News

Most posts here will be syndicated on E-Class under Course Announcements.

Practice Test & Review Session Tonight

14 December 2021

Hi class,

This is a reminder that tonight we will have an unofficial Review session at the same time and place as our normal lectures.

In advance of that, I am posting an impromptu practice test question for you to try beforehand or for those who can’t attend. The question is of similar caliber as the questions that will be on the final exam. (I hadn’t originally planned to post any practice questions, but I changed my mind late yesterday. So, I genuinely apologize that I didn’t post this days earlier.) Also, it requires your Project E, so hopefully you have completed that or are nearly done.

Please find the Practice Test linked here.

Look forward to seeing many of you this evening.

The Final Exam

12 December 2021

Hi class,

Thursday, December 16 will be our final exam.

This is a 120-minute (2-hour) exam and worth 40% of your final grade.

Please join the Zoom meeting and log into RemoteLab at least 15 minutes before the scheduled exam time. You may need to wait briefly in the waiting room but this gives you an opportunity to get your development environment setup and ready to go. We will start exactly at 9:00am and end exactly at 11:00am.

If you are late, no additional time will be added. No late submissions will be accepted.**

During the entirety of the test, you MUST remain present at your workstation. So, please plan ahead. If you are using a mobile device (laptop), please ensure you have enough battery life for the duration of the test or that you are plugged in to a power outlet. Double check that your Internet connection is stable. A webcam or mobile phone camera will be required to enforce this rule. Please also make sure to have your York ID card with you, so we can verify your identity.

This is an open book and open Internet test, i.e. you may use notes and textbooks and may search online. However, you may not communicate with anyone by any means. That applies to, but is not limited to, phone calls, text messages, IM/chat, email, social media posts, live streaming, file sharing, in-person or analog communications, steganography, etc. Anyone caught cheating (whether committing or aiding) will be charged with academic dishonesty.

For detailed test instructions, go to Final Exam.

** No late submissions will be accepted, except in the rarest of circumstances, whether technical or unforeseen. Exemptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Preparing for the Final Exam

11 December 2021

Hi class,

I hope everyone is nearly complete Project E (including the recommended optional parts) and is actively studying and preparing for the Final Exam.

The final exam is scheduled for Thursday (December 16) at 9 AM. It will be 120 minutes (2 hours) in duration and worth 40% of your final grade.

The final exam is based entirely around Project E but you may be asked to connect your Project A through D backends to your Project E frontend or add a new service or two to your backends (e.g.: retrieve some data from the database based on a search query given within an API request). So, make sure your Projects A through D backends work correctly and is your own code.

In the test, you will be asked to submit your entire project both the frontend files and the backends used. Thus, all of the code, including the backends, must be your own. Using someone else’s implementation, including my posted solutions for Projects A through D or Test 1 and 2, will be considered an act of plagiarism. Thus, you may look at my solutions for ideas and compare your own solutions against mine, but once you understand the approach, you must compose and submit your own answers.

Reminder:

I will have an unofficial Review session on Tuesday (December 14) at the same time and place as the normal lecture for you to ask any questions or request me to review any course materials with you as a group. As this is an unofficial session, there will be no recording. I will also offer extended office hours on Wednesday (December 15) from 3 to 6 PM.

The Last Lecture, Project E, and more.

05 December 2021

Hi class,

This Tuesday (December 7) will be the last lecture of the course. Then, the final exam will on Thursday, December 16 at 9 AM. Here are some important announcements and reminders before we start this last week of the course:

Project E is posted. It is critical that you complete it as the final exam is based entirely around it and is worth 40% of your final grade. Also, make sure your Projects A through D backends work as you may be asked to connect them to your Project E frontend or add a new service or two to your backends (e.g.: retrieve some data from the database based on a search query given within an API request). You can submit your Project E for the 1% lab mark any time between now and the final exam (8 AM on 16 December).
Test 2 grades are posted. You can view your marks on ePost, on eClass or in a detailed report here along with individualized feedback. If you believe there is an error in your posted grade, please submit a reappraisal request via email before 12 December 2021.

