Introduction to Software Development and Applications (Coursera)

In a step-by-step manner, the instructor will take you through the process of systematically combining object-oriented programming techniques, business processes, and complex data models to assemble models that are user friendly and meet business requirements.

You will learn how to employ systems thinking, the object-oriented paradigm, the visual programming technique, as well as productivity tools to put together complicated, powerful designs. We will practice simple and smart ways of making software programming enjoyable.

This course is part of the Information Systems Foundations Specialization.

Syllabus

Introduction to the Software Development Cycle and Applications

In this first module of the course, we will begin with focusing on a general overview of the Software Development Life cycle. It is important as you explore and learn about development, that you understand how the skills learned in this course can translate into your current and future professional experiences. As developers, it is important to reflect on managing user expectations and understanding user needs - which may take several iterations of design and development to completely understand. This is why we focus on iterative development instead of a waterflow approach. We will learn more about these approaches and the key phases of the development lifecycle in this module. Then we will dive into exploring software applications and the need to anticipate risk, the potential for problems, and how to transform the software lifecycle into an actual application. We will learn more about the different components and algorithms in systems and review different real-world examples of the necessary connection between social and application systems. The most important thing to keep in mind is that there is always a social problem that must be solved and that is the key to developing effective application systems.

Application Design Principles

This module, we will begin exploring the design principles associated with designing application systems. the video delves into the challenges faced by modern hospitals due to the complexity of patient movements throughout the day. In this module we will explore how adopting a system view in software engineering can offer innovative solutions to enhance patient care and address these critical issues.

Object-Oriented Programming

This module, we will dive deeper into exploring how relationships are intertwined in application development, now focusing on an important component of application system design: the object-oriented paradigm, or OOP. We will learn about different component structures and the relationships between objects, structures, attributes, and behaviors. We will reflect on the complexities of the OOP and how it differs from simple algorithm creation.

Business Design Principles

This module, we will explore the connection between businesses and web application development, focusing on the importance of understanding successful enterprises. Exploring the fundamental principles of their operations, we will reflect on how business design plays a pivotal role in shaping software code and digital design. By examining the customer-centric approach of these companies and the emphasis on prioritizing customer experience, we explore key insights on how to create efficient and user-friendly applications with simple code. In this module you will also begin applying what you are learning about business design principles in a lab assignment that focuses on evaluating a campus build model.