Gannon University Course Syllabus
Instructor:
Office:
Contact Info:
Class Location:
Website:
Time:
Course Title:
Semester:
Department of Computer & Information Science
Frank Xu, Ph.D.
Z312
XU001@gannon.edu
Z329
http://www.angel.gannon.edu
T, TH; 01:30PM-02:50PM
GCIS_504_0A Requirement Engineering
Spring 2014
GCIS 504/GENG 580 Requirements Engineering
Course Description:
Define and apply techniques for minimizing ambiguity in natural language specifications for functional and nonfunctional requirements; Select and successfully apply techniques for analyzing and validating requirements;
Construct and assess effective object models for requirements; Apply review techniques to ensure the quality of
requirements engineering products; Apply requirements management techniques to trace requirements from
elicitation through analysis and into specifications.
Prerequisite: C/C++/Java or instructor permission.
Textbook:
 Managing Software Requirements: A Use Case Approach, 2nd Edition, by Dean Leffingwell and Don
Widrig, Addison-Wesley, 2003, ISBN 0-321-12477-X
 More About Software Requirements: Thorny Issues and Practical Advice, by Karl E. Wiegers (1 edition),
Microsoft Press, ISBN 0735622671
 Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML: Theory and Practice, by Doug Rosenberg and Matt
Stephens, Apress, 2007, ISBN 1-59059-774-5. (Optional)
Objectives: After taking the class, students should be able to:
 Define and apply techniques for minimizing ambiguity in natural language specifications for functional
and non-functional requirements
 Select and successfully apply techniques for analyzing and validating requirements
 Apply requirements management techniques to trace requirements from elicitation through analysis and
into specifications
 Construct and assess effective object models for requirements
 Apply review techniques to ensure the quality of requirements engineering products
Tentative Schedule:
Topic
Introduction to Software
Engineering
6 Team Skills
Team Skill 1 : Analyzing the
Problem
Team Skill 2: Understanding User
and Stakeholder Needs
Team Skill 3: Defining the System
Chapters
Ch 1: The Requirements Problem
Ch 2: Introduction to Requirements Management
Ch 3: Requirements and the Software Lifecycle
Ch 4:The Software Team
Ch 5: The Five Steps in Problem Analysis
Ch 8: The Challenge of Requirements Elicitation
Ch 9 :The Features of a Product or System
Ch 10: Interviewing: A Requirements Gathering Technique
Ch 11: Requirements Workshops
Ch 12: Brainstorming and Idea Reduction
Ch 13: Storyboarding
Ch 14: A Use Case Primer
Gannon University Course Syllabus
Team Skill 4: Managing scope
Team skill 5: Refining the system
definition
Team skill 6: Build system
Agile Requirements
Introduction to UML
Introduction to Software
Engineering
Department of Computer & Information Science
Ch 15: Organizing Requirements Information
Ch 16: The Vision Document
Ch 17: Product Management (skipped)
Ch 18: Establishing project scope
Ch 19: Managing your customer
Ch 20. Software Requirements: a more rigorous look
Ch 21: Refining the Use Cases
Ch 22: Developing the Supplementary Specification
Ch 23: On Ambiguity and Specificity
Ch 24: Technical Methods for Specifying Requirements
Ch 25. From Use Cases to Implementation
Ch 26. From Use Cases to Test Cases
Ch 27. Tracing Requirements
Ch 28. Managing Change
Ch 29. Assessing Requirements Quality in Iterative Development
Ch30: Agile Requirements Methods
Ch31: Your Prescription for Requirements Management
From use case to classes
UML class diagram
Sequence diagram
Ch 1: The Requirements Problem
Ch 2: Introduction to Requirements Management
Ch 3: Requirements and the Software Lifecycle
Grading Polices:
Item
Projects/Homework
Quiz
Midterm
Final
Total
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CF
Points
100
100
100
100
400
Grade Scale
90%
80%
70%
59% and below
Points
360+
355+
330+
320+
315+
290+
280+
275+
below 275
Topic presentation: You are required to present (with your partner) a peer-reviewed article from a renowned
requirements engineering journal or conference proceedings. Sample topics include, but are not limited to: software
security requirements, requirements modeling, and aspect-oriented requirements. Selection of article is subject to
approval by the instructor. Contents of each presentation should include problem definition/motivation, what are the
challenges, literature surveyed by the authors, specific theory/technique developed in the paper, weakness in the
paper. To get the credit, you should well understand and present the selected article. Be prepared for questions from
the instructor and other attendees.
Gannon University Course Syllabus
Department of Computer & Information Science
Course Policies:
 Homework is due by the beginning of the next class.
 Late homework will be given zero.
 You cannot start a new assignment until the previous assignment has been received by the instructor.
 No make-up quizzes/exams will be allowed without prior arrangements being made.
 Do not ask questions such as "How do you solve Problem X?" Explain what you have done and ask a
specific question in that context.
 Be seated, quiet, and ready to learn when the class time begins. Do not speak when someone else is
speaking.
 Do not eat or drink in class because the sights, smells, and noises can be distracting to others. Be
considerate and respectful of everyone.
 To appeal a grade, send an e-mail to your instructor's e-mail address within two weeks of the grade having
been received. Overdue appeals will not be considered.
 All noise-make devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, CD players, radios, and similar devices are
prohibited in the classroom and laboratory facilities.
 Calculators and computers are prohibited during examinations and quizzes, unless specified.
 Reasonable laptop-size computers may be used in lecture for the purpose of taking notes.
Academic Integrity:
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All work should be the result of each individual’s effort, unless a team effort is
authorized by the instructor.
According to the Gannon University Undergraduate Catalog: 2010-2011, page 48: “Absolute integrity is
expected of every Gannon student in all academic undertakings; the student must in no way
misrepresent his/her work, fraudulently or unfairly advance his/her academic status, or be a party to
another student’s failure to maintain integrity.”
Please review pages 48-51 in the same catalog for additional details of the Gannon policy.
Cheating on any assignment or exam will result in, at minimum, a zero grade on the document for the first
occurrence. In most cases of a first occurrence the total points for the document will be subtracted from your
semester score (e.g. cheating on a 60 point programming assignment will result in 60 points being subtracted
from your total point accumulation). I reserve the right to assign a failing grade for the course for a first
occurrence depending on the severity of the action and previous circumstances. If there is a second
occurrence, at minimum a failing grade for the course will be given. Depending on the severity of and
circumstances surrounding the cheating, further action may be pursued.
In all cases, I will also apply the Computer and Information Science Department Procedures for Academic
Integrity.
This policy applies to both the individual(s) receiving the information and to the individual(s) supplying the
information.
If in doubt as to how I will view the assistance you may wish to give to a classmate, the best approach is to ask
me before you provide the assistance.