I have posted the preliminary grades for the submitted Project A through D and participation marks on ePost and eClass. The participation marks are tentative and grading scheme could change in the final tally, but for now, here is the participation mark grading scheme:

if      [WeeklyAttendance] <  45 then 0
else if [WeeklyAttendance] <  90 then 2
else if [WeeklyAttendance] < 120 then 3
else if [WeeklyAttendance] < 180 then 4
else 5

The [WeeklyAttendance] is computed by summing the total number of minutes spent
attending Lectures, watching Lecture Videos, or attending Labs, divided by 12 weeks.
Statistics collected via Zoom's meeting usage stats and recording analytics.

                

Since this week there will be no official Lab sessions—the last official Lab session was on Thursday last week—, I will offer two unofficial “Tutorial” sessions at the same times and same place as the normal Lab sessions this Thursday (December 9 at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM). Additionally, I am willing to have an unofficial “Review” session on next week Tuesday (December 14) at the same time as the normal lecture for you to ask any questions or request me to review any course materials with you as a group. As these are unofficial sessions, none will be recorded.
Lastly, I will offer extended Wednesdays office hours from now until the final exam. That’s Wednesday, December 8 from 3 to 6 PM and the same on December 15, as well as Thursday, December 9 at 3 to 5 PM.

See you all Tuesday.

Test 2 Grades Posted

04 December 2021

Hi class,

The grades for Test 2 along with the solutions are now posted. You can view your marks on ePost, on eClass or in a detailed report here along with individualized feedback.

If you believe there is an error in your posted grade, please submit a reappraisal request via email before 12 December 2021. It is essential that you present logical arguments as to why the work should be re-marked; otherwise, it will not. Note that the entire work will be re-marked, and your mark may be increased or decreased or it may stay unchanged. Note also that the deadline for re-marking is one week after the marks are posted. No re-marking request will be considered after that deadline.

The Second Test

24 November 2021

Hi class,

Tomorrow will be our second test.

This is a 120-minute (2-hour) test and worth 25% of your final grade.

Please join the Zoom meeting and log into RemoteLab at least 15 minutes before the scheduled test time. You may need to wait briefly in the waiting room but this gives you an opportunity to get your development environment setup and ready to go. We will start exactly at 5:30pm and 7:30pm for Lab 1 and 2 respectively, and end exactly at 7:30pm and 9:30pm accordingly.

If you are late, no additional time will be added. No late submissions will be accepted.**

For detailed test instructions, go to Test 2.

** No late submissions will be accepted, except in the rarest of circumstances, whether technical or unforeseen. Exemptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Update for Week 9 and Prep for Test 2

19 November 2021

Hi class,

Next week Thursday (November 25) will be our second test. It will be based on Project C and Project D and be focused on NodeJS web services, client-side scripting and single page applications. It is worth 25% of your final grade. So, I want to remind everyone to complete and submit your Projects C and D as soon as possible. Both Project C and D are due on Thursday, November 25 at 5 pm.

If you are having any difficulties, feel free to discuss with your colleagues, post your questions on the Course Forum, or attend my extended office hours scheduled for next Wednesday from 3 to 6 pm and Thursday from 3 to 4 pm. Next Tuesday’s class will be a review session, which will be another opportunity for you to have your questions and concerns addressed. So come prepared with your questions or topics you want me to discuss.

The recording from this week’s lecture was posted Wednesday along with the slides. I have also updated the lecture slides for NodeJS (Part I and II) and Web Apps (Part I and II) with additional slides and materials (along with the downloadable PDFs) to aid you in your preparations for the test. The demo code for Modules C and D in the course repo have also been updated.

Update for Week 8, Project D Posted, and more.

