ICS 314: Software Engineering I

Tuesday/Thursday, 9:00am-10:15am (Section 001), 10:30-11:45 (Section 002), Hamilton Library BASEMENT 3F

ICS 314 is a fast-paced immersion into significant software engineering concepts and technologies. It incorporates the following themes:

The course grounds these thematic elements by covering the skills necessary to quickly build two-tier web applications with a modern look-and-feel. Many ICS projects benefit from a web-based user interface, and this class will help you to create a nice one regardless of your “design” background.

Who should take this course

This course is intended for undergraduates in computer science or computer engineering who have a working knowledge of Java or C++ and who want to invest effort into developing their software engineering skill set.

A significant component of the course is a student-selected final project to showcase the techniques learned during the course.

Pedagogy

ICS 314 is structured as a sequential series of modules, most taking approximately a week to complete. Each module has the following structure:

Prior results

While ICS software engineering requires discipline and effort, the results appear to be worth the investment. Here are some recent course evaluation comments:

I enjoyed this course very much. Though it may have caused me some stress along the way, there was never a moment when the amount of effort I put in didn’t result in a satisfying reward. It teaches you much more beyond coding and shapes you as a future computer scientist. I really feel as if it has been a significant stepping stone in the journey towards my career, whatever that may turn out to be. (Fall, 2016)

Take this course if you have the time and want to learn some useful skills. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you’ll need to put in, but it is definitely rewarding if you want to pursue software engineering. (Fall, 2015)

While this class does contain a lot of work compared to other classes, the assignments we do in class are actually practical. We work with problems and tools that are used in the real world. In addition, since the class is structured using the Athletic software engineering principle, we go through material extremely quickly. This real world scenario of doing things fast and doing things correct is the best skill that this class teaches. (Spring, 2015)

This class, more than any other ICS class I’ve taken, teaches you about the “real world” skills that aren’t taught in other courses - most of which have to do with learning how to collaborate with a team of programmers. The class has a pretty heavy load, but it’s worth it. Everything you do in class is meant to benefit you directly. (Fall, 2013)

On the other hand, some students find the workload to be stressful, as shown by this comment:

A very spirited instructor, sometimes too spirited. The constant requirements for the class both with studying materials and programming can be overwhelming to a student of typical course & out of school load (other classes and work/family obligations). (Fall, 2009)

For additional student perspectives on my teaching, please see my unedited course evaluations since 2007, with hundreds of comments (both positive and negative).