CIS 466 Senior Project Syllabus

Course Description:

Application of software engineering concepts, principles, and practices in the development of computer-base information systems. The application of technical, managerial, communications, and interpersonal skills to a realistic business project in a team environment.

Prerequisites:

• Successful completion of 3 track courses. 
• Recommend against taking Senior Project during the same quarter as other group project classes such as CIS 406 or CIS 461. Working in two groups can raise conflicts and CIS 466 has to take precedence.
• Enrolled students provide copy of academic histories to demonstrate completion of 3 track courses during first class meeting.

Weekly Schedule

• Senior project requires a serious time commitment. Expect to work a minimum of 10 hours per week (outside of class meetings).
• Project starts with JAD 1 during second week of quarter.
• Try to maintain a steady pace so you have time to test and document the project at the end.
• Teams.that delay the project work until the end of the quarter usually end up in a frenzy and commit many mistakes.

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Proposed Projects

• We do both Service Learning projects and non-Service Learning projects.
  • If you do a service-learning project, you will be asked to write a short, reflective essay (1-2 pages) to include in your final report, and to say something about what the experience has meant to you during your final presentation.
• Prospective customers will present proposed projects on Monday, April 7, 1-4 PM
• After customers present proposals, there will be time for students and customers to meet & negotiate
• Goals by end of class on Monday, April 7:
  • Every student on a team
  • Every team has a project and is ready to start work
• Every student must be a member of a team by the end of the second class meeting

• Report 0 due at 9:00 pm - in classroom or in CLA 3-21 after 8 PM
  • Team contract -- all team members sign contract, and turn in as part of Report 0
• Email to Dr. Soe by 10 pm the day of the second class meeting: Name of team, list of team members and their email addresses or a group email address for entire team

Rules, Norms, and Expectations:

• Team members: read rules, norms, expectations about teams
• Team members: read rules, norms, expectations about customers
• Team members: read expectations about Project Director's role
• Team members: read expectations about Instructor's role

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Project Management

• Project management and reporting is required for each project on a regular basis (see schedule).
• Successful project managers will receive bonus points
• Microsoft Project is available from the MSN Alliance server.
• Books about project management that are very helpful:
• Safari on-line books on project management
• Microsoft Project 2007: The Missing Manual, 1st Edition

Technologies

• The customer should provide any technologies that you would not normally have available to you
• Copies of Visual Studio and other Microsoft applications are available through the MSN Alliance server in the Telecom Lab (ask Dr. Soe for access rights). You may use these licenses to develop your senior project, but the customer should purchase licenses for any software they will use to maintain the project (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, etc.)
• It is not unusual to learn a new technology during your senior project because customers may want to try out the latest, and because teams often include mixed groups of students with different course and work experience.
• A team account in an environment such as Yahoo or Google Groups helps you centralize information about your project and allows you to communicate as a group with the customer and the instructor

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Accessibility

• If your team is constructing a project that includes a website, be sure your web pages:
  • conform to XHTML standards
  • Uses externcal CSS stylesheets that pass CSS validation
  • passes 508 automated accessibility tests
  • passes color contrast and color difference tests
• Download extensions for Firefox to install in your browser and test as you develop.
• Links to information about accessibility and testing

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Search Engine Optimization

See me if SEO is part of your user requirements. I have the results of a study students did last spring that shows how to raise SEO ratings that I can share with you.

CSU Employee Furloughs – Impact on Classes

This year across this campus and around the CSU system, some class days will be cancelled because of furloughs.  A furlough is mandatory unpaid time off; faculty and staff on each CSU campus are being “furloughed” two days a month.

These cancelled classes are marked on your syllabus below.  It is important to recognize that these days off are not holidays.  Instead, they are concrete examples of how massive state budget cuts have consequences for you as students and for me as a faculty member.

The CSU has suffered chronic underfunding for at least 10 years.  This year, the budget cuts are the worst in the history of the university system --$584 million or 20% of our budget.

The CSU administration is attempting to deal with these cuts with huge increases in your student fees (32%), elimination of your classes, and lay-offs of faculty and other university employees.

In addition to higher fees, you will be affected by reduced services and classes.  The library will have shorter hours.  Many campus support services will decrease or be eliminated.  It will be more difficult to get signatures to meet deadlines.  Classes you need may have been cut from the class schedule or may be full.

If you would like to take action, or simply learn more, I strongly recommend you contact the California Faculty Association (CFA) on campus

CFA contact:  Dr. Gwen Urey, President, Cal Poly CFA,  gurey@csupomona.edu 

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