasker/

Textbook:
  • Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design, 2nd Ed., Shalloway and Trott, Addison-Wesley, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-321-24714-8

Course Description:

This course deals with the design and implementation of software subsystems. The concept of design patterns is introduced and common patterns are applied to the development of software components. Laboratory projects provide an opportunity for teams of students to implement components and to integrate them into complete systems. As a final assignment, students conduct research on software design patterns and present and demonstrate the results of their investigations to the class.
Prereqs: SE 2030, CS 2852

Format: 3 lecture hours, 2 lab hours, 4 credits

Course Outcomes: On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to

Grading

  Percentage  
Labs  30%
Quizzes/exercises/participation:  15%
Presentation  10%
Midterm:  20%
Final Exam:  25%
Total: 100%

The MSOE grading scale will be used, though higher grades may be awarded to individual students if it increases fairness. In addition, successfully demonstrating mastery of course outcomes is a prerequisite for a passing grade. This includes being successful on the final exam and, in some cases, completing assignments even if worth zero points.

Communication

Most materials will be available on my class web site, https://faculty-web.msoe.edu/hasker/se2811/ or in Canvas. For instance, quizzes will be in Canvas but links to notes will be on the website. I will also communicate to the class on Teams; it is critical you enable notifications for the Teams entries for this class. Many announcements will be made that way and no other. I may also use email at times. I expect you to check for electronic communications at least once a day.

My office hours are listed as "drop-in" times to emphasize that you do not have to have an appointment to come see me. You can come other times as well! I am always glad to help students with challenges. I do expect you to have spent a few minutes checking for answers on the class website and Teams before requesting help, but absolutely would rather you ask for help than spend hours trying to find solutions on your own.

Labs, Assignments, and Quizzes

Lab solutions which do not run or which do not produce some correct output will be worth 0 points. You can get partial credit for partially working solutions. Estimate how long the lab will take, and contact your instructor if it takes much longer!

Unless otherwise announced, late solutions will be penalized 2% per day for the first week. Solutions submitted more than one week late will be worth zero points unless there is advance arrangement due to extenuating circumstances. Unless you have written permission, all assignments must be submitted before Monday of finals week. Note that quizzes and exams have a due date and you will not be able to submit after that due date.

Because you will be working in groups for certain labs and presentations and some of that group work will be during lecture hours, it is important that students be in the same sections for lecture and lab.

Assignments are individual unless we explicitly state otherwise. It is OK to look at another student's code with them to help them fix an error, but it is not OK to have a copy of another student's code at any time or in any form. Note that making a repository public enables cheating and violates campus policy. Electronic tools will be used to identify plagiarism, and students guilty of either copying or "loaning" out their code will be penalized.

Code will be graded for both correctness and meeting standards. The most frequent mistake is in using (hard) tab characters in source files - this is a practice that is strongly discouraged in industry, and it makes your code harder to grade. Configure your IDE to insert spaces instead of tabs. The standard also covers repositories. Note that git repositories created by your instructor will be deleted after the end of the term; copy any code you wish to keep to your own, private repository. If you are not using a private repository for your own assignments yet, it's time to start! A file on a single computer should be considered "lost" since machines frequently fail. You can create free, private repositories on BitBucket, GitHub, and other servers.

Students are expected to use standard tools such as IntelliJ, git, and a specific version of Java. If you use an alternative, it will be your responsibility to master that alternative and to ensure you meet deadlines.

Missed quizzes cannot be made up, but at least one of the lowest quiz or exercise scores will be dropped. Many quizzes will be online with flexible times. Exams will typically be scheduled during class time.

Attendance

Do not skip class! If you do happen to miss, be sure to check for new materials and get the notes you missed from a friend before the next class period. You are responsible for anything missed! If you need to be excused from class for MSOE activities or religious observances, let me know in advance. If you're sick, stay home! This includes days on which there are exams; just be sure to contact me as soon as you can get to a phone or computer.

Using phones and laptops during class to browse social media, write papers, etc. is a form of missing class!

Strongly consider taking hand-written notes for this class. The slides omit many details on purpose. Do not try to type your notes; research shows hand-written notes are the most effective way to capture key material. Note the campus printers will easily scan documents so you can organize your notes electronically.

Do not record or distribute video or audio of lectures without my permission.

If an exam is missed, I will determine whether to give you a make-up exam or increase the weight of the other exams. All students must take the final exam to receive a passing grade unless the student has been excused in advance.

For students with documented disabilities, chronic medication conditions and mental health concerns: MSOE provides services to make reasonable accommodations available. If you are a student who requires or anticipates the need for accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services Office at 414-277-7281, by email at moureau@msoe.edu, or in person at K250 to discuss appropriate accommodations and eligibility requirements.

All students are expected to follow the procedures specified in the Raider Return Plan. This includes wearing masks in the classroom at all times.

Course Topics