Course Syllabus

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Course Description and Prerequisites | Course Objectives | Time Expectation | Course Requisite Technical Skills | Textbooks and Materials | Course Grading | Course Policies | Student Rights & Responsibilities | Overview of Assignments | Taking Proctored Assessments | Your Email Account | Student Resources | Accommodation Policy and Statements | NOVA Online Policies and Procedures | Course Summary (Assignment Schedule and Critical Dates)

Course Title: ITP 220 - Java Programming II (4 credits)

Semester:  INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE

Faculty: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE

 

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Course Description and Prerequisites

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Course Objectives

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Time Expectation

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Course Requisite Technical Skills

In order to succeed in this online course, you must be comfortable working with technology. At a minimum, you must possess the following technical skills:

  • Ability to use the Internet in an effective and efficient manner, including installation and management of browser plug-ins and add-ons.
  • Basic knowledge about the operation of a computer, file management, and software installation.
  • Working knowledge of the Canvas learning management system.
  • Ability to proficiently search the web for information
  • Ability to download and print information from websites
  • Ability to download, view, and/or print PDF files

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Textbooks and Materials

Required Textbooks

Other Materials and Technology

1) Microsoft PowerPoint or Viewer is required to review lecture and textbook slides.

2) Textbook: Absolute Java, 6th Edition, by Walter Savitch, Pearson

  • You may order your book from the NOVA bookstores. See http://eli.nvcc.edu/books for complete directions.
  • OPTIONAL: My Programming Lab, Pearson - unlike ITP 120, we do NOT use this tool for course credit.

3) Latest supported Java SDK 1.8 or greater is the recommended version (typically Eclipse will come with the best Java version that has been tested to work with it). To download the JDK, navigate to the URL: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html and follow the instructions for downloading the latest version of the SDK (not just the JRE). 

  • It is a good idea to add Java's bin directory to your machine's PATH environment variable so programs can be executed without having to be run in the Java/bin directory.
  • Right click on "My Computer" and select "Properties"
  • Select "Advanced system settings"
  • Select "Environment Variables" at the bottom
  • In the popup window, select the bottom "New" button.
  • Enter in:
  •  - Variable name: JAVA_HOME
  •  - Variable value: <your path to the jdk installation directory>
  •  - Ex: Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_44
  • Hit "OK"
  • Find the variable "Path" under "System Variables"
  • Select and hit "Edit"
  • Append to the end without the quotes: ";%JAVA_HOME%\bin"
  • Hit "OK"
  • Hit "Apply"
  • Hit "OK"

4) Eclipse IDE: (Both Mac/Linux and Windows compatible) Follow the instructions in its own section for installing this IDE (Integrated Development Environment) in which you will be doing all of your programming work.  If you prefer another one, feel free to install that, but any help from the instructor regarding project setup/how to debug your project will require the use of Eclipse.

5) Apache Derby: This executable (both Mac/Linux and Windows compatible) will download a lightweight database instance onto your local machine and populate it with test data. This database will interact with Java to provide an easy way to work with assignments in the later portion of this course.

To install and setup the test database:
  1. Click the link below the header to save/download the attached executable jar file, "Apache Derby and Sample Database" and extract it in the folder of your choice. 
  2. Open a Windows or Mac command prompt and navigate to the extracted location.
  3. In the extracted folder, "MyDerby", locate either the run.bat (Windows) or run.sh (Mac/Linux) script.
  4. Update the path for Java and javac commands within these files with your machine's Java root location. For instance, replace the java commands with /usr/bin/java on a Mac/Linux and with "C:\Program Files\Java" on Windows.
  5. In the Windows command prompt or Mac/Linux terminal shell, run that test executable (run.bat or run.sh).
  6. You should see a printout in the command prompt that 4 records were inserted for the temp table created by this script. When you work on the assignment for week 14, there will be a different SQL and Java file referenced by another run.bat/run.sh executable (all provided with that week's assignment) and you will run a similar executable to create different database tables.

Note: To get a database command prompt from which you can execute SQL statements such as "SELECT * FROM TESTTBL;", type this command: <pathToJavaRoot>/java -Dij.database=jdbc:derby:TestDB -classpath lib/derby.jar;lib/derbytools.jar org.apache.derby.tools.ij

Eclipse

Eclipse is an excellent open source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Java. It includes a robust compiler, syntax highlighting and a highly effective debugging tool. Further information/feature descriptions are available at the Eclipse web site, http://www.eclipse.org.

This is the recommended IDE for this course (if you choose to use one) and is what I see used in the development environment of nearly every company that writes software using Java (and now many other languages which it also supports). This is one of the only full featured IDEs available that is free (without 30 day trial limitations).

