Program Overview

Course Specification

The current and official versions of the course specifications are available.

CSC2408 Software Development Tools

Staffing

Course Coordinator: Stijn Dekeyser

Requisites

• Pre-requisite: CSC1401

Overview

Computing students as well as professional IT practitioners are required to use a wide range of software tools to support their daily work. They are also required to work with a range of modern platforms, technologies, and techniques that are accessed in the cloud. This course introduces students to a set of powerful tools and techniques early in their study program to build a foundation for advanced level courses in all areas of computing.

In this course, students will be introduced to a wide range of foundational as well as modern software tools and techniques. Students are provided with a customized environment in which these tools and techniques can be learned effectively. The emphasis will be upon tools available under the Linux family of operating systems, though skills gained are transferrable to other environments as well.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Choose, implement, and effectively use the appropriate tools to support a wide range of IT tasks such as software development, system and network administration, and cloud-based operations.
2. Use Configuration Management tools to effectively document and support IT operations, configurations, and architectures.
3. Design, construct, and execute basic shell scripts to automate tasks and transform information from various data formats to document formats.
4. Implement software mechanisms such as file access permissions to enhance privacy and security, while appraising information use risks, common roles in data and system management, and the ACS Code of Professional Conduct.
5. Implement and use basic version control software and workflows to support team-based collaboration and build a portfolio of IT project achievements.

Topics

1. | Linux foundations and tools | 35.00
2. | Basics of Shell Scripting | 30.00
3. | Configuration Management - version control and build tools | 20.00
4. | Mark-up languages and data file formats | 10.00
5. | Data Privacy Ethics and Team-based collaboration Techniques | 5.00

Text and Materials Required

• The free e-book "Pro Git" (Scott Chacon and Ben Straub)
• Workshop materials (slides and exercises) as provided on the course StudyDesk
• Access to the Course Virtual Machine; requires internet access and PC Administrator permissions
• Alternatively, with the approval of the Examiner, a Debian Linux distribution may be downloaded and installed as a local virtual machine

Student Workload Expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment Details

Approach | Type | Description | Group
Assessment | Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes
---|---|---|---|---|---
Assignments | Written | Problem Solving 1 | No | 20 | 1,3,5
Assignments | Written | Problem Solving 2 | No | 40 | 2,3,4,5
Examinations | Non-invigilated | Time limited online examination | No | 40 | 1,2,3,4,5

Course Details

• Semester: 2, 2023
• Location: Springfield On-campus
• Units: 1
• School or Department: School of Mathematics, Physics & Computing
• Grading basis: Graded
• Course fee schedule: Not specified