Students
COMP255 – Software Engineering
2015 – S2 Day
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor and Lecturer
Michael Johnson
Contact via michael.johnson@mq.edu.au
E6A 383
Tuesdays from 11am, Thursdays from noon and Fridays from 6pm, C5C T1
Principal Lecturer
Franck Cassez
Contact via franck.cassez@mq.edu.au
E6A 313
To be determined
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
3
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
18cp including COMP125(P)
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces engineering principles and practices to all stages of the software development lifecycle to ensure a systematic, quality-focused and quantifiable approach to the management, design, development, maintenance, verification and validation of [large and complex] software products, projects and processes. Problem formulation and solving are emphasised. Topics covered include: requirements gathering and specification; object-oriented modelling using the Unified Modeling Language (UML); process management; and software design, testing and evolution.
|
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
General Assessment Information
A major part of all software engineering projects is being able to report accurately and on time. For all your assignments, and for your professional life in the future, you are encouraged to
- set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one
- keep backups of all your important files
- make sure that no-one else picks up your printouts or has access to your files
Late work will not be accepted. Develop good working habits and manage your time well. If your contributions are seriously affected by illness or misadventure do your utmost to contact the lecturer before the due date. If the severity of the disruption warrants it, you should consider applying for special consideration.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly problems | 10% | Weekly |
| Class Participation | 10% | Weekly |
| Assignment 1 | 15% | Friday 4th September, 5pm |
| Assignment 2 | 15% | Friday 23rd October, 5pm |
| Final Exam | 50% | Exam Period |
Weekly problems
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Feedback: In lectures
Each week problems will be posted in iLearn related to the lecture content for that week.
By the end of each week you are required to submit your responses in the manner specified in the questions for that week. Your answers will need to demonstrate appropriate depth of understanding.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Class Participation
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Feedback: In classes
Your attendance at workshops is expected and your active participation will be marked. A roll will be taken to record your attendance.
Workshops (also sometimes called mixed classes, tutorials or practicals) will involve a range of activities, some individual, some in pairs, some in groups. Be prepared to present your ideas.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Assignment 1
Due: Friday 4th September, 5pm
Weighting: 15%
Assignment 1 will be a written assignment that will allow you to demonstrate the development of your understanding and your ability to apply the things that you have learned in the first part of the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
Assignment 2
Due: Friday 23rd October, 5pm
Weighting: 15%
Assignment 2 will be a written assignment that will allow you to demonstrate the development of your understanding and your ability to apply the things that you have learned in the second part of the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Final Exam
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 50%
Final 3 hour exam
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Delivery and Resources
What is new?
Comp255 in 2015 will be similar to the 2014 offering, but very different from previous offerings. While the goals of the unit are largely the same as in the past, the techniques that we use to teach the unit, and the expectations that we have for student work, have changed significantly.
Textbook
There is no textbook for COMP255. The unit content will be presented in lectures and practical classes. There will also be some assigned readings, and there are many books that can be consulted for reference material.
Lecture Recordings
Digital recordings of parts of lectures are expected to be available. Note that some of the lecture activities are interactive, and because there is no video recording it is unlikely that you will be able to understand what is happening if you were not present for the original lecture. In addition, some confidential case-studies will be presented in lectures but will not be recorded.
If you miss a lecture you should obtain a copy of the lecture notes from another student, find out whatever else you can about the lecture to catch up, think carefully about the material, and then talk to the lecturer at the next lecture to discuss anything that is still unclear.
Website
Extra course materials, some online discussions, and the submission of assessable work, will be carried out via iLearn.
The unit will make use of discussion boards hosted within iLearn. Feel free to post questions there -- the discussion boards will be monitored by the staff teaching the unit. Everyone is encouraged to engage with the discussion and provide questions and/or answers. Such discussions will generally be about the material treated in comp255, but other aspects of Software Engineering may be discussed too. We are a "community of interest" and we are here to learn about software engineering (including the software engineering taught in comp255, but not only the software engineering taught in comp255!).
If you have a personal question it is usually more appropriate to email the lecturer teaching during that week.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
COMP255 is taught via lectures in C5C T1 and workshops (mixed classes) in various tutorial rooms.
The feedback that you receive plays a crucial role in your learning. You have many opportunities to seek and receive feedback. During lectures, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. To ensure you don't miss feedback make sure that you 1) review your marked assignments, 2) read unit emails and information at the unit website and 3) attend lectures which are often used to point out what was expected in assessable work and to provide examples of good solutions and/or examples of common errors.
Lectures are used to motivate engagement with and reinforcement of the unit's subject matter. While lectures will be recorded via iLecture, some activities such as role plays and dramas conducted in the lecture theatre will not be captured properly in the iLecture recording. Volunteers to participate in role plays will be requested in the lecture, please consider whether you can contribute in this way. Lectures will of course include a significant amount of learning material, but even more importantly they include contextual material and learning activities that "make meaning" of the subject matter.
