Software Development

• Rationale:

Programming, using many styles and languages, provides solutions to a wide variety of scientific, engineering and business problems. Programming is a core skill that will be used throughout a computer practitioner's career. It is a skill acquired largely by practice and experience. Learning how to program requires a disciplined and structured approach in order to encourage good practice and to assist in the development of easily maintained systems. This module introduces candidates to the fundamental concepts of programming with the emphasis being laid on the whole of the software development process.

Aims:

• To stress the importance of good design, documentation and usability
• To emphasise skills in problem solving and algorithm specification rather than just writing syntactically correct code
• To introduce a systematic approach to algorithm development which will assist in subsequent programming and system design modules
• To introduce candidates to the environment in which software is developed and to the tools that assist in this process

Objectives: 

• Distinguish between systems software and application software
• Understand the phases of software development
• Demonstrate a knowledge of a visual or 3rd generation high level programming language
• Develop competence in the techniques of systematic problem analysis, program construction and documentation
• Gain an understanding of the basic concepts of good user-interface design
• Be able to test and document programs
• Gain an understanding of the principles of multiple module program construction
• Understand the need for compilers, interpreters, code generators
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of a range of fundamental algorithms

Prior Knowledge Expected:

None

Content:

1 FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OFTHE PROGRAMMING PROCESS

• Concept of an algorithm
• Development and semi-formal specification of algorithms, based on a simplified computer model
• Understanding of sequential and parallel processing

2 PHASE-SPECIFIC ISSUES OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

• Development tools such as code generators, design modelling or test generators
• Development techniques such as modular programming, defensive programming or recursion
• Approaches to software build, such as evolutionary prototyping or 4G L development
• Objectives and principles of testing and test-case specification
• Testing and debugging strategies including dry-running, white-box and black-box
• Styles of software documentation, such as for users or support personnel
• Content of software documentation such as GUI descriptions or maintenance details

3 INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING CONCEPTS

• Types: numeric and non-numeric, elementary and derived, subtypes, and expressions such as assignments, input/output
• Control structures: selection and iteration Subprograms: procedures and functions
• Data structures: Arrays (1- and 2-dimensions), linked lists using pointers; implementation of queues, stacks and lists. Concept of data abstraction
• Sorting and searching algorithms: comparative effectiveness with respect to computation and storage of scanning versus indexing methods

4 FILES: SEQUENTIAL, INDEX-SEQUENTIAL AND RANDOM ACCESS

• Comparative effectiveness of storage and retrieval for applications such as batch processing or on-line query or both

5 INTRODUCTION TO CONCEPT OF USER-INTERFACE DESIGN

• User requirements and characteristics of user interfaces; principles and techniques of dialogue control, navigation and selection

6 ROLE AND NEED FOR SYSTEM SOFTWARE

• System software and its relation to application software

7 CASE STUDIES IN PROBLEM SOLVING/ALGORITHM ANALYSIS