BA272: BUSINESS APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT -- Fall 2008

Still under construction for 2008, but the textbook and basics are all there!

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12-1:10, Bexell Hall Room 324

CONTENTS Course Description Course Materials Blackboard Tentative Course Schedule Learning Outcomes Student Evaluation Term Project Details Course Policies

INSTRUCTOR Byron Marshall, Ph.D. Bexell Hall 426 (541) 737-6054 byron.marshall@bus.oregonstate.edu Byron's web site

OFFICE HOURS Monday 2:00 - 3:00 Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00 Wed 10:00 - 11:00 And gladly by appointment I would enjoy talking to you!

COURSE DESCRIPTION -- BA272 is a four unit course.

The Catalog Description: Introduction to business programming with VB.NET. Overview of programming processes, .NET programming environment, object-oriented and event-oriented models and console/Web integration of applications.

Informally: Although only some MIS students are seeking jobs as software developers, most professionals in today's world will be involved in some phase of system development for their organizations. Understanding how computer programs are written can provide keen insights into how systems work and what it takes to change them. Students in this course are expected to gain basic computer programming skills and develop a basic understanding of some key programming concepts. Students will:

• write simple windows applications programs using Visual Basic .Net;
• learn basic programming skills such as debugging, coding to standards, and including documentation;
• explain key programming concepts such as variables, iteration, branching, array, and event handling;
• and individually develop a business-related program with a variety of components or functions including form controls (e.g., text boxes, labels, and buttons), text file reading and writing, type conversion, and simple mathematical computations.

COURSE MATERIALS An Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic® 2008, Seventh Edition, David I. Schneider, University of Maryland Publisher: Prentice Hall ISBN-10: 0136060722 or ISBN-13: 9780136060727 Some helpful student resources are available Some course material will be available in Blackboard.

Visual Studio is available through MSDNAA so students can work at home thanks to Microsoft, the College of Business, and other donors. You can arrange to download ISO images of the Visual Studio DVDs and obtain a license key. Read the license: academic use only. However, it is a huge download so you may want to bring in some blanks and burn the images to DVD in the lab. Here's how to burn an image in the lab. This is not for the faint of heart: it's very big and takes quite a while to download, burn, and install. The installation includes a wide variety of components which may impact other software on your PC. Windows only, of course. If you have an older PC, it probably cannot handle the load of this large complex application. While the COB computing services folks will help you obtain an MSDNAA account and make sure you can download the files, they cannot provide you tech support for installation or operation. For many students, working on assignments in the lab is a great option. But still, savvy student's have successfully installed it at home in the past. Return to Contents

Tentative Course Schedule -- Fall 2008

Please read Reading assigned material and Do exercises in preparation for class – not graded but fair game for quizzes.     Turn in Assignments as listed – bring a printout of the code to class with no name on it. Term project drafts will be discussed and peer reviewed in class.  Stuck? Get help early. I want to help!
Week	Monday	Wednesday	Friday
1 Sep. 29 Chapters 1 & 2	Welcome: Chapter 1: Intro to computers and windows, folders, and files Read pages 1-7	Chapter 2: Intro to VB, controls (properties), and events – make a class participation program Read pages 20-54	Chapter 2 walkthroughs: textboxes, buttons, labels, listboxes, help, autohide and tabbing order Do  Ex 2.3 1-10 make simple programs to try the exercises out. Look over 17-32 you should be able to easily do any of them.
2 Oct. 6 Chapter 3	Assignment 1 due at 6:30 am, copy it into your class folder. Variables, Scope, Data types, naming conventions, options strict and explicit	Chapter 3: Numbers, Zone Formatting, input and message boxes. Read 3.1 (p 62-71) and begin 3.3 (p 95-98) Do Ex 3.1 11-30,38-44	Chapter 3: Strings Read 3.2 & 3.3 (p 72-107)
3 Oct. 13 Begin your term project	Assignment 2 due by 6:30 am Chapter 3: File handling	Do Ex 3.3 68,77,79 (p 113-114) Practice file handling and strings, catching exceptions	Chapter 4: ANSI characters, relational and logical operators, and If blocks Read Sections 4.1 and 4.2
4 Oct. 20 Chapter 4	Assignment 3 due by 6:30 am Chapter 4: Select Case Blocks Read Section 4.3	Review for the midterm	Midterm Chapters 1-4
5 Oct. 27 Chapter 5	Chapter 5: Procedures Read Section 5.1 Sub Procedures	Read Section 5.2 ByVal and ByRef	Read Section 5.3 Functions and constants
6 Nov. 3 Chapter 6	Multiple Forms Read p 481-484  Assignment 5 due by 6:30 am	Chapter 6: Repetition Read Do
7 Nov. 10 Chapter 7	Chapter 6: Arrays	More on Arrays: The Split Command
8 Nov. 17 Work on term project	Assignment 6 due by 6:30 am	Bring a draft introduction for a term project to class including a first draft of a testing plan
9 Nov. 24	Creating your own classes Read p545-576	Final Projects Due	Thanksgiving Holiday
10 Dec. 1	Term Project Presentations	Reading XML Files	Final Review and Wrap up
Dec 8-12 Finals Week	Tuesday, December 9^th at 2:00 pm Bexell 324 (our regular classroom) University Final Schedule
* Some programming exercises are not "assigned" because they seem redundant but you should look at all "Write a program to" exercises; make sure you know how to do them. If the assigned ones were hard, maybe you should do a couple more. If the assigned one looks boring, sometimes there is a more interesting (harder) one you can do instead.

