Module name: Software Engineering approach to Usability
Keywords: HCI, usability, usable software Short description: The HCI discipline deals with the development of usable software. Usability is, on the other hand, a quality attribute that deals with the ease of use of software systems. This module will describe different HCI techniques for building usable software that can be applied throughout the development process, as well as providing a description of different artefacts that the software engineer can use to incorporate particular HCI mechanisms into their developments. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each winter


Module name: Distributed systems
Keywords: middleware, fault tolerance, networking computing Short description: This module describes the adaptation of software engineering methods and techniques to be used in the development of distributed systems. They will cover issues related to management, design,construction and evaluation of web based software. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring


Module name: Information Management
Keywords: Relational Databases, Datawarehouse, Data Mining, OLAP Short description: The Information Management discipline deals with the all the challenges of information management in companies. Consequently, this module will describe techniques for managing information related to both operational and decision-making processes. Different techniques for modelling databases and datawarehouses, as well as their associated challenges will be analysed in-depth throughout the module. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring


Module name: Formal Methods in Software Engineering
Short description: This course will cover approaches to software design and construction that employ mathematics to achieve higher levels of quality. Mathematical foundations of formal methods, formal modelling, validation of formal models, formal design analysis and program transformation will be issues to be covered. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring


Module name: Advanced Requirements Engineering
Keywords: Requirements engineering management, non functional requirements, independent conceptual models Short description: This course will deal with particular requirements engineering issues related to the management of the requirements engineering process, the treatment of non-functional requirements and special-purpose requirements modelling techniques Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring

Elective Module Name: Cluster Technologies

Keywords: clusters, performance, availability, development cost, design trade-offs Short description: The aim of the course is to provide the student with knowledge of cluster systems, including clusters as inexpensive and scalable high performance computer platforms and clusters as reliable computer platforms that can provide high availability. The course will also discuss trade-offs between design time quality attributes, such as maintainability and reusability, on the one hand, and run time quality attributes such as performance and availability, on the other hand. Prerequisites: Programming Schedule: This module will be taught every spring semester

Elective Module name: Multiprocessor Programming
Keywords: SMPs, clusters, parallel programming, performance, threads, MPI Short description: The aim of the course is to provide the student with knowledge of high-performance programming techniques and tools including profilers. The course considers high performance programming on both SMPs and clusters. We look at multithreaded programming techniques as well as parallel programs based on message passing (MPI). Prerequisites: Programming Schedule: This module will be taught every winter semester


Elective Module name: Software Architecture and Quality
Keywords: architecture design methods, architecture evaluation methods, components Short description: The course aims at providing the students with knowledge about the notion of software architecture, architecture design (including design patterns, frameworks, architectural styles and patterns), architecture evaluation of applications, orientation about component-based software engineering, as well as practical experiences with the above-mentioned concepts. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules + Databases, Data Communication, Real-time Systems, Operating Systems, Object-oriented Modelling Schedule: This course will be given each winter semester


Elective Module name: Software Product Lines
Keywords: Software product lines, scooping, software reuse, product line architecture Short description: Structuring software products as product-lines means that development effort can be shared out within the product-family and, as such, counters the impact of ever growing system complexity. This makes it possible to sustain the rate of product innovation, while keeping guaranteed levels of overall system performance and quality. The fundamental concept of a software product line is a domain-specific product architecture based upon a layered set of platforms. This is supported by a software engineering process focused on pervasive reuse. The issues in software product lines are not just technical, but include process, organizational and business aspects as well. Typical activities discussed are scoping, design of the software product-line architecture, development of software product-line components, instantiation of family members, i.e. products, and evolution of software product-line assets, i.e. the product-line architecture, the components and the products. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules plus Software Architecture and Quality Schedule: This course will be given each winter semester


Elective Module Name: Research Methods in Software Engineering and Computer Science
Keywords: Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Ethnomethodology, Surveys, Case Studies, Experiments, Simulations, Mathematical Modelling, Research Ethics, Research Proposals, Research Validity, Literature Survey, Research Dissemination. Short description: In both academia and industry it is often necessary to evaluate different concepts or competing technologies. Applying a rigorous scientific method ensures that the results from an evaluation are reliable. This covers all aspects from writing a research proposal, conducting a literature survey, deciding on an appropriate research methodology for the study (choosing between a multitude of quantitative and qualitative methodologies), designing the research study, gathering and analysing results, understanding the risks and generalisability of the study and the results, and disseminating the results. It also requires an understanding of the ethical issues that govern which studies should or should not be done or should be done differently. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring semester


