Commercial Programming

[Induction]

Professor Andrew Howes

Dr Rami Bahsoon

School of Computer Science

Contact: HowesA@bham.ac.uk

About

• Bridges the gap between the academic view and the industrial/commercial view of Computer Science / Software Engineering (CS/SE)

• Up-to-date account of the state-of-practice– Technologies, paradigms, managerial, legal aspects,

etc.– Reflection on industrial experiences, lessons of

success and failure, etc.

About

• Guest speakers present seminars on topics relevant to Computer Science / Software Engineering (CS/SE)

• 19 Guest Lecturers

About

• Example of Companies – BT, Microsoft, Goldman, IBM, Deloitte, Mcafee,

clearpace,Tessella…• Example of Topics

– Architecting in the Cloud– IT System Architecture for Finance– Web 2.0 and Collaboration– Product Management and Agile Development – Scientific Software Engineering

Etiquette

• Please arrive on time and do not leave early.• Remember to switch off mobile phones.• Ask questions.

Assessment

• Two essays • Guest lecturers provide essay questions• Essay should consist of 2000-2500 words• Demonstrate an appreciation of an industry/commerce

viewpoint on some issue in Computer Science• Guest lecturers provide initial material and pointers• ...But you need to research...

– Careful and focused research: read, comprehend, evaluate, reflect, praphrase, and cite..

– Almost all of your answer should come from your research, NOT from the lecture.

Sample Questions

• How will cloud computing impact the IT industry over the next 5-10 years? In your answer compare and contrast the cloud computing platforms from three of the leading contenders and assess the impact on software development practices.

• [Microsoft]

Evaluation Criteria

1. Is the problem/question explained, supported by good examples?

2. Is the answer evidence-based?3. Is the argumentation and development

sound/convincing/logical? 4. Are any new ideas in the answer clearly distinguished

from the ideas of others? 5. Is the report in depth? Does it show good

understanding? 6. Do claims made in the essay cite evidence? 7. Is the essay well structured? Is the grammar and

spelling okay?

Evaluation Criteria

• The criteria may vary according to the topic– Markers will consider our criteria and look whether

they are met – Markers are very likely to be our Guest Speakers

• It is important to leave a good impression!– Module tutors will then assign the final mark to ensure

consistency across all reports.

submission

• Electronic submissions via BOSS, TEST IT in• due time!!!• • Late submission = penalty, last submission• counts

deadlines• Fri 28th October 2011 Submission of preferences for first

report• Tue 3rd November 2011 Allocation for first reports• Thu 1st December 2011 Submission of first report,

midnight (i.e. end of the day)• Fri 2nd December 2011 Submission of preferences for

second report• Fri 9th December 2011 Allocation for second report• Mon 10th January 2012 Submission of second report,

midnight (i.e. end of the day)

Report topic

• • Please adhere to your assigned report titles/topic

• A brilliant report on a title other than this will earn ZERO!

• A brilliant report that is on a topic covered by a• speaker who supplied one of your assigned titles

but that nevertheless does not address THAT SPECIFIC TITLE may also be severely penalised.

Further Pointers

• http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/internal/courses/comm-prog/index.php

Format

• Title, name, number, date, module.• 12 points Times Font.• At least 1 inch margin on all sides.• 1.5 line spacing.• Use italics for emphasis.• Subtitles in bold• Citations and References using American

Psychological Association (APA) format.• Do not use numbered references.

Possible Report Structure

• Abstract (150 words)• Introduction explaining the question (250 words)• Describe the three platforms (400 words)• State your evaluation criteria (400 words)• Critically assess the three platforms against the

criteria (1000 words)• Summarise and conclude (250 words)• References

• WORD COUNT = 2450 words.

Don’ts

• Do not cite the “Ancient Greeks”.• Avoid Futurology (mindless speculation on the

nature of the technological revolution)…– You can write, Weiser (1991) said, “the computer

should extend your unconscious.” (If this is useful evidence.)

– But do not say “the computer should extend your unconscious.” This is a claim that is likely to be impossible to justify in an essay.

Do provide qualified arguments

– Evidence is rarely definitive.– Bad: “It is certainly the case that cloud computing will

revolutionise business practice.”– Good: “Many authors believe that cloud computing

will have some effect on business practice.”

Evidence• Traditional authority: "The rich diversity of species

is a consequence of a branching pattern of evolution from a common ancestor (Darwin, 1859)”

• Rational authority: "The rich diversity of species is a consequence of a branching pattern of evolution from a common ancestor (Darwin, 1859). Evolution is driven by natural selection, a mechanism that can lead to diversity through adaptation to niche environments. Evidence for evolution can be found in many scientific studies, including studies of the fossil record, and of shared skeletal structures (Huxley, 1860)."

Scholar.google.com

Citation and reference

• In 2007-08 Google search trends indicated that there were more search terms for “Cloud Computing” than for “Grid Computing” (Buyya, Yeo & Venugopal (2008)….

• References• Buyya, R., Yeo, C.S. and Venugopal, S., (2008).

Market-oriented cloud computing: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering it services as computing utilities. The 10th IEEE international conference on high performance computing and communications, 5-13, 2008.

Plagiarism

• http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/legislation/docs/COP_Plagiarism.pdf

• Example from Frick (2005). https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/example2paraphrasing.html

• References: • Merriënboer, J. J. van. (1997). Training complex

cognitive skills. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Plagiarism: Original Text

• “Original Source Material: During the last decade, there has been a shift from "instructivist" approaches towards "constructivist" approaches in the field of instructional design. Instructivist approaches reflect the belief that the role of knowledge is basically to represent the real world. Meaning is eventually determined by this real world and [is] thus external to the understander.”

Plagiarised text

• “Over the last ten years, there has been a marked change from "instructivist" points of view to "constructivist" points of view among instructional designers. Instructivist points of view hold the belief that the role of knowledge is fundamentally to represent the real world. In this view, meaning is determined by the real world and is therefore external to the learner.”

• The text is too close to the original and there is no citation.

A good summary

• “Instructivists hold that the "real world," external to individuals, can be represented as knowledge and determines what will be understood by individuals. This view has been shifting to a constructivist view over the past decade (Merriënboer, 1997)”.

Feedback

• We will ask you for feedback on the module in the middle of the semester and at the end.

• In addition, please do not hesitate to visit my office if you have a specific question.

• Office hours are posted on our doors.• For Andrew Howes usually at 13.30 on

Tuesdays.