Homework Assignments
Some of these assignments will ask you to answer questions on the
day's reading; others will ask you to apply class material to a
problem or to your class project. All assignments are due on
the date corresponding to the assignment description on this page. They are due before class each day questions are assigned. Send them by email per the instructions at the top of this page.
In order to participate constructively in class discussions, you must
read and think about the reading assignments before class. Some of
the assignments will
ask questions to help you focus on the aspects of the reading that are
important to the course. Your answers should not exceed a page or two in
length.
You'll understand some of the material better if you
apply it to an actual problem, either a "textbook" problem or
your class project. Some of the homework assignments will ask you to apply specific
techniques from the class. Your answers to these assignments should also
be brief, a page or two unless otherwise indicated.
In some cases, the assignment will ask for answers that use your
class project. We understand that you will be working with your project
group on that material. However, you must answer the homework
assignments yourself, showing your own understanding of both the project
and the class material.
Project Reports
At the end of each unit, you will report on your project, which is drawn from an MSE Studio project. The presentations will explain how you have applied ideas from the course to your project. Each report will consist of a 7-minute presentation followed by discussion and a short written report from the group, probably not more than 5 pages in length.
As a part of the project report a joint statement about the contributions of each student to the project and the amount of time each student put in must be included.
External Viewpoints Reports (EVR)
During the semester, each group will deliver one "EVR" report that is based on several books.
Report Content Each group will have a different set of books (see here for details). Your group's report
should not be just copying sections of the books and pasting them into a report. Instead, your report should explain what those books together tell us about software design. Based on the books, if you had to pick just one thing that you should really do as software designers, what would that thing be? What aspects of the books support your decision to do this? Is it always the right thing to do? Why or why not?
Report Structure
Your group's report has four parts.
- The first part is a pithy 50-75 word summary of your report; it is due 1 week prior to your report so we can give early feedback on what you learned.
The statement should not simply identify the topic the books talk about -- it should say what you learned about the topic.
- The second part is a 40 minute PowerPoint presentation followed by 40 minutes of taking questions from the audience (ie: classmates and teachers). EVERY team member must participate in giving the presentation.
- The third part is a 10-page paper that is due at the end of your presentation.
- The fourth part is a 1-page summary of what work was done by each person on the EVR report; this piece of paper is due at the end of your presentation, and each group member should sign it.
Scheduling
Your group will deliver your report during some class period during the semester. Different groups will deliver their reports on different days, depending on what group of books each group is assigned to read. A detailed schedule will be forthcoming (see here for details).
Grading
You will be graded as a group on your EVR report as a whole (paper + presentation). The key grading criteria for the report are the following:
- You must describe a central lesson that these books have taught you about software design.
- You must explain how each book relates to this lesson.
- You must be sure to cover each book in your list.
- You must clearly communicate (1), (2), and (3) in your paper and presentation.
Division of work
Your group may divide up the responsibilities for your report any way that you like. That means some people could be in charge of reading some books and other people could be in charge of writing the report. (One constraint is that EVERY team member must participate in giving the presentation.) It's up to you. But remember that you are a team and will be graded as a group. Therefore, you should seriously consider doing quality assurance on one another's work. Challenge each other's ideas and make them better. Produce a report that will help you be better software designers.
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