COMP SCI 3303 - Engineering Software as Services I

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

The objectives of this course are to provide students with the knowledge and skills required for engineering Software as a Service, SaaS. Students will use practices such as Scrum, continuous deployment and Behaviour Driven Development to build SaaS applications. The course will use technologies such as Ruby on Rails, GitHub, Cucumber and RSpec to aid development. This course will cover both the theoretical concepts and practical implementation details required to engineer SaaS in Cloud based web applications. There will be a strong focus on collaborative coding and team projects.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code COMP SCI 3303
    Course Engineering Software as Services I
    Coordinating Unit Computer Science
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites COMP SCI 1103
    Incompatible COMP SCI 3006, COMP SCI 3015A, COMP SCI 3017.
    Restrictions Available to BESE students only
    Course Description The objectives of this course are to provide students with the knowledge and skills required for engineering Software as a Service, SaaS. Students will use practices such as Scrum, continuous deployment and Behaviour Driven Development to build SaaS applications. The course will use technologies such as Ruby on Rails, GitHub, Cucumber and RSpec to aid development. This course will cover both the theoretical concepts and practical implementation details required to engineer SaaS in Cloud based web applications. There will be a strong focus on collaborative coding and team projects.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Alfred Fred Brown

    Course Timetable

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

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    After completing this course, the students should be able to:
    1. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of different concepts and mechanisms underpinning Software as a Service, Service Oriented Architecture, Agile Approaches, and Cloud Computing.
    2. Understand the new challenges, opportunities, and open problems of Software as a Service.
    3. Take a Software as a Service project from conception through planning, development, assessment/testing, deployment, and operations, experiencing the attendant challenges of each stage, using Ruby on Rails for development and Cloud Computing for deployment.
    4. Understand and use agile development methodologies and tools, including lo-fi UI sketching, user stories, behavior-driven development, version control for team-based development, and management tools for cloud-computing environments.
    5. Develop both technical and collaboration skills for working in "one-pizza" software teams.
    6. Understand and apply fundamental programming constructs and techniques including design patterns for software architecture, higher-order functions, metaprogramming, reflection, etc. to improve the maintainability, modularity and reusability of their code.
    University Graduate Attributes

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

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 6
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2, 3, 6
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3, 4, 5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3, 5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    3, 4, 5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    The text book for the course is: Armando Fox and David Patterson, Engineering Software as a Service: An Agile Approach Using Cloud Computing, 1st Edition, Strawberry Canyon LLC., 2014, ISBN-13: 978-0984881246.
    • All students are expected to have their own copy of the textbook.
    • A Kindle version is available on the Australan Amazon site.
    Online Learning
    Some of the online resources available for this course are listed here:
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Each week there will be a two hour lecture followed by a two hour practical, you are expected to attend all of the lectures and practicals.

    The lectures will present new material, discuss new concepts and include group activities.

    The practicals are focussed on developing practical skills needed for the individual and group assignments. They also provide time for groups to work together on the final assignment.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    For a 3 Unit course, a student is expected to spend 10 to 12 hours each week including the contact time with the course teaching team.
    Learning Activities Summary
    The topics taught in this course can be broadly classified as shown below:

    WeekTopic
    1 Introduction to SaaS and Agile Development
    2 The Architecture of SaaS applications
    3 SaaS Framework: Introduction to Ruby
    4 SaaS Framework: Introduction to Rails
    5 SaaS Framework: Advanced Rails
    6 Requirements: BDD and User Stories
    7 Testing: TDD
    8 Project Management: Scrum, pairs and Version Control
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

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

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment TaskTypeDueWeightingLearning OutcomesACS CBOK Areas
    Individual Assignment Formative 11.59pm, Friday, Week 5 10% 1, 3, 4, 6 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
    Individual Assignment Formative 11.59pm, Friday, Week 8 10% 1, 3, 4, 6 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
    Group Assignment Formative 11.59pm, Friday, Week 12 20% 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
    Final Written Exam  Summative Official Exam Period 60% 1, 2, 4, 6 1, 2, 8
    CBOK Legend
    1. Abstraction
    2. Design
    3. Ethics
    4. Interpersonal Communication
    5. Societal Issues
    6. History & Status of the Discipline
    7. Hardware & Software
    8. Data & Information
    9. Programming
    10. Human Computer Interfaces
    11. Systems Development

    Details of the Australian Computer Society's Core Bode of Knowledge (CBOK) can be found here:
             https://www.acs.org.au/accreditedcourses-and-jobs.

    Assessment Related Requirements
    Hurdle Requirement: If your overall mark for the course is greater than 44 F but, your mark for the final written exam is less than 40%, your overall mark for the course will be reduced to 44 F.
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    All work will be submitted using a combination of the School's GitHub server and the course website. Submission details will be included in the assignment descriptions that will be published on the course website.

    Penalties for Late Submission of Individual Assignments

    Individual assignments will be subject to the following late penalty policy:

    • 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

    Extensions for Individual Assignments

    If you are unable to complete an assessment by the due date because of medical or compassionate circumstances, you must submit a request to the course coordinator prior to the due date. In your request you must attach supporting documentation – a medical certificate and/or a letter from the student counseling service. Work requirements are not considered grounds for extensions. If you are working, please make sure you are available for all activities.

    Penalties for Late Submission of Group Assignments

    The late submission of group assignments is not possible. The assessment will be based on material present in each group's GitHub repository at the due date.

    Final Examination

    The final examination will be scheduled by the examinations office. You will be able to access your exam schedule through Access Adelaide. You must be available during the replacement examination period (check University dates). If you are offered a replacement examination or additional assessment and are unable to attend for any reason, there may be no further opportunity for a replacement examination or additional assessment.

    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 Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    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 University 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
  • Fraud Awareness

    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’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.