KF5012 - Software Engineering Practice

You will be introduced to relevant concepts in lectures and these will be practised and discussed in practical seminar / workshop sessions. During the first weeks of the module you will study the tools and techniques of project management and produce a project proposal. This will incorporate software engineering skills that you have learnt on other modules and their application to the project to be undertaken. Following the production of the project proposal you will work on the development of a system to meet the proposal.

You will be given advice and feedback on your project work and progress during the timetabled classes, with support as necessary, that you are expected to feed into your work to help improve it. Technical support will also be available in the practical sessions covering the various assessment topic areas.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Apply knowledge and understanding of appropriate project management and software engineering techniques and tools to a computing project, including risk management

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Create a professional and effective project proposal (including a skills audit), incorporating both project management and software engineering principles, and displaying understanding of commercial and economic issues
3. Plan, manage and achieve a successful project outcome that meets appropriate ethical, social, legal and professional standards working in a team
4. Reflect on the professional, legal, social, security and ethical issues surrounding software engineering practice

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Communicate information both in writing and orally in a concise professional manner

Formative assessment will take the form of work on your project during the workshop/seminar classes. You will have to report to your tutors on weekly progress, who will provide verbal advice and feedback that you will be expected to feed into your work.

There will be two summative assessments, as follows:
Assignment 1, Product Development (80%) - MLOs 1, 2 and 3. This will be a team assignment involving the development of a project proposal and a product demonstration and report.

You will be given a brief outline of products required by clients. As a team you will then have to select a brief and work up this outline into a project proposal. The products outlined will be in the areas of Animation, Graphics and Vision, AI, Games Development, Embedded Systems and / or Web Development. The project proposal will include the application of risk management, and an evaluation of the commercial and economic impact of the proposal.


Next your team will then build and demonstrate a prototype product, demonstrate it and write a report outlining what would be needed to have the product taken a fully functional, maintained and secure development.

Assignment 2, Individual Reflection (20%) – MLO 4 and 5. This is an individual assignment. You will reflect on professional, legal, social, security and ethical issues, your group, and individual performance, assessing your skill levels and will detail a continuous development plan for your future study period and careers aspirations.

A mixture of verbal and written feedback will be provided on your work as appropriate.

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In this module you will learn about the principles of software engineering and the management of software engineering projects. You will apply these in the context of a small development project and relate then to your other studies. In addition, you will see how the various skills in project management and software engineering combine to aid the delivery of a successful outcome in a commercial and economic context.