Application Development

In this course the students will learn advanced topics on planning for data storage (over time), data quality, backup, disaster recovery, and security of data (in transit and in storage). The techniques for setting up an audit trail for critical data will also be introduced. Students will learn industry best practices and commercially available solutions that can be recommended and implemented. Critical tradeoffs of accessibility, convenience, and good security practices, that occur with laptops, hand held devices, and cloud computing will also be discussed.

This course takes students through the steps of analyzing a business' need to access and analyze data from multiple data sources. Topics covered include best practices in requirements gathering, data project management, Data Access issues, Data cleanup issues and approaches, ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) tactics and automation, and various Data Analysis methodologies. Students will be able to practice overcoming problems with data from non-database sources, like XML, text, or multimedia.

This course takes students through the development lifecycle involved in the construction of fully functional commercial website applications, which employ server-side scripts that query relational databases. The students will implement industry best practices regarding two- and three-tier software architectures, separation of responsibility, and web security considerations.

This course covers Android application programming including use of a standard integrated development environment, debugging, user interface creation, multithreading and network applications. The students will be able to code, run, and debug a variety of applications using software emulators as well as tethered hardware devices. The students will also learn about the limitations imposed by these devices' processing power and learn to operate within those constraints. Software engineering life cycle processes are also covered.

The students will learn how to implement industry best practice methods and tools to identify and confirm business requirements, propose solutions, develop technical specifications usable in the design process, and communicate effectively to management, customers, and software developers. Other topics include Business Process Diagramming, Data Flow Diagrams, Entity Relationship Diagrams, and other techniques that help confirm understanding and agreement between the various parties.

This course takes students from the technical specifications for a software application through the design and development of the code. Architecture styles and patterns, including explicit, event-driven, client- server, middleware, and distributed architectures will be covered. The students will be introduced to agile methodologies and related tools and techniques. Other topics include secure coding, quality assurance techniques, verification and validation, code management and version control.

This course introduces fundamental methods, principles and tools for designing, programming and testing interactive systems. The course covers topics such as usability, user-centered design, human cognitive and physical ergonomics, information and interactivity structures, interaction styles, interaction techniques (including the use of voice, gesture, and eye movements), and user interface software tools, with a special focus on mobile user interfaces. Conflicts and trade-offs, such as affordability, practicality, battery life, and suitability for differing groups of users, will be discussed.

The students will learn the concepts and principles of Business Intelligence. The course covers the complete lifecycle of designing, building and managing business intelligence systems. Students will be introduced, step by step, to the various phases and complexities in building and supporting successful business intelligence and decision support systems. Business Intelligence (BI) systems are applications and technologies for performing data mining and analysis on business customer, product and transaction information to discover new business opportunities and opportunities for efficiency. Emphasis will be placed on how to summarize and present findings in a manner which produces instant recognition of the value of the information and supports recommendations for a business client or project.

Students will learn the principles of advanced responsive web development. The course focuses on design standards for enhancing the user experience (human computer interaction) specific to mobile devices, and how to provide value to the user on multiple screen sizes. Students will gain experience with CSS frameworks for applications which transition from a desktop computer to a mobile device. The course will also cover the optimization of media for mobile and desktop.

This course covers advanced topics, like time and cost estimation, feature and function tradeoff analysis and risk management. The students will also learn different software testing techniques like TDD, unit testing, and functional testing with an emphasis on secure coding. Component based software development, and issues in deployment including internal/external/cloud are also covered. Finally, best practices in documentation are required, including user manuals and technical documentation, with user testing of documentation.

This course covers current legal issues in information technology such as: privacy, identity theft, copyright law, hacking, and fraud. An overview of related international laws and state and local regulations is also included. The students will study the difference between laws and ethics and examine ethical issues encountered in the business world to arrive to appropriate ethical choices.

In this course the students will learn the concepts, methodologies, and tools to successfully plan, manage, and deploy an IT development project. The students will employ the discipline of organizing and managing resources in a way that the project is completed within defined scope, quality, time and cost constraints. Mastering project management with the application of agile methodologies and securing coding is a key to gaining a competitive advantage. Budgeting and Procurement of Vendor Hardware/Software systems will also be covered.

The Senior Capstone Project is designed to be a Quarter-long project, involving from 1 - 4 students. The students involved must have successfully completed the IT Project Management II course. Students will submit their project proposal for approval, prior to the start of this course. The project may be an original invention of the student(s) involved, or it may be undertaken on behalf of a non-profit agency, or an employer (with permission of faculty).

The project should be designed to demonstrate what the student(s) have learned over their Application Developer curriculum, including applying their knowledge and ability to plan and manage IT projects successfully. In their project plan, student(s) will define project scope, create workable project plans, and manage their project with quality, budget, and schedule in mind. The course is structured around the key phases of project lifecycle, including initiating a project, developing a project plan, executing and managing a project, and closing out a project. In addition, students will be coping with change management and political issues associated with project management.

This course provides the option of cooperative education/internship training in the BAS in Application Development program. Instructor approval is required. The experience may be paid or unpaid - up to 330 hours and 5-credit maximum.