Adoption-Centric Software Engineering - Assignment Example

? Java IDE Number: Lecturer: Question Between Eclipse and BlueJ, I would select BlueJ for small program development. I prefer this because of the small nature of the program that is being advocated for. My friend wants a simple program and I am assuming that he wants to develop this on his own. This will require a program which does not have a lot of features that could be a nuisance to the novice user. Basing on criteria 2 appendix B, I found out that article 2 brings out this clearly. BlueJ, therefore, meets the criteria that I would choose when developing a simple program that will be used by my friend who requested the program (Fowler 2009). BlueJ has been adopted to bring out teaching fundamental facts regarding object oriented programming. For one to learn object oriented programming without any difficulty, it will be important to use BlueJ. It is used to enable new learners get new concepts of Java programming in an easy way. The difficulties that are encountered in object oriented can be eradicated with the use BlueJ. BlueJ, like Eclipse, is used when programming applications in Java 2 Platform, and also the Standard Edition (J2SE). Developing simple programs is still possible as one can create objects and call methods that are associated with these objects using the user interface of BlueJ. The experience is simple and it is simple to understand classes and objects. Classes and objects are the building blocks that are required in programming. It is important to ensure that they are learning and adopted by new programmers. My friend will, therefore, require using BlueJ because the program is simple and does not have a lot of features (Kwan & Theodorou 2009). Another feature that is useful by using BlueJ programming language is the fact that there are UML diagrams which are manipulated by the learners as they write their programs. This enables users to interact with the program as they learn new facts about the objects and classes that are important in programming using the object oriented paradigm (Stoler 2004). Eclipse is a Java interactive development environment that is used when developing large programs. It has features that are complicated to novice programmers. It is important to use these features when the program will have to have the sophistication that befits it when it being used (Mahesh 2009). Between BlueJ and Eclipse, therefore, the one that fits the program that is being developed is BlueJ. The reasons that have been given are sufficient. BlueJ is used, mostly, for small programs. Their use fits a novice programmer (Papp 2001). Question 2 One particular problem that I found in undertaking step 2 of the evidence based software engineering methodology is that of getting articles which would address the problem I have. This is because there is no article I found that could talk exclusively about the two IDEs. Step two of the EBSE methodologies concerns about the search of the literature that will be used in the evaluation of the methodology of the Java development environments. The literature that I found in the search did not addressed the issue I was looking for. Most of the articles focused on the features of one IDE (Williams et al. 2008). Another challenge that I found while working on step two is that of the validity of data that I found. The information that I initially got from web search were not peer-previewed. It was, therefore, not easy to get information that would help I get the features of the two IDEs. Every time I got information that I thought would help, I found that the article did not mention the other IDE. Another challenge I found is that the information in the articles was meant for teaching programming languages. It was hard finding information that would help in answer EBSE methodological question. Although this was the case I realized that it was important and beneficial at long last to have this approach and information (Stoler 2004). I found success, at long last, when I found literature that were helpful in the learning process. This was after I realized how hard it was getting literature that address the particular research question I had. I figured out that I needed to get disparate data so that I could compile together to come up with the information that I needed (Jefferies, Anie & Collo 2011). Another challenge that I experienced is that of searching databases which require subscriptions. I managed to use information from databases like Google scholar and that of Ebscohost database, which I have subscribed. They were helpful while I was undertaking the research. I found the information to be of utmost importance. With this, I managed to ensure that the information that I got could help me compile to the information that I was looking for in the assignment. This strategy worked for me as I managed to get all the information and the literature that I was looking for. Overall, I found the experience a good one because I realized that you cannot get what you want the way you want it. Question 3 Step three is the appraisal in the literature I got in the article that I searched for. I found it hard reading through the articles I got and