FIT5009 is a specified elective unit in the Master of Digital Communications degree (MDC). Its introduction is based on two circumstances: (1) as part of the 2006 Faculty restructure, whereby all old units were progressively reviewed and mapped into new FIT coded units; and (2) as part of a review and restructure of the courseware units for the MDC, undertaken in 2006 at the same time as an Engineering Faculty review and restructure of their Master of Telecommunications (MTC) degree. Previously the MTC had an elective unit ECE4/5410 Software Engineering for Telecommunications, but will not be offering such an elective in their revised structure. FIT5009 is intended to fill the need for a unit addressing the important area of software engineering as applied in the field of digital communications.

This is the first version of this unit.

This is a level 5 specified elective unit in the MDC (offered by FIT) and MTC (offered by Engineering). It is also an approved elective for the Master of Computer Science (and may be taken by other coursework masters students and honours students with the required pre-requisite knowledge). It covers software engineering processes, tools and techniques as used in the field of digital communications.

This is a level 5 specified elective unit in the MDC (offered by FIT) and MTC (offered by Engineering). This unit is complimentary to FIT4014 Digital communications software, which looks at the lower level software and programming aspects involved in digital communications. There is a slight overlap of material with FIT4001 Parallel and Distributed Systems to the extent of providing an introduction to parallel and distributed systems for students who have not taken FIT4001 or equivalent.

FIT5009 replaces ECE4/5410 (offered by the Faculty of Engineering) as a specified elective in the Master of Digital Communications, a cognate degree offered by the Faculty of IT. It builds upon assumed prerequisite knowledge at the level of an undergraduate introductory unit in Networks and Data Communications (such as the FIT common core unit FIT1005/2008 or equivalent study), and some undergraduate exposure to both programming and software engineering. This unit provides MDC graduates with advanced knowledge about the application of software engineering methods within the field of digital communications. Both software engineering and digital communcations are important fields in IT and are essential skills and knowledge for a wide range of employment. In addition, both digital communications and software engineering are active areas of research within the Faculty, and this unit (and the other MDC courseware units) contribute to the Faculty's research-teaching nexus.

Upon completion the student will

K1. Have knowledge of software engineering models and methods for digital communications systems

K2. Understand the complexity of large systems and models to master this complexity in prototyping, simulation, design and implementation

and be able to

K3. Apply methods and concepts of component-based software architecture, real-time systems design and concurrent process models

K4. Analyse concurrent, parallel and distributed models for deadlocks and other anomalies

Upon completion, the student will:

A1. be aware of the best practice of concurrent/distributed systems development and the responsibilities placed on software engineers for predictable software systems behaviour

Upon completion the student will be able to

P1. apply software engineering methods and tools in the development of digital communications software

Upon completion, the student will be able to

S1. Work in a software engineering team on a digital communications application.

S2. Present a digital communications software engineering project.

ASCED Discipline Group Classification: 020103 Programming

Additional classification: 02017 Operating Systems

Software engineering models and methods including software specifications, component-based software architectures, object-oriented analysis and design, version control, real-time systems, synchronous and asynchronous systems, concurrency issues, critical sections, mutual exclusions, semaphores, parallel computing, internet protocols and distributed programming.

Software engineering models and methods including software specifications, component-based software architectures, object-oriented analysis and design, version control, real-time systems, synchronous and asynchronous systems, concurrency issues, critical sections, mutual exclusions, semaphores, parallel computing, internet protocols and distributed programming.

To be advised

On campus

2 hours lecture, 2 hours tutorial or laboratory class.

The lectures will address objectives K1-K4 and A1. The classes will reinforce K3, K4 and A1 and will address objective P1.

Assessment is 100% assignments.

Assessment is 100% by assignments. The programming assignments will ensure objectives A1, K3, K4 and P1 are met and will also indirectly test K1-K2. Some assignment work will be undertaken in groups, addressing objectives S1 and S2. Directed reading and research assignments will contribute to objectives K1, K2 and A1.

2 hours of lectures; 2 hours of practical or laboratory class; 8 hours private study, including working on assignments, doing directed reading, preparing for and revising lecture material.

2 hours of lectures per week for 13 weeks of semester in high-tech lecture theatre

None

2 hour classes per week in laboratory, which will be a combination of tutorial and practical class.

Staff member to lecture 2 hours per week, member of staff active in software engineering research area and familiar with digital communications.

Tutor/demonstrator to take 2 hours tutoria/practical class per week, experienced in programming, SE tools and techniques, and digital communications applications.

Pracs will use modern integrated development environments (IDE) for software such as Eclipse and/or Borland or Rational running under Linux. A recent Java environment will be assumed to exist in labs including appropriate Java support in the IDE itself.

Copies of the reference books on the reading list to be provided.

Faculty of IT

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