The objective of the course is to provide students with a working knowledge of the underlying foundations of object-oriented design and analysis and the current state of practice. Object-oriented analysis involves developing conceptual models of the problem domain of a software product. Object-oriented design involves developing models of the software solution to the problem clarified during analysis, and constructing programs that implement the design models. A fundamental objective of the course is for students to learn to think in terms of objects, so that they can identify the objects in a system and assign responsibilities to system components.

During the course, students will learn to analyze problems and develop conceptual models, generate designs from the models, and write program code that implements the designs. Students will also learn to evaluate and improve object-oriented models and code. They will use the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to develop object models, and Java to implement the designs. The course will also introduce some facets from agile programming: very short software build cycles, and test-first programming.

• Java coding style and idioms.
• Object-oriented analysis and design.
• Problem analysis.
• Conceptual modeling.
• System behavior modeling.
• Software architecture.
• Design modeling.
• Design patterns.
• Refactoring.

You must have a Colorado State University eIdentity (eID), before you can be installed into the CS414 RamCT courseware system. The CS414 RamCT page will have all of the course notes, assignments, discussions, and exams, so it is very important for you to be installed on this system. Visit the eIdentity and eServices web page to get your eID. You will not be able to take part in the course until you have an eID.

Once the semester starts, communication with the instructors must be done by emailing us at cs414@cs.colostate.edu. Before the semester starts, you can send email directly to Prof. Ghosh.

All queries to the instructors should be sent by email to cs414@cs.colostate.edu or posted only on the Main discussion group. Queries posted on any other discussion group will not be monitored.

The first day of class is Tuesday, August 26. Be ready to start then. Go to the RamCT calendar to view the weekly schedule. The on-campus class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We will post video recordings of the on-campus lectures for the benefit of the distance students.

• Required Texts:
  1. Applying The UML and Patterns by Craig Larman, third edition, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0131489062.
      
     
  2. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, John Brant, William Opdyke, Don Roberts, 1st edition, Addison-Wesley Professional, ISBN: 0201485672.
      
     
• Useful books (optional):
  1. Complete Reference: Java, 7th edition, 2007. Herbert Schildt, McGraw Hill Osborne, ISBN: 9780072263855.
      
     
  2. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides, first edition, ISBN: 0201633612.
   
  

• Lecture slides:
  • Video recordings of lectures will be available via RamCT.
  • Powerpoint slides will be available on RamCT.
  • Handouts regarding getting accounts, using specific tools and environments, etc, will be available on RamCT.

• Minimal equipment and resources required:

  Students must have adequate computing resources able to do the following:

  • Access the class RamCT page. Students must use a browser installed on their computer that is compatible with RamCT. Browsers are generally available for free. The RamCT page provides links to test your browser's compatibilty with RamCT software.

  • Create, compile, and run Java programs. Any up to date personal computer or workstation should be adequate for Java development. The Java Development Environment is available for free on the internet. Students typically use the Eclipse IDE.

  • Create and edit UML diagrams. Various object modeling tools are available. Students may use any drawing tool that can construct the required UML diagrams. They may hand draw their diagrams (if they can do so legibly) and scan them in order to submit them electronically.

Here are the formally graded elements of the course and associated weighting:

Final letter grades will be based on the relative distribution of total scores and not on any preset numerical grade.

Design assignments will be of two types, individual and team, as indicated on the assignment title. Each assignment needs to be turned in electronically via RamCT by 11:59 pm on the due date.

There will be a couple of programming assignments that involve writing code to implement requirements and use design patterns, and also writing code to implement test cases.

There will be a long project with several deliverables including requirements, use cases, domain models, design models, program code, and test code. This will be done as an iterative project with code due several times during the semester.

Ideally, projects should be done in teams of 3-4. On-campus students must work in teams. Distance students have the option of working individually or in teams of 3-4. We understand that it is often difficult for distance students to work in a team. When it is time to work on projects, we will provide two versions, one for teams, and the other for individuals. One cannot switch projects in the middle. If you start with a team project, you must work in a team project throughout the semester.

Students must actively participate in the discussion forums on RamCT to get a grade in discussion assignments. Each discussion group will have about 4-5 members.

While specific instructions will be given for each discussion assignment, in general, we expect each student to make an initial posting for each assignment, followed by responses to other students' postings. Merely having one sentence that says, for example, "I agree with everyone", is not enough to get a grade.

There are two "take-home" exams (midterm and final). Students can expect to have about six days to write their answers. The midterm will be around week 8 and the final around week 16. Exact dates will be announced later.

We will be glad to re-grade the same submission if you feel that there was a mistake in grading. Contact us within 4 calendar days for a re-grade. Work will be re-graded in its entirety, and may result in an increase, decrease, or no change in the grade. Note that, once we have graded an assignment, we will not allow you to re-do and re-submit it for grading.

• Late work will not be accepted without prior permission. If you cannot finish the work by the deadline, contact the instructor as soon as possible. Extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis and are more likely when permission is sought in advance, for reasons which are unexpected and beyond your control, and which involve only a short extension. The instructors reserve the right to assign a score penalty to the late work, depending on the circumstances and degree of lateness.

• Late penalties for design and discussion assignments are as follows:
  • Up to 12 hours late: 10% penalty
  • 12 to 24 hours late: 25% penalty
  • 24 to 48 hours late: 50% penalty
  • More than 48 hours late: No credit

  Note that the percentages refer to the total points available for the deliverable, not the points that you have received. That is, if an assignment is worth 100 points, and you get 76 and are 7 hours late, you will receive 66 points.

• Quizzes may not be taken or submitted after the due date.

• If you miss an exam, you receive a score of zero.

All students are expected to conduct themselves professionally. We (the instructors and GTAs) assume you are familiar with the policies in the student information sheet for the department and the department conduct code. Additionally, you are computing professionals, albeit perhaps just starting. You should be familiar with the code of conduct for the primary professional society, ACM. You can read the ACM Code of Conduct HERE.

This course will adhere to the CSU Academic Integrity Policy as found in the Student Conduct Code. At a minimum, violations will result in a grading penalty in this course and a report to the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services.

Students not already familiar with the CSU Honor Pledge should review this clear and simple pledge and always adhere to it. Academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely. The first instance of cheating will result in negative credit. The second instance will result in a failing grade and other penalties dictated by departmental and university policies.

We work to maintain an environment supportive of learning in the classroom and laboratory. Towards that end, we require that you be courteous to and respectful of your fellow participants (i.e., classmates, instructors, GTAs and any tutors). In particular:

• Please turn off the ring on your cell phone. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the door and slide out discretely to take it.
• In class use of electronic devices in general, and laptops specifically, is permitted as a courtesy so that you may better participate and learn. If at any time the instructor judges that an electronic device is becoming a distraction the student may be asked to to turn it off and put it away.

We require you to follow the guidelines listed below for postings on RamCT:

• Be professional.
• Be courteous.
• Do not post any questions about your grade or any grading issues. Such questions are private communication and must be emailed.
• Do not post any opinions regarding your graded assignment, or any aspect of the course. You will have a chance to submit anonymous reviews at the end of the semester. Email feedback to the instructor regarding the course is acceptable and welcome.
• The instructor reserves the right to delete postings that do not promote a conducive learning experience for students in the class.