Ghassan Alkadi

Application of metrics to object-oriented designs

The benefits of object-oriented software development are now widely recognized. However, methodologies that are used for the object-oriented software development process are still in their infancy. There is a lack of methods available to assess the quality of the various components that are derived during the development process. In this paper, we describe a method to assess the quality of object-oriented designs. We utilize a basic set of object-oriented metrics that is proposed by Shyam Chidamber et al. (1991 and 19994). We perform experimental tests on a set of object-oriented designs using the NOC metric. Also, we refer to our ongoing work to provide automated assistance to help restructure the design based on the metric findings.

The sometimes harsh reality of real world computer science projects

Real world projects for senior level software engineering courses offer many advantages for students and others involved. Because of the nature of the projects and the people involved, however, many problems can arise during the design and implementation of such projects. This paper discusses in depth the issues that computer science students sometimes face when they take on one of these real world projects.

Application of a Revised DIT Metric to Redesign an OO Design

In this paper, we continue a series of papers that discuss specific design metrics [Alkadi 1999] [Alkadi 2000] [Alkadi 2001] [Alkadi 1998]. The design metric discussed in this paper is the Depth of Inheritance [DIT] metric. Design evaluation is a recurring step that should be performed and checked multiple times before committing to the final design implementation. Metrics are utilized to evaluate inheritance and reuse in order to take into account the greater number of abstraction levels inherent in object-oriented systems. Furthermore, they facilitate the designers to address cost estimation and product quality across all life-cycle stages of developing the final product.

Rough querying: a real-world information systems project

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a rough relational database system by students in a junior level information systems course. Team work skills as well as software engineering life cycle models are emphasized throughout the course. Students learn vital software engineering skills while developing a real world system that incorporates rough set uncertainty management in the querying of data.

To C/sup ++/ or to Java, that is the question! Featuring a test plan and an automated testing assistant for object oriented testing

The decision to teach C/sup ++/ or Java or even both as the introductory language for computer science majors has always been, and continues to be an ongoing predicament. The paper submits analyses based on a survey conducted to provide evidence on which language is better as the primary language taught as an introductory language for computer science majors as well as presenting a test plan with an automated testing assistant that is based on the test plan. The purpose of the automated testing assistant is to help students test their programs in the language chosen by the survey. Testing is a crucial phase of object oriented (OO) software development. It is very necessary to plan and implement the testing of an OO system in a very effective manner. Efficiency includes (1) uncover errors by using an automated testing assistant, (2) prevent errors from recurring by having a history file which keeps track of all discovered errors from previous runs, and (3) reduce unnecessary testing by having a fruitful test plan. Testing an OO software needs to be rigorous yet carried out easily and effectively. The availability of an automated testing assistant will enforce rigorous yet easy to conduct testing.

Are software engineering textbooks a thing of the past

Computer science is a rapidly changing field with new tools and products introduced almost daily. The software developer, whether beginning student or seasoned professional, must not only have a good background on the fundamentals, but must also be able to keep up with the latest trends and techniques through research, education, and practice. This paper addresses this issue in terms of student learning, and discusses the issue of currency as it relates to student learning materials such as textbooks.