Object Oriented Concepts

Course Length: Approximately 16 hours
Prerequisites: General experience with software design and programming is required

Object Oriented Concepts is designed to provide the student with a fundamental understanding of the object-oriented programming design methodology.

The course begins by discussing the basic theory behind the design of a software system, and the advantages of using an object-oriented approach to product development, as opposed to a more traditional method.

The five basic principles of software engineering that are involved in an object-oriented approach to design are covered: modularity, reusability, data abstraction, encapsulation and autonomy. Each concept is covered in a logical progression, illustrating the concept with examples.

The fundamental concepts of object-orientation are defined and discussed. First the object is defined along with the essential concept of encapsulation.

Next, the concept of data abstraction is covered illustrating object typing. Classes are used to hold these object definitions. Inheritance, messages, and polymorphism are then explained within the context of the Class structure.

After the theory has been presented, a complete hypothetical business scenario is developed that illustrates all of the concepts covered in the previous unit. The student will be led through the modeling of a real-world system using an object-oriented approach.

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Understand the reasoning which led to object-orientation
• Understand its advantages over more traditional methods of software design
• Understand the basic concepts and terminology used in object-oriented design and programming
• Understand how one would solve a real-world problem using an object-oriented approach

Note: All computer based training courses are Y2K (Year 2000) compliant.