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UNIV 4706 Syllabus

Course Syllabus

UNIV 4706 - Managing Software Development

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course develops skills necessary to be an effective manager of an application software development team.  Through this course, students will become familiar with the process of managing the complete software development process in a business application context. The primary focus will be on the planning and oversight skills associated with managing a team of application developers and the process of defining and completing application development projects. The course emphasis will be placed on information gathering, project design, budgeting, and ongoing oversight. In addition, students will become familiar with the terminology and product knowledge associated with the complex enterprise-wide software development efforts.

Course Outcomes:

After completing the course students should be able to:

  1. Develop skills required to effectively and successfully oversee the entire application software development process.
  2. Gain an effective working knowledge of the variety of software development tools associated with building and supporting complex business applications.
  3. Gather project requirements and define the scope.
  4. Identify technical requirements necessary to meet the project deliverable.
  5. Develop skills associated with assembling the project development team.
  6. Understand to budget for and acquire the labor, equipment, and software associated with meeting the project deliverable.
  7. Develop basic project management skills associated with an application software development process.  
Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

Students registering for this course should have a good working knowledge of computer terms and concepts with particular emphasis on software development tools typically used in developing business applications. It is strongly recommended that students have completed at least one of the following courses (or achieved similar knowledge elsewhere):  CISP 2030 or equivalent (requires approval from instructor) and Microsoft Office (MS Word or equivalent). This is not a programming course, but exposure to hard skills in programming, database and other technology areas is strongly recommended. A basic knowledge of the World Wide Web and computer navigation is necessary.

Course Topics:

Unit 1: Overview of Course and Introductions Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss the overall course
  • Get to know ourselves as a group - both instructor and students
  • Review procedural issues and other course logistics
  • Review the lesson exercises and assessment guidelines
  • Review of scholarly research & writing for academic purposes.

Unit 2: Introduction of the Hypothetical Project Learning Objectives:

  • Purpose & background (the organization)
  • Project Overview
  • The RFP/RFI Process

Unit 3: Key application development concepts & methodologies Learning Objectives:

  • Definition of a "program"
  • Source code versus object code
  • Compilers, interpreters, and scripting languages
  • Scripting Languages

Unit 4: Review of the software development environment & common tools Learning Objectives:

  • Operating systems
  • Application development languages
  • Web Interface languages

Unit 5: Relational database programming - the basics Learning Objectives:

  • Relational database background information
  • RDBMS concepts & terminology
  • Review of the major RDBMS commercial products

Unit 6: Vision & Scope / Use-Case Analysis Learning Objectives:

  • Understand How to Define the Project's Vision and Scope and Know the Differences
  • Identification of Project Customers (and Stakeholders)
  • An Introduction to the Composition of a Properly-Assembled Team
  • Learn How to Begin Gathering the Functional Requirements for the Project
  • Apply the Use-Case technique as a method of developing requirements

Unit 7: Costing the project Learning Objectives:

  • Estimating Labor
  • Software & Equipment
  • Capital vs. ongoing costs
  • Preparing a 3-year budget
  • Build vs. buy considerations 

Unit 8: Building & delivering the project Learning Objectives:

  • Project management basics
  • Building the team
  • Team activities & coordination
  • Testing & validating
  • Delivery & follow-up

Unit 9: Open Source Approaches to Software Development Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the basic difference between closed and open software development models.
  • Explore the reflections of leading open-source supporters in the software development industry.
  • Make personal choices regarding the relative merits and weaknesses of both models (open v. closed).

Unit 10: Final project & case study Learning Objectives:

  • Opportunity for open Q&A
  • Catch up as necessary
  • Final project exercise 
Specific Course Requirements:

A basic knowledge of the World Wide Web and computer navigation is necessary.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."

Supplementary Materials:

Web-based material available through links within the course units.

Hardware and Software Requirements:

Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.

Minimum software requirements can be found here.

Common applications you might need:

Web Resources:

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)

The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook

Student Resources:
  • Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
  • Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
  • Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.

Instructor Information

Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.

Participation, Assessments, & Grading

Testing Procedures:

Please refer to the "Assignment Summary" and "Unit 1" in the course content area for an explanation of all assignments and assessment approaches. 

Grading Procedures:

The majority of your evaluated work in this course will be in the form of written reports, essays, and other analytical documents. Each assignment will be clearly described and the assessment guidelines are posted within the course units where they are posted.

Grading Scale:

The course grade will be based on the cumulative points as follows:

A = 920-1,000
B = 840-919
C = 750-839
D = 650-749
F = Less than 650

Assignments and Projects:

Students will read assigned pages in the text and on-line material for each unit. Each unit contains a list of learning objectives to guide students through the readings.

Class Participation:

You are encouraged to exchange ideas with your instructor as well as your classmates using the discussion threads and email resources within the course environment. Part of your overall grade may be a function of your participation in assigned discussion topics. (Please refer to the “Graded Assessments” section above.)

Late Policy:

Students need to consult both the "Assignments Summary" along with information available in the lesson units for due dates for the written assignments.

Course Ground Rules

The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:

RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS

Read the document in its entirety here.

1. Standards of Conduct:

  • Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.

2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:

  • In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.

Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
  • to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
  • or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.

Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.  Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.

In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.

Other Course Rules:

Students are expected to:

  • Participate in all aspects of the course
  • Communicate with other students
  • Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
  • Keep abreast of course announcements
  • Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
  • Address technical problems immediately:
  • Observe course netiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.

Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.


Last Revised on April 28, 2017