School of Mathematical & Computer Sciences Dept of Computer Science

Professional Development

Course Co-ordinator:

Sandy Jean-Jacques Louchart

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  To instil a professional and ethical attitude toward the application of computer technology
  
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  To introduce methods for the rational resolution of ethical problems
  
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  To provide an appreciation of the relevant professional and legal requirements concerning computer-based systems
  
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  To ensure an awareness of, and encourage deliberation about, the social implications of information technology
  

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  Professionalism - British Computer Society.
  
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  Rules & Regulations - Codes & Standards; Computer Law; Ethical Decision Making.
  
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  Risks & Threats - Computer Crime; Viruses.
  
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  Privacy & Security – Databases; Biometrics.
  
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  Dependence & Change - Safety-Critical Systems; Technology & Society.
  
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  Brave New Worlds - Co-operative Computing; eLife.
  

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  British Computer Society Codes - Conduct; Practice
  
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  ISO & BSI Standards - Safety; Quality; Security
  
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  Statute Law - Contracts, Torts, Restitution; Data Protection; Freedom of Information, Intellectual Property; Computer Misuse
  
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  Ethics - Frameworks; Decision Making
  
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  Development life-cycle of a software system
  
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  Bi-directional influence between technological and societal trends
  
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  Current concerns over the application of computer technology
  
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  Current and potential remedies to abuse of computer technology
  

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  Practice in personal decision making and introspection
  
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  Identification and analysis of justification of personal choices to others
  
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  Critical analysis of rational reasoning, consequential reasoning and debate
  
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  Practice and reflective analysis of communication skills using a variety of media
  
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  Practice in working in a group, negotiating requirements, reaching a consensus, and working with others to a deadline
  

Group Project: (weighting - 50%)

Examination: (weighting – 50%)

Synoptic with F29SO Software Engineering

Examination (weighting – 100%)

Knowledge Management

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  To provide students with an overview of information and knowledge management in organisations
  
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  To critically evaluate a range of methods used to develop strategies for information and knowledge management
  
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  To examine the role that knowledge and users play in the learning organisation
  
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  To critically evaluate the value of knowledge and IT for competitive advantage
  

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  Information and Knowledge Management in Organisations
  
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  Principles of Knowledge Management: information mapping and information audits
  
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  Knowledge elicitation and representation
  
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  Information strategy development
  
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  Knowledge and IT for competitive advantage and as a corporate resource
  
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  The learning organisation
  
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  Planning for Knowledge Management within an organisation and the ethical issues which arise
  

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  Differentiating between Data, Information and Knowledge
  
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  Understand and evaluate theories and practices of knowledge management in organisations
  
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  Critically evaluate the value of knowledge and IT for competitive advantage
  
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  Compare and contrast methods to develop strategies and planning for knowledge management within organisations
  

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  Examine the rise of the concept of the Learning organisation and how it can aid in competitive advantage
  

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  Evaluating policies and strategies
  
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  Planning for large scale organisations
  
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  Ability to manage directed reading with self research (PDP)
  
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  Report writing and demonstrating argument development (PDP)
  
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  Use of technology as a means of learning, contributing and discussing (PDP)
  

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Artificial Intelligence

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  To introduce the fundamental concepts and techniques of AI, including planning, search and knowledge representation
  
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  To introduce the scope, subfields and applications of AI, topics to be taken from a list including natural language processing, expert systems, robots and autonomous agents, machine learning and neural networks, and vision.
  
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  To develop skills in AI programming in an appropriate language
  

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  Search algorithms (depth first search, breadth first search, uniform cost search, A* search)
  
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  constraint satisfaction problems;
  
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  games (min-max, alpha-beta pruning);
  
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  logic, resolution, introductory logic programming
  
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  knowledge representation – logic, rules, frames
  
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  goal and data-driven reasoning
  
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  practical rule-based programming
  
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  Overview of main fields of AI (Vision, Learning, Knowledge Engineering)
  
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  In depth view of one field of AI (e.g. Planning, Natural language)
  
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  Autonomous agents
  
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  Applications of AI
  
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  AI programming
  

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  Critical understanding of traditional AI problem solving and knowledge representation methods
  
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  Use of knowledge representation techniques (such as predicate logic and frames).
  
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  Critical understanding of different systematic and heuristic search techniques
  
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  Practice in expressing problems in terms of state-space search
  
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  Broad knowledge and understanding of the subfields and applications of AI, such as computer vision, machine learning and expert systems.
  
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  Detailed knowledge of one subfield of AI (e.g. natural language processing, planning) and ability to apply its formalisms and representations to small problems
  
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  Detailed understanding of different approaches to autonomous agent and robot architectures, and the ability to critically evaluate their advantages and disadvantages in different contexts.
  
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  Practice in the implementation of simple AI systems using a suitable language
  

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  Identification, representation and solution of problems
  
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  Time management and resource organization
  
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  Research skills and report writing
  
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  Practice in the use of ICT, numeracy and presentation skills.
  

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Interaction Design

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  A broad knowledge and understanding of requirements gathering, design and evaluation theory and techniques in interaction design.
  
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  An introduction to commonly used design techniques and pattern for user interfaces.
  
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  A selection of routine skills and methods involved in working with users.
  

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  Critically analyse interaction design and interfaces.
  
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  Propose solutions in response to interface design problems
  
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  Evaluate the effectiveness of user interfaces with respect to user requirements.
  

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  Use discipline appropriate software for data analysis,
  
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  Present, analyse and interpret simple numerical and graphical data gathered as part of evaluation studies. (PDP)
  
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  Communicate effectively to knowledgeable audiences by preparing informal presentations and written reports. (PDP)
  
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  Exercise autonomy and initiative by planning and managing their own work within a specified project; (PDP)
  
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  Take responsibility for their own and other’s work by contributing effectively and conscientiously to the work of a group (PDP)
  

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Emerging Technologies

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  To explore emerging technologies through a variety of project work
  

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  Controlling robots
  
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  Programming mobile/hand-held devices
  
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  Games
  
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  Ant based systems (biologically inspired computing)
  
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  Data-mining
  

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  The ability to carry out basic background research in a defined area
  
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  Active exploration of a problem domain within the department’s research portfolio
  
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  Develop problem solving strategies which are applicable across domains.
  
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  Reporting achievement
  

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  Report writing
  
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  Presentation skills
  
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  Skills for working in larger groups
  
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  Time management
  
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  Peer evaluation (where applicable)
  

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Examination: (weighting – 100%)

Operating Systems & Concurrency

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  Understanding of the concepts and structures present in modern operating systems.
  
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  Ability to write Linux shell scripting.
  

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  Broad and integrated knowledge and understanding of concurrency concepts, techniques and problems
  
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  Critical understanding of exclusion, synchronisation and deadlock
  
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  Detailed knowledge of abstract modelling and model-based design
  

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  Critically evaluate the problematic and concepts related to operating systems.
  
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  Analysis of the different possible solutions to the problematic.
  

Examination (weighting – 100%)

Examination: (weighting – 100%)