Syllabus
Advanced Java Programming: Visual

Advanced Java Programming: Visual

INEW-2338

Credit Summer 2019
05/28/2019 - 07/30/2019

Course Information

Section 001
Distance Learning
ONL DIL
Richard Baldwin

Office Hours

  • Sa
    See Note - --->
    See Note --->
    Due to some medical issues, office hours this semester will be limited to:
    1. Telephone at any time - leave message if no answer: (512) 223-4758
    2. Email at any time
    3. Video conference by appointment
    4. On-campus by appointment
    Don't hesitate to email or phone for an on-campus or video appointment.

Course Description / Rationale

DO NOT PURCHASE A TEXTBOOK FOR THIS COURSE. SEE THE READINGS SECTION BELOW.

This syllabus applies to all sections of INEW 2338 taught by Prof. Baldwin including:

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • See the Main Web Page for this course here for additional information, including a requirement for online orientation.
  • Due to a number of factors, a computer will NOT be provided by ACC for you to accomplish the Java EE/Frameworks assignments for this course. Therefore, it will be your responsibility to configure the web development environment capabilities on your own computer as specified in the Assignments-Frame competency in Blackboard. This can be a challenging task. Students are encouraged to examine the instructional module here as early as possible to confirm that they can satisfy this requirement.
  • All students enrolled in this course are required to complete online orientation at the beginning of the course. Click here and follow the instructions to complete the online orientation process. Log into Blackboard, access your course, read the Announcements, and use the Blackboard "Send Email" feature within the first few days of the course to send an Email message to Prof. Baldwin confirming that you have completed online orientation. Make the subject of your message read "Online orientation complete." If you fail to do this within the first few days of the course, you may suffer administrative penalties, which may include being administratively dropped from the course and the loss of eligibility for financial aid. (See the announcement regarding being declared as "Never Attended" in Blackboard.)
  • You should sign into and check your ACCmail account early in the semester and frequently within the semester to make certain that you don't miss important announcements and Email messages.

Course Description

A continuation of advanced Java programming techniques including Network Programming, Search Engines, Servlets, JSON, and Java EE & Frameworks

Course Rationale

This course is designed to teach the student how to write, test, and debug advanced-level Object-Oriented programs using Java with a heavy emphasis toward network and web programming.

-end description-

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

IMPORTANT: See the link to the Main Web Page for this course on the Lighthouse Course Description / Rationale page for additional information about this course, including a requirement for online orientation.

Course Objectives/ Learning Outcomes

Develop error-free, well-documented Java programs; develop and test Java network, search engine, and web framework programs. Learn how to write, test, and debug advanced-level Object-Oriented programs using Java.

In addition, the student will either use or evaluate the use of the following concepts, which are important workforce activities:

  • Design/Develop Program
  • Develop appropriate data model and database scheme
  • Create and test prototypes
  • Develop Structure
  • Identify major subsystems and interfaces
  • Validate design scheme and models
  • Implement Program
  • Write code
  • Perform unit testing
  • Integrate subsystems
  • Resolve defects and revise and adapt existing code
  • Perform Analysis
  • Define system and software requirements
  • Develop test requirements
  • Test and Validate Program
  • Develop test procedures
  • Perform tests

Scans Competencies

Refer to http://www.austincc.edu/cit for a compete definition and explanations of SCANS. The following list summarizes SCANS competencies addressed in this course.

The following is a summary of the Scans Competencies attributable to this course.