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STUDENT EVALUATION

Student evaluation will consist of two related areas--the understanding of basic concepts and the ability to apply tools and techniques. Students will demonstrate their understanding of concepts by participating in classroom discussions and completing written assignments, quizzes, and examinations. Students will demonstrate their ability to apply tools through completing assignments and projects.

Grade Component	Weighting
"Daily" Quizzes	10 %
Assignments	15 %
Midterm #1	25 %
Final	25 %
Individual Term Project	25 %

Final grade percentages

Grade	Minimum Score
A	93%
A-	90%

Grade	Minimum Score
B+	87%
B	83%
B-	80%

Grade	Minimum Score
C+	65%
C	55%

Grade	Minimum Score
F	<55%

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"Daily" Quizzes

Successful mastery of programming concepts and skills requires repetition and application. You have to do the reading and walkthroughs before class if you are to grasp the material. The concepts build on each other and falling behind will significantly hinder additional learning.

Short quizzes will be given most days so I can see how well you understand the material and give you feedback on your progress.

Quizzes cannot be taken in advance or made up. I will drop one or two quizzes (depending on how many are given) to allow for off days or unavoidable absences.

Want to drop an extra quiz? I may ask for (in advance) volunteers to show off their programs (maybe assigned programs, maybe term project code.) I would appreciate it if you would be willing to show your work in class. We will talk about the code, why it's good, and how to make it better. You learn the most when you explain and teach what you know.

Assignments

To prepare you to understand what goes into a programming project, there is no substitute for writing and reading code.

· Programming assignment due dates are firm except that each student can request two “Extensions” till 7:00am on the next day the class meets.

· Turn in your assignments by placing them in the appropriate folder. Bring two printouts of your code for each assignment to the next class meeting – don’t put your name on them. We will trade one copy with others in the class and review. Your grade will come from my review of your project as submitted in your assigned directory. If you don’t submit the proper code in the proper place so that it will work for me to open it, you will not get credit for your work. Learning to get the stuff in the right place is part of the course. See Create your assignment directories for more instructions.

· Always consider the Class Coding Standards they will affect your grade.

· Try to keep these simple. Don’t spend too much time on extra details. Grading rubrics are provided, no extra points for making it fancier. Be creative as you work on your term project, assignments are focused on specific issues.

Term Project

In the term project students demonstrate their understanding of key programming concepts. The project requires design and development of a small program which includes a number of required program elements. The project documentation first introduces the purpose of the project and then describes the various component types saying what they do in general and giving an example of how they are used in the project. Coding standards will be used to create variable names and appropriate inline documentation will be inserted into the project. The project report concludes with a test plan. This plan tells the instructor how to walk through the program’s functionality. Projects receiving top marks will demonstrate mastery of the program concepts presented in the class as demonstrated in the quality of the program code, the effectiveness of the testing plan, and in the quality of the final write-up. Exceptional submissions are expected to receive 93% or higher, strong submissions will receive 88% to 92%, Good submissions should receive 80% to 87%, and acceptable submissions will receive a C.

