6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Chief examiner(s)
Not offered in 2018
Synopsis
In this unit students will learn about many aspects of working with a large team on large projects to produce quality software products on time and within budget. The student will gain an appreciation of the tools and techniques used to develop software systems within a group context. Topics to be studied include: software development lifecycle models; sizing, estimation, planning and control of projects; functional specification and design of real-time systems; formal specification and design using Z; integration and testing strategies, configuration management; reuse and re-engineering.
Outcomes
At the completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- explain the continuing software crisis, problems encountered in the development of large software systems: poor quality, late delivery and budget overruns and the techniques used in software engineering to counter these problems;
- describe the role of software lifecycle models in project control and planning;
- describe and assess methods for software estimations and real-time systems;
- implement strategies for testing software;
- apply techniques for scheduling and control of large projects;
- construct and validate a software specification;
- describe large software systems using appropriate language and technical specification techniques to suit the intended audience
Assessment
Examination (3 hours): 55%; In-semester assessment: 45%
Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:
- Contact hours for on-campus students:
- Two hours of lectures
- One 2-hour tutorial
- Study schedule for off-campus students:
- Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture and tutorial sessions, however should plan to spend equivalent time working through the relevant resources and participating in discussion groups each week.
- Additional requirements (all students):
- A minimum of 8 hours independent study per week for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.
See also Unit timetable information