Goals & Learning Outcomes

Course Objectives

By the end of CSE120, you will be able to:

Gather information about a contemporary problem and consolidate it into requirements to produce a technical specification.
Design a computing solution to a challenging problem within realistic constraints, utilizing appropriate standards.
Use project management and teamwork skills to deliver a solution within time constraints.
Deliver a professional presentation appropriate to a broad audience.
Demonstrate effective written technical communication through design exams.

Program Learning Outcomes

This course contributes to the following CSE program outcomes:

Outcome	How CSE120 Addresses It
Analyze a complex computing problem and apply principles to identify solutions	Requirements analysis, stakeholder discovery, architecture design
Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution	Full project lifecycle from specification through deployment
Communicate effectively in professional contexts	Status reports, design documents, presentations, I2G event
Recognize professional responsibilities and make ethical judgments	Working agreements, team contracts, professional conduct
Function effectively as a team member or leader	Role rotation, peer evaluations, collaborative development
Apply computer science theory and development fundamentals	Hands-on application of prior coursework to a real project

📖 Research deep-dive: See the CSED Lab's outcomes and findings for data on grading fairness, team formation results, and AI-assisted evaluation across multiple semesters.

Topics Covered

Software Development Process
Requirements and Specification
Unified Modeling Language (UML)
Design Patterns
Code Process and Version Control
Testing and Debugging
Concurrency and Code Tuning
Security
User Interface Design
Quality Management