Term Project Grading Criteria

Weighting	Factor
50%	Component implementation: 10% deduction for each missing component, full marks requires a sensible implementation of each component to accomplish a reasonable task.
15%	Accurately describes component functions and usage: exceptional descriptions 15%, high quality descriptions 13%, acceptable descriptions 11%.
15%	Test plan is accurate and covers a reasonable portion of the program’s functionality.
10%	Writing: Introduction, descriptions and test plan are concise, grammatically sound, and have reasonable topic sentences. Does the introduction communicate details, explain the value of the program, and describe useful functions?
10%	Program documentation and adherence to course coding standards: program elements use PascalCasing and camelCasing for names as appropriate; variable, procedures, and object names are sensible and descriptive; and comments tell what each section does. Exceptional: 10%, Strong 9%, Good 8%.

Term Project Technical Requirements
Create a business-related VB.Net Windows application which includes the following components:
1. A button	10. Branching (e.g., Case or If)
2. A label	11. An event procedure
3. A list box	12. A sub procedure
4. A textbox	13. A function procedure
5. An array	14. A ByRef call and a ByVal call
6. An input file	15. A try, catch block
7. An output file	16. A type conversion (e.g., CDbl, CStr)
8. A mathematical computation	17. An input box, message box, or file open box
9. Iteration (e.g., Do while, do loop until, for next)
Also include at least 3 of the following:
1. Rounding
2. A two dimensional array
3. Some other visual control (e.g., A data grid, radio buttons, check boxes, etc.)
4. A second kind of iteration (e.g., Do while, do loop until, for next)
5. A second kind of branching (e.g., Case or if)
6. Formatting (e.g., FormatNumber, Zone Formatting)
7. String Manipulation (e.g., indexOf, left, right, substring, masked textboxes)
8. A structure or class

Term Project Introduction

Write a concise (one paragraph to one-page) description of the purpose of the project. Example:

The IT Project NPV Calculator supports estimation of the Net Present Value of an IT project. A user can enter a series of costs and benefits spread out over several years. The program is able to load up old projects and save project details in a text file. Users can add new rows for benefits and costs as well as new columns for additional years. The user-provided discount rate is used to compute estimated net present value (NPV) and return on investment (ROI). These figures are important when trying to choose, plan, and justify IT projects that will positively impact an organization. NPV calculations use the present value formula PV = FlowT / ( (1 + r)T) where r is the designated discount rate, T is the year this flow takes place, and FlowT is the amount of the Flow in year T. ROI is calculated by dividing the NPV of the project by the NPV of the costs. To support future uses of the project components, the "model" is stored in a separate class from the interface. This class performs the business logic e.g., computing NPV or creating and interpreting text files. Code to manage the interface is kept in the form. Although it is reasonably functional, the program was written primarily to demonstrate a variety of programming techniques.

Please note that this paragraph emphasizes the value of the project, includes details, begins with a summary, and has been carefully edited for grammatical errors. It focuses on the purpose and function of the program rather than on its technical components. Your introduction should have these same characteristics.

Term Project Component Descriptions

For 10 of the types of components or capabilities write two short paragraphs. Use your own words. The first describes what this type of component is or does in general. Example:

Button controls are displayed on a form and allow a user to initiate an action in a program. Button clicks are captured by an event handling sub procedure. Actually, a single event handling procedure can be associated with a number of events. Buttons can be adorned with a variety of characteristics such as text (display on the button), size, position, and color. They can be added to a form dynamically, although we only add text boxes and labels dynamically in this program.

This paragraph provides several important characteristics, capabilities, or uses. There are other of details that could have been chosen (colors, enabling, mouseovers, text alignment, hidden...) So there is no one right answer. The second paragraph describes how the component was used in this particular project. Example:

One button in the IT Project NPV Calculator allows you to add an additional year to the model. The add year button click event is associated with the procedure: btnAddAYear_Click. btnAddAYear_Click resizes arrays in both the form and the ITProject class to expand the model, creates new text boxes and positions them on the form, manages the size of the form to ensure that the new boxes fit, and resets the tabbing order of controls on the form to enhance the user experience. Other buttons allow you to add cost or add benefits to the model and load or save a project file.

Different components will call for different descriptions. Make sure the description refers to one or more places where the component is used and connects the component to the overall functionality of the project. Also, try to pick an interesting example of the component. Don’t choose a boring button to save space; choose an interesting one to show off your hard work.

Term Project Test Plan

Create a test plan for your project. It should be specific enough to allow the instructor to walk through the functionality of the program. It should also demonstrate that you have thought through how the program might fail. By listing the main risks associated with program functionality.

Here is a simple test plan for the IT Project NPV Calculator. I would provide a copy of the input file with the test plan. Yours will likely be a bit longer. For example, I did not describe how the colors of the calculated fields should change given different conditions.

