Curriculum for the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Software Development National section
Contents 1. Programme structure... 3 2. Core areas of study... 3 2.1 Large-scale system development... 3 2.2 Databases for developers... 4 2.3 Design by contract... 5 2.4 System integration... 6 2.5 Test... 7 3. Compulsory educational components within the core programme areas... 7 4. Number of exams in the compulsory educational components... 8 5. Internship... 8 6. The Bachelor's Degree project... 9 7. Overview of the exams... 11 8. Credit transfer... 11 8.1 Pre-approved credit transfer... 11 8.2 Credit agreements... 12 9. Admission... 12 10. Exemption... 12 11. Effective date and transition provisions... 12 This curriculum constitutes the national section of the curriculum for the extension (top-up) programme in Software Development (Bachelor of Software Development), cf. Ministerial Order no. 975 of 19 October 2009 on the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Software Development. Link to the order (in Danish): https://www.retsinformation.dk/forms/r0710.aspx?id=127621 2
1. Programme structure 1st year of study 2nd year of study Large-scale system development (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS Databases for developers (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS Core area: Design by contract (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS System integration (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS Test (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS Elective educational components 10 ECTS Internship 15 ECTS Bachelor project 15 ECTS Total 60 ECTS 30 ECTS 2. Core areas of study The study programme consists of the following core areas: Large-scale system development (10 ECTS) Databases for developers (10 ECTS) Design by contract (10 ECTS) System integration (10 ECTS) Test (10 ECTS) A total of 50 2.1 Large-scale system development Contents The purpose of the Large-scale system development core area is to qualify the students to develop largescale systems. This means that, after completing the module, the students should be able to plan and manage development processes with many project participants and to design and implement large-scale systems that are divided into small units and developed by independent development teams. 10 ECTS. The students should have acquired knowledge of issues associated with managing large-scale projects; techniques for managing large-scale projects; the roles involved in large-scale development projects; the challenges related to distributed development of systems across organisations or borders; quality systems used to measure and ensure quality; University College Nordjylland 3/12
the various techniques that can be used for deployment of large systems; and deploying a system in a technically distributed environment (moving from development environment to operating environment). formulate requirements between subsystems; quality assure the implementation of requirement changes across subsystems through documentation, including traceability; use patterns and frameworks in design and implementation of large-scale systems at architecturelevel; divide a software system into small units; apply and develop components with a view to reuse; specify the interaction between subsystems at an abstract level; use techniques for configuration management (version management, document management and release management); use a professional multi-user development environment; use techniques for internal quality assurance between development teams; and use techniques for managing changes in requirements between subsystems. assume and fill a specific role; adapt a development method to large-scale system development; take part in cross-cultural global development projects. 2.2 Databases for developers Contents The purpose of the Databases for developers core area is to qualify the students to choose between and use different kinds of databases purposefully in relation to different areas of usage. The students should furthermore be capable of analysing and working with large databases, including redesigning and optimising. 10 ECTS. The students should have acquired knowledge of various database types and their underlying models; the storage structure and query processing of a specific database system; the optimisation possibilities for a specific database system, including pros and cons and any tradeoffs; security issues specific to databases and their solutions; an administration tool used to monitor and optimise a specific database; the special issues that many concurrent transactions raise, including in connection with web and distributed databases; and relational algebra. University College Nordjylland 4/12
transform logical data models into physical models in various database types; optimise databases; use the security system of a specific database system; use parts of the administration tool to optimise and tune existing databases; use the tools of a specific database system to handle concurrent transactions; use the facilities and programming options made available by a modern DBMS; use an object-relational mapping tool; and use relational algebra to understand optimisation possibilities. analyse the usage domain with a view to choosing database type. 2.3 Design by contract Contents The purpose of the Design by contract core area is to qualify the students to use contracts at various abstraction levels and with different degrees of formality in connection with large-scale system development. 10 ECTS. The students should have acquired knowledge of the importance of separating specification and implementation; the connection between contracts and verification of contract fulfilment; practical contract-based programming; tools that support contract-based programming and design; fundamental mathematical structures (sets, multisets, functions and relations); mathematical methods of proof; and programme assertions, validity and correctness. draw up functional specifications; specify parts of a system; sub-systems as well as program modules; apply contracts at model level; implement parts of a system based on contracts; use contracts at different abstraction levels and levels of formality and handle context and transformation; draw up contracts expressed in predicate logic; use contracts to verify program elements; use contracts as an integrated part of the development process; use contracts when splitting, coordinating and integrating large systems; and assess the degree of formality that will be suitable in various contexts. University College Nordjylland 5/12
