Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This individual work-based project is a substantial piece of independent work which is designed based on your job role and the specialism that you are undertaking as part of the Software Engineering Master’s Level Degree Apprenticeship. You will have the opportunity to solve real-world problem focus on live business scenarios in your workplace, develop your own specialist expertise in the project, and further improve and demonstrate your professional development skills. You will work closely with your employer and the apprenticeship tutor.

Specifically, the module aims to equip the apprentices with the following knowledge and skills:
• To deepen the knowledge, skills and behaviours acquired in the degree apprenticeship programme through practice.
• To develop an awareness of the range and limitations of technologies available.
• To develop an awareness of the real-world problems in Software Engineering.

Outline Of Syllabus

Toward the end of the programme a lead academic supervisor accompanied by multiple academic supervisors will agree upon a business-related project with the apprentice’s employer and the apprentices based on the apprentice’s job role and specialism that they are undertaking as part of the Digital and Technology Solution Specialist Master’s Degree. The independent assessor of the EPA (End Point Assessment) should be present at the meeting for finalising the topic for the capstone project. If the apprentice or their employer needs to change the capstone project scope they must resubmit a project form for the EPA Assessor to approve.

The agreed project will present a typical business task, appropriate for demonstrating the skills and knowledge on the standard. In every project there will be a research component and a strong design, programming and/or analytic element.

1. Project Definition and Planning: The agreed project will be comparable in terms of content and complexity for all apprentices – it is the context within which the knowledge, and skills must be demonstrated that will vary. The project is undertaken and completed on programme and pre-gateway to the EPA (End Point Assessment).
2. Supervision: Each project has a lead supervisor and second supervisor, both staff from the School. Additional supervision support may be provided by the apprentice’s employer. The apprentice and lead supervisor will meet regularly throughout the period of the project.
3. Research: Background research will be undertaken in the selected topic with access to the library and online resources.
4. Development and Software Engineering Skills: The core of the project will involve carrying out the project plan largely independently, but with guidance from the supervisors.
5. Project Report: A project report will be prepared, describing the technical background, the work undertaken, the analysis of results and directions for further work. Guidance on the style and content of a report will be provided by means of lectures and through the supervisor.
6. Project Presentation: A mini show and share peers of their six-month project, and as a way to bring a celebratory closure to the program.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

To describe and discuss:
1. The various inputs, statements of requirements, security considerations and constraints that guide solution architecture and the development of logical and physical systems’ designs;
2. The methodologies designed to help create approaches for organising the software engineering process, the activities that need to be undertaken at different stages in the life-cycle and techniques for managing risks in delivering software solutions;
3. The approaches used to modularise the internal structure of an application and describe the structure and behaviour of applications used in a business, with a focus on how they interact with each other and with business users;
4. How to design, develop and deploy software solutions that are secure and effective in delivering the requirements of stakeholders and the factors that affect the design of a successful code;
5. The range of metrics which might be used to evaluate a delivered software product.

Intended Skill Outcomes

To be able to demonstrate the ability to:
1.       Identify, document, review and design complex IT enabled business processes that define a set of activities that will accomplish specific organisational goals and provides a systematic approach to improving those processes;
2.       Professionally present digital and technology solution specialism plans and solutions in a well- structured business report;
3.       Demonstrate self-direction and originality in solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing digital and technology solutions specialist tasks at a professional level;
4.       Be competent at negotiating and closing techniques in a range of interactions and engagements, both with senior internal and external stakeholders;
5.       Architect, build and support leading edge concurrent software platforms that are performant to industry standards and deliver responsive solutions with good test coverage;
6.       Drive the technology decision-making and development process for projects of varying scales, considering current technologies including DevOps and Cloud Computing, and evaluate different technology design and implementation options making reasoned proposals and recommendations;
7.       Develop and deliver, distributed or semi-complex software solutions that are scalable and which deliver innovative user experiences and journeys that encompass cross-functional teams, platforms and technologies;
8.       Update current software products, improving the efficiency and functionality, and build new features to product specifications;
9.       Accomplish planned software development tasks that deliver the expected features, within specified time constraints, security and quality requirements;
10.       Be accountable for the quality of deliverables from one or more software development teams (source code quality, automated testing, design quality, documentation etc.) and following company standard processes (code reviews, unit testing, source code management etc.).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The project is undertaken with a lead academic supervisor, working collaboratively with the apprentice’s employer. There will be a designated Degree Apprenticeship Tutor to offer additional assistance or advice.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The final dissertation allows apprentices to apply their accumulative knowledge and skills in their area of speciality to an agreed upon project by themselves, their employer and university supervisors. The formative assessment of writing an interim report will help apprentices prepare their final report. A video presentation at the end of the module will provide an opportunity to showcase their projects to each-other and their employers. Overall the project, report and video submission should help prepare apprentices towards the apprenticeship Gateway and End Point Assessment.

General Notes

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