Course Description

Course name:Seminar "Software Development - Issues, Trends, and Research Directions"
Course code: TKOPS 407
Finnish credit units: 4 ECTS (2 cu); Advanced level
Instructor: Zheying Zhang, Eleni Berki, and Jyrki Nummenmaa

This course is suitable for students who are approaching to the MSc thesis writing stage. The seminars enable students to learn about topics which do not otherwise appear in the available courses; expose students to different topics and perspectives in software development; and help students identify the topic of their master theses. They will cover issues, trends, and recent developments in various areas of software development.

Structure of the course: This is a seminar course with different speakers from academia and industry who will talk on their areas of expertise. In addition, participants present their master thesis work or research in the seminar. The seminar will be arranged every other week (Wednesday 2pm-4pm) throughout the whole academic year. The main working language is English, one or two Finnish sessions might be arranged according to the request of Finnish students or guest lectures.
 

Assessment: Students do not have to attend all seminars, but must accumulate these assignments in order to get the credit units.

1. Attendance and summary: The student has to attend and summarize at least 5 guest talks (approx. 1-2 hours in each talk) which he attends. The 1-2 page summary should include what the speaker presented, student's own critical comments (at least half a page), and may include a summary or highlights of the class discussion. The summary must include the name of the talk, the date, and name of the speaker.

2. Thesis presentation: The student has to prepare for an approx. 20 slide (notated) of his master thesis work and present it in the seminar (approx. 40-60 minutes). The presentation and the slides should be agreed with the student's thesis supervisor and the course organizer. Instructions to prepare for presentation slides will be provided during the seminar.