Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

EECS 4980 - Open Source Software Development Course Syllabus

Credits/Contact Hours
3 credit hrs & three 50-minute lecture contact hrs per week.
Instructor's Name
Dr. Larry Thomas
Textbook
None
Supplemental materials: Students will read approximately 30 instructor-selected scholarly papers and relevant journal articles on topics in F/OSS (Free and Open-Source Software) development.
Course Information
Exploration of aspects of open-source software development. This course will be conducted in a seminar-style format. Students will take turns presenting papers to the class. Students will write critiques of each paper, and the instructor will lead discussion of the topics, strong, and weak points of each paper.
Prerequisite: EECS 3550
Elective course.
Specific Goals - Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Explore the mechanisms by which open-source software development projects operate, from inception through maintenance.
2. Explore the group dynamics, motivations for participation, software development methodologies, and activities typically inherent in an Open-Source project.
Topics
1. Fundamental driving factors that created the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) movement.
2. Motivations for Open-Source Software Developers' participation.
3. Team dynamics in F/OSS projects.
4. Typical characteristics of F/OSS projects.
5. Analysis of case studies of F/OSS projects.
6. Maintenance issues in F/OSS projects.
7. Licensing schemes applicable to F/OSS projects.
8. Integration of F/OSS components with commercial components.

Last Updated: 6/27/22