Capstone, Dickinson, Braught

NOTE: THIS IS CURRENTLY A WORK IN PROGRESS!!

NOTE: COURSE WILL BE OFFERED AY16-17. THE MATERIALS HERE WILL BE REFINED THROUGHOUT THAT PERIOD.

0. Overview

Course Name	Computer Science Senior Seminar (COMP491/492)
Course Overview	A two-semester required senior capstone including perspective on and experience with H/FOSS projects. In the first semester students will complete readings, exercises and activities that familiarize them with H/F/OSS philosophy/community/tools, select a project in which to participate and produce a plan for their second semester. During the second semester students will work on their selected H/F/OSS project according to their plans while also completing readings on contemporary and ethical issues in computing.
Instructor Contact Info	Grant Braught, Dickinson College
Student Characteristics	Typically offered to 10-15 senior computer science majors per year.
Prerequisites	This course was designed for use in the final year of a Computer Science major at a small liberal arts college. Students having completed the first three years of an undergraduate CS curriculum should be well prepared for this course. Our students typically have completed the core courses and are competent in: Object Oriented Programming (2 courses in Java), Data Structures (in Java), Analysis of Algorithms, Programming Languages (including C/C++, Python, Scheme, Prolog), Organization and Architecture. They may also have completed additional electives (e.g. Operating Systems, Networking, AI, Databases) and other core courses (e.g. Theory of Computation).
Infrastructure	The course outlined below assumes 14 2-hour course meetings (1 per week) per semester, plus a 3-hour final exam period. Students are expected to average between 8 and 12 hours of work outside of class per week. Many of the activities and assignments rely on the use of particular technologies. These can be substituted with equivalent technologies but are currently: Virtual Box Ubuntu 16.04 Slack Moodle (Wiki/Forums)
Offerings	To be offered AY 2016-17 at Dickinson College

1. Learning Objectives

• Students will:

1. Recognize the ethical, legal and social implications of computing.
2. Be exposed to H/F/OSS and Software Engineering topics.
3. Improve their ability to work (reading/modifying/testing) within a substantial existing code base.
4. Interact with a community of developers and users.
5. Deepen their ability to write clearly and develop their mastery of specific forms of disciplinary writing.
6. Be prepared for graduate study or a professional career in computing.

2. Methods of Assessment

The following assessment mechanisms will be used:

• Forum Postings: Students will post (in Moodle) discussion questions based on reading assignments to guide the subsequent in-class discussion.
• Wiki Reflections: Students will complete reflective writings on a wiki (in Moodle):
  • Following each discussion; clarifying and/or expanding their understanding of the material.
  • Each week of project work; summarizing actions, accomplishments, existing challenges and proposing work for the following week.
• Live-Texting: Students will live-text (using Slack) while working on the projects as documentation of their efforts.
• Standup Meetings: During project work, each class meeting will begin with each group giving 1-2 minute summary of their work from the prior week and highlighting current challenges.
• Homework: Early course meetings (during project selection) specific homework assignments are given, each with its own deliverable.
• Project Checkpoint Presentations: Project teams will schedule presentations for each of the project check points. These will be 10 minute, in-class presentations with content dependent upon the specific check point.

3. Course Outline

• 'COMP491 at Dickinson College Fall 2016

4. Notes to Instructor

• Will fill in as first course offering progresses

5. Moving Forward

• Will fill in as first course offering progresses

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Title	Syllabus for 2-Semester Senior Capstone Course
Overview	Students will gain perspective on and experience with H/FOSS projects. In the first semester students will complete readings, exercises and activities that familiarize them with H/F/OSS philosophy/community/tools, select a project in which to participate and produce a plan for their second semester. During the second semester students will work according to their plans while also completing readings on contemporary and ethical issues in computing.
Prerequisite Knowledge	This course was designed for use in the final year of a Computer Science major at a small liberal arts college. Students having completed the first three years of an undergraduate CS curriculum should be well prepared for this course. Our students typically have completed the core courses and are competent in: Object Oriented Programming (Java), Data Structures (Java), Analysis of Algorithms, Programming Languages (C/C++, Scheme, Prolog), Organization and Architecture. They may also have completed electives (Operating Systems, Networking, AI, Databases).
Learning Objectives	Students will: Recognize the ethical, legal and social implications of computing. Be exposed to H/F/OSS and Software Engineering topics. Improve their ability to work (reading/modifying/testing) within a substantial existing code base. Interact with a community of developers and users. Deepen their ability to write clearly and develop their mastery of specific forms of disciplinary writing. Be prepared for graduate study or a professional career in computing.

Background:

The course outlined below assumes 14 2-hour course meetings (1 per week) per semester, plus a 3-hour final exam period. Students are expected to average between 8 and 12 hours of work outside of class per week.

Many of the activities and assignments rely on the use of particular technologies. These can be substituted with equivalent technologies but are currently:

• Virtual Box
• Ubuntu 16.04
• Slack
• Moodle (Wiki/Forums)

Directions:

Meeting	Topic	Summary	Readings for this Class	In-Class Activities	Homework
1	Course Introduction	Overview of course goals, expectation and structure and pre-survey. Introduction to Wiki, Slack and Virutal Box. Students begin the process of project selection.	None	Create Personal Wiki Page from Course Home Create Slack Account and add Channel	Virtual Box Ubuntu Install Project Selection pt. 1
2	H/F/OSS Philosophy & Structure	Discussion of the history and philosophy of open source software. Identification of the major OSS project components. Collaborative development of ranking rubric for project selection pt. 2 homework.	TBA	Linux Command Line Tutorial	Shell Scripting Project Selection pt. 2
3	H/F/OSS Licensing & Tools	Discussion of licensing issues in open source. Introduction to Git/GitHub/GitFlow.	TBA	Introductory Git/GitHub Activity (Stony?)	Extended Git/GitHub Activity (CHRIS?) Project Selection pt. 3

Topics:

Bug Reporting Software Testing Software Reviews Software Processes Software Architectures Patterns 1 Patterns 2 FOSS Business Models FOSS Success Stories FOSS Criticisms

| 4 |Bug Reporting |

|- | 4 |Software Process | Discussion of software development processes (waterfall / agile / etc). Student groups give short presentation on the projects that they have selected. | TBA |

• Project presentations

|

• Build/Instal/Demo Checkpoint

|- | 5 | Software Architectures |- | 6 | Software Patterns 1 |- | 7 | Software Patterns 2 |- | 8 | Software Flaws |- | 9 | Software Testing |- | 10 | Bug Reporting |- | 11 | FOSS Success Stories |- | 12 | |- | 13 | |- | 14 | |}

Assessment:

Each homework assignment and project checkpoint will provide a specific rubric for its assessment.

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