assessing whether they met the criteria and would serve the purpose of assessing the Java development environments that I was evaluating. This is a tedious process as you are required to go through every article you read (Papp 2001). After getting any article that has a title that resembles what you are looking for it is then important to look for the relevance of that particular article. It is an important step but a tedious one per se. Another challenge that I found while working with this step is assessing the validity of the articles that I got. I was hard getting the validity of the articles. It is important to get articles that are peer-reviewed so that the information is correct and valid. It is not academic to work with invalid information. It often leads to getting false information and data. I understand that in academia, it is not allowed to work on information which has not been proved to be correct (Kwan & Theodorou 2009). Another challenge I faced was when coming up with the criteria that I would use to assess the literature I got. Coming up with a criteria would mess with anything. Anything could go wrong while assessing the literature that I got from the ones I left was a hard thing to do. I could have left important information in the search of valid information. I understand that it is easier to turn down important information and data and go for data which was not valid, just because it was voluminous and written addressing the issue that I was working on. This is something which I was fighting hard to avoid. I later came to come through the challenge. I tried to overcome these problems by ensuring that the information I got were from credible sources like university websites and known databases. This was the only way I assured myself that I would get credible information from the websites I was working on. I managed to overcome these challenges because in the long run I managed to get information that I was looking for from the literature in the articles from the databases I was working on. I managed to differentiate between valid and invalid information by ensuring that the data were from a database that was known like ebcohost (Gamma et al. 2005). Question 4 I have learned a lot of things in the evaluation and the process in have undergone. I learnt the importance and the process of getting credible information from the databases. I have learnt to get information that touched the issue that I was looking for in a credible way. I have also learnt to assess the validity of information that I am working on. Validity of information is an important process. It is important to know the validity and the source of information that one is assessing and appraising. In academic writing and research, I came to realize that this is an important process that should be looked into when undertaking any form of research (Crosby & Erickson 2007). Another thing that I have learnt is that of coming up with an assessment criteria that will be used in appraising the literature. This is something that is hard to come up with if someone is not aware of the parameter they are looking for in the assessment. It is important to look for parameters which are useful in the assessment of the literature. It is hard getting to know what someone is looking for in an assessment unless they understand the subject in which they are researching. This, therefore, requires that one gets to know the research area they are researching about (Bates 2011). Given another chance, I will ensure that I get research articles about the subject I am doing research about way before I start working on the research. It is important to have literature that will help one in undertaking the research. This is something that I will improve on while undertaking the research. It is important to have all he literature in place. I was looking for the literature at the same time getting the assessment scale and tool that I would use in the process of coming up with the research. I have learned that it is important to have all the facts that are required in undertaking an evaluation. The facts are in the form of literature. I must admit that I had shallow reading regarding Java development environments. This is something I have learnt; it is important to have a wide understanding of an issue when working on that issue. If given a chance next time, I will work on the literature first so that if there is any evaluation that is being undertaken, I will undertake this evaluation in a systematic manner without any problem. Appendix A: Evidence of undertaking appraisal Reporting searches Search engine Date and time of search Search terms Modifiers Number of results Google 11/11/2012, 13.18hrs Java eclipse vs. bluej Term use 147000 Yahoo 11/11/2012, 13.20hrs Compare eclipse vs. bluej Data range 12400 Bing 11/11/2012, 13.25hrs bluej, eclipse Terms use 25400 Google 11/11/2012, 13.27hrs bluej, eclipse Language restriction 148000 Yahoo 11/11/2012, 13.37hrs bluej, eclipse Language restrictions 147000 Appendix B: Reporting acceptance/rejection Criteria Selection or rejection Explanation of criteria Close proximity to the search phrase Selection I used this criteria because I wanted to get an article that