This is the first collaborative program that most IT majors at Newman will make and it was honestly a pretty fun project to work on. We had to choose from 18 different topics that related to the history of computer science and then research it. After doing the research, we had to summarize three subtopics under that topic. Then, we had to implement it into the template that the professor gave us. At the end of the project, Professor Hambrick integrated all our projects into one and we ended up with the final project seen in the video.
I feel that while the project was really simple, it gave us our first glimpse into what real world information system life cycle techniques. This because we had to analyze the pre-existing code and the problem that was presented to us. The design step was rather diminished because the design was already presented to us, but we did get to see how Professor Hambrick executed this step. We also had to test our code to ensure it works as well as anticipate all the things that could go wrong on the user’s end. At the end, we got to see the deployment of application through Professor Hambrick.
This project involved creating a Windows Form application where the user could select the type of handbag they wanted from a ListBox as well as the quantity. After adding those items, the uer would then be able to "Go to the Shopping Cart" where they would be able to select shipping options and their state. These options change the shipping charge and the tax rate applied onto the order. They would then be able to find the total of their order and that would be displayed at the very bottom.
I chose this project because we had to go through the development life cycle on our own in contrast to the ITHistory project. We had full freedom in the design of the form as long as it met the requirements of the assignment. We also had to design, mock up, and come up with test cases by hand so it made for a good exercise in the importance of planning and foresight in the development of a application.
Not only that, this project also felt like an application that would be used in the real world. It felt like a micro version of online shopping sites like Amazon or Ebay. That's why I think it is the perfect project to flex our development lifecycle muscles.