Software Engineering - BSc (Hons)

with a Year in Industry

The curriculum covers topics in algorithms and data structures, such as hashing and graph algorithms. It addresses how to program such algorithms, as well as how to test them, reason about their correctness and analyse their efficiency. It includes a mathematical treatment of big-O notation.

This module provides an introduction to the theory and practice of database systems. It extends the study of information systems in Stage 1 by focusing on the design, implementation and use of database systems. Topics include database management systems architecture, data modelling and database design, query languages, recent developments and future prospects.

Building scaleable web sites using client-side and and server-side frameworks (e.g. JQuery, CodeIgniter). Data transfer technologies, e.g. XML and JSON. Building highly interactive web sites using e.g. AJAX. Web services. Deploying applications and services to the web: servers, infrastructure services, and traffic and performance analysis. Web and application development for mobile devices.

The module studies in detail the activities and artefacts associated with software development process as performed by a development team (i.e. programming in the large).

Students undertake an individual project, which involves the specification and development of a software solution. Two members of academic staff will be involved in the supervision and monitoring of the project work. One member of academic staff will assume the role of client and the second that of mentor. Students will meet weekly with the client to review progress and validate development to-date. The mentor will support students to ensure the client's desired functionality is interpreted correctly and to encourage the adoption sound software engineering principles.Towards the end of the project, each student will:• Prepare a technical report that describes their solution strategy, the result of their project and reflections on what the student earned from the project;• Present and give a demonstration of their software solution to the academic supervisors and other project groups.

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental components (hardware and software) of a typical computer system, and how they collaborate to execute software programs. The module provides a compressive overview from the lowest level of abstractions in hardware to the highest level of abstractions of modern programming languages. For example, they will see logic circuits, machine language, programming language implementations, high-level languages, and applications. This material provides a general understanding of computers, and it will also prepare students to develop software considering the system perspective, e.g. cost of abstraction and performance implications.

Cyber security has always been an important aspect of computing systems but its importance has increased greatly in recent years. The curriculum covers areas where cyber security is of major importance, but have different security requirements and may be exposed to different threats and attacks. It also covers techniques and mechanisms used to secure computer systems and data to meet those requirements and protect them. The areas looked at include computer operating systems (and increasingly, distributed operating systems), distributed applications (such as electronic commerce over the Internet), embedded systems (ranging from smart cards to large industrial plant and telecommunications systems), and users. The techniques and mechanisms looked at include cryptography, authentication & authorisation, and access control. Furthermore, the curriculum integrates the legal, ethical, and professional perspectives, for instance, to address concerns about data security, privacy, and societal impact of computing systems.

The module studies team-based Agile software development in detail and places it in a wider software development context.

Topics covered include

• Concepts, principles, practice and philosophy of an Agile approach to software development, contrasting with more structured approaches.

• Collaboration: programmer collaboration, team values, customer involvement, project management, standards and reporting.

• Planning: release and sprint planning, risk assessment, user stories and resource estimating

• Development practices: incremental requirements, test-driven development, refactoring, scrum, code review, quality assurance, continuous integration.

• Tools: IDEs, version control, automated code quality evaluation, issue tracking.

• Ethics, Intellectual property, codes of conduct and professional responsibility.

Students spend a year (minimum 44 weeks) working in an industrial or commercial setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have developed and studied in the earlier stages of their degree programme. The work they do is entirely under the direction of their industrial supervisor, but support is provided via a dedicated Placement Support Officer with the School. This support includes ensuring that the work they are being expected to do is such that they can meet the learning outcomes of the module.

Find out more about COMP7920

Students spend a year (minimum 44 weeks) usually in an industrial, commercial, public sector, or similar setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have developed and studied in the earlier stages of their degree course.

The Assessments required for this module should provide evidence of the subject specific and generic learning outcomes, and of reflection by the student on them as an independent learner.

The placement work they do is entirely under the direction of their industrial supervisor, but support is provided by the CEMS Employability and Placements Team. This support includes ensuring that the work they are being expected to do is such that they can meet the learning outcomes of this module.

Participation in the placement year, and hence in this module, is dependent on students obtaining an appropriate placement, for which support and guidance is provided by the CEMS Employability and Placements Team. It is also dependent on students progressing satisfactorily from Stage 2 of their studies.

Students who do not obtain a placement will be required to transfer to the appropriate course without a Year in Industry.

Find out more about COMP7930

Students, working in small groups, undertake a project related to computer science and/or software engineering. The project may be self-proposed or may be selected from a list of project proposals. A project will involve the specification, design, implementation, documentation and demonstration of a technical artefact, demonstrating the ability to synthesise information, ideas and practices to provide a quality solution together with an evaluation of that solution.

This module is designed to provide students across the university with access to knowledge, skill development and training in the field of entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on developing a business plan in order to exploit identified opportunities. Hence, the module will be of value for students who aspire to establishing their own business and/or introducing innovation through new product, service, process, project or business development in an established organisation. The module complements students' final year projects in Computing, Law, Biosciences, Electronics, Multimedia, and Drama etc.