addressed the features between the two IDEs Describing one IDE Rejection I used this so that I could eradicate the articles that touched only one IDE. I wanted articles that covered both IDEs. Explanation and not just listing features Selection I wanted an article that described some features in detail and not just listing How to integrate/install BlueJ on Eclipse Rejection I was not looking for explanations how to use these two IDEs. Recommendation why you should buy Rejection I am not looking for an IDE to buy but to recommend to someone Explanation of a technical issue Rejection The article tries to explain how some procedure is undertaken Explanation of advanced features for an IDE Selection The article tries to explain the outstanding features of an IDE Appendix C: Reporting the appraisal criteria Criteria number Criteria Explanation of criteria 1. The article touches on the features that are found on both IDEs The article covers features about the two IDEs that I am working 2. The article covers the main difference in the features of both IDEs The article brings out the distinguishing features that are found in both IDEs 3. The article is detailed and has some aspect of validity The article should be detailed and should have enough details of the IDEs that I am working on. 4. The article shows detailed features that are found in an IDE I am looking for features of two IDEs. Knowing one IDE more will enable me to understand how different it is from the other one. 5. The article tries to show advanced features of an IDE and how it should be chosen for Java programming These advanced features will help me to understand the outstanding functionalities and how they are different from the other IDEs 6. The article compares the specific features of the IDEs These features will help me to come out with a conclusion of which one will be more probable 7. The article gives a background of a given IDE The background can bring out the specific features of the IDE and can help in differentiating the IDE. Appendix D: Criteria for reporting appraisal of articles Appraisal criteria Article identifier 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Article retained/rejected (Polok 2010) Article met criteria Article met criteria Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article retained (CMSC Notes 1998) Article met criteria Article met criteria Article failed criteria Article failed to meet criteria Article failed to meet criteria Article failed to meet criteria Article failed to meet criteria Article retained (Scott, Watkins & McPhee 2006) Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article retained (Balze et al. 2003) Article failed criteria Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article retained (Reis n.d.) Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article failed criteria Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article retained (Lister 2007) Article failed criteria Article failed criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article met criteria Article retained References Balze, R, Jahnke, J-H, Litoiu, M, Muller, H, Smith, D, Storey, M-A, Tilley, S, Wong, K & Weber, A 2003, 'Adoption-Centric Software Engineering', ICSE IEEE/ACM International Conference, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Bates, MJ 2011, Understanding programming languages, CRC Press. CMSC Notes 1998, Programming languages, Addison Wesley Longman, New York. Crosby, D & Erickson, C 2007, 'Software development using Presenter First', Better Software, vol 1, no. 1, pp. 16-22. Fowler, M 2009, Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing, Addison-Wesley, New York. Gamma, E, Helm, R, Johnson, R & Vlissides, R 2005, Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley, New York. Jefferies, R, Anie, A & Collo, H 2011, Extreme Programming Installed, Addison-Wesley, New York. Kwan, AW & Theodorou, P 2009, STRATEGIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, AMAZON. Lister, R 2007, 'Computer Science Teachers as Amateurs, Students and Researchers', Information Technology, University of Technology, University of Technology Press, Sydney. Mahesh, D 2009, 'The mobile applications wave', Journal of Object Technology, pp. 35-44. Papp, R 2001, Strategic information technology: Opportunities for competitive advantage, Idea Group Inc., Pennsylvania. Polok, J 2010, 'Quality measurement of programming examples.Extension for programming editor BlueJ', Umea University , vol 1, no. 45, pp. 10-25. Reis, C, 'A Pedagogic Programming Environment for Java that Scales to Production Programming', Unpublished Masters Thesis, Computer Science, Rice University, Unpublished Masters Thesis, Texas. Scott, A, Watkins, M & McPhee, D 2006, 'A Step Back from Coding - An Online Environment and Pedagogy for Novice Programmers', Advanced Technology, University of Glamorgan, University of Glamorgan Press, New York. Stoler, B 2004, 'A Framework for Building Pedagogic Java Programming Environments.', Journal of Computing, vol 45, no. 3, pp. 23-65. Williams, L, Wiebbe, E, Yang, R, Ferzli, M & Miller, C 2008, In Support of Pair Programming in the Introductory Computer Science Course, Computer Science Education, New Jersey. Read More