Syllabus for CIS-351-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Software Engineering immerses the student in the process of software engineering, which involves identifying the components of a software system, breaking complex components into smaller and more manageable abstract pieces, and modeling the entire system. These tasks help software teams better handle the design, planning, and development of software systems. In this course the student will be exposed to a variety of techniques for planning and modeling along with strategies for gathering user input and for executing software development.

Students are strongly encouraged to have successfully completed an introductory programming course such as COS-116-OL (C Programming) or COS-213-OL (C++ Programming) before taking this course.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. The textbook is available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

• Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach, 7th edition, by Roger S. Pressman (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2010).
  
  ISBN-13: 978-0-07-337597-7

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Software Engineering is a three-credit online course. It consists of five study modules.

Modular study assignments include text readings and study aids in the form of links to the chapter summaries and self-tests offered by the text publisher's Web site. Several modules include multimedia lectures on key topics; modules also contain interactive exercises that allow you to check your understanding of important concepts.

You are required to participate in four graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum, which occurs during the first week of the semester. The course also has two examinations: a proctored midterm and an unproctored, online final.

For the course's assignment modules (study assignments, online discussions, and written assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. See also the Course Calendar for an overview of the assignments and for all due dates.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Software Engineering requires you to participate in four graded class discussions.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

Deadlines for posting responses to the discussion questions are given in the course Calendar.

Specific directions for these activities, and the questions to be discussed, are given in the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Software Engineering has five (5) written assignments. For the assignment topics and questions, see the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

The written assignments are the primary means for you to express yourself verbally during the semester, controlling content and meaning. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the course Calendar.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, and read through the written assignment question before you begin the reading for that assignment.

Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. They should also adequately answer the questions posed. If you need help in writing, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Also, formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to APA guidelines (see also Basic Documentation Rules). If you have further questions, your mentor will guide you in accordance with the correct style of documentation.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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Examinations

Software Engineering requires you to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Chapters 1 through 7 (Modules 1 through 3). It consists of several short essay questions and one longer essay question.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

You will find help in preparing for your exam in the study guides found in each module. Each includes a list of concepts you should be sure you understand before you move on to the next module. When you are studying for your exams, you may use this information as a preparation guide.

Final Examination

The final is a closed-book online exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Chapters 8 through 12 and Appendix 2 (Module 4 and Module 5). It consists of several short essay questions and one longer essay question.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of the last week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

You will find help in preparing for your exam in the study guides found in each module. Each includes a list of concepts you should be sure you understand before you move on to the next module. When you are studying for your exams, you may use this information as a preparation guide.

Sample Examination
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

• The content of your exam will match the content of your course; the sample exam has some generic questions on art history, world history, and environmental science.
• Your exam included only essay-type questions. The sample exam includes all the types that you might encounter in an online assessment at Thomas Edison State College.
• You will be able to enter and take your exam just once—once you have entered the exam you must complete it. The sample exam may be taken as often as you like.
• There will be a penalty for exceeding the time limit in your actual midterm and final exams (see the "Statement about Cheating" below), whereas there is no corresponding penalty with this sample exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.
   
   
2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.
   
   
3. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.
   
   
4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.