Course Catalogue

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This course is intended for Graduate Apprenticeship students only.

Students on the GA programme will be going straight into a working environment, so it is important that they understand the fundamentals of working as a professional. This course will introduce them to many facets of software development beyond simply writing code, which will be important to prepare them for professional work.

Note that the first half of the course will be spent largely on campus, with the second half spent largely in the workplace.

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Written examination 55%, Report on workplace practices 25%, mid semester class tests 10%, in-class quizzes 5% and a 5% presentation

The aim of this course is to impart a breadth of knowledge about software engineering in a professional environment. This knowledge will cover ethical issues, design lifecycles, development methodologies and security factors. It will also develop their ability to critically assess software development design decisions. Students should also develop an understanding of common software development tools and packages on a conceptual level to make their transition into the workplace more efficient.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Discuss ethical and legal issues faced by professional software developers;

2. Describe the basic concepts of software engineering;

3. Describe different approaches to software testing;

4. Evaluate object-oriented design patterns in order to contrast workplace practices; 

5. Appraise workplace practices and methodologies in order to critically discuss their application.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.