• Function 1 - Load an existing project: Click the Load Model button and enter the file spec for the provided test file(MyFirstProjectEval.txt). The form should expand to show:
• 2 benefits and 3 costs over 5 years (Y0 - Y4) with an overall NPV of $21.75 and an ROI of 27%.
• Y1 Net Flow is -19.09, Y2 NPV is -16.53, Y3 Total Costs are 20 with a PV of 15.03.
• Break even is between Y3 and Y4. Note Cummulative NPV in Y3 is red and Y4 Cummulative NPV is black.
• Function 2 - Add a year, test the input error function
• Add a new year to the analysis by pressing the add year button.
• Try an invalid value by putting in "Yuck" in Year 5 for some cost. Note how the appropriate calculation boxes now show "??". Do a similar test for benefits.
• Assume all the same flows as in Year 4 of the on-screen project. Type them into the Year 5 boxes. The new NPV should be 46.59 and the ROI is now 50%.
• Function 3 - Save the model. Click the save button and enter a file spec. Click ok. Close the program, reload it and open the new file. Check to see if the values are still correct.

This test plan should cover the major risks:

• Incorrect calculations: because the loaded test project includes data in multiple years and in multiple cost/benefit rows. If the NPV and ROI are correct, the rest of the calculations are likely to also be correct. The values listed above were manually calculated and compared to the system results.
• The computation box colors seem to behave correctly.
• The data is saved to a file and when it is reloaded is gives all the same answers. This should verify both the save and load functions. Please also note that the size of the screen was significantly (and correctly) changed during the load operation.
• Erroneous input is caught by the program and highlighted by the ?? values resulting from "Yuch".

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Class Development Standards

Development guidelines (formal or informal) are used in nearly all software development organizations. While there is no single "best" set of practices, guidelines help make systems more reliable and maintainable. These guidlines are loosely adapted from the text and the development guidelines used by BSG (Business Solutions Group - a software development organization located here in the college.) There may be times to "break the rules." If so, be prepared to justify why the variation improves the situation.

When coding for BA272 please employ the following development guidelines:

• Uncheck the "Create directory for solution check box" before saving projects in Visual Studio to avoid making an extra, unneeded directory so our subdirectory paths are consistent.
• Declare variables at the beginning of a procedure to enhance readability.
• Turn on both "Option Strict" and "Option Explicit" to avoid accidently using the wrong variable (explicit), and data loss when implicitly converting between types (strict). This does make you (and me) do extra work on the confusing topic of type conversions but you will learn a lot and the practice can catch many difficult to spot bugs.
• Use camelCasing for variable names (except for Public Variables... you shouldn't have many of these), use PascalCasing for the names of procedures. One exception: event procedures will often start with the name of a named object like a button, if so, go ahead and use a camelCase name for the procedure, e.g., btnRun_Click. This extends the instructions on p76 in the text.
• As in the text, begin variable names with an appropriate typology to avoid program errors and enhance readability. Here are a few examples:
• txtPrice for a textbox which accepts a price
• lstResults for listbox that displays the output of a computation
• btnLoadFile for a Button that loads data from a text file
• strCompanyName for String containing a company name
• atxtCosts for an Array of textboxes that record costs
• Use meaningful, accurate names that describe what the variable holds or the procedure does.
• Include comments in the text. In general, comments should explain what a section of code is supposed to accomplish so a future reader can debug errors or add functionality.

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Create your assignment directories

Your Term Project and Assignments are to be stored in special class storage area. I also suggest that you do (or at least copy) your ongoing work there so that you can show your work to me when you have questions. HOWEVER: BE CAREFUL, THIS STORAGE AREA WILL GO AWAY AFTER THE TERM. BE SURE AND COPY YOUR CODE OUT AT THE END OF THE TERM. YOU MAY WELL WANT TO ACCESS THIS CODE AS YOU GO ON IN THE MIS PROGRAM.

Please take a few moments and set up the following folder structure in your ...\classwork\ folder:
...\classwork\BA272\termproject\
...\classwork\BA272\myWork\

It is your responsibility to store materials in your ...\classwork\BA272\termproject folder in accordance with these rules. If it is not there, you will not receive credit for your work.
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Business Documents

A few things to keep in mind:

• A business document as a whole, and each part separately, should be structured to help the reader gain the most in the least amount of time.
• Headings and paragraph topic sentences should accurately guide the reader.
• Tables and figures
• should be presented in the body of the text not in an appendix,
• should be referenced in the text, and
• should have a descriptive caption as well as a name. Many readers only look at the pictures and captions. Make sure they get the main ideas.
• Include a title page. Every business project write up should tell who created it and who the work was done for.
• HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PROOFREAD IT!
• Poor organization, typos, bad grammar, and unclear writing characterize unprofessional work. Unprofessional work cannot receive better than a C.
• FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. Business organizations like innovation but they do not tolerate work that does not cooperate with organizational protocol.

