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engineering

SW 409 Java for Programmers II

Syllabus

Instructor: Maynard Marquis
Office Hours: In classroom 6:00 p.m. before class, by appointment, or e-mail for assistance at any time.
Phone: (203) 254-4147
E-mail: WebCT account and mmarquis@stagweb.fairfield.edu
Fax: (203) 254-4013
Pre-requisite: SW408 or permission of the instructor.
Textbook: Advanced Java2 Platform - How to Program, First Edition, Deitel, Deitel & Santry, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-089560-1

Additional References:
1 - Sun's Application Programming Interface, available on the Sun Java Website.
2 - Java for Programmers, Douglas A. Lyon, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-047869-5.
3 - Java Programming: Advanced Topics, Third Edition, Joe Wigglesworth and Paula McMillan, Thomson Course Technology, ISBN 0-619-15968-5

Computer Usage: Students MUST have access to a computer with a Java compiler and e-mail services. The version of Java to be used is jdk1.5.0_06, which can be downloaded free of charge from the http://java.sun.com website. NetBeans IDE 5.0 (beta 2) is the mandatory Integrated Development Environment to be used for this course. It can be downloaded free of charge from the http://www.netbeans.org website.

The material for this course is available in two forums:

  • In-class lectures
  • The WebCT site

The in-class lectures are available to all students on WebCT. All students have a WebCT and a StagWeb account.

All material: lectures, examples, and homework assignment, will be placed on the WebCT site. The lectures can be viewed on the site or downloaded from it. The examples and homework assignments can be downloaded from the site. Students are responsible for obtaining homework assignments each week from WebCT.

The WebCT e-mail feature is the primary electronic communication medium for this course. Homework solutions are to be submitted via WebCT, Questions, or other online communication will be done using WebCT e-mail. Students are responsible for checking their WebCT e-mail account daily for possible messages from the instructor.

A file compressor/de-compressor (e.g., WinZip) is required; WinZip can be downloaded from the web. The Windows XP Operating System (OS) has its own compressor/de-compressor, so WinZip is unnecessary if that is your OS. MS Office including Word, PowerPoint, and Access is required.

Course Notes: On WebCT

Course Description: This advanced topic Java programming course covers advanced threading, nested references, design patterns, introspection, I/O, persistence, and advanced API topics such as swing, reflection, graphics, JDBC, etc., as time permits. Lab included. Three credits.

Course Objectives:

  1. To introduce advanced Java topics such as advanced GUIs, design patterns, reflection, introspection, etc.
  2. To teach the server-side Java software technology.
  3. To provide the means to write two-tiered and three-tiered web applications.
  4. To prepare the student for more advanced courses in Java using the J2EE technology.

The course begins by having the students write advanced client-side Java programs using advanced GUIs that cover topics such as: dates, printing to printers, introspection, reflection, cloning, common actions, proxies, and Java Beans. That is followed by writing server-side programs covering topic such as: JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), servlets, and JSP(Java Server Pages). The objective is to use both client-side and server-side features to produce two-tiered and then three-tiered web-based applications. The ultimate objective is to provide the student with the knowledge and ability to write moderately complex, object-oriented computer programs that take full advantage of Java's concepts and capabilities in both client-side and server-side software.

Student Activities: Learning a new computer language is very much a hands-on activity, which cannot be learned from lectures or textbook reading alone. The real learning results from the laboratory trials and the homework assignments. To achieve the course objectives, the student must have good class attendance and participation, conduct the computer programming tasks during the laboratory periods as well as the assigned homework. The student should expect to take at least twice the class time for the required reading, studies, and assignments.

Homework: The solutions to homework assignments are due before the beginning of the class following their assignments. They are to be placed in a single folder, which is to contain the source code file(s) (.java extension) as well as any other file associated with the assignment, as specified in the assignment. Most solutions must be demonstrated on the classroom computers. Re-submittal of poorly performed or misunderstood homework solutions to obtain a better grade is encouraged, but can only be accomplished if the original submittal is on time. Late homework submittals may cause a reduction in its grade.

E-mail: The WebCT e-mail feature is the primary mode of communication between the students and the Instructor outside the classroom. Students should check their e-mail site daily. They are also encouraged to use e-mail to ask questions. Questions and their answers are provided to all students via e-mail.

Course Requirements: The satisfactory completion of the course is measured by the student's solutions to homework assignments, laboratory projects, and examination projects. Consequently, the completion and submittal of solutions to all of them is mandatory. Class attendance is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged. Missing class does not excuse the student from any homework assignment, laboratory project, or examination.

More laboratory projects are expected in SW409 than were done in SW408. Laboratory projects will be demonstrated to the instructor at the end of the class period.

Each class will begin with responses to questions and a brief review on the previous class’s topics. The first class will begin with administrative announcements and a review of this syllabus, as well as some review of SW408 topics in recognition of the fact that some students took the prerequisite course several semesters ago. As SW409 topics are introduced, the review of SW408 topics will continue in the examples provided to the students.

Tests or Exams: There are two examination periods: one at midterm and one at course completion (the final). There is a three-hour class period allotted to each. The student’s solution to the assigned project for each is due at the end of that three-hour period. Open-book, take-home coding assignments are used for the exams. Like the homework, exam solutions are to be placed on the classroom's computer by the end of the exam period.

Exams must be demonstrated to the instructor in the classroom. They are not to be e-mailed until the instructor has approved them.

Grading Policy:

Homework/Laboratory : 1/2
Midterm Exam : 1/4
Final Exam : 1/4

Missing an examination or all of the homework/laboratory projects is a cause for failure in the course.

Collaboration: Students are encouraged to work together in producing solutions to the assignments in this course.