Collaborative Software Development (CS452G)

Course Information

Title: Advanced Computing: Collaborative Software Development
Institution: Metropolitan State University of Denver
Course ID: CS 452G    [CRN 55648]
Semester: Fall 2016
Meetings: Mondays & Wednesdays 2:00PM - 3:50PM
Location: Central 101
Hours: Credit Hours: 4
Contact Hours: 60
Additional Student Work Hours: 150 hours outside of class
Prerequisites: CS2050 and at least one upper-divison CS course with grades of "C" or better
Policies: http://www.jodypaul.com/cs/collab
Moodle Site: http://gouda.msudenver.edu/moodle
Instructor: Dr. Jody Paul (schedule & office hours)
E-mail: jody @ computer . org
Office: Science 1038 (x68435)
Campus Mail: Campus Box 38

 

Catalog Text

This semester’s course addresses collaborative software development, in theory and in practice. Contemporary software development is a complex enterprise requiring intensely collaborative activity. This course combines critical reading/writing with active learning (a) to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the collaborative nature of contemporary software development and (b) to equip students with practices for improving the effectiveness of software development teams.

Additional Notes

Participants are expected to already have a good working knowledge of programming and be willing to engage in collaborative software development practices.

This course requires a significant amount of time spent outside of the classroom working with other students on assignments and projects.

Textbooks

Cover of JUnit book The Nature of Software Development
by Ron Jeffries
Pragmatic Bookshelf (2015); ISBN 1941222374
REQUIRED

Cover of Stellman/Greene book Learning Agile:
Understanding Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban

by Andrew Stellman & Jennifer Greene
O'Reilly (2013); ISBN 1449331920
REQUIRED

Cover of Lencioni (Five Dysfunctions) book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
by Patrick Lencioni
Jossey-Bass (2002); ISBN 0470580461
REQUIRED

 

Cover of Subversion Guide Pragmatic Guide to Subversion
by Mike Mason
Pragmatic Bookshelf (2010); ISBN 1934356611
OPTIONAL

Cover of Redmine book Mastering Redmine - Second Edition
by Andriy Lesyuk
Packt Publishing(2016); ISBN 1785881302
OPTIONAL

Online References

MartinFowler Logo Continuous Integration
by Martin Fowler
martinfowler.com (2006); Available Online
REQUIRED

Logo for Subversion Version Control with Subversion
by B. Collins-Sussman, et al.
svnbook.org (2016); Available Online
REQUIRED

Logo for Redmine Redmine: User Guide
by Redmine
redmine.org (2015); Available Online
REQUIRED

website link Software Engineering:
People, Projects, and Management

jodypaul.com (2016); Available Online
REQUIRED

Course Policies

Class Sessions & Websites

You are expected to prepare in advance for class sessions (reading, exercises, etc.) and to participate in class discussions and collaborative activities. Participation in class discussions and activities is mandatory and constitutes part of the overall grade for the course. There are no “make-ups” for missed in-class activities and exercises.

A substantial amount of information is disseminated during class sessions. Additional information is provided via the course website. You are responsible for knowing this information whether or not you attended the sessions or accessed the website. In particular, the textbooks and references provide some but not all of the information necessary to successfully complete the course.

In addition to important course and domain information, the course support website (moodle) provides the primary vehicle for managing assignments and other assessments.

 

Due Dates/Times

Deliverables associated with assignments may be submitted for scoring at any time prior to the published due date/time.

No assignment deliverables will be accepted after the published due date/time.

Students have successfully applied the strategy of setting their own "individual" deadline to be 24 hours in advance of the published due date/time. In support of this practice, out-of-class assignments will have due dates/times set to provide ample time for completion and submission more than 24 hours prior to the published due date/time.

Because there are many risks to completion and submission, you are strongly encouraged to target completion of an assignment no less than 24 hours prior to the published due date/time and to submit an assignment no less than 12 hours prior to the published due date/time.

