SE403  Software Process Improvement

Syllabus---Spring Semester, 2010

 

Dr. Allen Milewski
Howard Hall, Room B18
(732) 571-7578
amilewsk@monmouth.edu

SAMPLE SYLLABUS--Students Enrolled in this course can find complete Course Materials at ecampus.monmouth.edu )

1.       Course Description and Objectives

The course introduces students to the various aspects related to software process. It will focus on the definition and modeling of a software process, as well as methods for process assessment and improvement. The concepts will be illustrated through process improvement case studies, followed by hands-on experience with the improvement of the personal software development process.

When the course is finished students will be able to define a process, with its component activities, the artifacts produced, and the necessary roles for enacting the process. Also, they will be able to identify needs for process improvement and propose ways of improving the process. They will be able to identify the data gathering needs for assessing the process capabilities. They will be able to better manage their time, product project plans and estimate size, effort and quality of their work.

2.       Required Text

PSPSM: A Self-Improvement Process for Software Engineers, Watts S. Humphrey, 2005, Addison-Wesley

Process Dashboard User Manual: provided in Ec@mpus

3.       Course Requirements

Program submission with accompanying artifacts and data; short quizzes, mid-term and final exams, interim and final reports, notebook inspections. Works will be judged on their completeness, accuracy, precision, timeliness, and consistency.

Prerequisites:

Computer Science 305

Knowledge of an Object Oriented programming language: e.g., C++ or JAVA

Helpful Background:

Familiarity with basic statistics

Familiarity with formal notations

Facilities

Development environment for programs On Campus (or at home)

Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word On Campus (or at home)

4.       Methods of Evaluation and Grading Policy (Preliminary)

 

 

 

Artifact	Value
Homework:	65%
Reports:	15%
Quizzes and Tests:	20%

 

 

Letter grades will be:

5.       Professionalism

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. If the number of unexcused absences exceeds one, the final grade will be lowered. Documentation for medical, athletic, legal, or other excuses absences shall be presented at the next class. Students shall be ready to start class on time. Students are responsible for all material covered and announcements made in class.  Let instructor know by email prior to class if you are not going to attend class for any reason. Attach a copy of that email to your (late) submission.

Academic Honesty

Homework assignments and exams must be your own work. All material taken from sources outside class must be properly cited and credited to their sources. Some assignments and in-class work will be done by teams of students openly sharing information with each other. The instructor will clearly announce when something is expected to be done in cooperation with other students. Monmouth University will not tolerate violations of the code of academic honesty.

Software is not a solo business, so you do not have to work alone.

• You must, however, produce your own estimates, designs, code, and completed forms and reports.
• You may have others review your work, and you may change it as a result.

You must note any help you receive from others in your submission. Log the review time that you and your associates spend, and log the defects found or any changes made.

Everything turned in for grading in this course must be your own work. Students who contribute to violations by sharing their code/designs /solutions with others are subject to the same penalty.By the Monmouth University policy, students found to be in violation of this rule will, at the very least, receive a failing grade in the course and may be subject to stiffer penalties. This also applies to submitting source code that does not run correctly without identifying known problems, or fabricating output files that were not actually produced by the submitted software

Participation

Participation will be interpreted to mean  evidence of the student's personal commitment to their own success.  This includes attentive, active participation in the classroom, use of office hours when the student has a question and a level of professionalism consistent with a 400-level class.  Remember, the only dumb question is the one that was not asked.

6.       Lecture Notes

Slides and other material will be posted on eC@mpus prior to class. Students should take notes in class to capture the lecture material covered. Student notes will be inspected occasionally.

7.       Special Accommodations

Students with disabilities who need special accommodations for this class are encouraged to meet with the instructor or the appropriate disability service provider on campus as soon as possible.  In order to receive accommodations, students must be registered with the appropriate disability service provider on campus as set forth in the student handbook and must follow the University procedure for self-disclosure, which is stated in the University Guide to Services and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.  Students will not be afforded any special accommodations for academic work completed prior to disclosure of the disability.  Students will not be afforded any special accommodations for academic work completed prior to the completion of the documentation process with the appropriate disability service provider.

8.       Withdrawal

Standard Monmouth University policy. Last date of withdrawal with automatic assignment of a W,  is March 29.

9.       Topics covered (tentative)