Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Safety-Critical Systems Development (H) COMPSCI4045

  • Academic Session: 2020-21
  • School: School of Computing Science
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Available to Erasmus Students: Yes

Short Description

This course encourages students to apply engineering techniques to support the development of safety-critical applications. It also encourages students to consider the particular methodological and professional issues that surround the development of safety-critical systems.

Timetable

Three hours per week

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

Safety Critical Systems (M)

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Examination (80%); Practical Exercises: (20%)

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? No

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

 

Resit Exams are not permitted for Honours students

Course Aims

This course encourages students to apply engineering techniques to support the development of safety-critical applications. It also encourages students to consider the particular methodological and professional issues that surround the development of safety-critical systems.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

1. Discuss the professional and social issues involved in the design and testing of safety-critical systems;

2. Discuss the importance of standards and show a clear understanding of recent initiatives in this area;

3. Apply a number of risk analysis techniques such as Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis and Fault Tree Analysis;

4. Apply a number of safety critical design techniques such as redundancy;

5. Apply a number of safety critical evaluation techniques such as Black Box testing;

6. Identify the main characteristics of an appropriate safety culture within large organisations.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

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