12 November 2021

Hi class,

This is a recap for this week. Project D has been posted and is due in 2 weeks. The slides for this week’s lecture has been posted along with the video recording. I also updated the slides for Node JS (Parts I and II). I also updated the course Schedule to move forward Project E by one week and adjusted the last section of the course. So, we will begin TypeScript and introduce Angular as early as next week.

It is critical that you complete Project C and start working on Project D as soon as possible, since Test 2 is in less than 2 weeks (on November 25th) and it will focus entirely on the materials we covered since Test 1 (NodeJS and Web Apps). As such, I am extending my Wednesday Office Hours next week and the following week (on November 24th) from 3pm to 6pm (3 hours instead of one). I will limit each student to about ten minutes, that way I am able to meet and assist as many students as possible. I am doing this in lieu of written feedback for Project C and D. So, come prepared with your questions. You may of course choose to meet me as a group, sharing your time allotments. Just let me know who else in the waiting room you want me allow into the meeting as well.

Additional, please attend the Labs. Attendance has been dropping precipitously week-over-week, especially in the last couple of weeks, including in the Lectures and their video recordings. The labs are an important opportunity for you to seek help, outside of my office hours or on the course forum. Lastly, I want to apologize to the Lab 1 participants for the technical difficulties we had this week. Here is the demo from Lab session 2. (I will revisit this in next week’s Lecture.)

Test 1 Grades Posted

02 November 2021

Hi class,

Earlier today, I posted the grades for Test 1 along with the solutions. You can view your marks on ePost, on eClass or in a detailed report here along with individualized feedback.

If you believe there is an error in your posted grade, please submit a reappraisal request via email before 9 November 2021. It is essential that you present logical arguments as to why the work should be re-marked; otherwise, it will not. Note that the entire work will be re-marked, and your mark may be increased or decreased or it may stay unchanged. Note also that the deadline for re-marking is one week after the marks are posted. No re-marking request will be considered after that deadline.

Update for Week 6, Project C Posted, and more.

29 October 2021

Hi class,

This is a brief recap for this week. I posted Project C yesterday. The lecture slides and recording were also posted earlier this week. Earlier today, I posted a link to a YouTube playlist that contains the solutions for the Expressworks workshop that we worked on during the lab. Additional workshops and tutorials are available on nodeschool.io. There are quite a few useful workshops there (depending on your skill level), such as:

learnyounode
functional-javascript-workshop
planetproto
currying-workshopper
lololodash
js-best-practices
scope-chains-closures
promise-it-wont-hurt
learnyouhtml

You can install Node JS and then download and do these workshops on own your computer, or just let me know which ones you want to do and I can install them on the EECS computer system for you. Lastly, I have updated the Resources page with additional links to JavaScript and NodeJS resources.

The First Test

21 October 2021

Hi class,

Later today, October 21st, will be our first test. I hope everyone is well-rested and ready to go!

This is a 120-minute (2-hour) test and worth 25% of your final grade.

If you are late, no additional time will be added. No late submissions will be accepted.**

For detailed test instructions, go to Test 1.

If you are unable to attend or miss this test, its weight will automatically be transferred evenly to the two remaining assessments (Test 2 and the final exam). Thus, Test 2 will be worth 37.5% instead of 25% and the Final Exam will be worth 52.5% rather than 40%. However, be forewarned, you MUST write at least one of the tests and the final exam. I will not (cannot) transfer all of your grades to the final exam if you miss both tests.

** No late submissions will be accepted, except in the rarest of circumstances, whether technical or unforeseen. Exemptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Update for Week 4 and Reading Week

11 October 2021

Hi class,

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving weekend and a great start to your Reading Week.

Next week Thursday (October 21) will be our first test. It will be based on Project A and Project B. So, I want to remind everyone to complete and submit your Projects A and B as soon as possible. You may submit your Project B for feedback between now and this Friday (October 15). Both Project A and B are due on Thursday, October 21 at 5 pm. Important: Please ensure that you include your source code within the WAR file that you submit.

