COMP SCI 4023 - Software Process Improvement

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2014

The course introduces students to elements of the Software Engineering Institute's Personal Software Process, PSP. The PSP is introduced in increasing levels of sophistication with the essential elements illustrated by programming assignments and report writing.

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Course Details

Course Code	COMP SCI 4023
Course	Software Process Improvement
Coordinating Unit	Computer Science
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 5 hours per week
Assessment	exam and/or assignments

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Alfred Fred Brown

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

The objectives of this course are:

To introduce students to the Software Engineering Institute's Personal Software Process, PSP, and
To help students reflect on their own software development process.

At the end of the course students will be able to,

articulate a critical view of the Personal Software Process,
articulate a critical view of their own software development process,
write essays following the structure of a scientific paper and
apply the PSP to their work.

最新糖心Vlog Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

最新糖心Vlog Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1, 2, 4
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	1, 2, 3
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	1, 2, 4
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	1, 2, 3, 4
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	4
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	1, 2, 3, 4
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	1, 2, 3, 4
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	1, 2

Learning Resources
Required Resources

Textbook:
A Self-Improvement Process for Software Engineers, Watts S. Humphrey, Addison-Wesley, 2005, ISBN 0321305493.

Online Learning
Web page
- All course materials including lecture slides and assignment descriptions will be available on the course website.
Moodle
- We will be using the Computer Science Moodle forums.
- A link to the forums is available on the course website.
- All general questions relating to the course and its content must be posted to the forums.
- Any changes to the assessment requirements will be posted to the forums.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

The background material is presented using lectures and is reinforced by paper reviews.

The key learning takes place by practicing the major components of the Personal Software Process through the programming assignments. Each programming assignment requires all previous assignments to have been completed correctly or the PSP cannot be practised appropriately.

Personal planning and time management are integral to the PSP and will be practised by the strict delivery of assignments on time and in the correct order.

The essays provide opportunities to research issues relevant to the practical application of the PSP and to reflect on the learning that took place. They require all previous assignments to have been completed correctly to provide a key component of the background material.

Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
- Lectures up to 2 hours per week
- Reading up to 4 hours per week
- Assignments up to 6 hours per week
Learning Activities Summary
Lectures Topics
- Introduction to the PSP
- Process Measurement
- Planning
- The PROBE Technique
- Quality Issues
- Project Tracking
- Software Design
- PSP Review

The 最新糖心Vlog's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Component 1: Programming Assignments - 20%

Up to 10 programs - 2% each
Programs 1 to 10 are due by 11.59pm on Friday of weeks 1 to 10 respectively.
Hurdle requirement: 6 programs must be completed by 11.59pm on Friday of week 12.

Component 2: Personal Process Review - 20%

Due by 11.59pm on Friday of week 13.
Hurdle requirement: must score 40% of the available marks for this component.

Component 3: Essays - 60%

Essay 1 - 10%
Due by 11.59pm on Friday of week 3.
Essay 2 - 20%
Due by 11.59pm on Friday of week 6.
Essay 3 - 30%
Due by 11.59pm on Friday of week 13.
Hurdle requirement: must score 40% of the available marks for this component.

The programming assignments, essay 1 and essay 2 are formative, essay 3 and the process review are summative.

Assessment Related Requirements

Completion of Programming Assignments
A programming assignment will not be considered to be complete until it has been assessed as acceptable by the course coordinator. A programming assignment will not be assessed as acceptable if there are any corrections required to be made or any previous programming assignments have not yet been accepted.

Hurdle Requirements
If a hurdle requirement in one or more of the three course components is not achieved, the final mark for the course will be capped at 44 F.

Additional Requirements
If not all of the programming assignments are completed by 11.59pm on Friday of week 12, the final mark for the course will be capped as follows:

Programs Completed	Maximum Grade
10	100 HD
9	84 D
8	74 C
6 or 7	65 C
0 to 5	44 F

Assessment Detail

Detailed descriptions of all assessments will be available on the course website.

Submission

Submission of Work for Assessment

All assignments must be submitted using the Computer Science Web Submission System.
The paper reviews and essays must be also submitted to turnitin.com for plagiarism detection.
The course codes and account details for turnitin.com are available on the course website.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions will only be given in exceptional circumstances,

evidence must be supplied,
you must apply before the due date, and
extensions can only be granted by the course coordinator.

Penalties for Late Submission of Programming Assignments
If a programming assignment is completed:

on-time, it will score 2% of the overall mark for the course, or
late but by 11.59pm on Friday of week 12, it will score 1% of the overall mark for the course.

When a programming assignment is completed late, the due date for the next programming assignment is 11.59pm on Friday of the next teaching week. The same number of weeks extension is then applied to all later programming assignments. Any programming assignment given a due date after week 12 will not be assessed.

Penalties for Late Submission of Other Work

The maximum mark that can be awarded will reduce by 25% for each day/part day late,
Marks in excess of the maximum that can be awarded are discarded.
Assignment work submitted 4 or more days late will receive 0 marks.

On-time Mark	1 Day Late	2 Days Late	3 Days Late	4+ Days Late
25%	25%	25%	25%	0
50%	50%	50%	25%	0
75%	75%	50%	25%	0
100%	75%	50%	25%	0

Provision of Feedback to Students
Marks will not be automatically awarded by the School of Computer Science Web Submission System. However, after each assignment marks and feedback will be posted to the Web Submission System.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

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SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the 最新糖心Vlog to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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