Course Catalogue

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Software engineering students will undertake a ten to twelve month assessed placement in industry to gain relevant practical experience.  Assessment materials engage students in the wider software engineering literature and encourage students to reflect on and share their experiences on placement.

Year 1 (UG Level 3): October-March secure placement.

Year 2 (UG Level 4):

June: Placement begins.

September: Visit 1.

November: Skills Workshop (students return to university to give tutorial).

January: Final Year Project Proposal

March/April: Literature Survey

June: Placement ends

Only for Software Engineering students on the MSci Software Engineering Programme

Software Engineering Summer Placement (H)

None

Diary entries encourage students to record their experiences and relate it to required reading.

All assessments are designed to encourage students to think reflectively about the value and context of their experiences on placement, both retrospectively, and prospectively (looking ahead to re-introduction into the University in Year 5).

The first visit is primarily a check, but also identifies incidents that facilitate critical reflective thinking. The second visit probes the student's development of these skills more deeply.

The tools and methods workshop encourages students to identify valuable practical learning and re-present this to their peer group.

The project proposal encourages students to identify a project collaboratively with their employer (although they are not committed to undertaking this project when they return to University).

40 Weekly diary entries 5%

5 Online Discussions 5%

Placement visit 15%

Tools and Methods Tutorial during Experience Workshop 25%

Final Year Project Proposal 25%

Literature Survey 25%

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. 

Assessment is undertaken while the student is on placement, so it is not feasible to complete re-assessment.

To give students the experience of a real software development environment.

To embed the software engineering theory, principles and tools studied during the previous three years through practical experience.

Enable students to contextualise their own experiences of software engineering within an understanding of the wider discipline

To develop a student's ability to evaluate and enhance their personal software process.

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

■ Describe applicability of practices, methods and tool taught in software engineering and other academic computing science courses to real world software development efforts.

■ Select appropriate sources of information on Software Engineering in practice.

■ Critically analyse empirical software engineering, case studies and experience reports.

■ Communicate reflectively on their experiences on placement and the relationship to theoretical material delivered at University.

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