If you have any questions regarding instructions, please ask them at least one week prior to the assignment deadline. Don't end up with a bad grade due to the fact that you didn't understand the instructions.
Every semester there are one or two students who are surprised and saddened to learn that I really do mean that you must follow the instructions and meet the specifications exactly or you won't get credit for the program. Don't be one of those students.
See the online syllabus for version requirements for both the Java JDK and Ericson's media library.
Also see the online information for ITSE 2321 at http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/ for more information on installing and using Ericson's media library.
Each assignment page contains a link that allows you to download a copy of my version of the assignment program. As explained above, you should always download and run my version of the program and compare it with your version of the program before submitting your version of the program for credit.
At the risk of being redundant, I am going to restate that the behavior of your version of the program must match the visual and operational aspects of my version of the program in every significant way such as: shape, size, color, shading, labels, etc. In other words, your version of the program must look, feel, and behave in a manner that is identical to my version of the program. Failure to do so will result in no credit being given for the assignment.
The assignments for this course are take-home assignments. You may use any reference material that you have available. However, you are instructed not to obtain assistance from anyone in order to complete the assignments.
Source files and class files in a separate folder
You must submit Java source files and class files for every assignment. (It is possible that you may also be required to submit HTML files and/or image files for some assignments.)
Store your completed files for each assignment in a single directory on your hard drive (see discussion of submittal methods below).
You must store the files for each program in a folder (directory) that contains nothing but the deliverable files for that assignment. (See the discussion of extraneous material later in this document.)
You must use Sun's Software Development Kit (JDK)
You must write your programs using the standard Java development software (JDK) that is available from Sun. Do not use other compilers such as Microsoft J++, Symantec Visual Cafe, IBM Visual Age for Java, etc., for your final submittal.
Testing your programs
Test your class files for each program (from the command-line prompt) to confirm that the program conforms to the program specifications before submitting it.
If your programs don't conform to the program specifications, don't bother submitting them.
NO PARTIAL CREDIT
There is no partial credit. If you fail to follow the instructions or you submit programs that fail to meet the specifications, you will get no credit for the assignment.
Instructor testing procedure
Your instructor will test your program in the following sequence. A failure at any step in the sequence will immediately result in zero credit for the program with no further testing. (To reiterate, there is no partial credit.)
Make a backup copy
You should make a backup copy of your source code and class files in a separate directory. The backup directory should be an exact copy of the directory that you submit for credit.
Do not make any changes to the backup after you submit your completed assignment. Keep the backup until you receive your grade and any questions regarding that grade have been resolved. If any changes are made to the backup after the assignment is submitted, it will not be valid for resolving any questions which may arise regarding your grade.
Again, no partial credit
Again, at the risk of being redundant, each program will be graded either right or wrong. Partial credit will not be given for source code and class files that fail to fully conform to all of the instructions and the program specifications.
Source code or class files may be provided
Some of the programs may require you to use (without modification) a controlling class and/or other code that I have provided and to duplicate the screen output shown while meeting all other written specifications. In such cases, any modification of the code that I have provided (other than insertion of your name where indicated) will be grounds for disqualification.
You should be able to cut and paste the source code from the electronic copy of the assignment document into your Java editor. It is strongly recommended that you cut and paste instead of retyping source code in order to avoid errors in copying the code.
Matching the required output
You must match the specified screen output in every significant way for every program. Extraneous characters on the screen, extra blank lines, missing blank lines, etc., incorrect colors, incorrect look and feel, etc., are grounds for disqualification. In other words, your output should be an exact image of the specified output and must match the output produced by my version of the program.
You cannot use my class files
In most cases, I will provide you with the set of class files that were produced by my solution to a problem so that you can run my version to observe the output. In no case are you to use any of the class files that I provide in your solution. (The class files that I provide will be identified by the date and time that I compiled them.)
In order to get credit for a program, you must provide source code and compiled class files of your own design for all classes required by the program other than those contained in the standard Java class libraries and other class libraries that I may specify.
Indentation and comments
For my convenience, your source code should use an indentation scheme and comments that make it easy for me to read and understand your code. However, this is not a requirement and your grade will not be impacted by the inclusion of indentation and comments or the lack thereof.
Be careful of printing errors
Sometimes when printing HTML files from browsers, characters will be duplicated or omitted. This can sometimes lead to confusion. If you are working from a printed copy, be sure to check it against the electronic copy.
Extraneous Material
Please do not submit extra files such as readme.txt files and expect me to pay attention to them. I am not interested in them, and I won't pay attention to them.
Please do not put comments/messages in your source code and expect me to pay attention to them. I won't normally pay attention to your comments unless I have some reason to be concerned about your source code. Even then, I will only be interested in explanatory comments. I won't be interested in messages provided in the form of comments.
Don't expect me to pay attention to text that you may choose to enter into the Comments field when you submit your assignment file. I am not interested in them, and I won't pay attention to them.
Please do not submit printed listings of your programs. I am not interested in them, and will simply put them in the trash if I receive them.
All I expect to receive from you when you submit your assignment is the required electronic material (source files, class files, HTML files, image files, etc.). There is no reason that you will need to communicate any information about your assignment to me when you submit it. Any need to discuss the requirements of the assignment must be satisfied prior to your submittal of the assignment.
A zip file
Encapsulate an electronic copy of your source files, class files, HTML files, image files, sound files, etc., in a zip file.
Do not retain folder information in the zip file
Include all of the files required for an assignment in a single zip file. When you create the zip file, do not retain folder or directory information. In other words, it should be possible for me to extract your files into any folder on my computer without creating a tree structure in the extraction process.
(As a result, you must make certain that you do not submit two or more files with the same name in the same zip file. If you do, one of them will be destroyed when I extract the files from the zip file.)
DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENT TO THE BLACKBOARD DIGITAL DROPBOX. DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENT VIA EMAIL. SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENT USING THE BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT FEATURE.
If I am unable to successfully unzip the file that you submitted, or it contains the wrong material, you will get zero credit for the assignment.
The assignments require you to write programs and to submit the resulting source files, class files, any required image files, and any required sound files. The completed programs must satisfy the requirements described earlier in this document and the individual specifications that apply to each program.Do not submit javadoc documentation for your programs. It causes the zip file to be very large and I don't need it.
Meeting the submittal deadline
The zip file must be submitted by the deadline.
Before you ask, let me tell you that business travel, lost in the email, problems at work, extreme work pressures, divorce, depression, receipt of a "Dear John letter", automobile repairs, flat tires, computer problems, power failures, total eclipses, extremely high outside temperatures, high pollen count, broken lawnmowers, the Super Bowl Schedule, and other assorted and interesting excuses are not valid excuses for failing to meet the submittal deadline. About the only excuse that I might be willing to accept would be something on the order of extended hospitalization or extended serious illness on the part of you or an immediate member of your family. If your excuse is not on that order of magnitude, I really don't want to hear it.
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File: AsgGenInstr.htm