CSci 446 Systems Analysis & Design Project

Spring 1999

COURSE POLICIES


INSTRUCTOR: M.L. Manns
232-5020
Robinson 021
manns@bulldog.unca.edu

OFFICE HRS:
Mon & Wed 10:15-11:30
(and gladly by appointment)

REFERENCE MATERIALS:
Whitten, Managing Software Development Projects
Whitten & Bentley, Systems Analysis & Design Methods (from CSci 342)
Dewitz, Systems Analysis & Design (on reserve at the library)


I. ABOUT THE COURSE:

(from the 98/99 catalogue) Experience in designing, developing, documenting, testing and implementing a significant project in a teamwork environment.

Students will get the opportunity to work on a "real world" system development project. This provides an immense amount of experience that cannot be acquired in the classroom - and will look great on a resume too!

This requires students to:
- work effectively in a team environment
- work with industry clients
- gather system requirements, create a system design, and implement a system prototype
- manage their own work, time, and deadlines
- choose and use appropriate analysis, design, and implementation tools for the tasks
- document and evaluate the system development methodology used by the team
- present and deliver a product, and the corresponding product documentation, to the clients


II. GRADING

A)
Project . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Exams (2 @ 50 pts.). . . .100

TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 pts.

B)
Final letter grades will be assigned as follows:
275-300: A
249-274: B
223-248: C
197-222: D
below 197: F

C) Project grades for each individual will be based on the following factors:
- individual's level of effort and participation in the team
- individual's ability to contribute to the development of a cohesive and effective team
- quality of the individual's presentations
- quality of the individual's results
- quality of the team results (note: this means that the individual's grade will, in part, depend on what the team produces)

Generally, this means the following:
A student: has consistently excellent performance, is enthusiastically committed to the project, is willing to go the extra mile to strive for excellence, offers to help others on the team, and is a strong and dynamic team player
B student: works hard, is committed to the project, is dependable, produces results, is willing to help others on the team if asked, and is a good team player
C student: does assigned tasks in an acceptable manner and is usually dependable
D student: does not complete some assigned tasks and has difficulty working in the group
F student: does not complete most assigned tasks and cannot work well in the group

D) In the case of "borderline" points, a student will receive the higher of the two grades only if he/she: 1) had regular class attendance and participation and, 2) completed all the tasks assigned to him or her by the team. Class participation has a large influence on final grades!

E) Those who do not complete ALL task assigned to them by the team cannot be eligible for a final letter grade 'A'.

F) 'I' or 'W' grades are not given lightly. The student must have had regular class attendance in order to be eligible to request an 'I'.


III. QUALITY OF WRITTEN WORK, CLASS PARTICIPATION, AND PROJECT PRESENTATION

All written and oral work must represent a quality and level of competence that would be acceptable in the work place. Therefore, points will be deducted for such things as poor writing and presentation style, misspellings, bad grammar, and a shoddy appearance of written documents or presentation slides. Expectations for your work in this course are nothing more than the quality your employers will expect.


IV. DUE DATES

You will be faced with many critical deadlines in the work place. In academic environments, a course can be successful only if both the instructor and the students are prepared for each class meeting. These are the reasons deadlines are taken so seriously in this course. In most cases, the deadlines will be determined through negotiation between the instructor and the team. This date refers to the day the work product(s) must be received in the hands of the instructor. One point will be deducted from the project grade each day a work product is late, weekends and school holidays excluded. Deadline extensions will not be considered for any individual. If you are late, you should gracefully accept a lowered score.


V. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY

Academic dishonestly will not be tolerated! As stated in the UNCA catalogue, "A person who knowingly assists another in cheating is likewise guilty of cheating." There will be no second chances. Those found cheating will receive a zero score on the assignment or the exam in which the cheating occurred. In addition, a letter describing the event will be sent to the Office of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Your awareness of this policy and your confirmation that the work you submit meets an Honor System (as related in the above paragraph and on page 40 of the 98/99 UNCA catalog) will be indicated by your signature next to your printed name on all papers submitted for grading. Work submitted without your signature will not be graded.


VI. CLASS ATTENDANCE

A) You are expected to attend each class meeting. Group dynamics fall apart when the full group is not present and participating. Therefore, class participation will be considered in the calculation of the final grade. (See the "Grading" section on this handout.)

B) Some portion of regular class meetings will be devoted to general discussions of project implementation and group dynamics. Class time will occasionally be allotted for group work on the project. However, much of the group work will need to be done outside regular class time.

C) Each student is responsible for all information and assignments discussed in class, whether or not he/she is present. When class is missed, handouts must be picked before the next class.

D) IF CLASS IS CANCELED for any reason, students should assume that dates for scheduled exams and assigned tasks will not be changed. When in doubt, check my office door (Robinson 021) and/or E-mail for any messages.


VII. EXAMS

A) Exams will be "take home" exams. Students can decide when these exams would best fit into the "Project Plan" and negotiate the dates with the instructor.

B) Exams will include all material from lecture, readings and class discussions.


VIII. APPEALS

Any students who feels that he/she has been treated unfairly in this course may appeal any decision of the instructor by presenting his/her case in writing to all other students in the class.