COMP 491/L: Senior Design/Project.

Spring 2016
Patricia Dousette, Computer Science Department, CSUN
Office : JD 4416
Phone: ( 818-312-7260)
email: patricia.dousette@csun.edu

COMP491

MW

11:00-

JD221

Pat Dousette

COMP491

MW

12:30-

JD221

Felix

OFFICE HOURS: W 12:30-2:00 PM. Or call me for an appointment.

SYLLABUS CURRENCY: This syllabus is subject to change. Only the copy posted in
Moodle is current; printed copies may be out of date.
COURSE SYNOPSIS: Comp491/L is the second Lab section of COMP490 -- a two
semester sequence; they typically starts in the fall. Comp491L, is a lab only class that
typically runs in the spring. The two lab courses must be done in strict sequence. In these
classes, you will practice what you studied in the Fall lecture session i.e. special topics in
software engineering including software development, software process, and project
management, and also societal issues in computing including ethical behavior for
computing professionals. You were expected to do a good deal of self-study using online
courses, web based research, reading book chapters and published Comp Sci literature,
and taking online tutorials. The Fall lecture and the lab components are totally synergistic;
you cannot take one without the other. Attendance in the lectures and labs sessions is
essential for passing these classes. Course objectives and the class topics are described
in Moodle.
TEAMWORK: In COMP 490/L you joined a project team and worked as a productive team
member by participating in all team activities. In this 2 nd semester (491L) you will
continue on the same team and same project and are expected to complete the project by
the end of the semester.
MOODLE: All announcements, course notes, and assignments will be posted in Moodle.
Important announcements may also be sent to your @my.csun.edu email address.
Please upload a passport style photo into your Moodle profile. A passport style photo
contains a recognizable facial image, not a distant shot (earn participation points by
doing this within the first 2 weeks of class).
In all cases, the announcements in the Moodle General Forum will take
precedence over all other forms of communication, even over what I might say
in an absent minded moment, or just to escape (happens!)
YEARLONG SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Central to this sequence of classes is
experiential learning, facilitated by a yearlong project covering the full software
development life-cycle. This gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge of

software engineering (especially from Comp380) to analyze, specify, design, implement,

test, and deploy a software intensive system of significant complexity.
Each team has analyzed a number of potential problems and selected one problem
suitable for completion within the senior design project time frame and resource
constraints. The project will continue to be executed using the SCRUM agile process
framework with biweekly deliveries per your first semester project development plans.
Additional Project guidelines will be presented in class.
PROJECT ASSET LIBRARY (PAL): Each team must set up a PAL in a shared Google
Drive. The PAL must have a standard organization that will be discussed in class. The PAL
must be used for storing ALL project related work products- both final team deliverables
and also individual members work products that contribute to the team.
COLLABORATION PLATFORM: Each team will collaborate via class specific Google
group/drive. Do not use any cryptic or nick names name in the Group; if necessary, please
create a new Google/Gmail account with your real name, so that I and others can
recognize your posts and deliverables. All messages related to the project should be sent
through Google group messaging so that the record of group communication is preserved.
You will get credit for posting useful messages.
PREREQUISITES:
1. Completion of CSUN courses COMP490 and COMP 490L
2. CSUN courses COMP380/L, or CIT 360 and IS 451, or equivalent.
3. Pass in UDWPE together with the CS department and CSUN requirements for
enrolling in 400 level classes.
EMAIL: Please make sure that your CSUN email account is working. Please send your
emails to patricia.dousette@csun.edu; Except for confidential issues, my responses to
student emails of general interest are forwarded to all students in class. Please write your
emails in accordance with University guidelines ; use of a summary subject line is vital
(CS490 somewhere in the subject line0. I receive a large number of emails every day,
and poorly written or non-conforming emails may not receive a timely response.
If you are looking for the definitions of software engineering terms or explanations of
common software engineering concepts then please look first in the text book. You can
also find useful and accurate information on such issues in Wikipedia or Software
Engineering BOK, http://whatis.techtarget.com/ or by finding a reliable website by doing a
(Google) search. Email me if you still have a question, or comment on the issue(s).
REQUIRED TEXT BOOK AND OTHER RESOURCES: Both the text book and access to the
publishers online resources (free) are required.
1. Digital or print copy of Software Engineering, 9 th ed., by Ian Sommerville;
publisher: Addison Wesley. For printed media the ISBN numbers are
0137035152 or 978-0137035151.
2. Digital or print copy of Agile/Scrum (TBD)

