TESC System Analysis and Design - Mentor Review

[UptonSinclair]

I just received the grade on my final project for this course and wanted to suggest a mentor. Bryon Torsiello seems very fair in his grading. Though I put in effort, I didn't have to break my back to get an A in this course. The textbook sucks, but the mentor is great.

[lavagirl]

UptonSinclair,

Can you tell what the final project was about?

I am mapping my area of study for BA in CS in TESC and trying to decide which courses to take. In your experience was Systems Analysis and Design easier than the Software Engineering course? And who was your Software Engeeneering course mentor?

Thanks in advance.

[UptonSinclair]

The midterm and final for Systems Analysis and Design are written papers applying what you learn to an imaginary systems analysis project. The key is for the mentor to see you know how to use the methods. There is information that you will have to fabricate because it would take years of experience to estimate things like labor.

System Analysis was far easier than Software Engineering. The textbook for Software Engineering is horribly written and hard to follow. In Software Engineering, the midterm and final are proctored closed book exams with 5 essay questions each.

The mentor for Software Engineering is Jason Litz. He is very liberal in grading, but it takes forever to get the grades back. I have my final Tuesday and Sunday night there are three assignments that have yet to be graded. If you have the option to avoid Software Engineering, I would. The textbooks available in the discipline all have very poor reviews. They are written like encyclopedias of project management fads. I am finishing the course knowing very little about Software Engineering.

[benjenkinsv95]

Hey UptonSinclair,

Since you are suggesting for lavagirl to skip the Software Engineering course, what key concepts from the Software Engineering course do you think are of value in case she wanted to learn them on the side in a day or two? I would agree that the course is worth skipping, but there are a handful of important concepts.

I would personally suggest learning about the Software Development Life Cycle, Agile Programming, The Waterfall Model, and Evolutionary Model as they are all seen inside the software industry to some degree. I would also recommend learning about design patterns as they can make your code leaps and bounds better. Some general purpose design patterns are taught here and some User Interface/User Experience design patterns are shown here.

If someone knows the Software Development Life Cycle, Agile Programming, and some basic design patterns it will make them a much better programmer. I've even seen job interview questions over these concepts for my company's "Programmer Analyst" positions.

[lavagirl]

Hi, guys!

Thanks a lot both of you for the info and suggestions. I am getting convinced based on your reviews that I will not take Software Engineering from TESC. Maybe I will take this course from another college and transfer it. I remember that ajs1976 said that he really enjoyed Software Engineering course from COSC ( Charter Oak college), I will see if they will let me take just one course from them. Or I might just decide to learn it myself. With Benjenkinsv95 suggested resources I will be on the right path .( Thank you , Ben!) I need 4 upper credit courses for the area of study for BA in CS, and decided on Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, and Database Management from TESC. I just cannot decide for the last course : if it is not Software Engineering - then it must be Systems Analysis and Design from TESC. Or maybe I can find a Data Structures and Algorithms course that transcribes for upper credits in TESC and then just get Visual Basics from Penn Foster for lower credits. Ben, can you tell what did you take to meet 18 upper credit requirement in the area of study. From your signature I can figure out that those courses were Computer Architecture, Software Engineering, Database Management, DSST MIS, and Capstone. But this gives 15 upper credits . What did you take for the last 3 upper credits? Will TESC count Network Technology for area of study?

UptonSinclair, I wish you luck on Software Engineering final! Hope everything will go easy and work out fine.

[benjenkinsv95]

Honestly I only have those 15 credits inside of my area of study. Inside of my TESC academic evaluation for the B.A. in CS degree it says the following:
"03/10/14: At least 15 of the 30 credits required within the entire Area of Study (Computer Science) must be at the 300/400 level."

and

"D: Compt Sci Elec 21 SH (Completed)
> Complete 21 semester hours (SH) of Computer Science courses
> as electives.
> **At least 15 of the 30 credits required within the entire
> Area of Study must be at the 300/400 level.**
"

I can see that on the page TESC has about the B.A. in CS they state: "A minimum of 18 credits equating to 300 or 400 are required." though I never took that to mean in the Area Of Study which is why I took Network Technology (Which they put into free electives instead of my area of study) so that I could have 18 upper level credits while 15 are inside the area of study.

Granted, I could be misunderstanding them or it could be a typo inside two places, but my academic adviser seemed to think it would be fine.

[lavagirl]

Wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing that out!!! :hurray: I looked in my academic evaluation and, lo and behold, - it is written that 15 of 30 credits must be upper within the entire area of study! In my mind I was so focused on the requirement written on TESC website, that I never paid attention what was actually written on my academic evaluation. Thanks again , Ben! You just made my day!

[bricabrac]

It is actually 18CR UL out of 33CR in the Area of Study.

Between sections A-Required, B-Capstone, and C-Electives the breakdown consists of:

15CR LL Intro CS (3), Data Structures (3), Discrete Math (3), and Electives (+6)
15CR UL Electives
3CR UL Capstone


Required - you have a choice between Discrete Math LL or Linear Algebra UL
If you choose Linear Algebra, you would then need +9 LL and +12 UL CS Electives.

[benjenkinsv95]

Hey Bricabrac,

Do you have a link to where you found that information? I just want to make sure it is up to date.

I need to speak to an Academic Adviser again anyways, so I will bring this issue up with a different adviser (Donald Stoltz) tomorrow in my appointment to see if he agrees with the previous adviser (Andrea Mirsky) I had discussed this issue with.

I'll follow up on this thread tomorrow after I talk to Mr. Stoltz to see what he says.

[bricabrac]

Hey Bricabrac,

Do you have a link to where you found that information? I just want to make sure it is up to date.

I need to speak to an Academic Adviser again anyways, so I will bring this issue up with a different adviser (Donald Stoltz) tomorrow in my appointment to see if he agrees with the previous adviser (Andrea Mirsky) I had discussed this issue with.

I'll follow up on this thread tomorrow after I talk to Mr. Stoltz to see what he says.

Oh, there's your problem - Andrea Mirsky. I don't understand how that woman is still employed. Obviously enough people have not called or written in formal complaints about her lack of knowledge in degree planning. She consistently provides erroneous infformation.

Here's the link: Thomas Edison State College: Computer Science

D. Requirements
Courses transferred to Thomas Edison State College are equated to the following levels: 100, 200, 300 or 400. A minimum of 18 credits equating to 300 or 400 are required.

Also, College Catalog 2014-15. BA Degree Plan (p32) and Computer Science (p34).


Edit to Add: This has been the format for almost every BA in the Heavin School of Arts & Sciences since the capstone requirement was added. Most use the following formula: 18CR-300/400 level (3 from the capstone), 9CR-200 level, and 6CR-100 level (max accepted in AOS). IIRC History is a bit different.


Hope this adds clarity.