Introduction to Software Engineering
CS 3302 Winter 1996
General course information and policies
Electronic information
The use of electronic technology in the classroom will play a critical
role in this class, for two reasons. First, as with other classes, we
will use electronic means to disseminate information about the class,
such as project assignments, grades, and general announcements outside
of class. Second, we will use the Web as the means for assembling the
project notebooks which fully document the project design.. The
information provided here concerns the former use of electronic
information. We will try to make as much use as possible of
electronic information exchange. The three major electronic means of
exchange will be electronic mail, a class newsgroup and a class World
Wide Web (WWW) home page. If you aren't already familiar with these
Internet-based tools, now is the time to find out.
Electronic mail
Probably the most dependable way to contact the instructor is by e-mail. Whenever you send
e-mail, please make sure you include your full name on the message, as
it is sometimes difficult to decipher student mail addresses.
WWW
You are currently reading text from the WWW class home page for CS 3302.
There are a variety of ways to access this page using any of a number of
WWW browsers (lynx, Mosaic, netscape, etc.). For example, you can traverse
links directly from the College
of Computing home page (look for the link to "Classes using World Wide Web" under the category of "Academic Services"). Or you can access this page directly by opening the URL
(that's WWW-speak for location)
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/computing/classes/cs3302_96_winter/.
The class syllabus, indicating lecture topics, reading, homework and lab
assignments, will be posted on the class Web page and will be continually
updated throughout the quarter. You should make it a regular habit to
consult the syllabus.
Newsgroup
The newsgroup for this class is git.cc.class.3302.
Occasionally, this newsgroup will be used by the instructor or TA to
make general announcements to the class outside of lecture time. You
should make it a habit to consult the newsgroup on a regular basis.
Students can post general class-related announcements to the
newsgroup. The newsgroup is NOT the best way to get a message through
to the instructor, so do not rely on it to get answers from the
instructor on urgent matters. It should be used to facilitate
discussion among the students (and perhaps the TA).
Grading
The final grades will be calculated based on the following weighting
scheme. It is possible that this weighting scheme will be adjusted as
the quarter progresses. Any such changes will be announced to the
class. It is up to the graduating students to make themselves known
to the instructor at the beginning of the course.
Grade weighting
| Category | Non-graduating | Graduating |
| Group project consisting of: |
| Project Plan | 5% | 5% |
| Requirements Doc | 15% | 15% |
| Design Doc | 15% | 15% |
| Prototype | 15% | 15% |
| Presentation(s) | 5% | 5% |
| Peer Assessment | 5% | 5% |
| Midterm | 10% | 20% |
| Final | 25% | 10% |
| Class participation | 5% | 10% |
Exams
There will be a midterm exam during the quarter and a final exam. The
midterm will be based on class readings and lectures. The instructor
will provide a study guide for the midterm exams one week prior to the
exam date. The midterm exam will be returned within one week.
Questions about exams grading should be directed to the instructor
within one week of the return. Adjustments in exam grades will be
rare and could equally well result in a lowering or raising of the
grade.
The final exam will consist of two parts. The first part will be a
grading of the overall project notebook, which will be due on
Wednesday, March 6. All students, including graduating seniors, will
be responsible for this portion of the final. The second portion of
the final exam will be discussed later on during the course and
graduating seniors will be exempt from this.
Group project
A large part of this course will consist of a project done in groups.
More complete information on the project will be presented as the
class progresses. Project groups will usually be four-member teams.
Project teams and project themes will be decided during the second
week of class, based on student profiles and project resources. You
will fill out a job application as part of this team determination
process.
There will be several project milestones that will contribute to the
overall assessment of the project. These are outlined in the grading
table above and will be explained during the course. The basic
deliverables for the class will be three documents, a working
prototype and one or more presentations on the project. All of this
information will be assembled in a Web-based project notebook and
written in HTML.
Twice during the quarter, individual contributions to the project
teams will be assessed by the other project members. These peer
assessments will be done in confidence and are intended to help the
instructor provide a more accurate account of individual contribution
to an otherwise group effort. For the most part, all project grades
except for the peer assessments will be the same for all project
members. You should remember that your individual grade is greatly
affected by the effectiveness of your entire team. Though this might
not seem fair at first, the point of this grading scheme is to impress
upon the individual student the importance of group communication and
effective collaboration.
Individual diaries
Each student is responsible for obtaining a separate notebook to use
to use as a journal or diary for the group project. Occasionally,
this diary will be checked to ensure that it is being used to log
important project ideas, status meeting minutes, action items,
storyboard ideas, etc. Failure to make use of a personal diary will
be reflected in the class participation grade for the class.
For more information on the group project, refer to click here.
Class participation/Attendance
A significant portion of your grade will be determined by class
participation. If you don't attend class, you cannot participate, and
your grade will reflect that. I expect that each student will attend
all lectures and contribute constructively to the discussion.
There will be several mechanisms for assessing class participation.
The first, periodic checks of the individual project diaries, was
already mentioned above. Attendance will be monitored
during weekly in-class project status reports. When reading assigments
are given, the instructor may choose to have an in-class written quiz
on the reading, or reading questions will be assigned that will be due
on the day of the reading assignment.
I want to know who you are, so please make an effort to speak in class
and talk to me outside of class. If by the end of the quarter I don't
know your name, it won't necessarily be my fault.
Class policies
Students are expected to attend all lectures on time. Students are
expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. This expectation
includes showing up for exams at the appointed time. Late make-up exams
will not be given. Any conflicts with exam times should be brought to
the instructor's attention as soon as possible and in all cases PRIOR
to the examination period. In the event that the midterm is missed,
for any reason, the policy will be to use the score on the final exam
as a replacement for the midterm grade.
Students are expected to follow the university's codes of academic conduct.
Cases of suspected academic misconduct will be immediately forwarded
to the Dean of Student Affairs, and will be pursued to resolution.
This is an unpleasant process for all involved, so please do not put
yourself in this situation.
Above all, I would like to adhere to the reasonable person principle.
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