INF2011S :: Systems Development B

Course Introduction

INF2011S is a half course intended for students majoring in Information Systems for the BCom or BBusSci degrees. Students pursuing other computing degrees may be accepted, space permitting.

This course is intended to follow on from the first semester INF2009F course which covered systems analysis. INF2011S will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the design, implementation and testing stages of the systems development life cycle. The course has a strong practical component where students will be taught to use the common tools of systems design (interaction, package, deployment and component diagrams, dialog tables and story boards, screen and report layouts, test cases and control techniques). Students will also build and implement part of the system in VB.Net.

The course follows the same three stage approach used in INF2009F to developing the required proficiency:

• Stage 1 (Knowing) : is to understand the theory and body of knowledge underpining the systems development process. This will be done in lectures.
• Stage 2 (Acting) : Acting is to work in groups to apply the theory to a real world example. This will be done in the tutorial sessions where students step through the problem solving process with the support of tutors where required. The same case study(Erica Hotels) will be used in the second semester and student will continue to work in their teams or find other partners for the second semester.
• Stage 3 (Being) is to work together in teams to complete the two final deliverables for the course a working system developed in Visual Basic .Net and the supporting documentation (Achetecture blue prints to aid the maintenance and future enhancement of the Information Systems)

INF2009F is closely linked to INF2011S and by implementing an information system based on the user requirements derived in the first semester, students will have completed the whole systems development life cycle (SDLC) in the traditional waterfall method (serially or sequestially).

There is, of course, substantial theoretical content in the course, but in exams, workshops and class exercises, students will be expected to apply the theory to solve real-world problems.

Objectives

On completion of this module the student should be able to:

1. Understand the various methods, artifacts, and procedures of the design, implementation and testing disciplines.
2. Describe the tools and techniques that are used to carry out the above disciplines of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).
3. Understand how models developed in the analysis phase of the project can be enhanced and refined to arrive at the detailed design.
   1. Develop an interaction diagram to model the collaboration of objects which interact to realize each use case defined in analysis.
   2. Develop a design class diagram and package diagram.
   3. Design a relational schema to implement a hybrid relational database
   4. Describe the historical development of the field of human-computer interaction and identify the three main HCI metaphors.
4. Discuss how visibility and affordance affect usability.
5. Apply the eight golden rules of dialog design to designing the user interface
6. Model user-computer interaction scenarios as dialog tables and story boards
7. Show how interface classes can be incorporated into sequence and collaboration diagrams
8. Define systems inputs and outputs based on the requirements of the application program
9. Design screen and printed output to user specifications
10. Identify appropriate application controls to ensure the integrity of inputs, outputs, processing and storage
11. Discuss issues related to security that affect the design and operation of information systems
12. Identify the activities found in the implementation and support phases of the SDLC
13. Describe the various types of software testing, and show how test cases developed in the analysis stage of the project can be used to improve systems quality
14. List the various approaches to data conversion and systems implementation giving the advantages and disadvantages of each.
15. Determine training and user support requirements for a new system.
16. Describe and compare rapid application development (RAD), prototyping and extreme programming (XP) development approaches
17. Describe components, the process by which they are developed and deployed, and their impact on the systems development life cycle.
18. Acquire competency to implement designs in Visual Basic.net following n-tier development principles.
19. Use the acquired skills to evolve the requirements that have been formulated into a design, build the system components, test at the various levels and implement the application in Visual Basic .Net.

Lecturers

Kosheek Sewchurran Course Co-ordinator and lecturer
Room 4.07 Leslie Commerce Building
Email: Kosheek.Sewchurran@uct.ac.za

Elsje Scott Lecturer
Room 4.14 Leslie Commerce Building
Email: Elsje.Scott@uct.ac.za

References and reading

The prescribed text for the module is:
Simon Bennet, Steve McRobb and Ray Farmer
Object Oriented Analysis and Design using UML,
McGrawHill, 2006.

Course Administration

Administrative queries relating to the course may be directed in the first instance to:
Ms Linda Magodla Course Administration
Room 4.09.1 Leslie Commerce Building
Email: Linda.Magodla@uct.ac.za 

Lectures

Lectures will be held in Leslie Social Science 2C from Monday to Wednesday, in 4th period. The topics to be covered in lectures are listed (in the order in which they will be covered) in the schedule at the end of this document.
Handouts and course notes will be distributed during lectures and tutorials throughout the semester. Any spare copies left over after the lecture will be placed in the pigeonholes outside the IS department secretarys office. Please do not ask the secretary for copies of any handouts for lectures or workshops you may have missed.

NOTE WELL: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE COURSE MATERIAL, TUTORIALS, TESTS, EXAMS AND PROJECTS, WILL BE MADE DURING LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS FROM TIME TO TIME. WHILE SOME OF THIS INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE INF211S NOTICEBOARD OR ON THE DEPARTMENTAL WEB SITE, STUDENTS WHO SKIP LECTURES DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK.

Workshops

As in the first semester, students will be working in teams of two for the workshops and the project. If your team is unchanged, you do not need to fill in a workshop application form. However, if you are planning to change your team, please fill in a new application form (copies available in the pigeonholes outside room LC4.06).

The workshop slot is the same as in the first semester:
Workshop: Thursday 4th & 5th period

• Students will work in groups of four in the workshops (two teams together). At the end of each workshop each team will submit a solution for review and return at the next workshop. Marks obtained from the workshop submissions will count towards the end-of-year mark.

