Prerequisites

MIS 1A, 1B and 1C or equivalents.  CSC 10, an introductory programming course, or prior programming experience strongly recommended.

Course Description [Top]

Catalog Description: MIS 015. Introduction to Business Programming. Introduction to object oriented programming language. Topics include use of simple data structures and data types, arrays, strings, input-output functions, file processing, and flow control. Prerequisite: MIS 001A, MIS 001B, MIS 001C or equivalents. 3 units

MIS 15 provides an introduction to the business-programming environment using Object Oriented (OO) concepts and methodologies. Topics focus on OO Design and OO Programming using Visual Basic .NET. OO Design will concentrate on the design of OO graphical user interface (GUI) applications using object classes, inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation design concepts. OO Programming will concentrate on the programming of those applications using sound programming practices like modular design, cohesion, and coupling concepts.

Course Objectives [Top]

We have set major and minor objectives for this course. 

• The major objective is to teach you how to think and work as an OO developer. It is more important to learn how to think and work as a programmer (best practices, work habits, tools, research) rather than remembering the programming language syntax.  
• The minor objectives center around OO Design and Visual Basic .NET programming and will teach you to: 

OO Design:

1. Understand the difference between program-driven and event-driven programming.
2. Identify objects and their responsibilities to design solutions to problems.
3. Use inheritance to relate classes, polymorphism to improve design, and encapsulation to control usage of your objects. 
4. Make good GUI design choices.

Visual Basic .NET Programming:

5. Declare and use variables, constants in calculations.
6. Understand the use of control structures (sequence, iteration, and selection) to direct the flow of your program.
7. Build procedures and functions that use multiple arguments.
8. Use single and multi-dimensional arrays.
9. Understand the idea of event-handling code.
10. Handle exceptions to avoid abnormal termination of your programs.
11. Learn how to debug.
12. Understand the value of documentation for your programs.
13. Learn how to construct Unit Test Plans and System Test Plans.

General Objectives:

14. Develop code that practices good programming style.
15. Work simultaneously with a variety of programming tasks. 
16. Be a dependable team player in the application development arena.

Course Methodology

We believe that the best way to learn OO programming is by practicing. Therefore, we will use the MIS laboratory as much as possible where we will perform together most of the practice exercises. Please note that you cannot learn the material from our lab sessions alone. You must spend an additional 8 -12 hours per week to complete your homework assignments.

Text [Top]

Bradley, Julia Case & Millspaugh, Anita C. Programming in Visual Basic .NET, McGraw-Hill, 2003. San Francisco, California.

Tools [Top]

• Programming Language: Visual Basic .NET
• Visual Studio Help: Microsoft Developer Network Library (MSDN) and the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Grading [Top]

Final grades will be assigned according to the total points you have obtained through exams, homework assignments, class participation, and the group project relative to the total possible number of points. 

Pluses and minuses will be awarded along the extremities (i.e., greater than 3% below the upper limit and less than 3% of the lower limit, respectively).  Based on the total points, your grades will be assigned as follows:

Grading system may change for compelling reasons.

Exams [Top]

You will take 4 examinations. Three of these exams will be hands-on programming exams and one will be a multiple-choice examination. 

Hands-on Programming Exam: This exam is open book only (no notes or other material). During the exam, you must write a simple Visual Basic program based on the material we have covered in the Lab exercises. The exam will be very similar to your individual assignment and you will know in advance its content. During the exam: I will give you a paper copy of the exam questions and an exam diskette with exam material. You will read the exam questions and perform the required tasks on your computer When finished, you will give me your exam questions and the exam diskette I will review the exam diskette and will grade you based on the content of the diskette Bring an empty, formatted 3.5-inch diskette for the exam. Do not write your name on the label because I will collect all diskettes before the exam and redistribute them randomly. Please check your diskettes for viruses. No make-up examination will be given without the prior approval of the instructor. 

Multiple-choice Exam: You must answer 25 questions from OO Development theory and Visual Basic .NET programming. Bring a scantron 882.

Individual Assignments [Top]

The purpose of the individual assignment is to encourage further practice for the topics covered in our book but not covered in class (due to time constraints) and to give you the opportunity to work on more comprehensive exercises than those covered in the book. All assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. Late assignments will be accepted, but 3 points will be deducted for each calendar day for which you are late. All assignments should be submitted in a 9x12 manila envelope with your name typed on the outside of the envelope. Each envelope should include: 

• Cover letter with statement.
• Printed copy of your source code.
• The Unit Test Plan (or System Test Plan) completed and signed (including printout of your output).
• A diskette with all the code (both source code and binary code).

Academic Dishonesty

Unfortunately, the subject of academic dishonestly must be discussed for those who are inclined toward such activities. The university's policy is discussed in the following paragraphs. Please, there is no need to engage in any unethical behavior in this class! If you need help, my door is always open.

Academic dishonesty involves acts, which may subvert or compromise the integrity of the educational process of the university. Included is any act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for him/herself, or another, by misrepresenting his/her, or another's work or by interfering with the completion, submission, or evaluation of work. These include, but are not limited to, accomplishing or attempting any of the following acts:

• Using any materials that are not authorized by the instructor for use during an examination.
• Copying from another student's paper during an examination.
• Collaborating (i.e., talking, passing notes and/or signals, etc.) during an examination with any other person by giving or receiving information without specific permission of the instructor.
• Stealing, buying or otherwise obtaining information about an unadministered examination.
• Substituting for another person or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take an examination.
• Submitting another person's work as yours either in its original or altered form.
• Giving someone else your work to fulfill his/her assignment.
• Using the assignment of another class to fulfill an assignment for this class without authorized consent of the instructor.

Violations of proper ethical conduct will NOT be tolerated. A failing semester grade will be assigned to all involved parties (NO exceptions). Severe cases of academic dishonesty will be handled at the university level.

If you are aware of any academic dishonesty, please notify me either personally (your identity will remain confidential) or anonymously. Cheating devalues everyone's grade and degree, including your own.

Incomplete (I) and Unauthorized Withdrawal (WU) Grades

An incomplete grade (I) will only be issued in accordance to College of Business Administration policy. Among the conditions imposed by the instructor that must be met are: (1) a current passing grade (70 percent or better), (2) the successful completion of all prior assignments and exams, and (3) an unforeseen and unusual event beyond your control which prevents you from completing the semester, and can be documented and verified (employment-related events do not qualify). (4) An incomplete will only be considered after it has been determined that a withdrawal (W) cannot be issued. If you do not meet (1) through (4), you do not qualify for an incomplete. As stipulated by the University, an incomplete cannot be assigned when it is necessary for the student to attend additional class meetings to complete the course requirements.

Unauthorized Withdrawal (WU) indicates that a student did not officially withdraw from the course but failed to complete it. Among the conditions imposed by the instructor that must be met are: (1) a passing grade (70 percent or better) at the time that the student stopped attending classes, (2) attendance stopped before the 11th week of the semester. If you do not meet (1) and (2), you do not qualify for an unauthorized withdrawal (U) grade and as a result you will be assigned a failing (F) grade.