EDISS video series: Software Quality course at AAU

Summary

In this software quality course, Professor Luigi Petra introduces the importance of software quality and its impact on society. He highlights the lack of formal computer science education among software professionals and the absence of software quality management in many university curricula. The course aims to fill this gap by teaching the four pillars of software quality: requirements, software architecture, formal methods, and software metrics. Students will learn practical tools for quality management and engage in interactive lectures, seminars, and learning journal entries. The course is designed to give students an edge in their careers by emphasizing the critical need for reliable software.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 The course is taught by Luigi Petra, an adjunct professor in computer science.
• 📚 The course aims to address the lack of formal education in software quality within the industry.
• 🚀 Software quality is crucial due to the ubiquitous role of software in society.
• 🏗️ The course covers four main pillars of software quality: requirements, software architecture, formal methods, and software metrics.
• 📈 Students will learn practical skills such as creating a requirements document and performing basic software analysis.
• 💼 The course includes lectures, seminars, learning journal entries, quizzes, and an exam.
• 📊 Interactive polls are used during lectures to engage students and reinforce key concepts.
• 📝 Learning journals require students to summarize and reflect on weekly topics, with instructor feedback.
• 🤝 Optional seminars provide a platform for discussion and clarification of course topics.
• 🔍 Quizzes offer an opportunity for students to earn extra points and reinforce learning from lectures.

Q & A

Who is the instructor of the software quality course?

The instructor of the software quality course is Luigi Petra, an adjunct professor in computer science.

Why is it important to take the software quality course according to the instructor?

It is important to take the software quality course because software is not always of quality, and there is a need for a more systematic approach to improving it. Additionally, not all universities include software quality management in their curricula, and the reliance on software in society makes it crucial to ensure its quality.

What is the significance of having a formal education in computer science or engineering in the context of software development?

Having a formal education in computer science or engineering is significant because it provides a foundational understanding that might be missing in those who are trained on the job. This can lead to a more consistent and higher standard of software quality.

What are the four pillars of software quality mentioned in the course?

The four pillars of software quality are requirements, software architecture, analysis of software using formal methods, and software metrics.

What practical skills will students learn in the course regarding requirements?

Students will learn how to devise a requirements document, which is a crucial part of ensuring that the software developed meets the needs and expectations of its users.

How does the course introduce students to software analysis using formal methods?

The course provides an overview of how to perform basic software analysis with formal methods, which are techniques used to specify, design, and verify systems in a rigorous mathematical way.

What aspects of software metrics will students learn in the course?

Students will learn to recognize and evaluate software metrics, which are measurements used to estimate the quality of software, such as complexity, maintainability, and performance.

What is the role of learning journals in the course?

Learning journals are a weekly submission on Moodle where students summarize the concepts they have learned, reflect on what was new or already known, and ask questions that arise from the lectures. The instructor reads and replies to each entry, providing feedback.

What is the purpose of the seminars included in the course?

The seminars are optional discussions where students can debate and clarify topics that may seem difficult. They provide an opportunity for deeper understanding and interaction with the course material.

How do quizzes function in the course, and what is their benefit?

Quizzes are equivalent to polls in the lectures and serve as a way for students to collect extra points, especially if they have attended the lectures. They also help reinforce the main concepts and are useful for the final test.

What is the administrative structure of the course in terms of assessments?

The course includes lectures, seminars, learning journal entries, quizzes, and an exam. Only the learning journals and the exam are mandatory, while the seminars and quizzes are optional but encouraged for a more comprehensive understanding.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Introduction to the Software Quality Course

Professor Luigi Petra introduces the software quality course, emphasizing the importance of software quality and the need for a formal education in computer science or engineering. He points out that unlike other industries, software companies often hire intelligent individuals without formal education in the field and train them on the job. This can lead to a lack of fundamental knowledge in software quality management. The professor also highlights the ubiquity of software in society and the critical need for ensuring its quality. The course aims to provide students with an edge by teaching the main pillars of software quality: requirements, software architecture, formal methods, and software metrics. Students will learn practical skills such as creating requirements documents, performing basic software analysis, understanding software architectures, and recognizing software metrics. The course includes lectures with interactive polls, seminars, learning journal entries, quizzes, and an exam, with only the learning journals and the exam being mandatory.

