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Lecture Session Index

Lecture Session Index

This page provides a week-by-week overview of all 15 lecture sessions in CSE120 (Spring 2026). Lectures are held Wednesdays 4:30–7:20pm in COB2 110.

💡 Slide counts reflect the actual deck content. Session 1 is a full course introduction (20 slides); Sessions 2–15 are shorter (3–5 slides each), with most content in announcements and agenda sections.

Session Overview

Session Week Date Topic Area Slides Key Content
1 1 Jan 21 Course Introduction 20 Course overview, policies, grading, project timeline, LLM policy, team formation prep
2 2 Jan 28 Software Development Process 4 Development methodologies, agile vs. waterfall, process models
3 3 Feb 04 Requirements & Specification 3 Requirements engineering, user stories, acceptance criteria
4 4 Feb 11 Unified Modeling Language 4 UML diagrams, use case diagrams, class diagrams, sequence diagrams
5 5 Feb 18 Design Patterns 3 Common design patterns (GoF), when and how to apply them
6 6 Feb 25 Code Process & Version Control 4 Coding standards, Git workflows (GitHub Flow), branching strategies
7 7 Mar 04 Testing 4 Unit testing, integration testing, TDD, CI basics
8 8 Mar 11 Design Reviews / Debugging 4 Team design review presentations; debugging strategies and tools
9 9 Mar 18 Concurrency 4 Threading, synchronization, deadlock, race conditions
— 10 Mar 25 Spring Recess — no lecture —
10 11 Apr 01 Code Tuning & Performance 4 Performance analysis, profiling, optimization techniques
11 12 Apr 08 Security 3 Secure coding principles, OWASP Top 10, input validation
12 13 Apr 15 User Interface 3 UI/UX principles, usability heuristics, accessibility (a11y) basics
13 14 Apr 22 Quality Management 4 Code reviews, QA processes, technical debt, measurement
14 15 Apr 29 Career Readiness Workshop 4 Resume building, interview prep, professional development
15 16 May 06 Course Wrap-up & Final Advice 5 Semester reflection, project finalization, I2G preparation

Session Details

Session 1 — Course Introduction (20 slides)

  • Week 1 | Jan 21
  • The largest session deck of the semester. Covers: teaching staff, course overview, grading breakdown, prerequisites, attendance policy, class project structure, project timeline and phases, LLM and external code policies, and hints for success.

Session 2 — Software Development Process (4 slides)

  • Week 2 | Jan 28
  • Introduces software development process models including agile and waterfall methodologies. Aligns with Lab 1 (team formation, working agreement) and Reading 1.

Session 3 — Requirements & Specification (3 slides)

  • Week 3 | Feb 04
  • Requirements engineering: gathering, analyzing, and specifying requirements. User stories, use cases, and acceptance criteria. Aligns with Lab 2 (Requirements Analysis) and Reading 2.

Session 4 — Unified Modeling Language (4 slides)

  • Week 4 | Feb 11
  • UML diagramming: use case diagrams, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and activity diagrams. Supports Lab 2's modeling and specification work. Reading 3 assigned.

Session 5 — Design Patterns (3 slides)

  • Week 5 | Feb 18
  • Gang of Four (GoF) design patterns: creational, structural, and behavioral. Selecting appropriate patterns for system architecture. Leads into Lab 3 (Design Phase).

Session 6 — Code Process & Version Control (4 slides)

  • Week 6 | Feb 25
  • Coding standards and conventions, GitHub Flow branching, pull request workflows, code review etiquette. Ties into the GitHub Workshop and Lab 4.0 (Project Scaffolding).

Session 7 — Testing (4 slides)

  • Week 7 | Mar 04
  • Testing pyramid (unit, integration, E2E), test-driven development (TDD), test coverage metrics, and CI integration. Supports Lab 4.1 (Walking Skeleton) testing expectations.

Session 8 — Design Reviews / Debugging (4 slides)

  • Week 8 | Mar 11
  • Design review presentations from teams (6 min each). Also covers debugging techniques: systematic debugging, using debuggers, logging strategies.

Session 9 — Concurrency (4 slides)

  • Week 9 | Mar 18
  • Concurrency fundamentals: threading models, synchronization primitives, deadlock prevention, race conditions. Supports architectural decisions in Lab 4.2 (Core MVP).

Session 10 — Code Tuning & Performance (4 slides)

  • Week 11 | Apr 01
  • Performance profiling, identifying bottlenecks, optimization strategies, and code tuning trade-offs. Midterm exam assigned (take-home, due Apr 05).

Session 11 — Security (3 slides)

  • Week 12 | Apr 08
  • Secure software development: OWASP Top 10, input validation, authentication/authorization, secrets management.

Session 12 — User Interface (3 slides)

  • Week 13 | Apr 15
  • UI/UX principles, usability heuristics (Nielsen's 10), accessibility (WCAG) basics, internationalization considerations.

Session 13 — Quality Management (4 slides)

  • Week 14 | Apr 22
  • Quality assurance processes, code review checklists, technical debt management, metrics and measurement. Supports Lab 4.3 (QA & Differentiation).

Session 14 — Career Readiness Workshop (4 slides)

  • Week 15 | Apr 29
  • Professional development: resume and LinkedIn optimization, interview strategies, industry panel. Prepares students for I2G networking and job search.

Session 15 — Course Wrap-up & Final Advice (5 slides)

  • Week 16 | May 06
  • Semester reflection, project finalization checklist, I2G presentation preparation, submission reminders, and final advice from the teaching staff.

Topic–Session Map

The 13 course topics from the syllabus map to sessions as follows:

Course Topic Covered In
Software Development Process Session 2
Requirements & Specification Session 3
Unified Modeling Language Session 4
Design Patterns Session 5
Code Process Session 6
Version Control Session 6
Testing Session 7
Debugging Session 8
Concurrency Session 9
Code Tuning Session 10
Security Session 11
User Interface Session 12
Quality Management Session 13

See Also