Software Engineering -- CS511
Boston University -- Fall 1999

Topics / Schedule

In general, each class session will be divided into three sections:

• A lecture by the instructor, which will cover a major topic of software engineering.
• A presentation by a student team, which will cover a related topic in theory or practice.
• Time for the student teams to work together, receive assistance from the instructor, and present their project results.

Although it is not required, you might want to set aside the hour after class to continue working with your team.

Sept 8

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 1
• Introduction. Goals of the course. Topics. Class time format. Team member assignments. Team tasks for semester. Opportunity for student input to course structure.
• Lecture -- What is software engineering? Views on the topic. Why does it matter? The state of software engineering.
• Team meetings. Choose a project and assign people for early presentation topics.

Sept 15

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 2
• Lecture -- Models of software engineering I
• Lecture -- Models of software engineering II
• Team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Sept 22

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chaps 10, 11 (Read for main ideas. Don't get hung up on the details or all the acronyms.)
• Lecture -- System analysis / requirements analysis
• Lecture -- Class exercise outlining project functional specifications
• Team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Sept 29

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 13
• Lecture -- Design/architecture
• Team presentation
• Choice: Presentation/discussion of some functional specifications, or team meetings.
• Project deliverable -- Functional specification.

Oct 6

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 5
• Lecture -- Estimating
• Team presentation
• Team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Oct 13

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 7
• Lecture -- Scheduling & tracking  (w/ MS Project demo)
• Team presentation
• Choice: Presentation/discussion of preliminary design specifications, or team meetings.
• Project deliverable -- None.

Oct 20

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 17
• Lecture -- Quality & testing
• Team presentation
• Mid-term test review -- Bring textbook and questions.
• Choice (if time permits): Team meetings, or present design specs
• Project deliverable -- Design specification.

Oct 27

• Reading assignment -- None
• Mid-term test (60 minutes)
• Team presentation
• Team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Nov 3

• Reading assignment -- Code Complete (book), Chap 5
• Lecture -- Programming guidelines/style/attitude
• Team presentation
• Choice: Some teams present preliminary test plans, or team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Nov 10

• Reading assignment -- SEPA Chap 9
• Lecture -- Configuration managment, with MS SourceSafe demo
• Team presentation
• Choice: Presentation/discussion of some test plans, or team meetings.
• Career Discussion
• Project deliverable -- Test plan.

Nov 17

• Reading -- www.sec.gov/consumer/plaine.htm. Read Preface, Chaps 1 - 6.
• Lecture -- Technical writing tips, outline for a User Guide
• Team presentation
• Team meetings
• Guest Lecture (6-7pm) -- Barry Rosenberg, software technical writing
• Project deliverable -- None.

Nov 24

Thanksgiving vacation. No class.

Dec 1  (Last day to hand in extra credit papers.)

• Team presentation
• Extra credit talk -- Allison Raffo, FAA system postmortem
• Guest Lecture, 5:30 -- Elizabeth Grealy & Sharon Burton, postmortem of a troubled banking project
• Preliminary program results / Team meetings
• Project deliverable -- None.

Dec 8

• Team Presentation
• ? Extra credit talk - Allison Raffo, FAA
• Extra credit talk - Jiang Xin, topic TBD
• Extra credit talk - Oleg Polnarev, topic TBD
• Extra credit talk - Yoblick, Paull, topic TBD
• 5:30 iXL recruiting - David Penn
• Project deliverable - Executable program, user guide, updated copies of three other documents.

Dec 15

• Final test -- 60 minutes.

Copyright 1999 by Charles H. Connell Jr.