05:04

📚 Course Structure and Engagement

The second paragraph delves into the structure and engagement aspects of the software quality course. Professor Petra discusses the learning journal entries, which require students to summarize and reflect on the concepts learned each week, providing an opportunity for feedback and questions. The professor is open to feedback on the course content and encourages students to share their thoughts. The course also includes optional seminars to discuss and debate unclear topics from the lectures, with three seminars planned throughout the course. Quizzes are another component, serving as a way to collect extra points and reinforce learning from the lectures. The professor concludes by expressing hope to see students in the course and reiterates the welcome to the software quality course.

Keywords

💡Software Quality

Software Quality refers to the ability of a software product to meet specified requirements and to perform its intended functions effectively and reliably. In the context of the video, the professor emphasizes the importance of software quality due to the widespread use of software in society and the potential for disasters if software fails. The course aims to improve software quality through education and management practices.

💡Formal Education

Formal Education in the video script refers to the structured learning that takes place in educational institutions, such as universities, where students receive degrees in fields like computer science or computer engineering. The professor points out that unlike other professions like medicine or law, software companies sometimes hire individuals without formal education in computer science, which might lead to a lack of foundational knowledge in software development.

💡Curricula

Curricula are the subjects and courses comprising the educational content of a school or university program. The video mentions that not all universities include software quality management in their curricula, which could result in graduates lacking knowledge in this critical area. This underscores the need for the software quality course to fill potential gaps in education.

💡Software Architecture

Software Architecture is the structure or framework of a software system and its components, and how they interact with each other. In the video, it is mentioned as one of the four pillars of software quality. Understanding software architecture is crucial for ensuring the system's quality, as it influences aspects like maintainability, performance, and reliability.

💡Formal Methods

Formal Methods are a set of mathematical techniques for the specification, development, and verification of software and hardware systems. The video script includes formal methods as one of the four pillars of software quality. They are used to perform basic software analysis to ensure that the software behaves as expected and to reduce the likelihood of errors.

💡Software Metrics

Software Metrics are quantitative measures used to assess the software development process and product. They can include lines of code, complexity, and defect rates. The video script mentions software metrics as a way to recognize and evaluate the quality of software, helping to identify areas for improvement and measure the effectiveness of quality assurance efforts.

💡Quality Management

Quality Management refers to the systematic actions to direct and control an organization with regard to quality. In the video, the professor discusses quality management tools and practices that students will learn as part of the course, which are essential for managing the administrative and process aspects of software development to ensure quality.

💡Learning Journals

Learning Journals are a reflective tool used by students to document their learning process, thoughts, and questions. In the video, the professor requires students to submit weekly entries on Moodle summarizing what they have learned, which allows for personal reflection and provides an opportunity for feedback and interaction with the professor.

💡Seminars

Seminars in the context of the video are interactive sessions where students discuss and debate course topics. These are optional and provide a platform for deeper exploration of the course material, allowing students to clarify doubts and engage with the subject matter more actively.

💡Quizzes

Quizzes are short tests or assessments used to evaluate a student's understanding of a subject. The video script mentions quizzes as a way for students to collect extra points and reinforce their learning from the lectures, similar to the polls used during the lectures to engage students and check their comprehension.

💡Administrative Part of the Course

The administrative part of the course refers to the organizational and logistical aspects of the course, including lectures, seminars, quizzes, and exams. The video script outlines the structure of the course, emphasizing that while learning journals and the final exam are mandatory, other components like seminars and quizzes are optional but encouraged for a comprehensive learning experience.

Highlights

Introduction to the software quality course by Professor Luigi Petra.

The importance of software quality and the prevalence of software-related disasters.

The contrast between hiring practices in software and other industries like healthcare and law.

The rarity of formal education in computer science for software professionals.

The necessity for software quality due to its ubiquitous role in society.

The course's aim to provide an edge in software quality knowledge.

The four pillars of software quality: requirements, software architecture, formal methods, and software metrics.

Overview of how the four pillars contribute to software quality.

Learning outcomes: devising requirements documents and performing software analysis.

Discussion on software architectures and their impact on quality.

Introduction to software metrics and their evaluation.

Course structure includes lectures, seminars, learning journal entries, quizzes, and an exam.

Engagement through polls and interactive elements during lectures.

Learning journals as a tool for summarizing and reflecting on weekly concepts.