use contracts in cross-cultural, global development projects; contribute to introducing the use of contracts in development projects; and acquire knowledge and skills within software development, which require knowledge of mathematical concepts and structures. 2.4 System integration Contents The purpose of the System integration core area is to qualify the students to work with technical system integration. After completion of this module, the students should be able to integrate existing systems; integrate existing systems in connection with development of new systems; and develop new systems that support future integration. 10 ECTS. The students should have acquired knowledge of the commercial considerations about system integration; standards and standardisation organisations; techniques used in connection with data conversion and migration; the service concept and its relation to service-oriented architecture; technologies for implementation of service-oriented architecture; similarities and differences between object-oriented and service-oriented architectures; and integration tools. use an object-oriented system in a service-oriented architecture; design a system that is easy to integrate with other systems and which uses existing services; transform or expand a system to allow it to function in a service-oriented architecture; use patterns that support system integration; develop add-on modules for generic systems; and integrate generic as well as other systems. choose between different integration methods; translate elements of a business strategy into specific system integration requirements ; adapt a system development method to support system integration; and acquire knowledge about the development of integration standards. University College Nordjylland 6/12
2.5 Test Contents The purpose of the Test core area is to qualify the students to plan and implement tests. Furthermore, the students should be able to see the strategic role of test in the overall development process and be in charge of the internal quality of a project. 10 ECTS. The students should have acquired knowledge of important test strategies and models and their role in the system development process; tests as an integrated part of a development project; and various kinds of tests and their use. plan the course of a test based on a test model; use black-box as well as white-box testing; use techniques for verification and validation; ensure traceability between system requirements and tests at all levels; use tests as part of the quality assurance in the project; devise tests that can be used to verify that contracts are fulfilled, including internal contracts between subsidiary systems; use techniques and tools to automate various kinds of tests; and build systems for running and managing tests and error debugging processes in development projects. select and apply a test strategy, a test model and test techniques that are appropriate to the applied development model; plan and manage the execution of internal as well as external system tests; design a test with relevant test coverage; and define principles for system design that contribute to making the system testable. 3. Compulsory educational components within the core programme areas The programme's compulsory educational components are: 1. Large-scale system development (10 ECTS) 2. Databases for developers (10 ECTS) 3. Design by contract (10 ECTS) 4. System integration (10 ECTS) 5. Test (10 ECTS) A total of 50 University College Nordjylland 7/12
The five compulsory educational components are the same as the five core areas; same title, contents, ECST credits and learning outcomes. All five compulsory educational components are concluded with an exam. Assessment The individual exam is graded according to the 7-point grading scale and is worth 10. The learning outcomes for the educational component are the same as the learning outcomes for the exam. See the institutional section of this Curriculum for exam form, exam procedure, etc. 4. Number of exams in the compulsory educational components The five compulsory educational components are concluded with one exam each. See an overview of the study programme exams in the "Overview of exams" paragraph. Overview of the distribution of across the core areas and the compulsory educational components Compulsory educational components Large-scale system development Databases for developers Design by contract System integration Test Core areas Large-scale system development (10 ECTS) Databases for developers (10 ECTS) Design by contract (10 ECTS) System integration (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS Test (10 ECTS) 10 ECTS 10 ECTS Total 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 10 ECTS 50 ECTS 5. Internship Internship is organised in such a way that the students develop practical competences, in combination with the other parts of the programme. The purpose of the internship is to enable the students to use the study programme's methods, theories and tools by performing specific practical tasks and assignments within software development. 15 ECTS. University College Nordjylland 8/12
The students should have acquired knowledge of day-to-day operations throughout the place of internship. use versatile technical and analytical working methods related to employment in the profession; assess practice-oriented issues and set up solution proposals; structure and plan day-to-day tasks in the profession; and communicate practice-oriented issues and substantiated solution proposals. handle development-oriented, practical and discipline-specific situations in respect of the profession; acquire new knowledge, skills and competences in respect of the profession; and participate in discipline-specific and interdisciplinary collaboration with a professional approach. The internship is concluded with an exam. The learning outcomes for the educational component are the same as the learning outcomes for the exam. See the institutional section of this Curriculum for exam form, exam procedure, etc. 6. The Bachelor's Degree project 15 ECTS. Bachelor degree project requirements In the final bachelor degree project, the students must demonstrate the ability to analytically and methodically process a complex, practice-related problem or issue related to a specific IT task. The problem or issue, which must be central to the study programme and the profession, must be formulated by the students in the problem statement and research question, possibly in collaboration with a private or public company. The educational institution must approve the problem statement and research question. A project report and perhaps a product are to be submitted. The project report, which constitutes the written part of the exam, must as a minimum include: Cover page with title Table of contents Introduction, including problem statement and research question Research method Analysis Solution proposals Conclusion Reference list (incl. all sources referred to in the project). University College Nordjylland 9/12
