Software Systems Development and Integration
CIS*2750 (W08)


Course Outline

General Information

Regular classes: January 7, 2008 to April 4, 2008
Final Exam: April 14, 2008 (0830h)

Instructor : David McCaughan (REYN 210 ext: 56467)
e-mail: dbm@uoguelph.ca
Office hours: by appointment (or see me after class)
Teaching Assistants : Iouri Doubov, Thanh Ngo, Lorrie Chan
e-mail: ta2750@cis.uoguelph.ca
Office hours: see advising schedule
Lectures : MWF 1230-1320 ROZH 102
Seminar : Section 0101 T 0930--1120 MACK 225
Section 0102 Th 0930--1120 MACK 225
Discussion Forums : CIS Moodle Server
Web Page : http://www.usrlocal.ca/~dbm/teaching/CIS2750/


Overview

This course will examine the techniques and tools used in the development of large software systems. The student will be introduced to methods for the organization and construction of modular systems, the manipulation of files, user interface (textual and graphical) design and implementation and fundamental database concepts. Lectures focus on issues of coding style, pragmatic approaches to the construction of software, and the application and appropriate use of the wealth of software tools available for system development. The assignments complement this material by permitting the student to explore these concepts through a large scale cumulative implementation.

Students entering this course are expected to have a good grasp of basic procedural programming and experience with the C programming language. This knowledge will serve as a foundation with which to examine more sophisticated programming concepts and survey some of the development tools available for the construction and integration of software systems.

See calendar description for additional information (including prerequisites).


Evaluation

NOTE:
Required Text

Neil Matthew and Richard Stones. Beginning Linux Programming (4e). Wrox Press, 2007 (ISBN 0-4701-4762-8).


Recommended Text

Mark Lutz. Programming Python (3e). O'Reilly & Associates, 2006 (ISBN 0-596-00925-9).


Other References

Philip J. Pratt. A Guide to SQL (3e). Course Technology, 1995 (ISBN 0-87709-520-5).

Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike. The Practice of Programming. Addison-Wesley, 1999 (ISBN 0-201-61586-X).


Academic Misconduct in Computing

It is the policy of this department to treat cases of academic misconduct seriously. This statement is intended to clarify our policies with regard to academic misconduct in courses taken in the Department of Computing and Information Science, and to clarify penalties for offenses as outlined in the document, Penalties for Academic Misconduct: Dean's Guidelines, dated February 13, 1996 (all factual information and quoted material herein is based on this document; students are free to review these guidelines by contacting the Dean's Office). It is policy that all suspected cases of academic misconduct are referred to the Chair of the department for consideration and referral to the Dean of the college.

The Dean's Guidelines identify four offenses: plagiarism, misrepresentation, examination cheating and impersonation. The most common forms of misconduct exhibited in Computing are misrepresentation, and to a lesser extend plagiarism.

Plagiarism: is the "verbatim copying or close paraphrasing of another person's work without full and formal acknowledgement". Specificially, this involves material from a book, research paper or other source being used without acceptable referencing of the source material. This includes the use of segment of code or non-standard algorithms that were obtained by a student from a third party source, and used without permission and/or proper references. Penalties for plagiarism range from 0 on the assignment in question for minor first offenses to debarment and expulsion for subsequent offenses.

Misrepresentation: refers to the submission of material created by someone other than the student. This includes the copying of another students' source code, in part or in whole, or submitting assignments from previous offerings of the course. The Dean's Guidelines make it clear that "A student producing work in the knowledge that it will be submitted by another student as that student's work is also subject to penalty". Misrepresentation is a very serious offense, with penalties ranging from 0 for the course "...if a student submits material created by someone other than the student, whether purchased or not, the intent being to pass off that work as one's own", to expulsion for subsequent offenses.

Examination Cheating and Impersonation are less common, however carry similarly serious penalties.

Note that we encourage students to collectively discuss design issues or strategies for problem solving related to assignments. What is expected however is that the written work and implementations resulting from these discussions be independently produced by each student. Note that both the student who gives their work to another student, or leaves work where others may find it, and the student who uses the work are implicated to varying degrees. Please take care not to leave your work around, or leave a workstation without logging off. It is ultimately your responsibility to protect the integrity of your own work.


Last Modified: 2008 / 01 / 07