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SENG 321: Requirements Engineering and Formal Specifications
Term Summer 2010
Course Website Available through conneX http://connex.csc.uvic.ca
Instructor Michael Zastre
Email: zastre at cs.uvic.ca
Office: ECS 528
Phone Number: (250) 472-5771
Office Hours: Friday 1:30 - 2:30, or by appointment
Lecture Schedule 
(A01, A02)   TWF 12:30 - 1:20 p.m., in Elliot 060
Project teams will be formed during the first week of classes. Students not in attendance may be dropped from the course.
Laboratory Schedule Labs begin the week of May 10, 2010. Please attend the lab in which you have registered. Lab times and locations are available from the timetable through uSource.
Textbooks
Required: "Mastering the Requirements Process", Suzanne and James Robertson (Addison-Wesley, second edition), ISBN 0-321-41949-9.
Course Objectives Requirements management is a critical yet very difficult part of software development. This course addresses issues surrounding requirements and requirements management throughout the classical software-development life cycle. It will present you with opportunities to learn effective techniques for eliciting requirements, for engaging in analysis and domain modeling, along with approaches to preparing formal specifications. Some time will be spent on negotiation and decision making. A large portion of the course is project based and offers you the opportunity of standing on both sides of requirements, ie., as a customer (for one set of requirements) and as a system analyst/designer (for another set of requirements). Designers will work in collaboration with customers to define, specify and negotiate requirements. Towards the end of the semester this work will be validated through prototype design and in-class presentations.
Topics
  • requirements elicitation
  • requirements analysis and modelling
  • requirements and the development life cycle
  • risk management
  • feasibility studies
  • verification and validation
  • formal specification techniques
  • prioritization, negotiation and decision making
  • software evolution
  • customer relationships
Project In this course there will be a project worth 55%.
Exams There will be 2 midterms:
  • June 22nd (worth 20%)
  • July 30th (worth 15%)
For courses which have final exams, students are strongly advised not to make final plans for travel or employment during the exam period since special arrangements will not be made for examinations that may conflict with such plans.
Grading
Coursework Weight (out of 100%)
Teamwork and activity logs 10%
Project 55%
First Midterm 20%
Second Midterm 15%


Students must pass every course component in order to pass the course.

All students must score at least 50% in the combined total of assignments and at least 50% in combined examination grades in order to obtain a passing grade in the course. A minimum passing grade is D. No E grades or supplemental examinations will be given.

Final Grades are obtained by converting the numerical scores using the conversion table below. Dividing lines between letter grades may be adjusted by a maximum of 3% to account for natural breaks in the numeric scores.

F D C C+ B- B B+ A- A A+
0-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-100
Posting Of Grades Term marks, provisional final grades and final grades will be posted by student number. NO NAME WILL APPEAR. These postings are for your information and for your validation of the data entry. If you do not wish your term marks and grades to be publicly posted in this manner, please notify the course instructor by e-mail no later than May 27, 2010.
Csc Student Groups The Computer Science Course Union serves all students who are either in at computer science program or taking a class in computer science. Please sign yourself up on their mailing list if you would like to be informed about their social events and services.

Women in Engineering and Computer Science - The purpose of the WECS is to encourage more women and girls to consider Computer Science or Engineering as a career and to support them in their decision once they arrive at UVic.

The Engineering Students' Society (ESS) serves all students registered in an Engineering degree program, including Software Engineering (BSEng). For information on ESS activities, events and services navigate to http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~ess .
Course Policies And Guidelines Late Assignments: No late assignments will be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor at least 48 hours before the assignment due date.
Coursework Mark Appeals: All marks must be appealed within 7 days of the mark being posted.
Attendance: We assume that students attend all lectures. For courses with a laboratory component, we also assume students attend all labs. It is entirely the students' responsibility to recover any information or announcements presented in lectures from which they were absent.
Electronic Devices: No unauthorized audio or video recording of lectures is permitted.
Calculators are only permitted for examinations and tests if explicitly authorized and the type of calculator permitted may be restricted. No other electronic devices (e.g. cell phones, pagers, PDA, etc.) may be used during examinations or tests unless explicitly authorized.
Plagiarism: Submitted work may be checked using plagiarism detection software. Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic fraud are taken very seriously by both the University and the Department. You should consult http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2009/FACS/UnIn/UARe/PoAcI.html for the UVic policy on academic integrity. Note that the university policy includes the statement that "A largely or fully plagiarized assignment should result in a grade of F for the course".

The Faculty of Engineering Standards for Professional Behaviour is at http://www.uvic.ca/shared/shared%5fengineering/docs/professional-behaviour.pdf

The department guidelines concerning fraud are at http://www.csc.uvic.ca/ProgramInformation/UndergraduateCourses/Policies/academicintegrity.html

Department Policies: A list of department policies regarding all courses may be found at http://www.csc.uvic.ca/ProgramInformation/UndergraduateCourses/Policies/index.html

This course aims to provide equal opportunities and access for all students to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the class and its curriculum and to meet the syllabus requirements. Reasonable and appropriate accommodation will be made available to students with documented disabilities (physical, mental, learning) in order to give them the opportunity to successfully meet the essential requirements of the course. The accommodation will not alter academic standards or learning outcomes, although the student may be allowed to demonstrate knowledge and skills in a different way. It is not necessary for you to reveal your disability and/or confidential medical information to the course instructor. If you believe that you may require accommodation, the course instructor can provide you with information about confidential resources on campus that can assist you in arranging for appropriate accommodation. Alternatively, you may want to contact the Resource Centre for Students with a Disability located in the Campus Services Building.

The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing, and protecting a positive, and supportive and safe learning and working environment for all its members.