010 Tuesday and Thursday 9:15 am - 10:30 am Arts & Sciences (CAS) 134
Dr. Michael L. Collard
mlcollard.net
collard@uakron.edu
Arts & Sciences (CAS) 228
Arts & Sciences (CAS) 221
(330) 972-7191
Available on the instructor’s homepage. Other times are by appointment.
The course focuses on analyzing software ecosystems. Software ecosystems refer to the communities of software developers and the interconnected software components (e.g., projects, libraries, packages, repositories, plug-ins, and apps) they develop and maintain. They include the software and the interconnected community of people supporting it.
Other collections of this data include World of Code and Software Heritage, in addition to sites such as StackOverflow and GitHub. Recent research leverages these exponentially growing datasets to answer research questions regarding software development, social analysis, network analysis, maintenance, and evolution.
This course is a seminar. Students will thoroughly read the assigned peer-reviewed research papers and present each paper to facilitate discussion about the topic.
The course assumes a solid background in software engineering such as CPSC 680 Software Engineering Methodologies, excellent grades in CPSC 480/580 Software Engineering, or a strong software-engineering background.
3
Textbooks Selected conference and journal papers. Typically, 4 papers will be covered each week.
| Exercises | 10% |
| Projects | 30% |
| Presentation | 25% |
| Participation | 25% |
| Final | 10% |
| 100% |
| A | ≥ 93% |
| A- | ≥ 90% |
| B+ | ≥ 87% |
| B | ≥ 83% |
| B- | ≥ 80% |
| C+ | ≥ 77% |
| C | ≥ 73% |
| C- | ≥ 70% |
| D+ | ≥ 67% |
| D | ≥ 63% |
| D- | ≥ 60% |
| F |
Exercises will be assigned periodically throughout the course. Exercises are worth 10% of the overall score.
Most of the course consists of students presenting research papers. The number of papers presented depends on the number of students in the course, and the number of papers covered. Students who are presenting in a class receive full credit towards class participation in that class meeting. Presentations are worth 25% of the overall score.
The most important part of the course is participation and is worth 25% of the overall score. Participation includes reading and class discussion of the assigned papers.
A semester project is required for all students and is worth 30% of the overall score. The project is a 10-page IEEE proceedings format paper for each student. Project topics must be approved. Possible approaches include empirical studies, in-depth literature surveys, and software prototypes. Projects can be done individually or in groups of 2 - 3 students, but each student must produce a separate paper. Students present their paper at the end of the semester.
The Final Exam is in Arts & Sciences (CAS) 134 on the day/time determined by the University and is worth 10% of the overall score. Consult your schedule in "My Akron" for exact day/time.
Attendance is expected and required.
So that work can be graded and returned promptly, late assignments are not accepted without a valid excuse. It is up to the student to make up any missed material. Make-ups of any work for this class only apply in the case of an excused absence or a documented, valid emergency. I encourage you to contact me if an emergency arises.
All submitted work (exercises, projects, and tests) must be your own. Submission of work that is even partly not yours results in a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
You can find detailed information on The University of Akron's policies on the What Students Need to Know page, including the Student Code of Conduct, academic misconduct rules, ethical use of AI tools like ChatGPT, add/drop/withdrawal and refund policies, inclusive excellence, Title IX, sexual harassment and violence policies, disability accommodations, support programs like ZipAssist, and first-day course materials fee.
Pursuant to University policy #3359-38-01, The University of Akron recognizes its responsibility for creating an institutional atmosphere in which students with disabilities have the opportunity to be successful. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility at 330-972-7928 or access@uakron.edu. The office is located in Simmons Hall Room 105.
After your eligibility for services is determined, their instructors will be provided a letter which will outline the student’s accommodations.
The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion and welcomes individuals from all different faiths, philosophies, religious traditions, and other systems of belief. Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 3345.026 (aka “The Testing Your Faith Act”) you may request a religious accommodation to be excused from class up to three (3) days for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system to participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. You will not be penalized as a result of any of these excused absences.
The request for excusal must be made, in writing, during the first fourteen (14) days of the semester and include the date(s) of each proposed absence or request for alternative accommodation. The request must clearly state that the proposed absence is to participate in religious activities. The request must also provide the particular accommodation(s) you desire. For example, you may request to be excused from class to participate or observe a religious holiday or you may request an alternate examination date. An alternative examination date may be established, which may be before or after the time and date the examination or other academic requirement was originally scheduled.
The following is a link to the Policy: Religious Accommodations.
In this course, students are welcome to use whatever AI tools might help them. However, all writing must be your own. You can use writing tools, such as Grammarly, to improve the writing, but the basic content must be your own.