To Install:

  1. Navigate to the official Eclipse site and locate the latest version for download from: http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
    • Once you find the file to download, choose "Open with WinZip", NOT "Save", this will take too long, it just needs to be unzipped.
  2. When WinZip is open, choose to extract all files to your local C: (or D:) drive (this process will create a folder named "Eclipse").
  3. From the newly created C:\eclipse folder, double-click eclipse.exe.
  4. When asked for a workspace location, choose where you want Eclipse files to reside (I would suggest creating a separate folder, C:\ITP_220).
  5. Select "Use this as the default and do not ask again."
  6. Click Ok.
  7. On the Eclipse welcome screen, click the Workbench icon on the far right.
  8. With Package Explorer on the left, the main editing window in the center and the Problems tab displayed below, Eclipse is ready to run.
  9. Modify Eclipse so that the latest Java version JDK/JRE which you installed on your machine is used by the IDE:
    1. Select the main menu item Window > Preferences and expand the Java item in the left panel.
    2. Click the sub-menu item, Installed JREs.
    3. Click Add.
    4. Enter JRE Name: <choose the latest JRE version>
    5. Click Browse and use the file chooser to select C:\Java (or wherever your JRE was installed in the prior section).
    6. Click OK.
    7. Click the checkbox beside the newly added JRE, <choose the latest JRE version>.
    8. Click OK.
    9. Again, select the main menu item Window > Preferences and expand the Java item in the left panel.
    10. Click the sub-menu item, Compiler.
    11. Change the Compiler compliance level to <choose the latest JRE version>.
    12. Select Apply, click Yes.
    13. Select OK to complete setting Eclipse preferences.
      • Some other settings are worth noting, especially the ones that automatically indent/complete opening and closing braces, etc..., but I suggest you work with the IDE before trying to make too many settings changes.
  10. Browse through the tutorials to familiarize yourself with the IDE.

To create projects using Eclipse: 
"Projects" must be created for each separate assignment. All assignments will be given some set of base class files to work from. To create a project from existing files, follow the below steps:

  1. Extract assignment files to a new directory under the Eclipse workspace chosen (c:\ITP_220\Week_<X>)
  2. Open Eclipse and run File > New > Java Project.
  3. Give the project the same name as the folder created in step 1, and select "Create new project from existing source".
  4. Browse to and select the extracted file location from step 1.
  5. Under the JRE section, even if greyed out, always verify that "Use default JRE" is selected and it lists <choose the latest JRE version> as the selected JRE.
  6. Click Finish.
  7. Since assignments begin with shell files with errors intentionally in them, there will be several Problems/Errors listed in the Problems tab at the bottom of the IDE; this is acceptable until you complete the assignment, but the program will not run with problems in this tab.
  8. In this IDE, files are compiled as you work on them.  So, as you code, errors may appear or be corrected before saving changes to the file.
    • To run programs, open the file with the main() method you wish to run and select the green play button icon (or the main menu item, Run) > Run As > Java Application.  The program will execute and console output will be displayed at the bottom of the IDE in a "Console" tab (next to the "Problems" tab), or if the program launches a window, that window will appear.

Other optional IDEs

JCreator and JBuilder are other Integrated Development Environment (IDE) tools, but are only available on a 30 day trial basis. 

Should you choose to use either of these (or any other IDE on the market), please be aware that I may not be able to answer questions specific to your IDE or any of its debugging tools (although other students on the discussion board may be able to provide some guidance if using the same product).

Also, please be aware that if using these products after 30 days, you must purchase the software to continue using it. Often times if not purchased, the program cannot be access and work files may be lost until the product is purchased.

Select the DOWNLOAD link. To the right are installations notes and FAQs. Read these carefully. You want to install the JCreator LE 3.50 Freeware. 
  • JBuilder: Please click on the following link to go to the web site. https://github.com/rails/jbuilder

    Scroll down the list to "Foundation", click on the hyperlink, and then complete the online register form. 
    If the hyperlink does not work, then please cut and paste the link into your browser. 

    Once the software is installed, ensure you configure the file directories to the directories were you wish to save your files.

Acquiring Textbooks and Course Materials

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Course Grading

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Course Policies

Attendance Policy: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE

 

Late Work Policy: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE

 

Grading Turnaround Time:

All completed assignments will be graded no later than seven days after the due date, and sooner when possible.

 

Incomplete Policy:

Withdraw from the Course

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Student Rights & Responsibilities

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Overview of Assignments

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Taking Proctored Assessments

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Your Email Account

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Student Resources

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Accommodation Policy and Statements

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NOVA Online Policies and Procedures

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Course Summary:

Date Details Due