Graduate Certificate in Object Oriented Application Development

Object oriented analysis and design is an essential precursor to developing the new generation of information systems. This course uses sound academic principles coupled with a pragmatic methodology to perform object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD). This course appraises and applies the widely adapted Unified Process framework, the Unified Modeling Language (UML), and various analysis and design methodologies subscribed to by acknowledged modeling experts. This course examines various OOAD technologies, performance analysis techniques to optimize performance, and methods to correct performance deficiencies. The course also assesses the principles and processes for gathering, defining, and analyzing the requirements (including the stakeholders’ interviews), system architecture, and software design.

This course appraises the object-oriented approach to application design and development of information systems. The course examines software development and design methodologies; it also assesses the principles, benefits, techniques and practical applications to measure the quality of object-oriented design and development. It also applies object-oriented application design and development techniques such as Unified Modeling Language (UML), Unified Process, use case analysis, problem domain analysis, activity diagramming, interaction diagramming, design heuristics, and design patterns to improve system adaptability and component reuse.

The course examines the use of unified modeling language (UML) across various object-oriented application implementation technologies; it specifically addresses implementation factors, such as: components, composite structure, and deployment diagrams. It appraises the processes and the potential pitfalls related to application delivery. This course also assesses relevant, real-world approaches to distributed, object-oriented application development delivery and operations. This course also analyzes component testing, application testing, integration planning, incremental builds, test plans, build testing, staging, and configuration management. This course also appraises the principles of communicating with users and performing strategic, just-in-time training to effectively utilize the applications.

The course is an advanced study of enterprise software and its role in meeting the needs of an organization and solving business problems. The course also examines the phases, processes, and deliverables in various enterprise software development methodologies; it also assesses related concepts such as enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, operational risk management, enterprise content management, and enterprise architectures. The course also appraises the procedures, practices, and challenges in collaborative development of enterprise software applications.

This course appraises emerging data warehousing technologies that play a strategic role in giving business organizations the competitive edge. This course assesses phases, processes, strategies, deliverables, and challenges of the extract, transform, and load (ETL) process to populate data warehouses to enable data analysis. It analyzes the principles of data modeling for multi-dimensional databases and it assesses the processes, practices, and tools of Master Data Management (MDM) to aggregate, assure quality, persist and distribute data. It examines data mining techniques and the process used to facilitate decisions and to find patterns and relationships in data. The course analyzes the principles of decision sciences, decision support systems and architectures, decision process models, computer-supported decision making, decision tables, and decision trees, and applies these principles to improve organizational performance

This course explores successful project management for information technology projects. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) models are defined including the waterfall, spiral, incremental release, and prototyping models. Students will differentiate between these models and apply corresponding project management methods to identify critical checkpoints and reviews. Risk management, as applied to technology projects, is examined. Key project indicators are discussed, and students will explore defining measurement criteria for determining critical success factors on a project. The course defines the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities and includes a tutorial for Microsoft Project. Emphasis is placed on the three dimensions of the information technology project constraints: scope, time, and cost. Students are recommended to have access to Microsoft Project. Course software requirements with the appropriate versions are listed under the course materials site.