Software Engineering -- CS511
Boston University -- Fall 1999
Announcements
12/22
Answers to the final exam are posted.
12/21
Final grades are posted.
Have a nice holiday and vacation everyone!
12/7
Extra credit grades are posted
11/18
Outline for your project documentation:
Introduction -- What is this program? What is its purpose? What will it do for you?
Installation and Set Up -- How do you install the program? How do you get it ready to use?
User Guide -- From a user perspective, how do you get the program to do its work? Organize by logical task.
Reference Guide (if needed) -- The full details of each command and all program options.
Appendices (if needed) -- Various information that may be useful to some readers.
11/11
Midterm grades are posted. Check them carefully. You should find your ID # under your team, with your correct midterm grade next to it. Let me know of any problems. Save your copy of the test, in case you need to show me that the posted grade is wrong.
See new link on class home page for information about college hiring programs in computer science.
11/5
Ideas for extra credit... (If you are writing a paper, it is OK for more than one person to take the same topic.)
Function point estimating model
COCOMO estimating model
Description of a CMM Level 5 organization
The Personal Software Process (PSP) from Carnegie-Mellon. This is like the CMM, but aimed at individual programmers. (www.sei.cmu.edu/psp/psp.html)
Object oriented analysis (our textbook chapter 20)
Object oriented design (our textbook chapter 21)
ISO 9001/9000-3 quality standard for software. Same idea as CMM, but different approach.
Here are the answers to the midterm.
Note to remaining team presenters -- Examples are very helpful to a good presentation. After explaining a technical point, show how it would apply in a small real case. (Of course, our textbook is not always very good at this.)
10/28
All teams should email me an electronic copy of their presentation outline (after giving the talk). I will post these on the Presentations page of this web site. Previous talks are now posted there.
10/25
Grades for the design spec are posted.
10/22
See the presentations page. It contains new information about how I am grading the team talks.
10/18
You will lead the midterm review. Bring your questions. (I will not present a structured review of my own.)
I do not check email all weekend (Friday 5:00 until Monday 9:00) or on holidays. If you have questions during these times, please call me at home (781-275-7806).
10/12
The last day to hand in extra credit projects is 12/1. You should discuss these projects with me at least a couple weeks before that date, to make sure I approve it.
The mid-term test will consist of short-answer questions -- one or two sentences per answer. You should study all of the chapters we have read in the textbook, all of your notes from the lectures, and your notes from the team presentations.
10/7
I will give the final exam on 12/15 at 4:00. To make this reasonable however, I am moving the final project due date from 12/15 to 12/8.
Grades have been posted on this web site.
9/29/99
Here is the article I talked about that discusses "getting it right" for software design.
9/27/99
Remember to hand in two (2) printed copies of all project deliverables, including the functional specification this week.
On Monday and Tuesday (10/4, 10/5) there is a conference on software quality at the Cambridge Sonesta (next to the Science Museum). I have obtained 10 student passes for our use. You may get a pass (at the registration desk) when you enter and return it when you leave. This is an excellent opportunity to attend a major conference on software engineering. Click on this link for general info www-biz.aum.edu/Tomgriffin/9icsq/, then here for the specific talks www-biz.aum.edu/Tomgriffin/9icsq/TechPro.htm. You may attend any talk that has empty seats, which should be most of them. I promised the organizers that we would not take the conference books or eat the meals, since we are not paying the registration fee.
9/23/99
Here is a copy of my email to Roger Pressman. And his reply.
I will grade the project deliverables when they are first handed in. If the finished result (turned in at the end) is significantly better, I may raise that portion of the grade.
You will hand in the functional spec, technical design, and test plan only twice -- when they are due and again at the end of the project. (But you should actively update these documents as you work on the project.)
Anyone giving a presentation from a laptop should also bring a few hardcopies of the slides. (Just in case the computer or projector doesn't work.)
9/21/99
Please check the team assignments posted on this web site against your current team members. If you think your team is different, please let me know ASAP (via email with full details). If some teams have swapped members and everyone is happy, that's OK with me. But I need a correct team list for grading.
9/16/99
Since I extended this offer to one team, I'll make it for everyone. If you want to have two people share two tasks on your team, that is OK. This would most likely make sense with the coding and testing, or the design and coding. Both parts of the project will get a separate grade, and both people will share the average of those grades.
Your team should maintain and update the written documents throughout the project. The functional spec, technical spec, and test plan should be modified as the program changes. At the end of the project, hand in updated copies of all the deliverables.
9/14/99
Everyone should attend the team meetings during the last part of class. This is important. Students who do not actively participate with their teams may get 0 points for the team portion of their overall grade.
9/10/99
Please look at the revised grading scheme that I am considering. It shifts more of the grade to individual performance. You may send me comments via email or discuss at the beginning of the next class.
If you want to do an extra-credit assignment, please discuss it with me during the semester and complete it before 12/15.
9/9/99
For the next class meeting, please skim Chapter 1 and read Chapter 2 of the textbook. Be prepared to answer questions about Chapter 2 and discuss the topics in it.
9/3/99
Please read Chapter 1 of the textbook (Pressman) before the first class.