What is Software Engineering?
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Software engineering started off as an art: there were good programmers who wrote good code and bad programmers who did not. Over time, the expertise of good programmers was documented, which led to processes, models and strategies for effective software development — and the field of software engineering was born.
Three areas the course covers
| Area | What the course covers |
|---|---|
| Software processes | E.g. the waterfall model and the agile model, and common practices used in industry |
| Tools | Used by software teams to capture requirements, plan, develop and test |
| Code | How to organise code and best practices for clean, effective code |
The course follows a learner-centric MOOC model: short videos with reflection spots (pause and write down your thoughts), learning-by-doing activities after videos, discussion forums with focused questions, and extra resources to explore your own interests. Learners are expected to put in at least 6 hours per week. The course project takes you through the entire software development lifecycle, with intermediate milestones each week.
REMEMBER Software engineering = the expertise of good programmers, organised into processes, models and strategies.