Object Oriented Analysis and Design

Students learn the basics of object oriented programming. We explore the use of encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, abstract classes, properties, methods, and static methods. We also examine simpler techniques such as implied attributes, associations, and the differences between aggregation and composition.The course briefly examines the Rational Unified Process as a complement to the analysis and design topics. We discuss user requirements gathering and how to convert those requirements into Use Cases, which subsequently drive the development of high quality architectures. This leads naturally to the study of problem analysis and how to design quality architectures from user requirements. We differentiate good and bad architectures and apply this knowledge to real-world design examples. Common design patterns are also discussed as part of standard quality architecting techniques.This course involves many hands on labs, providing students with many opportunities to apply the techniques learned to a variety of real-world problems. A major final assignment allows students to explore the entire analysis and design process in a controlled environment with a difficult real-world problem.