In this module you learn what is meant by neural networks and how to explain the mathematical equations that underlie them. You also build neural networks using state of the art simulation technology and apply these networks to the solution of problems. In addition, the module discusses examples of computation applied to neurobiology and cognitive psychology.

Indicative topics include:

Resource Description Framework (RDF) & RDF Schema:

Information representation and knowledge exchange on the web

Applications of RDF

RDF Query and Inference Languages (e.g. SPARQL etc.)

Web Ontology Language (OWL):

Publishing and sharing of ontologies

Knowledge management, asset management, enterprise integration

Automated agents

Existing Shared Ontologies (e.g. FOAF, DC, SKOS etc.)

Metadata and Provenance

The Wider Picture:

Data trust and proof issues

Computer law and professional issues

The future of the Web (these lists are not exhaustive):

Web 3.0: the Semantic Web; cognitive architecture; automated reasoning; distributed computing; composite applications; semantic wikis etc.

Aim to give students the tools to critically evaluate the Semantic Web (and alternative proposals).

Students will spend one half-day per week for ten weeks in a school with a nominated teacher. They will observe sessions taught by their designated teacher and possibly other teachers. Later they will act somewhat in the role of a teaching assistant, by helping individual pupils who are having difficulties or by working with small groups. They may take 'hotspots': brief sessions with the whole class where they explain a technical topic or talk about aspects of university life. They must keep a weekly log of their activities. Each student must also devise a special project in consultation with the teacher and with the module convener. They must then implement and evaluate the project.

The following is indicative of topics/themes this module will include:

An overview of basic concepts related to Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques, such as heuristic search and optimisation

Presentation of different CI algorithms, such as hill climbing, simulated annealing, genetic algorithms and genetic programming

An overview of basic concepts related to real-world problems related to business, economics and finance, such as financial forecasting, automated bargaining, portfolio

optimisation, and timetabling

The use of Computational Intelligence techniques to solve real-world problems

Computational Intelligence decision support systems and software wind tunnels for testing new markets and strategies.

The module will cover a mixture of theoretical and practical topics in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT), that is, the use of Internet technologies to access and interact with objects in the physical world. This will include coverage of the range of sensor and actuator devices available, ways in which they communicate and compute, methods for getting information to and from IoT-enabled devices, and ways of visualising and processing data gained from the IoT. A practical component will consist of building the hardware and software for a sensor network and a system to collect, process and visualise data from that network.

The module aim is to give students an overview and understanding of key theoretical, practical and philosophical research and issues around computational creativity, and to give them practical experience in writing and evaluating creative software.

The following is an indicative list of topics that may be covered:

Introduction to computational creativity

Examples of computational creativity software e.g. musical systems, artistic systems, linguistic systems, proof generator systems, systems for 2D and 3D design.

Evaluation of computational creativity systems (both of the quality and the creativity of systems)

Philosophical issues concerning creativity in computers

Comparison of computer creativity to human creativity

Collaborative creativity between humans and computers

Overview of recent research directions/results in computational creativity

Practical experience in writing creative software.

This module will provide the student with an understanding of basic principles of signals; introduce digitisation methods such as sampling, quantisation and coding; describe and apply signal analysis techniques, such as segmentation, noise reduction, filtering, spectral analysis, feature extraction and classification (including recognition and decision making) to solve practical signal analysis problems using Matlab.

An overview of basic concepts related to eHealth and a perspective on current HIT (Health Information Technology) and innovation. Review of current healthcare related IT systems. The use of information technology for handling clinical data, health systems. Data representation and knowledge management. Security and privacy. Ethics and legal requirements of eHealth systems. Clinical decision support systems. TeleHealth tools for remote diagnosis, monitoring, and disease management. Delivery and monitoring platforms for both hospitals and home environment. Innovation in eHealth systems leading to start-up companies.

This module explores a range of different data mining and knowledge discovery techniques and algorithms. You learn about the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques and how to choose the most appropriate for any particular task. You use a data mining tool, and learn to evaluate the quality of discovered knowledge.

This module is concerned with a range of topics in video game design and development, including game physics, AI, level design, player behaviour, game rules and mechanics, as well as user interfaces. This module introduces students to game development using industry-standard software tools.

The module introduces fundamental techniques employed in image processing and pattern recognition providing an understanding of how practical pattern recognition systems may be developed able to address the inherent difficulties present in real world situations. The material is augmented with a study of biometric and security applications looking at the specific techniques employed to recognise biometric samples.

This module introduces the theory and practice of employing computers as the control and organisational centre of an electronic or mechanical system, and examines issues related to time critical systems. It also provides exposure to practical embedded systems design through practical work, with one assignment exploring the ideas of real-time operating systems introduced in the lectures and a second using a microcomputer programmed in 'C' to control the ignition timing of a simulated petrol engine.

The module will study some of the major works in the history of modern philosophy of cognitive science and artificial intelligence. An indicative list of topics is: The Turing test; the Chinese Room argument; the frame problem; connectionism; extended and embodied cognition; artificial consciousness. The approach will be philosophical and critical, and will involve the close reading of texts. Students will be expected to engage critically with the works being studied and to formulate and argue for their own views on the issues covered.