Appendices (include only appendices central to the report) The project report may not exceed 20 standard pages + 20 standard pages per student. Said pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Appendices will not be assessed. A standard page is 2,400 characters, including spaces and footnotes. Writing and spelling skills Writing and spelling skills form part of the final exam project. The assessment is expressed as an overall assessment of the professional and academic content as well as the student's writing and spelling skills. Students who can document a relevant specific disability may apply for exemption from the requirement that writing and spelling skills are included in the assessment. The application is to be submitted to the study programme and directed to the attention of the programme director not later than four weeks before the exam is to be held. The final exam project must substantiate that the students have reached the final level of the programme, cf. Annex 1 of Ministerial Order no. 975 of 19 October 2009 on the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Software Development. The graduates should have achieved knowledge of the strategic role of test in system development; globalisation of software production; system architecture and understanding of its strategic importance to a company's business; applied theory and method as well as common technologies within the field; and the connections between applied theory, method and technologies as well as how to reflect on their suitability in various situations. The graduates should be able to integrate IT systems and develop systems that support future integration; use contracts as a management and co-ordination tool in the development process; assess and select database systems as well as design, redesign and optimise databases; plan and manage development processes with many geographically dispersed team members; and determine and apply a relevant degree of formality in internal communication and co-ordination in development projects. The graduates should be able to plan and run tests in large-scale IT systems; participate professionally in collaboration on large-scale systems using common methods and technologies; acquaint themselves with new technologies and standards for handling integration between systems; develop their competence profile from being primarily a back-end developer to handling tasks as a systems architect; and determine and implement large-scale systems architecture suitable both in terms of business and technology. University College Nordjylland 10/12
Assessment The exam is externally assessed and graded according to the 7-point grading scale. The exam is made up of a project and an oral exam. One individual overall grade is given. The exam will not take place until the students have passed the final internship exam as well as the other exams of the programme. See the institutional section of this Curriculum for exam form, exam procedure, etc. 7. Overview of the exams Overview of all exams and their order Exam: 90 ECTS distributed across the exams Assessment 1. Academic aptitude examination 1 - Pass/fail 2. Large-scale system development 10 7-point grading scale 3. Databases for developers 10 7-point grading scale 4. Design by contract 10 7-point grading scale 5. System integration 10 7-point grading scale 6. Test 10 7-point grading scale 7. Elective component exam(s) 2 10 7-point grading scale 8. Internship exam 15 7-point grading scale 9. Final degree project 15 7-point grading scale 8. Credit transfer Passed educational components are equivalent to the corresponding educational components offered by other educational institutions that offer the programme. The students must provide information on completed educational components from another Danish or international further education and on employment assumed to result in credit transfer. In each case the educational institution approves credit transfer based on completed educational components and employment that match up to subjects, educational components and internship components. The decision is made based on a professional assessment. 8.1 Pre-approved credit transfer The students can apply for pre-approved credit transfer. Upon pre-approval of a study period in Denmark or abroad the students must, after conclusion of their study, document the completed educational components of the approved study. In connection with the pre-approval the students must give their consent to the institution obtaining the necessary information following completed study. 1. An academic aptitude examination, if any, will be described in the institutional curriculum. 2. Elective components and exams are described in the institutional curriculum. University College Nordjylland 11/12
For the final approval of pre-approved credit transfer, the educational component is considered completed if it is passed in accordance with the regulations applying to the study programme. 8.2 Credit agreements None. 9. Admission If, for reasons of capacity, not all applicants are admitted to the programme, one or more of the below criteria (listed in no order of priority) are weighted. The grade point average for entrance qualifications The applicant's former study-related experience Personal interview, where for example the applicant's motivation and academic aptitude are established 10. Exemption The institution may grant exemption from these rules in this national section of the curriculum that are laid down solely by the institutions, when found substantiated in exceptional circumstances. The institution cooperates on a uniform exemption practice. 11. Effective date and transition provisions This national section of the curriculum enters into force on 1 September 2014 with effect for all students who are and will be registered for the study programme and for exams commenced on said date or thereafter. The curriculum (national and institutional sections) from September 2012 will be repealed as of 31 August 2014. However, exams started before 1 September 2014 will be carried out according to the national section of this Curriculum not later than 31 January 2015. University College Nordjylland 12/12