If you are still having difficulties, feel free to discuss with your colleagues, post your questions on the Course Forum, or attend my office hours scheduled for Wednesday from 5 to 6 pm and Thursday from 3 to 4 pm, as usual.

The lab recordings from last Thursday’s labs were posted late Friday, and I have also updated the lecture slides with additional slides and materials to aid you in your preparations for the test. The Web Services slides have been split into two parts (Part I and Part II). Hopefully, that will make the materials a bit more digestible. See you all next week Tuesday, and enjoy the rest of your Reading Week.

Update for Week 3, Project B Posted, and more.

01 October 2021

Hi class,

Sorry for the late post. I have posted an updated Project B with updated instructions. Earlier today, I posted the links to yesterday’s lab recordings. During the labs, I had made a couple of significant mistakes in my demo. I have attached a video of the corrections at the end of each recording. I have also posted the Lecture video (at least, a re-recording of it, because the original failed to record). The lecture slides have been updated. Lastly, I hope to provide feedback for most or all of the submitted Project A’s by our next class. If you haven’t submitted it yet, get it in tonight! Last chance!

Announcing New Thursdays Office Hours

01 October 2021

RE: Thursdays Office Hours Poll

Based on the results from the poll I posted last week, my primary Thursdays’ office hours will be rescheduled to Thursdays from 3 PM to 4 PM, starting this coming Thursday (October 7th). The Zoom meeting link remains the same as always, just a different time. I should note that quite a few students also voted for Thursdays from noon to 1 PM. I will keep this time slot in mind and can be available then, but only by appointment 24 hours in advance.

Project A Deadline Extension

27 September 2021

Based on the number of current submissions and feedback from the lab sessions, I am giving everyone a deadline extension until 21 October 2021 at 5 pm to submit Project A for the 1% grading component. Consider it a 1% bonus to your Test 1 if you submit your project beforehand.

Despite this extension, there is one major advantage for you to submit your Project A (completed or incomplete) by 30 September 2021. If you submit by 30 September 2021, I will provide you feedback regarding your submission and whether or not there are issues that need to be fixed. The feedback should help you fix any issues and aid you in Test 1. Feedback will be provided via a FEEDBACK.txt file that will be added to your submission folder and accessible via the Web Submit portal.

Thursdays Office Hours Poll

24 September 2021

Hi class,

Due to lack of demand, I am considering moving my Thursday office hours to a new timeslot on Thursdays. I have created a poll on eClass and would like your feedback. Please select one or more times that you are available on Thursdays from the poll. The poll closes next Thursday at the end of the lab sessions (10 pm). Based on your feedback, I will announce new office hours for Thursdays.

Update for Week 2

23 September 2021

Hi Everyone!

Tuesday was our second lecture. The Microservices lecture slides are now posted and updated. I have split the slide deck into two parts: Part I and Part II. The lecture recording for this week (L02) has also been posted. There are a few small clarifications that have been added to the instructions for Project A.

Project A Posted

16 September 2021

Hi everyone!

Project A is now posted! Please find it here. If you have any questions regarding the Project, please use the lab session to discuss with your peers and ask the teaching assistant. You can also ask your questions on the Course Forum.

The First Lecture

15 September 2021

Hi everyone!

Tuesday was our first lecture. The Introduction and Microservices lecture slides are now posted, as are the lecture recordings (L01). The Microservices slides will be updated in the coming days in advance of next week’s lecture where we will continue where we left off. You can find them all under the Schedule.

Welcome to EECS 4413 Building E-Commerce Systems!

07 September 2021

The first lecture will be on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 PM (Zoom URL available on E-Class). Until then, familiarize yourself with this Course Website; and read the Course Outline. The Course Website is public whereas the eClass (Moodle) site is restricted to enrolled students. The Moodle site contains only three things: the Course Forum (for questions), the Zoom links, and the assessment tools (tests and the exam). The other items are just hyperlinks to pages on the Course Website. If you have questions, wait until the term starts and then follow the Forum & Email Protocols.