Successful software projects require more than just technical expertise. Figuring out what the client wants, collaborating in a team, managing complexity, mitigating risks, staying on time and budget, and determining under various constraints when a product is good enough to be shipped are at least equally important topics that often have a significant human component. ECE444 explores these issues broadly covering the fundamentals of modern software engineering.

Assuming reasonably solid programming skills (including unit testing and code-level design), we will explore the following topics:

This course has a strong technical focus, and students will get experience with team management and modern software-engineering tools. The course puts students on a fast track toward project management positions.

Lectures: BA1180, Monday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Wednesday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Friday 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM PRA sessions are at GB 251 PRA-1: Friday 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM PRA-2: Thursday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM PRA-3: Friday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Office hour: TBD (Other time by appointment)

Important Notes on Information Security Risk and Teaching Remotely from UofT. If you are a citizen of another country, and/or accessing your courses at the University of Toronto from a jurisdiction outside of Canada, please note that you may be subject to the laws of the country in which you are residing, or any country of which you have citizenship. The University of Toronto has a long-established commitment to freedom of expression, with this right enabled by an environment valuing respect, diversity, and inclusion. In your classes, you may be assigned readings, or discuss topics that are against the law in other jurisdictions. I encourage you to become familiar with any local laws that may apply to you and any potential impact on you if course content and information could be considered illegal, controversial, or politically sensitive. If you have any concerns about these issues, please contact your instructor directly to discuss with them.

The following schedule describes the current planing status and the covered concepts. It is subject to change and will be updated as the semester progresses, especially to help focus on requested topics or support learning.

The course uses Quercus for homework submission, grading, discussion, questions, announcements, and supplementary documents; slides will be posted here; GitHub is used to coordinate group work.

Expected Course Workload: Student workload should average to about 10 hours per week for ALL course-related activities (reference), including “contact” and/or “viewing” time, assignment/project completion, self-study, etc. In general, 3 hours/week will be spent in class and 7 hours on reading and project. Please feel free to give the course staff feedback on how much time the course is taking for you.

Teamwork: Teamwork is an essential part of this course. Most of the time spent working on this course will be spent working on the group project in teams of 3-5 students. There will be milestones for the project, and each milestone report has a component that is for the entire group and a component that is graded individually. Guidance on teamwork, reflection, and conflict resolution will be provided throughout the semester and are an essential component of the class. The team policy posted on Quercus applies and describes roles and teams and how to deal with conflicts and imbalances.

Communication: We make announcements through Quercus, including clarifying homework assignments and other interactions. The instructors and TAs hold weekly labs and are reachable by email; see above for information on how to contact us. Email them for additional appointments.

Textbook: Various readings throughout the semester available online or through the library; we do not have a single text book but rather assemble readings from different sources.

Late work policy: Due to heavy reliance on teamwork in this course there are no late days. Exceptions to this policy will be made only in extraordinary circumstances, almost always involving a family or medical emergency---with your academic advisor or the Dean of Student Affairs requesting the exception on your behalf. Accommodations are possible if requested at least 3 days in advance. Please communicate also with your team about timing issues.

Academic Integrity Policies and Collaboration: The usual policies apply, especially the University Policy on Academic Integrity and the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters at UofT.

We expect that group members collaborate with one another, but that groups work independently from one another, not exchanging results with other groups. Within groups, we expect that you are honest about your contribution to the group's work. This implies not taking credit for others' work and not covering for team members that have not contributed to the team. Otherwise, our expectations regarding academic honestly and collaboration for group work are the same as for individual work, substituting elevated to the level of "group."

Here are some examples of behavior that are inappropriate:

If any of your work contains any statement that was not written by you, you must put it in quotes and cite the source. If you are paraphrasing an idea you read elsewhere, you must acknowledge the source. Using existing material without proper citation is plagiarism, a form of cheating. If there is any question about whether the material is permitted, you must get permission in advance. We will be using automated systems to detect software plagiarism.

It is not considered cheating to clarify vague points in the assignments, lectures, lecture notes; to give help or receive help in using the computer systems, compilers, debuggers, profilers, or other facilities; or to discuss ideas at a very high level, without referring to or producing code.

Any violation of this policy is cheating. The minimum penalty for cheating (including plagiarism) will be a zero grade for the whole assignment. Cheating incidents will also be reported through University channels, with possible additional disciplinary action (see the above-linked University Policy on Academic Integrity).

If you have any question about how this policy applies in a particular situation, ask the instructors or TAs for clarification."

Note that the instructors respect honesty in these (and indeed most!) situations.

Inclusivity Statement: You belong here. The University of Toronto commits to all students, faculty and staff that you can learn, work and create in a welcoming, respectful and inclusive environment. In this class, we embrace the broadest range of people and encourage their diverse perspectives. This team environment is how we will innovate and improve our collective academic success. You can read the evidence for this approach here.

We expect each of us to take responsibility for the impact that our language, actions and interactions have on others. Engineering denounces discrimination, harassment and unwelcoming behaviour in all its forms. You have rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code. If you experience or witness any form of harassment or discrimination, including but not limited to, acts of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and ageism, please tell someone so we can intervene. Engineering takes these reports extremely seriously. You can talk to anyone you feel comfortable approaching, including your professor or TA, an academic advisor, our Assistant Dean, Diversity, Inclusion and Professionalism, the Engineering Equity Diversity & Inclusion Action Group, any staff member or a U of T Equity Office.

You are not alone. Here you can find a list of clubs and groups that support people who identify in many diverse ways. Working together, we can all achieve our full potential.

Syllabus Statement on Accommodations: The University of Toronto supports accommodations for students with diverse learning needs, which may be associated with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, ADHD, mobility impairments, functional/fine motor impairments, concussion or head injury, blindness and low vision, chronic health conditions, addictions, deafness and hearing loss, communication disorders and/or temporary disabilities, such as fractures and severe sprains, or recovery from an operation. If you have a learning need requiring an accommodation the University of Toronto recommends that students register as soon as possible with Accessibility Services at here. Phone: 416-978-8060 Email: [email protected]

Mental Health Statement: As a university student, you may experience a range of health and/or mental health challenges that could result in significant barriers to achieving your personal and academic goals. Please note, the University of Toronto and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering offer a wide range of free and confidential services that could assist you during these times. As a U of T Engineering student, you have an Academic Advisor (undergraduate students) or a Graduate Administrator (graduate students) who can support you by advising on personal matters that impact your academics. Other resources that you may find helpful are listed on the U of T Engineering Mental Health & Wellness webpage, and a small selection are also included here: