An undergraduate course in object-oriented software design

Many software development organizations are adopting object-oriented methodologies as their primary paradigm for software development. The object-oriented method appears to increase programmer productivity, reduce the overall cost of the software and, perhaps most importantly, creates software that promotes reuse and subsequently is easier to modify. Consistent with the change in industry, many universities and industry training organizations are currently in the process of integrating object orientation into their curriculum. There are several approaches including horizontal integration (integrating a small dose of the object orientation into many courses) and vertical integration (having a large dose of the concepts in a single course). In 1996, the Systems Analysis department of Miami University, USA, opted for the latter approach and added a new course to its curriculum. It is a course that is intended to provide some in-depth exposure to object-oriented design and implementation. It should be of particular value to faculty in computer science and information systems departments (both at the 4-year and 2-year institutions) as well as those in industry training organizations who are looking for ways to incorporate the object orientation into their curriculum. In this paper, the authors describe the choices their department made, what worked well, and what needs to be improved.