Illness, crises, and emergency situations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis in accordance with University, College, and Departmental policies.

Scoring & Grading

Your final course grade is determined by combining all assessments of performance. The maximum possible score of each item reflects its relative weight, thus the scores for the items are summed to determine the cumulative total score. Conversions from numerical scores to letter grades are as shown.

 

A-
90% ≤ score < 93%
A
93% ≤ score < 97%
A+
97% ≤ score
B-
80% ≤ score < 83%
B
83% ≤ score < 87%
B+
87% ≤ score < 90%
C-
70% ≤ score < 72%
C
72% ≤ score < 77%
C+
77% ≤ score < 80%
D
60% ≤ score < 70%
F
score < 60%

 

Assignments & Projects

Assignments and projects represent your opportunity to learn new concepts, practice applying those concepts and new tools, and reflect on your experiences. The intent is to enhance your understanding as well as to demonstrate your knowledge of the concepts and ability to apply them. Details regarding assignments and projects will be provided in class or on the course moodle website. Assignments must be turned in using the course moodle website unless explicitly specified otherwise. In particular, e-mail and hard-copy will not be accepted in lieu of online submission.

Reflections

Every assignment and project turned in must include a section (maximum 150 words) labeled “Reflection” in which you reflect on the experience by describing your personal insights and observations about your learning. This reflection is required whether or not the assignment specification mentions it explicitly and comprises a portion of the score of every assignment and project.

Collaboration & Citation of Sources

This course specifically emphasizes the collaborative aspects of software development. Collaboration, teamwork, and consultation of work by others are required.

That said, in order to provide fair assessment for grading, you must write up your own submissions — reflecting your individual effort and contribution — for every assignment you turn in to be assessed. In your submission, you must credit the people with whom you worked.

If you consult any sources, your submission must explicitly reference the sources and indicate where and how they apply.

Turning in work that includes quotations without corresponding citations, does not properly cite references, or does not credit collaborators, will be treated as an act of academic dishonesty. All incidents of suspected dishonesty will be reported to the Chair of the department and the Dean of the college. Consequences may include a score of 0 on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, academic probation, or dismissal from the institution. This is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly. f you have any uncertainty or concerns, please discuss them with your instructor or your advisor.

Online Submission

Assignments must be turned in using the course moodle website unless explicitly specified otherwise. In particular, e-mail and hard-copy will not be accepted in lieu of online submission.

The moodle "assignment" activity allows you to enter and upload working-drafts that you do not intend to be scored. Your drafts will not be considered for scoring, before or after the due date/time.

To submit your assignment entry for scoring, you must click the Submit button for that assignment and accept the subsequent attestation.

  • Use of the Submit button indicates that the assignment is ready to be scored.
  • Failure to click the Submit button and accept the attestation will result in NO earned score for the assignment.
Deliverable Formats

When available, the Online text field of a moodle assignment should be used for text-based responses and for reflections. File attachments to Online text are generally not desirable.

Formats of files turned in for assignments must not depend on specific operating system or commercial software.

Examples of generally acceptable formats: ASCII or UNICODE UTF-8 text, HTML, PDF, GIF, JPEG, PNG. Examples of specifically unacceptable formats: Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers.

Acceptable formats for archives include only tar and zip. If a specific archive format is required it will be specified in the assignment itself.

A deliverable submitted in an unacceptable format is equivalent to no submission at all. If you are unsure about the acceptability of a file format, please check with your instructor well prior to submission.

Official Information

Official policies applicable to all courses: http://cs.msudenver.edu/degrees/courses/policies

MSU Denver College Catalog: http://catalog.msudenver.edu
Official announcements, including Academic Policies and Procedures and Student Rights and Responsibilities

MSU Denver Academic Calendar: http://www.msudenver.edu/events/academic/
Additional official dates and deadlines, including the last dates to withdraw and receive NC and holidays

MSU Denver Student Handbook: http://www.msudenver.edu/handbook/
Important Metro State and Auraria campus policies and procedures for students