Software Engineering -- CS511
Boston University -- Fall 2000
Announcements
12/27
Several students have contacted me about raising the course grades that I assigned to them. Unless there is a clear error in the grading process, I am not going to raise any grades. Here's why... After receiving the exam scores, I looked carefully at the overall grading and considered how much to curve the course grades. I decided on 5 points, which is a lot! I took into account that 4 points left many people "on the border" between B+ and A-. So, I have already been very generous. If you now have 89, for example, please keep in mind that you actually got 84 and I raised your grade from B to B+.
12/20
A note about the final exam scores... I received the scores on the final exam before deciding how much to curve the overall grades. So the curve takes into account the average score on the exam. I am going to be hesitant to change grades on the final exam, since I have already curved up the course grades based on the exam scores.
The final exams will be available to pick up in the CS office. They are not there yet, but I will let you know when they are.
January 31 is the last day to submit your final exam for my review. I must receive the exam by this date. I will wait until I have all the exams (that are sent to me) before reviewing any of them.
12/19
Please double check your overall grade calculation for the course. See the grading method as listed on the class web site.
You may appeal your grade on the final exam if: 1) the result of the review could change your overall letter grade for the course, and 2) there is a clear error in the grading. If you want me to review your final exam, write a description of what is wrong with the grading and send it (and the exam) to me at 110 Winn Street, Suite 209, Woburn, MA, 01801. Be sure to keep a copy of your exam.
Cutoff scores for overall letter grades... A is 93, A- is 90, B+ is 87, B is 83, B- is 80, C+ is 77, C is 73.
12/11
An updated grade sheet is posted. Note: I had made an error in calculating team totals, so too many points were flowing from the team grades to the individual grades. I have fixed this. This does not change anyone's grade on any part of the course, but does change the overall total points per person, in case you had been tracking that.
12/6
Everything covered in class is a possible topic for the final exam, including student presentations. All presentations (including extra credit) are posted here .
This class (12/7) is the deadline for extra credit papers.
12/4
Here is some more detail about the documentation that is due this week.... The documentation should contain 3 parts (or 3 separate documents if you want): Installation Guide, User Guide, and Reference.
The Installation Guide tells how to install the software.
The User Guide teaches the user how to use the software and perform its basic operations. The User Guide should be very clear and readable.
The Reference contains full details about every feature of the program, which may not be in the User Guide. (If the software is simple, and everything is in the User Guide, you don't need a Reference.)
11/20
Team 5: I do not know who wrote your test plan. The entire team will receive no grade for this part of the project.
Teams 6 and 9: I do not know who your designer and programmer are. The entire team will receive no grade for these parts of the project.
The final quiz grade will be based on attendance at the last two classes. You cannot use your "free pass" for this quiz.
11/17
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! See you in two weeks.
11/10
I have posted this before, but it is important... I am getting some project deliverables without a clear indication of who wrote them. No one (including the whole team) will get credit for these until I can assign the grades to the right people. Please look at your copies of the Design Spec and Test Plan. If the front cover does not clearly state who wrote it, please send me email and tell me who the authors are.
11/6
Here is an email I got from the Sun recruiter. The Sun facility in Burlington is VERY nice, so if you want to see it in person, this is a good opportunity. Note that you should RSVP right away... "Sun wishes to cordially invite you and your students to attend an Open House of our Burlington MA facility on wednesday, November 8th, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. We are located on 1 Network Dr. in Burlington MA. There will be Sun representatives presenting current and upcoming Sun technologies, along with guest speakers offering insight into the state of the high technology industry. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to meet with hiring managers to discuss Career Options at Sun. Sun is rapidly growing and intends to hire 400 college graduates in this next year nationwide, 100 of them right here in Burlington. Sun values diversity in the workplace and offers terrific benefits in addition to a fitness center, Starbucks Cafe, ATM, Post Office, Concierge Services, Massages, AND MORE! Come and see all that Sun has to offer for yourself.... For register, RSVP to: brendan.murphy@east.sun.com and BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR SCHOOL IN THE SUBJECT LINE!!!!!!!! We are looking forward to hearing from you. All we ask is you bring numerous copies of your resumes so they can be given to hiring managers directly."
11/3
There was a notice on the web site which said that extra credit papers were due on 11/23. I have changed this to 12/7. Keep in mind that you must give a class presentation and, optionally, write a paper. So far, only 3 people have signed up for extra credit.
10/30
For this week's reading... Read Chapters 1 and 2 in detail, then skim the other chapters to understand their main ideas.
Outline for the Test Plan:
Short summary of the program (so someone can read the test plan without reading the other documents).
System environment. What hardware, operating system, browser, compiler, server, etc are required to run the program? Will you be testing on all possible system configurations? (probably not) What will be your test configuration(s)?
Summary of test plan. Will you be testing modules as they are developed (with stubs and drivers), or just a complete system test at the end? Will there be performance testing, or just feature testing? Will there be phases of testing, from simple to more complex? What are the logical groupings of your test scenarios (see below)?
