Professional software engineering processes and human factors FITech 1-5 ECTS

Max amount of FITech students: 30

Persons without a valid study right at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences have preference to this course.

Professional software engineering processes encompass a range of methodologies tailored to project requirements and team dynamics, including Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall, and DevOps. The choice of methodology often reflects the development team’s experience, skills, and project goals. Effective software engineering requires robust project management, emphasizing leadership, timely decision-making, and strategic resource allocation. Human factors play a pivotal role in the success of software engineering projects, influencing everything from team collaboration and communication to training and change management. Understanding and integrating user needs into software design is essential for creating user-friendly and accessible products.

This course gives an introduction to different approaches to structure software development projects, how to organise individuals taking part in software development, and how to continuously improve your software development processes and practice.

Course contents

• Module 1: Theory and cases software development process models
• Module 2: Human factors in software development, recognising individual and team characteristics, and cultivating personal awareness and development pathways
• Module 3: Theory and cases of software process improvement

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student will be able to

• recognise and describe software development processes, models, and methods (Waterfall, Agile and Lean software development, Scrum, Kanban, Test-driven development (TDD), DevOps)
• evaluate and compare their applicability in different contexts
• take human factors into account in planning and operating in professional software development
• analyse their own strengths and improvement areas as software engineers and their role in development team to see opportunities for development
• participate in systematic efforts for improvement in software development organisations.

Course material

• Videos, hybrid lectures, online individual assignments, lectures of visiting professionals, group project work, and presentations.
• Shared in Moodle environment (for example, scientific papers, video materials, course schedule, Zoom link, instructions for individual assignments, and group project work).
• Free online tools.

Completion methods

The number of credits you receive will be based on the tasks that you have completed.

• 1 ECTS: Reading material and watching recorded videos. Submission of 1 individual assignment each for three modules. Grading: Pass, fail.
• 3 ECTS: Participate in lectures, read material, and watch videos. Submission of all individual assignments for three modules. Grading: Pass, fail.
• 5 ECTS: Participate in lectures, read material, and watch videos. Submission of all individual assignments for three modules. Participate in group project work and presentation. Grading: 1-5, fail.

It is possible to do the individual assignments in either English or Finnish, although the course language is English. Inform the course teacher which credit option you prefer to pass the course. Teaching methods may also change.

More information in the University of Oulu study guide.

You can get a digital badge after completing this course.

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