Professional Issues

Here are links to the course home page and the formal TQA description.

There are many commercial, engineering and professional issues, complementary to the necessary scientific knowledge and technical skills, that impinge on the work of the computing professional. The Professional Issues course aims to provide a general awareness of these issues and to cover some of them in depth. The course will mostly involve directed reading but there will be some lectures from members of staff and visitors.

Syllabus

Personal Attributes:

study skills, personal development, interpersonal skills; employers' views and expectations of graduates; study skills, writing skills, presentation skills.

The Computing Profession:

professional bodies; codes of conduct and practice.

Social and Ethical Issues:

security, privacy, software ownership

Legal Issues:

legal and regulatory frameworks; software contracts and liability; intellectual property, copyright and patents; computer misuse, data protection; health and safety.

Commercial Issues:

organisational structures; finance, accounting, audit; resource management.

Computing Projects:

design, prototype and product; product development cycle; marketing and market research; project management and team working.

Assessment

The examination will involve essay-style questions. The assessed coursework will also be an essay to allow practice in essay writing. All essays will be assessed on their quality of English as well as content. Note that this course has a non-standard coursework weighting (15% coursework, 85% exam).

References:

*** Professional Issues in Software Engineering, 3rd edition, Bott, Coleman, Eaton and Rowland, Pitman, 2001 *** Scientists Must Write, R. Barrass, Routledge, 2002 ** Computer Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Bynum and Rogerson (eds), Blackwell, 2004 ** The Essence of Professional Issues in Computing, R. Ayres, Prentice Hall, 1999 * Law and the Internet, L. Edwards and C. Waelde, Hart, 1997 * Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M Pirsig, Corgi, 1974/1999