Format requirements:

• Use headings and separate your text in logical blocks and segments.
• Number pages -- Title page has no number; First page with content has page number 1.
• Integrate figures and tables into the text; do not add them as an appendix in the back of the report.
• Caption figures and tables -- use Microsoft Word support for this.
• Spell check -- both automatically and manually!.
• Grammar check!
• Peer review!!

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COURSE POLICIES

University wide Student Conduct Polices

Academic Honesty Policy:

Individuals are encouraged to discuss the projects and assignments outside of class and share ideas.  However, unless specified as a team assignment, each person must individually complete and submit his/her own work.  Students are expected to uphold the OSU standard of conduct for students relating to academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic work Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be that student's own work for individual assignments, and the group's own work for group assignments/projects. Students are guilty of academic dishonesty if they:

• Use or obtain unauthorized materials or assistance in any academic work; i.e., cheating. </li
• Falsify or invent any information regarded as cheating by the instructor; i.e., fabrication. </li
• Give unauthorized assistance to other students; i.e., assisting in dishonesty. </li
• Represent the work of others as their own; i.e., plagiarism. </li
• Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record or report for the purpose of obtaining additional credit; i.e., tampering.

The penalty for academic dishonesty is severe. Any student guilty of academic dishonesty may be subject to receive a failing grade for the exam, assignment, quiz, or class participation exercise as deemed appropriate by the instructor. In addition, the penalty could also imply that the student receive a failing grade for the course and be reported to the University officials at the College of Business, and the officials at the Office of Student Affairs.

Behavior in Class:

• Behavior in class should be professional at all times. The atmosphere within the classroom should be the same as you might expect in a casual business meeting.  People must treat each other with dignity and respect in order for scholarship to thrive.  Behaviors that are disruptive to learning will not be tolerated and may be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

Accommodations:

• Students who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know of, who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, or students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations should make an appointment with the instructor as early as possible, no later than the first week of the term. If additional assistance is required the student should contact the Office of Disability Services.
  This statement is gladly included in cooperation with University policy: "Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at 737-4098."

Discrimination or Harassment:

• Discrimination or harassment will not be tolerated in the classroom. Most cases of discrimination or harassment violate Federal and State laws and University Policies and Regulations. Intentional discrimination or harassment will be referred to the Affirmative Action Office and dealt with in accordance with the appropriate rules and regulations.
• Unintentional discrimination or harassment is just as damaging to the offended party, but it usually results from people not understanding the impact of their remarks or actions on others, or an insensitivity to the feelings of others. We must all strive to work together to create a positive learning environment. This means that each individual should be sensitive to the feelings of others and tolerant of the remarks and actions of others. If you find the remarks and actions of another individual offensive, please bring it to their attention. If you believe those remarks and actions constitute intentional discrimination or harassment, please bring it to your instructor's attention.

Arbitration:

• There will be a one-week arbitration period after graded items (projects, assignments, etc.) are returned.   Within that one-week period, you are encouraged to discuss any assumptions and/or misinterpretations that you made about the activity that may have influenced your grade.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, a successful student will be able to:

• Use Visual Studio to create a simple VB .Net program and step through a program using the debugger.
• Demonstrate an understanding of good coding practices such as complying with organizational coding standards, in line documentation, and modularity.
• Recognize and implement event-driven programs.
• Describe the function of many VB program components including: visual controls (buttons, labels, and listboxes), subroutines, and functions.
• Implement, describe, and explain the function of more general programming constructs including: arrays, sequential files, iteration, branching, ByVal vs. ByRef parameter passing, type conversion, and basic error handling (try...catch).
• Explain how the various components and constructs can be applied in at least one business-related application.
• Create a systematic test plan for an application, identifying key risks.

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This course will address the following College of Business Learning Outcomes

• Related College of Business Specific Learning Outcomes
• Each student shall demonstrate information technology skills as they apply to today’s business environment.
• Each student shall be able to converse and to write at an acceptable level for business communications in English.

This page is maintained by Byron Marshall   Send E-mail to byron.marshall@bus.oregonstate.edu.