A Project Based Course In Small Computer Software For Computer Engineers

Students in Computer Engineering at the University of Evansville are introduced to computer programming in their first two years of study by taking an introductory course in programming using C++ and a course in data structures. The use of Visual Studio.NET provides an opportunity for students to practice and extend their skills in areas not typically covered in the introductory course. In addition to simple Windows applications, students complete projects involving the use of Windows Web applications, multi-threading, and simple device drivers. The Visual Studio.NET environment, with its ASP.NET Web Application, ASP.NET Web Service, Smart Device Application, and ASP.NET Mobile Web project templates, makes it easy for students to devise programs covering a number of different types of application. The use of a Pocket PC designed for Windows Mobile for one or more of the projects illustrates the variety of applications that can be developed. Students in the course complete six projects, normally working in teams of three or four. Projects are assigned by giving the requirements that the finished application must meet. All teams work on their own version of the specified project. Each team gives both written and oral reports at the midpoint of the project and at the project's completion. The reports provide practice of oral and written communication skills. It often happens that teams become more competitive after the mid-project report, each wanting to develop a finished product better than what the other teams seem to be developing. Team members submit a peer rating form for themselves and other members of their team as part of the final project report. Individual grades are assigned by weighting the team's grade for the project using the peer rating form results. The course is entirely based on the projects; no written examinations are given.