3. Course notes/presentations will be provided via Moodle (free).

4. Access to IEEE & ACM digital libraries (free via CSUN library) and other
Internet resources.
CLASS ETIQUETTE: Please silence cell phones before entering classroom. Please, no
snoozing in classes or labs, because it is not professional behavior. If you feel sleepy, then
walk out of the class room and return when active and awake. You can even stand at the
back of the room to beat that drowsy feeling!!
LAB ETIQUETTE: Food and drinks are never allowed in the lab; bottled water with a cap
is OK. The lab surveillance cameras are on 24/7. Willful damage to the lab equipment
may result in your inability to complete the class assignments resulting in an F grade for
the class and the lab.
During the class and the lab, I expect you to devote your time to coursework, not play
games, or surf the web for non-course related activities. The lab computers have sound
cards, but no speakers; you can bring head phones, but please keep the volume down so
as not to disturb others. Speakers are never allowed in the lab or the classroom.
SUBMISSION OF CLASS ASSIGNMENTS: A submission procedure will be specified for
each assignment. Assignments designated for online submission on an online platform
(Moodle, Turnitin, or elsewhere) must be submitted there and cannot be submitted by
email or in class, unless by my direct approval. There are strict conventions for placement
and format of online submissions; these will be provided to you in class assignments.
Please pay close attention to these conventions; submissions not conforming to these
conventions cannot be graded and will receive the grade of F. Most online submissions
can be deposited multiple times until the submission deadline. I encourage you to make
WIP submissions, as you work. I will grade only the most recent submission.
The online submission platforms will mark late submissions; hence the wisdom for making
WIP submissions (get partial credit). I will accept late submissions for most homework
assignments, but at least one half grade point will be deducted from the final grade.
All assignment submissions should be of professional quality; always do a spelling and
grammar check before submission, but dont be concerned about spacing issues.
Disorganized and scruffy submissions will earn poor grades.
There are no quizzes or final for this lab class, but there will be assignments, the team will
report progress at the end of each sprint, and there will demos and project presentations
as necessary.
EVALUATION: You have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 100 points for each
assignment. Aggregate class/lab points is the weighted sum of the points earned in the
individual assignments (Assignment point*Weight). The table below is subject to
change!!
EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMP490 (Lecture): (subject to change)

Project
evaluation:
25%

I will be evaluating the project artifacts and progress on an ongoing basis. I will need access to all project data!!

Homework
(research),
Weight: 15%

Typically will include issues related to Engineering and Computers

in Society. Participation in thoughtful interactions (Engineering
societal issues trends, privacy, gender, ethics, quality etc.) via
Moodle assignments, class discussions, and message posts
related to the topics of interest.

Project
Presentations:
20%

Team Project progress presentation (s). Team Survey.

Participation
10%

Posting profile info in Moodle including passport style photo in the

1st two weeks of class. Attendance and attention. Significant inclass discussion, and survey participation. I expect the whole
team to be at each lab session. If you need to do something
external, please let me know at the beginning of the session.

Evaluation Criteria for Comp 490L (Lab) Preliminary (subject to change)

Individual Score
(IS)
Weight: 60%

Individual score (IS) is based on the level of contributions made

by the student to the project, timeliness and the quality of the
work products and the peer review comments, level of
participation in teamwork (throughout the semester, not just at
the end). Grading will be based on the artifacts found in your
individual folders in the team in the PAL, homework assignments,
presentations, and other indications of participation.

Class Group
Score (CGS)
Weight: NA

Individual
Group Score
(IGS)

There will be one score (CGS) assigned to the entire team. The
evaluation will be based on the quality and completeness of the
final products (e.g. prototypes, technical work products),
documentation, adherence to process steps, planning and
scheduling, and effective use of process and product metrics.
Only the artifacts in the project team/class folders will be
considered for CGS.

Each team member will earn a fraction (0.0 to 100%) of the class
group score (CGS) computed using the formula given below.
IGS = IS*CGS

Weight: 40%

Effective
Individual Lab
grade (EILG)

EILG = IS + IGS = IS(1 + CGS)

Letter grades for homework and other assignments generally have the following values. A
= 95 to 100% (excellent ). A-= 90% to 93% (very good), B+ = 85% (good); B = 80%
(good); B- = 75% (good enough); C+ = 70% (passing); C = 65% (acceptable); C- = 60%
(Just about acceptable); D+ = (Barely acceptable and poor); D = 55% (Poor); D- = 50%
(Really Poor); F = <45% (Fail)
A sample final class grade scale might be as follows: (A 85-100%); (A- 83-84%); (B+ 8082%); (B 75-79%); (B- 70-74%); (C+ 65-69%); (C 60-64%); (C- 57-59%); (D+ 54-56%); (D
51-53%); (D- 48-50%); (F < 48). This is for information only, the actual class grade
scale is determined by the professor at the end of the semester. Based on the
overall class performance the grade boundaries may change.
PRESERVING SOLUTIONS TO THE ASSIGNMENTS AND LABS: Follow an iterative
approach in doing all class and lab assignments. Place the work products, for each
iteration, in a different folder. DO NOT DELETE the older versions of your work products.
Please take backup copies of material in group and personal files & folders.
POLICY ON CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM: There will be ZERO TOLERANCE for
plagiarism and cheating. The section entitled ACADEMIC DISHONESTY in the CSUN
catalog gives the definition of plagiarism and cheating; this entire section is included in
this syllabus by reference.
Any student found submitting plagiarized material (e.g. cutting and pasting material from
the Internet, books, or journals) will be given the grade F for that work, additionally,
penalty points may apply. The CSUN rules and regulations describing unacceptability of

academic dishonesty and the consequences resulting from academic dishonesty are
described in the current Scheduled of Classes and are included here by reference
(http://www.csun.edu/anr/soc/legalnotices.html#acadis).

COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Faculty Schedule for Spring 2016
Name: Patricia J. Dousette

Office: 4416

Email: patricia.dousette@csun.edu
Course
COMP 491L

Web:

Ticket Number
15619

Campus Phone:

Days
M-W
Office Hours

Monday

12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Wednesday

12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Mon Sep 15 11:19:55 2014

Time (from-to)
11:00 12:15

Room
JD 2211