SOFTENG 306 : Software Engineering Design 2

Engineering

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Working in project teams to develop software to meet changing requirements for a large application. Project planning. Requirements gathering. Estimating, costing and tracking. Acceptance and unit testing. Evolutionary design and development. Collaborative development tools. Professional issues introduced in ENGGEN 204 and 303 (communication, leadership, teamwork, safety in design) are reinforced and developed.

Course Overview

This course is compulsory for Part III students in the Software Engineering specialisation of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) programme.
This course is design-based, unlike classical courses with formal lectures and tutorials. In this course, the amount of content and number of formal lectures is small. Instead, students work independently in small groups on real-world focused projects using the skills and knowledge obtained so far in their studies. 
This course is divided into two halves, each having a different project. These projects are deliberately vague and more complex than previous projects.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: SOFTENG 206, and SOFTENG 254 or 283

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand and apply appropriate software development methods, appropriate for the team and problem. (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 4.1)
  2. Demonstrate ability to work efficiently and effectively in small to mid-sized software development teams. (Capability 7.1)
  3. Apply programming and software engineering knowledge and skills acquired in the curriculum so far. (Capability 3.1)
  4. Select and apply appropriate software development methods and tools. (Capability 3.2 and 4.1)
  5. Communicate software development decisions and solutions with team members and client. (Capability 6.1 and 7.1)
  6. Plan and report software development methods and steps, document code. (Capability 3.2 and 4.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Project 1 50% Group & Individual Coursework
Project 2 50% Group & Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Project 1
Project 2
The marks for components involving group work will be adjusted to account for individual student contributions and incorporate peer evaluations.
A 50% or higher grade is required to pass this course.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This course is project-based. You are expected to apply the skills and knowledge that you have learnt over the first two parts of the BE(Hons.) degree. Students will work together in small teams under the guidance of a mentor.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect ca. 20 hours of lectures, 30 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 100 hours of work on assignments and/or assessment preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including lectures and design meetings, and it is required  to receive credit for  student interviews and project demos of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including design meetings will usually not be available as recordings.
The course might include live online events including group discussions.
Attendance on campus is required for the student interviews and demos.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a semester timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Health & Safety

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Based on the 2024 student feedback, students liked the following aspects of the course:

  • Working together as a group on a practical project,
  • Going through the whole design process for projects.
We will be making the following changes to improve the course in 2025:
  • Improving the first project to simplify it and provide more guidance,
  • Clarifying the marking schemes for the assessments.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.