Semester Project 6 - Software Eng.

Code

IT-SEP6

Version

3.1

Offered by

ICT Engineering

ECTS

Prerequisites

The course requires at least 1 year of studies at an IT-related programme at AP degree level and up.

Main purpose

Philosophy of Information Technology and Ethics:

The continuous efforts made within information technology (IT) not only affect a diverse array of areas within the development of modern society but also affect them in many different ways. In much the same manner, IT itself is conditioned by its historical, technological, and social contexts.

The purpose of this part of the course is to examine the (sometimes implicit) assumptions about knowledge and the creation of knowledge made by engineers and scientists within their field. The objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the way engineering and science is conducted, and a basic understanding of fundamentals business acticities in an IT company.

In addition, the course will enable the students to

account for the distinctive character of IT and its relation to other academic disciplines
account for what it means to be a Software Engineer and account for their own professional identity
discuss which scientific and ethical consequences the profession implies
reflect upon the profession's content, its history, its social and business related function
Finally, the students will come to understand and master the knowledge-based challenges that one meets in a modern information society.

Cloud Computing and DevOps:

Cloud Computing is characterized by the fact that IT services are provided and used on the Internet. The use of Cloud Computing is growing very rapidly. Cloud Computing can provide businesses with greater flexibility, savings and new technical capabilities, but also sets new requirements for a variety of legal, personal data and security issues.

The purpose of this part of the course is to examine the concept of Cloud Computing and the strategic considerations for using Cloud Computing.

Knowledge

After successfully completing the course, the student will have gained knowledge about

What the profession of Software Engineering is
What knowledge and science are
What role knowledge plays in engineering and computer science
Essential theoretical problems and schools within philosophy of science
What constitutes science, pseudo-science and non-science
The concept of paradigms and paradigm shifts
A basic understanding of ethics and ethical thinking within the scope of science
What types of data can and should be collected from users

Skills

After successfully completing the course, the student will be able to

Relate critically to empirical-analytical theory and among other things be able to discuss what knowledge is, how it is generated and how it relates to practice
Reflect upon and enter into discussions about computer science perspectives in academic contexts
Assess the relationship between scientific knowledge and practical experience in creating new technologies
Describe types of knowledge and competences composing engineering practice
Collect data from a user
Discuss ethical dilemmas in a scientific context

Competences

After successfully completing the course, the student will have acquired competences in

Reflecting upon their own role as knowledge creators in a information society
Use their knowledge in a practical context, e.g. setting up an IoT infrastructure

Topics

The course comprises - among others - the following topics:

Philosophy of natural science
IT Ethics
Professional profile
Usability testing and collecting data
Cloud and cloud computing
DevOps
Linux

Teaching methods and study activities

The mode of instruction will be classroom based and will involve short lectures by the teacher, classroom discussions and student-based presentations. The students are also expected to read the literature before classes. The total workload for the student is expected be around 130 hours. Referring to the Study Activity Model, the workload is distributed at follows:

CATEGORY 1: 40 hours or 30 %

Participation of lecturer and students

Initiated by the lecturer

Lessons, scheduled
Project guidance
Exams and tests

CATEGORY 2: 65 hours or 50 %

Participation of students

Initiated by the lecturer

Assignments, self-study
Project and group work
Homework and preparation for exams
Evaluation of the teaching

CATEGORY 3: 25 hours or 20 %

Participation of students

Initiated by students

Homework and preparation for exams
Self-study
Project work
Study groups
Literature search

Resources

Texts compiled by the lecturers will be made available in Studynet.

Evaluation

Examination

Students are assessed based on

1) One multiple choice test

2) One group project

3) Group and Individual Video Presentations

Apart from the midway multiple choice test, there is no exam in the course.

Grading criteria

Group project and examination account for approx. 75% of the grade and the multiple-choice test for approx. 25% of the grade. In the multiple-choice test, the student will be assessed through the following procedures

If you choose the entirely correct answer you receive 1 point
If you do not answer a question, you get 1/a points, where a is the number of possible answers
If you answer a question incorrectly, you get 0 points

Let σ be your accumulated points, n be the number of questions, and let ai be the number of possible answers to the i'th question. Your score will then be (formula will be presented during the introductory lesson).

Please note that the perfect assignment yields a score of 100 % and random guesses yields a score of 0 %. There is only one correct answer for each question.

One final grade is given according to the 7-scale; the students do not have access to individual grades of the three elements listed above.