Introduction to Software Engineering
(Aerospace 440)

Dr. Lyle N. Long
Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics
The Pennsylvania State University
Certified Software Development Professional (IEEE Computer Society)
Fellow of APS and AIAA
http://www.personal.psu.edu/lnl

Teaching Assistant:
David Materkowski, email: djm5200
Office Hours: Wed. 2:30 - 3:20 and Thurs. 11:15 - 12:30
Office Location:

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to software engineering. Software engineering includes all aspects of professional software production, and is especially important for safety-critical and mission-critical software. It is also crucial for very large complicated software projects. It includes documentation, management, processes, requirements, design models, computer programs, validation, verification, cost estimation, management, and other aspects of the development process. Aerospace systems, including aircraft, spacecraft, onboard avionics, ground-based systems, flight simulators, and air transportation systems, rely heavily on software. Software is a major cost of all aerospace systems. For example, the Boeing 777 has more than 1000 onboard processors and more than 4 million lines of software, which is primarily written in Ada. The F/A-22 fighter has more than 2 million lines of software onboard, and much of this is Ada also. The AirBus 380 has 500 kilometers (311 miles) of wire. Aerospace systems also demand a level of reliability far beyond most other systems, which means the software must be designed using rigorous mission-critical and safety-critical procedures, which makes the software quite unique compared to most other software. The FAA and DOD are both involved in certifying aircraft software, for example through the DO-178B and DOD-2168 standards.

The students will learn the fundamental components of software engineering, and how complex software systems are developed so as to minimize errors and maximize the usefulness of the software. They will also learn the terminology, accepted practices, and procedures used in software engineering.

There will also be a software engineering project in the course, and the students will work in teams on this.

Objectives: Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Explain the importance of safety-, mission-, business-, and security-critical systems;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of good software engineering practices for critical systems;
3. Describe and explain the terminology, accepted practices, and procedures used in software engineering;
4. Explain the differences among software engineering, computer science and systems engineering;
5. Decide which computer languages are well suited to modern critical systems (and explain why);
6. Explain a variety of life-cycle models;
7. Read and demonstrate an understanding of the software engineering literature; and
8. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the existing standards (e.g. FAA and IEEE) applicable to software systems

Brief Description: Software engineering for safety- and mission-critical systems, including requirements, management, processes, designs, programming, validation/verification, and other aspects of software development. 3 Credits. Prerequisite CmpSc 201C (and/or AERSP 424)

Detailed course notes:

They can be found here. (only available to students enrolled in the course, but you can view a detailed outline here)

Required Textbook:

"Software Engineering," 8th Edition, by Ian Sommerville

Additional Recommended Books and Papers

Interesting Video Clips

Course Outline:

1. Introduction
2. Mission- and Safety-Critical Systems
3. Requirements Engineering
4. Software Design (Object oriented, real-time, ...)
5. Computer Languages (Ada, C++, and Java)
6. Software Development, ReUse, and Evolution
7. Verification, Validation, and Testing
8. Project Management
9. Software Cost Estimation
10. Software Standards
11. Emerging Technologies

The slides are on the web, but that does not mean you do not need to come to class. You need to hear what I have to say about the slides. Also, you will need to read the book and other materials, simply coming to class will not be enough.

And you need to take notes! Get a notebook and bring it to class every day. There is no way you can remember what I say from one class to the other, and especially to the exam time. If you do not have pen and paper in front of you during class, I will assume you are not taking the course seriously. (you could also print out the slides before class and mark them up as I talk)

Grading (tentative):

The students will be evaluated using a combination of homework assignments, team projects, and exams. There will be no final exam. The weight given to each will be roughly:
• 10% Class participation and attendance
• 30% homework
• 30% team project (10% final report, 10% final test, and 10% peer grade)
• 30% exams

Academic Integrity: Faculty Senate Rule 49-20 states, in part, "Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an educational objective of this institution." Faculty are required to clarify the application of this rule to each course:

I encourage you to study together and to discuss ideas for your projects, but the work that you hand in must be your own. Don't cheat: the specified penalties (see Policies and Rules for Students) are not worth it. At a minimum, assignments or exams that show evidence of cheating will be given zero credit. At the other extreme, you may be given an F in the course, or be reported for disciplinary action.

Note the important line in the Penn State song:

"May no act of ours bring shame To one heart that loves thy name,"

Students auditing the course for credit will be required to take the exams, and get a C or better. Also, I don't allow people to simply sit in on the course.

Prerequisites:

You must have taken a course in computer programming (e.g. CS 201), but it would be very valuable to have a more advanced course as well (e.g. AERSP 424 ).

from: http://www.personal.psu.edu/lnl/440pub
Last modified: Monday, 19-Mar-2012 11:51:31 EDT