Catalogue of Modules, University of Nottingham

G52SEM Software Engineering Methodologies
(Last Updated:08 April 2013)

Year  12/13

Total Credits: 10

Level: Level 2

Target Students:  Second year undergraduate students in the School of Computer Science.  Available to JYA/Erasmus students.

Taught Semesters:

SemesterAssessment
Autumn Assessed by end of Autumn Semester 

Prerequisites: Or G51ISE 2009/10.

MnemTitle
G51FSE Introduction to Software Engineering 

Corequisites:  None.

Summary of Content:  

This module is part of the Software Engineering theme.


This module builds on the material presented in the Foundations of Software Engineering module, and complements it with additional material designed to provide the practical skills necessary to effectively participate as a team in the Software Engineering Group Project. The module covers three main aspects of the software development process in depth:
  1. The system analysis and design process: the Unified Modelling Language (UML) will be introduced and applied in the process of creating a formal software development design. Use-Case Analysis (UCA) and Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) will be studied in depth, and related to the development process taking place in the Software Engineering Group Project.
  2. The project management process: essential concepts and techniques in project management will be covered in depth, including Gantt charts, critical path analysis and the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). The module will include exercises in project tracking, utilising project management software tools, including producing project plans for Software Engineering Group Projects. Replanning and rescheduling in response to changes in a project implementation will be studied.
  3. Software documentation: the practice of good software documentation will be demonstrated, in conjunction with documentation generation tools applicable to current development environments.

Method and Frequency of Class:

ActivityNumber Of WeeksNumber of sessionsDuration of a session
Lecture 11 weeks2 per week1 hour

Activities may take place every teaching week of the Semester or only in specified weeks. It is usually specified above if an activity only takes place in some weeks of a Semester

Further Activity Details:
In the workshop students work in groups towards the coursework which is part of the module assessment.

Method of Assessment: 

Assessment TypeWeightRequirements
Exam 1 60  1.5 hr written examination 
Coursework 1 40 Analysis and design exercises, and project planning exercises, both in groups and individually 

Convenor: 
Professor D Elliman

Education Aims:  This module aims to give students an understanding of the tools and techniques which may be used to design commercial software, manage software development projects and document software to a professional standard. On completion of this module, students will be able to effectively analyse requirements for a range of systems, using appropriate tools and techniques; use project management tools effectively and understand soft issues of project management; document software using appropriate tools.

Learning Outcomes:  Knowledge and Understanding: Knowledge of the practice of constructing large systems. Understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of system specification, design and implementation tools and resources. Intellectual Skills: The ability to effectively analyse requirements for a range of systems, using appropriate tools and techniques . Professional Skills: The ability to work effectively and ethically with users. Transferable Skills: The ability to solve hardware/software analysis problems and write detailed reports on the solutions adopted. The ability to use project management tools effectively and understand soft issues of project management.

Offering School:  Computer Science

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