Aims and Fit of Module

Students will work in groups of four to produce a working software system.
The deliverables and working methods will be prescribed.   
      to provide experience of group working;   
      to provide experience of all aspects of the development of a moderately sized software system;  
      to prepare students for their individual projects in the final year;   
      to consolidate material from the first semester of the third year.

Learning outcomes

A. An understanding of working as part of a team;

B. Improved personal, interpersonal and communication skills;

C. A more in-depth understanding of the software development process; 

D. An ability to specify the requirements of a software system;

E. Experience in the design of a software system;

F. Practical experience in the implementation and testing of a moderately sized software system; 

G. An awareness of project management issues; 

H. Understanding of the process and role of software documentation;

I. Experience in the writing of a sizeable report on a software project

Method of teaching and learning

The overall strategy is to allow self and peer guided learning within a tightly defined framework.

At the beginning of the module an introductory lecture will outline details of the project scheme, and documentation detailing the framework and expectations will be provided. Thereafter lectures will be given at the rate of one a week describing the key skills needed to carry out the project. Students will be put into teams of four, and thereafter will be expected to work largely autonomously. Teams will be expected to hold regular project meetings, the minutes of which will be monitored by staff. Certain software deliverables will be prescribed: the projects will produce a database front end tools for maintaining the database tools for accessing, analysing and presenting the data

The domain of the system must be selected by the team. Each project will have three milestones:requirements specification, design specification, completed system and final report

Each of these will be reviewed and assessed by staff. Staff will be available on an 'as needed' basis to offer support, guidance and to arbitrate any difficulties.