| Software Design Patterns | Code: 22.617 : 6 |
Patterns (for software analysis, design, and architecture, among others), are one of the innovations that have had the greatest impact on object-oriented development in recent years together with the introduction of UML. Their main advantages are that they save time and improve the quality of the system by applying solutions (called patterns), which have already been widely tested by other designers.
For this reason, the use of patterns is considered a basic skill that any object-oriented software designer must acquire today. However, the development of this skill requires practice, where the detailed information found in books about patterns - which are already increasing in number - is usually used. This way of working is recommended to students for their future professional work.
This course provides brief descriptions of many of the most well-known and accepted patterns today, as well as some general concepts about patterns and their use.
In order to unify the prior knowledge of all students, and given that the object-oriented software development method will be used throughout the course, a collection of Review Exercises are provided as part of the classroom resources.
The concepts of the method and the corresponding UML notations are introduced by means of an example that is developed and discussed in detail. For those students who have already studied the content presented in this module, it will serve them as a review, which is especially convenient if they learned it some time ago and have not used it much since.
The specific objectives that the student must acquire in this course are the following:
- Assimilate the concept of pattern.
- Get to know a selection of patterns applicable to the analysis and design phases of software development.
- Be able to select the most suitable pattern for each situation.
- Be able to apply a specific pattern in a specific situation.
- Be able to analyze and design object-oriented software.
- Design and build computer applications using development, integration and reuse techniques.
- Apply specific software engineering techniques to the different stages of a project's life cycle.
- Propose and evaluate different technological alternatives for solving a specific software development problem.
Module 1: Introduction to patterns
This module introduces UML by means of practical examples that cover the different modeling techniques. It includes an example of analysis and an example of design.
Module 2: Patterns catalogue
The most significant patterns are discussed in this module. Patterns covering mostly the entire life cycle of the software are described.
Module 3: Case study of pattern application
It includes the detailed development of a practical case similar to the Practical Exercise that students will need to solve.
The materials of this course are not designed to be studied sequentially. Once the introduction (Module 1) has been read, it is recommended to combine the study of theory (Module 2) and practice (Module 3) simultaneously. In the description of each activity, you will find a detailed description of which specific sections of each module must be studied for each activity.
To carry out some of the course activities it is advisable to use a CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tool, which allows to create well-formed UML diagrams. There are currently many CASE and modeling tools available on the market (both free and proprietary), as you can see in the following list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Unified_Modeling_Language_tools. In any case, the course instructor does not offer technical support in the installation and use of these tools.
The assessment process is based on students' own work and the assumption that this work is original and has been carried out by them.
In assessment activities, the following irregular behaviours, among others, may have serious academic and disciplinary consequences: someone else being involved in carrying out the student's assessment test or activity, or the work being not entirely original; copying another's work or committing plagiarism; attempting to cheat to obtain better academic results; collaborating in, covering up or encouraging copying; or using unauthorized material, software or devices during assessment.
If students are caught engaging in any of these irregular behaviours, they may receive a fail mark (D/0) for the assessable activities set out in the course plan (including the final tests) or in the final mark for the course. This could be because they have used unauthorized materials, software or devices (e.g. social networking sites or internet search engines) during the tests, because they have copied text fragments from an external source (internet, notes, books, articles, other student's projects or activities, etc.) without correctly citing the source, or because they have engaged in any other irregular conduct.
In accordance with the UOC's academic regulations , irregular conduct during assessment, besides leading to a failing mark for the course, may be grounds for disciplinary proceedings and, where appropriate, the corresponding punishment, as established in the UOC's coexistence regulations.
In its assessment process, the UOC reserves the right to:
- Ask the student to provide proof of their identity, as established in the university's academic regulations.
- Request that students provide evidence of the authorship of their work, throughout the assessment process, both in continuous and final assessment, by means of an oral test or by whatever other synchronous or asynchronous means the UOC specifies. These means will check students' knowledge and competencies to verify authorship of their work, and under no circumstances will they constitute a second assessment. If it is not possible to guarantee the student's authorship, they will receive a D grade in the case of continuous assessment or a Fail in the case of final assessment.
For this purpose, the UOC may require that students use a microphone, webcam or other devices during the assessment process, in which case it will be the student's responsibility to check that such devices are working correctly.
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You can only pass the course if you participate in and pass the continuous assessment. Your final mark for the course will be the mark you received in the continuous assessment. |