  • Time: Selects goal-relevant activities, ranks them, allocates time, and prepares and follows schedules.
  • Acquires and evaluates information.
  • Organizes and maintains information.
  • Interprets and communicates information.
  • Uses computers to process information.
  • Understands Systems: Knows how social, organizational, and technological systems work and operates effectively with them.
  • Monitors and Corrects Performance: Distinguishes trends, predicts impacts on system operations, diagnoses systems performance, and corrects malfunctions.
  • Selects Technology: Chooses procedures, tools, or equipment, including computers and related technologies.
  • Applies Technology to Task: Understands overall intent and proper procedures for setup and operation of equipment.
  • Reading: Locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules.
  • Arithmetic: Performs basic computations; uses basic numerical concepts such as whole numbers, etc.
  • Mathematics: Approaches practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques.
  • Listening: Receives, attends to, interprets, and responds to verbal messages and other cues.
  • Decision Making: Specifies goals and constraints, generates alternatives, considers risks, and evaluates and chooses best alternative.
  • Problem Solving: Recognizes problems and devises and implements plan of action.
  • Seeing Things in the Mind's Eye: Organizes and processes symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other information.
  • Knowing How to Learn: Uses efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills.
  • Reasoning: Discovers a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and applies it when solving a problem.
  • Responsibility: Exerts a high level of effort and perseveres towards goal attainment.

-end outcomes-

Readings

IMPORTANT: See the link to the Main Web Page for this course on the Lighthouse Course Description / Rationale page for additional information about this course, including a requirement for online orientation.

Textbook: This course does not use a textbook. Instead, it uses a variety of free online resources.

Primary Teaching Vehicle:

Software: It should not be necessary for you to purchase any software in order to complete this course successfully.

As a student, you have access to the CIS labs at the various ACC campuses.  You should find the appropriate Java software available at NRG, CYP, RGC, RVS and PIN and possibly other campuses as well.  If you don't find that software available at another campus, ask the lab manager at that campus to coordinate with Betty Jones at NRG and to install the same software there that is installed at NRG.

Assuming that you have private access to a computer with an operating system that supports the latest version of the Java JDK, all of the Java software that you will need can be downloaded for free from Sun at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html  

For working at home, you will need to download and install the Java Platform, Standard Edition, JDK 8 (latest released update).

-end of Readings-

Course Requirements

IMPORTANT: See the link to the Main Web Page for this course on the Course Description / Rationale page for additional information about this course, including a requirement for online orientation.

Assignment and Test Schedules

During the Fall and Spring semesters, this course is offered during the 16-week, 12-week, and 8-week sessions. In the summer, the course is offered in the 9-week session. The information in this section is intended to apply to all four sessions.

You must complete twelve take-home programming assignments (See Assignments-Network, Assignments-JSON, and Assignments-Frame in the left-side menu in Blackboard). Also see Instructions for Downloading and Submitting Assignments.

You must also complete three online Blackboard tests. (See Test01, Test02, and Test03 in the left-side menu in Blackboard.) Also see Instructions for Accessing and Taking Blackboard Tests.

You may submit the first eight assignments covering Network Programming and JSON up to two times each on or before the submission deadline explained below. Your highest score among the two scores for each assignment will be used to compute your final grade.

You may submit the last four assignments covering Java EE & Frameworks only one time each on or before the submission deadline.

You may take Test01 and Test02 up to two times each on or before the submission deadline. Your highest score among the two scores for each test will be used to compute your final grade.

You may Test03 only once, on or before the submission deadline.

Given that there are twelve programming assignments and three tests, you must submit fifteen separate items during the semester. The submission deadlines for the items vary depending on the session in which you are enrolled. You can find the submission deadline for each item by opening your course in Blackboard, selecting Tools from the left-side menu, and selecting My Grades. You can also find the submission deadline for each item by opening your Blackboard calendar. It will not be possible for you to submit an item after 11:59 PM on the date shown.

Note that submission deadlines may fall on holidays or on other days that the campus is closed. If so, you need to anticipate that circumstance and make appropriate arrangements in advance to avoid missing a deadline.

For general planning purposes, the deadline for the first assignment (Asg01) in the 16-week session is approximately four weeks following the first day of class. The deadlines for the remaining 14 items occur approximately every six days thereafter. The deadlines for the three tests follow the deadlines for Asg04, Asg08, an Asg12.

The startup time and the time interval between deadlines is correspondingly shorter for the 12-week, 9-week, and 8-week sessions.

You are permitted and encouraged to submit your assignments and to take your tests early.

Code of conduct and copyright protection regarding assignments

Your professor is the copyright holder for all assignments used in this course. To receive credit for an assignment, you will be required to attest to a short-form certification statement similar to the following when you submit each assignment: "I certify that this program is my own work and is not the work of others. I agree not to share my solution with others."

The above statement is referred to as a short-form certification because it is intended to remind you that by enrolling in and pursuing this course of study, you agree to the following terms:

  • To the best of your knowledge (unless you explain otherwise), the solution that you submit for each assignment meets the requirements of the assignment.
  • The solution that you submit is your own work and is not the work of others.
  • You agree not to share the solution with anyone other than your professor now or in the future without the express written permission of your professor.
  • You agree not to distribute or publish the solution now or in the future without the express written permission of your professor.
  • You understand that failure to comply with these requirements could be a violation of ACC's Student Standards of Conduct and could be a violation of federal copyright laws and could therefore be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Academic Testing Centers

This course may require you to complete one or more online Blackboard tests in an ACC Academic Testing Center according to the schedule and deadlines explained elsewhere in this syllabus. It is the student's responsibility to make all necessary arrangements with the testing center to complete the tests, including accessibility, hours of operation, etc. It is also the student's responsibility to comply with the Testing Center Guidelines. (In the event that you find the above link broken, you can search for and access testing center requirements from the main ACC web site.)

Classroom testing

Students enrolled in a classroom section must complete the online Blackboard test during a regularly scheduled class or lab period AND must request to take the test during the first ten minutes of the class or lab period.

Prerequisite: ITSE2317 or departmental approval. This is not a beginning or intermediate Java programming course.  This is an advanced Java programming course. Fundamental Java programming concepts (such as classes, interfaces, inheritance, compile-time and run-time polymorphism, objects, packages, access control, instance and class members, exception handling, event handling, generics, and JSP) will not be covered. If you don't already understand these object-oriented programming concepts using the Java language and API, you may find it difficult to succeed in this course.

Java Software Compatibility: You must develop your programs using Oracle's Java 8 JDK.

ACC will provide JDK 8 (or a later version) in the CIS laboratory at the Northridge campus (and possibly on other campuses as well). You are welcome and encouraged to make use of that facility.

Grade Policy:  Your grade will be based both on concepts and practical application.

Grading Scale: Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
90% - 100% A
80% - 89%  B
70% - 79%  C
60% - 69%  D
 0% - 59%  F

Each of the fifteen items described earlier will be weighted equally when computing your final grade. Depending on the final scores of all the students taking the course, it is possible that a curve may be applied to the final grades before they are submitted for recording.

-end of Requirements-

Course / Class Policies

IMPORTANT: See the link to the Main Web Page for this course on the Lighthouse Course Description / Rationale page for additional information about this course, including a requirement for online orientation.

Transfers:
Although it is technically possible for a student to transfer from one section to another section of the same course, this process has caused many problems in the past, and is not allowed unless the reasons for the transfer are compelling. Students desiring to transfer between CIS/CSC courses must first obtain permission from an Assistant Dean for CIS/CSC who will initiate the paperwork. (Note, however, that I will allow you to informally transfer between my in-class section and my distance-learning section of the same course at any time during the semester in those semesters where both are available.)

Incomplete:
Here is the official information that I have received regarding Incomplete grades:

A student may receive a temporary grade of "I" (Incomplete) at the end of the semester only if ALL the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The student is unable to complete the course during the semester due to circumstances beyond their control.
  2. The student must have earned at least half of the grade points needed for a “C” by the end of the semester.
  3. The request for the grade must be made in person at the instructor’s office and necessary documents completed.
  4. To remove an “I”, the student must complete the course by two weeks before the end of the following semester. Failure to do so will result in the grade automatically reverting to an “F”.