Detailed descriptions of tests. Break this into logical sections -- module testing, integration testing, system testing, performance testing, testing of bad inputs, testing of typical user scenarios. You might want to break some of these test groups into logical subgroups. Show code (or pseudo-code) for important drivers or stubs if you are using them. Explain, step by step, each user scenarios that you will test. If you are testing for speed, what are the test scripts and how will you time them?
Acceptance criteria. How will you judge that the program is done?
10/27
Please send me the names of the two people responsible for the design spec on each team. Some are unmarked or have only one name on them.
10/26
I am raising all the grades on the class presentations by one point. This will bring these grades in line with my grading on other parts of the team project.
10/24
You are responsible for reading the entire essay Cathedral and the Bazaar, including all of its chapters. (Not just the single chapter with this title.)
An unauthorized biography of Linus and Linux: www.softpanorama.org/People/Torvalds/Linus_Torvalds_biography.shtml
Letter from Eric Raymond to Linus Torvalds about his current mistakes managing Linux: lwn.net/2000/0824/a/esr-sharing.php3.
Possible extra credit topic -- JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans. Explain what these are and how they help create re-usable software.
10/18
OK. I messed this up, and got everyone confused... For the MasterMind project, you are required to create a program that guesses which colors the user has set. Optionally, the computer can also play the other role (sets the colors and gives feedback to the user's guesses).
10/16
Save all your quizes, projects and tests. Then verify that the posted grades are correct. Especially re-check at the end of the semester.
My description of the programming project implies that I will give extra credit (above the regular number of points) for adding extra features into the program. This is not true. (My apologies.) It would be unfair to allow the programmer to get extra credit, but not the other team members.
10/13
No one will get extra credit for any part of the team projects. This includes doing more than required in the program. People get extra credit only by doing individual extra credit projects.
I have added a suggested outline for team presentations. See the Presentation page.
All lecture notes are now posted. See link on the home page.
All answers to quizes are now posted. See link on the home page.
10/11
Note to people giving talks in class -- You must hand me a printed outline at the start of the talk. Also, be sure to send me an HTML file containing the outline of the talk. I will post this on the class web site.
10/10
Several people have been forced to miss a quiz, or were not able to study for the first one. Here is what I will do... I will grade everyone on all 10 quizes, but will then raise your lowest quiz grade to a 2. So this essentially allows you to skip one quiz.
10/3
Here is an email I got from Lotus that you might be interested in... "Earn $100 for 2 hours of work. If you are interested in helping evaluate the usability of Lotus products, please follow this link to the participation form: http://www.notes.net/usentry.nsf/Register?OpenForm You will be contacted when your profile seems to match an evaluation profile. When you are first scheduled for an evaluation, the scheduler will explain the particulars of usability evaluations to you. The usability evaluations are typically scheduled in two hour time blocks for which the participant will receive a gratuity of $100 within 2-3 weeks of the test. We conduct evaluations in the usability lab in Westford, MA and occasionally at our lab in Cambridge, MA. If you'd like to read more about usability, visit our site at: http://www.notes.net/usability."
10/2
If you feel that your answer on a quiz is correct, but you did not receive credit for it, please let me know. You have the right to appeal the grade given to you by the grader.
These people have not sent me their ID numbers: Ito, Kavvouras, Shirakashi, Sweeney. (That is why there are question marks on the grade sheet.)
9/29
If you are doing the MasterMind project, you may read www.tnelson.demon.co.uk/mastermind/. This web site contains strategy and methods for playing the game. You may use these ideas. Note that there is no programming code here. You must write the program yourself. If you find an actual program, that uses this method or any other, do not use it. You may not copy someone else's program.
9/19
Could the following students please send me their ID numbers?: Bhatia, Brill, Ito, Kavvouras, Lovell, Shirakashi, Sweeney.
Sun Microsystems will be visiting our class on 9/28 around 6:15 to talk about their college hiring program. They have openings for Dec/Jan and also May/June.
The teaching assistant is David Blumstein. His email is dblumstn@cs.bu.edu, office phone is 353-6411 and 5225, office hours are Tues 4-5 and Wed 4-6 or by appointment, and office location is the CS lab. (Note: Please call or email Dave to let him know you are coming to his office hours. That way he does not have to wait around if no one is coming.)
9/18
For the Mastermind project... The computer will do the guessing. The human user sets the color pattern and the computer tries to figure it out in a small number of guesses. As an option, the computer can play either role.
Team members who are writing the functional specification -- Bring a rough draft of the spec to class on Thursday. You will not hand this in and it can be written in pencil if you want. We'll use this to help discuss the specs and get you going in the right direction.
9/8
Quizes will cover the material you have read for that day. It is a test of whether you have prepared for class.
Start
If you are not registered for the course, but want to add it, you must come to the first class meeting.
Please read Pressman chapter 1 and Rapid Development chapter 7 before the first class meeting.