Elective Module name: System Configuration Management
Keywords: Configuration management, configuration planning, configuration control, configuration auditing, configuration process Short description: The course aims to provide an understanding of how to track and control software (and software-intensive system) development and the activities involved by providing technical and administrative direction and surveillance to identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes to those characteristics, record and report change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance with specified requirements. This involves: - Knowledge of the importance and characteristics of system configuration management - Knowledge of different methods for system configuration management and control - Knowledge of different approaches for analysing system configuration management needs - Knowledge of different approaches and techniques formulating a system configuration plan - Knowledge of different approaches and techniques for controlling the system configuration Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring semester


Elective Module name: Advanced Topic in Software Engineering
Keywords: software engineering Short description: The course aims to provide the student with a deeper knowledge and understanding of an advanced topic within the field of software engineering. Knowledge of current research results within the selected topic. Knowledge of current state-of-the practice in the selected topic. The course gives students the opportunity to study relevant literature before the master thesis. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given every semester


Elective Module name: Software Metrics
Keywords: Software metrics, metric models, measurement programmes, validation Short description: The course aims to provide knowledge of how software metrics can be used to control, manage and predict software development processes, a framework for software metrics activities, an understanding of the value of a scientific approach to software measurement, an awareness of problems related to applying software measurement and experiences in setting up metrics and models Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring semester


Elective Module name: Software Quality Management
Keywords: Software quality, quality assurance, software reviews, software inspections, software process improvement Short Description: This course discusses the concept of quality in relation to software engineering. The course aims to provide knowledge about important quality assurance activities, software reviews and inspections, and software process improvement models, methods and techniques. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each winter semester


Elective Module name: Advanced Requirements Engineering
Keywords: Large Scale Requirements Engineering, requirements management, market-driven requirements engineering, continuous requirements engineering, requirements engineering process improvement. Short Description: This course discusses the problems that arise when requirements engineering is conducted in a fast-paced, cost-sensitive industry reality. The course aims to provide knowledge about problems related to large scale requirements engineering and market driven requirements engineering. Issues such as continuous requirements engineering, requirements management, and requirements engineering process improvement are discussed and related to current industry practice. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: This course will be given each spring semester

Description of Elective Modules at UKL

Elective Module name: Software Quality Management
Keywords: Quality Assurance, Quality Management Short description: This module targets improvement processes for software development processes and products. It addresses the underlying question: How can systems be developed to be safe and with the necessary quality and correctness? Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: Winter semester


Elective Module name: Object Orientation and Component-Based Engineering
Keywords: Object orientation, component-based development Short description: This module targets advanced aspects of object-oriented programming, such as program translation, specification, syntactical analysis, and verification aspects. In addition, it addresses system development aspects, such as decomposition of systems into components and development of systems from independent components. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: Summer semester


Elective Module name: Software Architectures and Product Lines
Keywords: Architecture design methods, product line architectures, product lines, Short description: This module addresses fundamental questions in the context of software-architecture; for example, the design process, methods and specification, or tested solutions for technical aspects like persistency and transaction management. Software Product Lines are one specific form of software architectures that is targeted towards software reuse. This module addresses, among others, basic concepts of product lines, the role and concept of architectures within product lines, and implementation technologies for product lines. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: Summer semester


Elective Module name: Systems Engineering
Keywords: System description languages, real-time systems, networks, protocol engineering Short description: This module addresses development of software systems as an interplay of many hardware and software components. Software development, in this view, is just one part of system development and needs to consider hardware specifics and constraints. This module addresses, among others, protocol engineering, system description languages, and performance modelling aspects of systems engineering. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: Winter semester


Elective Module name: Formal Approaches for Software Engineering
Keywords: Algebraic specification, Short description: This module addresses formal methods that employ mathematics to systems specification and verification, and to development and analysis of algorithms. Prerequisites: Fundamental Modules Schedule: Summer semester