Important course information will be posted here as the semester progresses. Please check this page regularly to avoid missing anything critical.
• Final Project Presentation Times
LunarTics: Wednesday, 12/16, 2–3 PM, in Computer Science 1441
Java Club: Thursday, 12/17, 4–5 PM, in Computer Science 1441
Faugh-Kettal: Friday, 12/18, 2:15–3:15 PM, in Computer Science 1441
Just Stay Inn: Friday, 12/18, 3:15–4:15 PM, in Computer Science 1441
Group 4: Friday, 12/18, 4:15–5:15 PM, in Computer Science 1441
Blue Shell: TBA
• 12/3 design reviews POSTPONED to 12/8
Due to several scheduling issues, I am POSTPONING tomorrow's design reviews until next week. This means that, instead of holding two 35-minute design reviews a day for three days, we will have three 25-minute design reviews a day for two days. In addition, the first two groups get slightly more time to prepare for their presentations.
• On Tuesday, 12/8, three groups will present: Java Club, LunarTics, and one of {Group 4, Just Stay Inn}.
• On Thursday, 12/10, design reviews will be presented by the remaining group from Monday's original presenters (either Group 4 or Just Stay Inn), Blue Shell, and Faugh-Kettal.
In tomorrow's class, I will talk about general presentation tips (including a walkthrough of a design review presentation from a previous semester of CSE 308). We will also deal with end-of-semester course surveys and ABET surveys. As such, tomorrow's class should be slightly shorter than normal.
• CSE 308 lecture CANCELED Tuesday, 12/1
Due to the impending design review presentations and a scratchy throat on my part, I am CANCELING Tuesday's final CSE 308 lecture. Use the time to work on your design reviews instead; I will be in my office during class time if you have any questions.
For those of you who would like to know more about PVS (the Prototype Verification System, the theorem-prover I was going to discuss in Tuesday's class), visit http://pvs.csl.sri.com/introduction.shtml (which also contains links to papers and downloads for PVS).
• Presentation Tips for Your Design Reviews
The following links contain some helpful guidelines for presentations in general; you should consider their advice when creating your design review presentations and your final presentations.
Jay Lehr, Let There Be Stoning!
The Wall Street Journal, "Tips for Powerpoint"
SIAM tips on effective presentations
Presentation Zen: http://www.presentationzen.com
• Design Review group assignments
Please get in touch with your partner group as soon as you can; this will give you the maximum time to prepare your design review. Groups should share any and all appropriate materials from their projects (documentation and, if possible, prototype source code).
Thursday, 12/3: Java Club and LunarTics
Tuesday, 12/8: Group 4 and Just Stay Inn
Thursday, 12/10: Blue Shell and Faugh-Kettal
• Project milestones 6–8 posted
Project milestones 6–8 are now available on the Project Information page. The next milestone (the compilable prototype) is due on Wednesday, November 25 (or Tuesday, December 1, due to the Thanksgiving holiday). Note that this milestone should be turned in on CD-ROM, not on paper!
• Midterm exam POSTPONED until Thursday, November 5
Due to some urgent personal business, I have to leave campus early Thursday afternoon, 10/29. As such, the midterm exam is POSTPONED one week until the following Thursday, November 5. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I thank you for your understanding.
• Practice Midterm Exam posted
A practice midterm exam is now available. The real midterm exam will generally resemble this exam, with the possible addition of some multiple-choice/"fill in the blank" questions.
As agreed upon in class on Tuesday, October 20, each student will be allowed up to two sheets of notes for the exam, subject to the following restrictions:
— Each sheet may be no larger than 8.5x11" (US letter size)
— You may write or type your notes on both sides of a sheet (for a total of four sides' worth of notes)
— You may work with other students to create your note sheets, but every student must have an individual copy during the exam.
• Upcoming Events
The midterm exam will be held in class on Thursday, October 29 November 5. It will be closed-book, closed-notes, and it will cover general aspects of the software development life cycle. A practice exam will be posted shortly.
On Tuesday, November 3, we will have a guest speaker in class. Joe Pallivathuckal, from Travelers Insurance, will discuss his project-management experience in industry.You are expected to attend if at all possible.
• Software Engineering Project Milestones 2–5 posted
Detailed descriptions of the second through fifth project milestones (issues document, specification document, user manual, and design document) have now been posted. Note that the deadline for each of these milestones has been extended by one week. These new due dates take precedence over the ones posted in the original requirements document(s).
• Project deliverable 2 (Issues document) POSTPONED
The due date for the second project milestone (the issues analysis document) has been POSTPONED from Friday, September 18, until Friday, September 25.
• Second project requirements documents posted
A requirements document for the second project option (LUNAR, a clone of the SOLAR system) has been posted on the Project Information page.
• Project information and deliverable 1 posted
A requirements document and the first project assignment (an introductory memo) have been posted on the Project Information page.
Note: Class Meeting Time and Location Changes!
CSE/ISE 308, section 02, has moved to the 3:50-5:10 PM time slot. At the same time, the meeting room has moved down the hall to Melville Library, room W4535.