NOTE WELL: STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO ATTEND AT LEAST 80% OF WORKSHOPS WILL BE REFUSED PERMISSION TO WRITE THE FINAL EXAM (DPR)

Lab Practicals

While most of your INF2011S teaching will be completed in the lecture room and workshops, there will be five weekly two hours practicals in the Alumni lab that will be used to develop your programming skills prior to commencing the project. The practicals will follow the same format as the workshops in terms of attendance and marks. Details will be discussed in lectures.
Practical: Friday 4th & 5th period

NOTE WELL: STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO ATTEND AT LEAST 80% OF PRACTICALS WILL BE REFUSED PERMISSION TO WRITE THE FINAL EXAM (DPR)

Course Information

Some useful course information is also available at the following locations:

• The IS211S notice board is located at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Alumni Lab, Leslie Commerce Building.
• The INF211S web page

Projects and Assignments

Students will be required to complete a significant systems development project. Based on the analysis completed in INF209F, students will design, implement and test an information system in order to complete the whole systems development life cycle (SDLC) (project guidelines will be handed out during the semester). Students will work in teams of two in the workshops and building their project assignments.

Examinations and Tests

There is a two hour test in September and a three hour final examination in November (dates will be published later). THEY WILL NOT BE OPEN-BOOK.

Key Dates

Due dates for all deliverables will be announced at the time of hand-out of the project itself. In the interests of those students who plan their work well and work efficiently and steadily throughout the course, absolutely no individual extensions will be given on any deadlines, for any reason whatsoever. In cases where substantial and unavoidable disruption to the academic year has occurred, deadlines may be altered for the entire class, at the discretion of the course co-ordinator.

Students may submit deliverables on or before the deadline for the deliverable. Students may hand-in projects after deadlines if they wish, but will incur an automatic and non-negotiable penalty deduction of 5% per day, or part thereof.

Student Assessment

The final grade is derived from results of the project, workshops and exam. The percentage contribution towards the final mark is as follows:
Workshops / Practicals 10 (5 / 5)
September Test 15
System Development Project work (in total) 25
Final Examination 50

Duly performed certificates

In order to be permitted to sit the final exam in INF211S students must have:

• attended and participated in at least 80 % of the workshops and practicals
• obtained a sub-minimum of 40% for their year mark (total of workshops, practicals, project and September test marks)
• submitted all project work

In order to pass INF211S students must

• Obtain a sub-minimum of 45% in the final examination
• Obtain 50% overall for the course
• Please note that 65% of the course mark is obtained under exam conditions. Where a student is exempt from the term test, their final exam weighting will be increased to 65%.

Students who are thinking of proceeding to IS Honours:

• SHOULD BE AIMING TO AVERAGE AT LEAST 65% IN THE IS2 AND IS3 SEMESTER COURSES TO BE REASONABLY SURE OF BEING OFFERED A PLACE ON THE HONOURS COURSE

Getting Through INF211S

Some students approach a course believing that they can get through just by working very hard for the final exams. INF211S covers too much work for this to be a sensible approach, and such students will usually fail. The emphasis in workshops and exams is on applying theoretical knowledge, not regurgitating it! So swotting at the end of the course without having applied the various tools and techniques doesnt really help. If you have not worked steadily through the workshops and project during the semester, you will find the examinations incomprehensible.

On the other hand, students who work hard throughout the course should approach the final exam with a good year mark, and a comfortable feeling that they are already on top of the subject! Revising for the final exam is still necessary, but it becomes more of a process of refreshing your memory rather than grappling with new and difficult techniques.

Key success factors to making INF211S one of the most worthwhile and enjoyable courses you will do in your degree are:

• Attend lectures, even if you have had a late night, or dont find all the lectures stimulating.
• Attend workshops and practicals. They are the best way to move from theory to practice and ensure you can apply the required techniques. If you find them easy, then this is an indicator that the exams will not be difficult for you.
• Do your project assignment as well as you can. A good year mark takes lots of pressure off you.
• DON'T PROCRASTINATE. Start working on your assignments as soon as you receive them. Remember that there are no extensions. Also, remember that there is strong demand for computer laboratory resources towards deadlines.
• Speak to your lecturer or tutor EARLY if you are having problems with the material. Dont wait until the last minute when it is too late to remedy the situation.
• Form a study group with fellow students so that you can support each other and help each other with difficult parts of the course.
• We encourage group discussion and support but it is important that each student works with and understands every aspect of the course. Students will be using the tools and techniques introduced in INF209F/INF211S in delivering a major project in third year and honours. Your expertise in systems development is probably the most critical skill set you will take out of university into the IT profession. It is therefore important that both members of a team work on all deliverables dont split the work between you so that each member can see half the total picture. Obviously one team member might complete the final drawing of a particular model but both should be involved in the rough drafts where the real thinking and understanding is required.
• Beware PLAGARISM. Each team must submit its own documentation. It is very easy to see where students are copying rather than doing their own work as each marker evaluates the same section across all the deliverables. . Where groups are found to have copied from other students, both groups will be penalised. This is likely to result in a mark of zero being given to both groups with the potential for further action where appropriate. You will be required to submit a declaration saying the deliverable is all your own work and details of the format of this statement will follow later.

We believe that our IS majors and our IS Honours students produce work that is on a par with the best in the world. Certainly this belief is borne out generally by the demand for our students in the marketplace (including overseas), and by the interest of many organisations in supporting and contributing to our courses.

WELCOME TO THE COURSE :) WORK HARD :) ENJOY THE YEAR :)