Workshops are smaller group classes which give you the opportunity to interact with your peers and with a tutor who has sound knowledge of the subject. Workshops will require working in small groups and sometimes involve reporting back to the class. The classes will focus on reinforcing understanding of the concepts and their practical applications to problems. It is important that you participate in the activities and make some notes from them to assist you with revision of the material.
Assignments will play a key role in providing formative evaluation so that students and the teachers can gauge levels of understanding. Assignments will be related to the lecture, practical and tutorial material and require students to bring together what they have been learning.
Exams will be designed to test your understanding of the course content and your application of the concepts to a number of scenarios or problem statements.
Each week you should:
- Attend lectures, take notes, ask questions
- Complete the weekly questions and submit them via ilearn
- Attend your workshop and seek feedback from your tutor on your work
- Read assigned reading material, add to your notes and prepare questions for your lecturer or tutor
- Start working on any assignments immediately after they have been released.
Unit Schedule
Assumed knowledge
This unit requires an understanding of programming concepts and knowledge of data structures (obtained in COMP125). Additional programming experience will be an advantage.
Week |
Topic - (subject to change) |
Lecturer |
| 1 | Software architecture and design | Mike |
| 2 | Distributed Systems and Requirements | Mike |
| 3 | Requirements Definition and Requirements Specification | Mike |
| 4 | Modelling Domains and Modelling Systems | Mike |
| 5 | Agile Software Development | Franck |
|
6 |
Software Testing | Franck |
| 7 | Software Delivery and Deployment | Franck |
|
8 |
Design and Implementation | Franck |
| 9 | Software Quality | Franck |
| 10 | Software Maintenance | Franck |
| 11 | Software Security Engineering | Franck |
| 12 | Embedded Systems and Real-Time Applications | Franck |
| 13 | Fundamental Reflections on Software Engineering | Mike and Franck |
Learning and Teaching Activities
Lectures
Practical Class
Reading, reflection and written submissions
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Special Consideration
Special Consideration is intended for a student who is prevented by serious and unavoidable disruption from completing unit requirements in accordance with their ability. Go to this site to find the disruption to studies form that needs to be completed and submitted along with appropriate evidence to support your case. Depending on the circumstances presented, the convenor may choose to give you an extra assessment task, a supplementary examination, etc. If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Special Consideration process the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period. For details of the Special Consideration policy specific to the Department of Computing, talk to the lecturer.
Grade Appeal
In case of problems arising with your final grade, the first step is to organise a review. The Department recommends that you request an appointment with the convenor of the unit in order to review your grade. If the review does not solve the problem, a formal Grade Appeal can be lodged. See the grade appeal policy.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own. The Department, in line with University policy, treats all cases seriously. In particular, the Department, keeps a record of all plagiarism cases. This record is referred to so that an appropriate penalty can be applied to each case.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Staff-Student Liaison Committee
The Department has established a Staff-Student Liaison Committee at each level (100, 200, 300) to provide all students studying a Computing unit the opportunity to discuss related issues or problems with both students and staff. The committee meets three times during the semester. For each meeting, an agenda is issued and minutes are taken. These are posted on the web. If you have exhausted all other avenues, then you should consult the Director of Teaching (Assoc Professor Steve Cassidy) or the Head of Department (Dr. Christophe Doche). You are entitled to have your concerns raised, discussed and resolved.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
If you have a serious disability please talk to the lecturer as early in the semester as possible. We are eager to help. Our focus is on learning, and we want to facilitate your individual learning.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Assessment tasks
- Class Participation
- Assignment 2
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
Assessment tasks
- Weekly problems
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Awareness of the life cycle of system development and the impact of implementation issues on various phases of the development life cycle.
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Assessment tasks
- Weekly problems
- Class Participation
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Final Exam
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
- Ability to derive an architecture and design solution from requirements and analysis work products incorporating aspects of quality, testing, and other post-design workflow activities.
Assessment tasks
- Weekly problems
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Final Exam
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Knowledge of requirements elicitation techniques and the ability to apply these techniques to a wide range of problem domains.
Assessment tasks
- Weekly problems
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Final Exam
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Ability to analyse the system requirements, build a logical model of the problem and turn the logical model from the analysis phase into a design model from which a system can be built.
Assessment tasks
- Weekly problems
- Class Participation
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Final Exam
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- An understanding of Software Engineering including its principles, practices, ethics and responsbilities.
Changes from Previous Offering
Grading
Grading
Comp255 is a graded unit. You will be awarded a grade (Pass, Credit, etc) as defined in the University's Grading Policy.
As well as depending upon your overall work in the unit, your final grade will depend on your performance in each part separately. In particular, in order to pass this unit
- You must perform at a satisfactory level in the examination.
- You must properly engage with the practical material in the unit as demonstrated by the submission of reasonable attempts at assignment and practical work and the submission of weekly problem solutions.
"Satisfactory" means "Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline."
In general, and in comp255, we recognise that assignments and weekly work are formative assessments and so a student can demonstrate proper engagement by submitting reasonable attempts that might not otherwise meet the full definition of satisfactory used in summative assessment.
If a student has any doubts about meeting the "reasonable" criterion for their assessments, he or she should speak with the lecturer. We are eager to give you more feedback so that you know exactly where you stand.