To give you an idea of the gravity of the situation, I don't recall ever having given a student a temporary grade of "I" during my entire teaching career at ACC.

Freedom of Expression Policy:
It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

Academic Integrity:
A student is expected to complete his or her own projects and tests. Students are responsible for observing the policy on academic integrity described in the Current ACC Student Handbook.

“Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework”.

The penalty accessed for violations will be in accordance with the current ACC Student Handbook policy. See http://www.austincc.edu/ for more information.

Attendance Policy:
The college policy states that students are expected to attend classes and will be held responsible for all material covered in class. Regular attendance helps ensure satisfactory progress towards completion of the course.

(Students enrolled in Open Campus classes are not expected to attend class. Prof. Baldwin does not call the roll and does not maintain an official record of attendance.)

Withdrawal Policy:

It is the student's responsibility to complete a Withdrawal Form in the Admissions Office if the student wishes to withdraw from this course. The last date to withdraw is provided in the ACC Academic calendar for the semester in which the student is enrolled.

It is not the responsibility of the instructor to withdraw students from the course even though the instructor has the prerogative to do so under various circumstances. For example, the instructor may elect to withdraw students from the course if he notices at some point that any one or more of the following is true:

  • The student has failed to successfully complete and submit three or more assignments or tests in a row. (Successful completion is defined as a grade of at least 70-percent on the assignment or test.)
  • There is insufficient work remaining for the student to earn a final grade of at least 70-percent in the course.
  • The student has given the instructor reason to believe that the student is not actively engaged in the course.

A grade of "W" will be automatically assigned if the student initiates a withdrawal through the Admissions and Records office, in accordance with the requirements of that office or if the student is withdrawn from the course by the instructor.  If the student fails to complete the work and also fails to properly withdraw (and is not withdrawn by the instructor), a grade of A, B, C, D, or F will be assigned in accordance with the work that was completed.

State law regarding withdrawals:
My interpretation -- no more than six course withdrawals allowed throughout your undergraduate education, regardless of how many colleges you attend. Apparently, students who entered college before Fall 2007 are not affected. Ask a counselor for the official ACC interpretation.

Students with Disabilities Policy:
“Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to make this request three weeks before the start of the semester. (Refer to the Current ACC Student Handbook)”

Testing Center Policy (Open Campus Sections Only):
Visit the ACC web site at http://www.austincc.edu/. Select Search, and then search for the keywords testing center.

Concealed Handgun Policy
The Austin Community College District concealed handgun policy ensures compliance with Section 411.2031 of the Texas Government Code (also known as the Campus Carry Law), while maintaining ACC’s commitment to provide a safe environment for its students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Beginning August 1, 2017, individuals who are licensed to carry (LTC) may do so on campus premises except in locations and at activities prohibited by state or federal law, or the college’s concealed handgun policy.

It is the responsibility of license holders to conceal their handguns at all times. Persons who see a handgun on campus are asked to contact the ACC Police Department by dialing 222 from a campus phone or 512-223-7999.

Refer to the concealed handgun policy online at austincc.edu/campuscarry.

-end policies-

Course Subjects

IMPORTANT: See the link to the Main Web Page for this course on the Lighthouse Course Description / Rationale page for additional information about this course, including a requirement for online orientation.

Schedule of topics for the course

The following three topics will be covered in any particular semester:

  • Network Programming
  • One of the following topics: Search Engines OR Servlets OR JSON
  • Java EE and Frameworks

Note: Although only one of the topics Search Engines, Servlets, or JSON is covered in the course in any particular semester, all three are important. The course material in the Blackboard course management program will indicate which topic is covered in the current semester.

Students are encouraged to study all three topics for their own educational purposes in order to enhance their prospects of landing a job as a Java programmer.

-end of Subjects-

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