Seminars for optional discussion and clarification of course topics.

Quizzes as a method for extra points and reinforcement of lecture content.

The final exam as a culmination of the course's learning objectives.

Professor Petra's invitation to join the software quality course.

Transcripts

[Music]

welcome to the software quality course

my name is luigi petra i'm an adjunct

professor in computer science

and in this short video i want to

explain uh the main things about this

course

first question why should you take this

course well

the fact is that software is not always

of quality we have heard

maybe you have heard many stories about

disasters provoked by software in

general

it's not that often that it doesn't work

but in general software can be done much

better

and one of the reasons that software is

not as good as it could be

is that uh unlike in other industry

industries software companies sometimes

hire people which don't have an

education

a formal education in computer science

or computer engineering you would

you wouldn't expect your doctor not to

have gone to the

university you wouldn't hire a lawyer

who hasn't take

their bar exam but software companies

usually

hire intelligent people and then just

train them in what

they need them to do and this

this means that something some basic

education might

be missing another thing is that uh

even if people go to the university not

all universities include management of

quality

of software in their curricula they

include a lot of programming languages

and other things of course but

software quality is not as often of

course in this curricula

and the other aspect is that we rely on

software we need to make sure therefore

that it's good enough because it's uh

in its uh ubiquitous it's in all

uh aspects in the source of the society

and therefore uh it's an important issue

that we should make an effort

uh in so in in the this course you will

learn the main pillars of software

quality and some quality management

tools and the hope is that this um

this knowledge will give you an edge

compared to your peers

so let's see a little bit what are these

four pillars

um so the four pillars for software

qualities are

requirements software architecture

analysis of software

in the form of so-called formal methods

and software metrics

and each of these four topics we can

have

a whole course about it so maybe some of

you already have had or will have a

course on requirements or software

architecture

but formal methods and software metrics

are also fields in their own

but what we will do in this course we

will have an overview

on how we can use this uh four pillars

in order to give our software

uh a better quality in practical terms

you will

learn how to devise a requirements

document uh

we you will learn how to perform basic

software analysis with formal methods

we will learn to distinguish several

software architectures with advantages

and disadvantages for quality

and we will learn a little bit about

software metrics at least how to

recognize and evaluate them

and then we will have a few topics on

quality management

so that you know how to approach them in

the software

regarding to the administrative part of

the course

there will be lectures and

these lectures uh uh will uh

will be based on slides and i

have included lately in the lectures uh

the so-called polls

which means that i will explain various

things and then

i will ask questions and you will need

to reply uh

very shortly with yes or no or choose an

answer between

many alternatives this of course is

easier with

zoom but even when we go and have the

lectures face to face

we will find a way to have this pulse

these polls

keep you a little bit more entertained

and they

help you they help you they help you

understand which are the main concepts

that you should take with you from the

course

uh that said that the we will then

include some

uh seminars and some learning journal

entries

quizzes and then exam and you will see

that only these

learning journals and the exam are

mandatory

um but maybe i'll tell you a little bit

uh about each of them learning journals

means that every week you will have to

submit

on moodle um an entry of one page

let's say in which you summarize the

concepts that you have learned that week

and you can have this is an open form

entry you don't need to worry too much

about how to to

do this is just that you need to parse

the lectures

and collect what was the most important

things that you learned

i'm also interested in what was new for

you and what you already knew

uh questions that you have on the

lectures this is a very good opportunity

to ask them

if you didn't have time to ask them

during the lecture because when you go

again

through the lectures of course more

questions will pop up

and i read every single entry

and i reply all of them so you will

always get feedback even if it's short

but if you have questions i will do my

best to reply to them

and also i i'm open to feedback so

whatever you like or

you don't like in the course you can

share and you can do this every week

then uh topics in the course because we

have this

overview approach may seem difficult at

times so

we take some optional time to discuss

them so we debate what was unclear in

the

lectures you can choose what we

discussed

there if you don't have anything i will

propose some topics

and during the whole course we will have

three

such seminars and then we will have the

quizzes so

the quizzes are the equivalent of polls

in the lectures

uh and uh they each quiz will be one

point so it's an easy way of collecting

extra points especially if you have

attended the lectures

and they're useful for the final test

too

so with that said i hope uh i will see

you in the course

and once again welcome to the software

quality course