Software Development Foundations

The University of British Columbia via edX MicroMasters

Overview

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Speed is critical in software development. Successful developers are those who are able to quickly learn new technologies and new software systems, and they do this by seeing any software, in any programming language, as common repeating patterns—not just detailed lines of code.

In this MicroMasters program, you will learn this same kind of expert thinking. By working through several software development projects, you will learn specific technologies, including Java, JUnit, IntelliJ IDEA, Typescript and Node.js. Most importantly, you will develop the ability to see the common structures in programs and in tools and learn how to apply these skills to quickly master new technologies.

Upon completing this program, you will be able to write programs using a systematic approach and to design programs that are easy to maintain. You will also learn how to use agile methods in order to build software programs that solve real world problems.

With the skills obtained in this program, you will have the confidence to apply for positions that use any programming language or technology.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: How to Code: Simple Data
Learn the secret to writing well-tested and easy to improve programs, that will set you up to master any programming language

Course 2: How to Code: Complex Data
Learn how to design more complex programs, using new data structures, abstraction, and generative recursion.

Course 3: Software Construction: Data Abstraction

Learn powerful data abstraction and decomposition techniques to build large, complex programs.

Course 4: Software Construction: Object-Oriented Design
Learn how to design large software systems that solve real-world problems using object-oriented design techniques.

Course 5: Software Engineering: Introduction

Learn software engineering principles that are applicable to the breadth of large-scale software systems.

Courses

5 reviews
6 weeks, 2-3 hours a week, 2-3 hours a week
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As your program requirements get more complex, you will find that simple additions to the design method make it easy to write well-structured and well-tested code that is easy to maintain.

By learning how to capture common data and control structures using abstraction, your programs will get shorter and better tested.

Building on the core methods from How to Code: Simple Data, this programming course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters program, quickly expands to cover more complex programs on more complex data. Towards the end of the course, you will design programs that even experienced developers would find challenging.

You will also learn how to design search programs. You will design a program to solve Sudoku puzzles, and will be able to design many other puzzle solvers as well.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructor and staff.

Learner Testimonial

"It's a great course and maybe one of the most important topics to master if you're a programmer (any level). This course will teach you how to design better, cleaner and faster programs."
- Previous Student
15 reviews
7 weeks, 2-3 hours a week, 2-3 hours a week
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This programming course takes a unique approach, as it focuses on learning a systematic programming method rather than a programming language. This practical approach will help you channel your creativity so that you can program well in any language.

This course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters Program, presents a core design method with a focus on numbers, strings, images and lists.

You will learn techniques to:
- Develop program requirements
- Produce programs with consistent structure that are easy to modify later
- Make your programs more reliable by building tests as an integral part of the programming process.
This course concludes with the design of a simple interactive game.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructor and staff.

Learner Testimonial

"I have taken and completed tens of MOOCs on programming and computer science, I have even been and I am currently a TA in some of these courses. Among them are a few that deserve without hesitation the highest rate. But if I had to choose only one at the top of them it would be these two courses on systematic program design." - edX Learner
1 review
6 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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This is the third course in the Software Development MicroMasters program. You will learn how to build larger and more complex software systems using the Java programming language.

The course begins with the topic of data abstraction - from specification to implementation. Particular attention is given to how to write robust tests using JUnit. Then the course expands on these ideas to explore how type hierarchies and polymorphism can be used to decrease redundancy in your code. The course wraps up with a discussion of how to design robust classes.

By the end of the course, you will have a solid foundation in designing software in Java, and be ready to move onto Software Construction: Object-Oriented Design, where you will learn more complex design patterns and principles designing object-oriented programs.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructors and staff.
1 review
6 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
View details

This course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters program, will dig deep into the principles of object oriented design, and introduce new abstraction techniques and design patterns. You will use these techniques to build an application that makes use of popular online services and APIs – the most complex software design project so far.

By the end of the course, you will have a solid foundation in Java and Object-Oriented Design, as well as many software development concepts that can be applied to any language.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructors and staff.
2 reviews
8 weeks, 8-10 hours a week, 8-10 hours a week
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This course introduces how teams design, build, and test multi-version software systems.

You will learn software engineering principles that are applicable to the breadth of large-scale software systems. The course explores topics such as agile development, REST and Async programming, software specification, design, refactoring, information security, and more.

By the end of this course, learners will work in teams, applying an agile software development process to specify, design, and test multiple versions of complex software systems.