Software Architecture

The software architecture course offers students a chance to learn and experience the concepts of designing, modeling, analyzing and evaluating software design and software architectures. Furthermore, the course provides students with a discussion forum in which recent articles in the area of software architecture are presented and discussed. The course also features a number of guest lectures to show the state-of-the-art of software architecture in industry.

Topics covered by this course are: fundamentals of software architectures, modeling and designing software architectures, architectural patterns and styles, architecture viewpoints and perspectives, the role of the software architect, analyzing and evaluating software architectures, component and plug-in frameworks, software product lines, service oriented architectures, code quality, technical debt, refactoring, software architecture evolution, and architecture modernization.

The course includes extensive labwork in groups of four. Each group is tasked to develop the architecture for a system of choice, covering problem analysis, a developed architecture, and a proof-of-concept implementation, and to describe these in written reports.

The final grade of the course consists of the following components:

Group grade:

• Report: weighting 40%

• Proof of concept (PoC): weighting 40%

• Presentation: weighting 20%

Group grade calculation: 0.4 x Report + 0.4 x PoC + 0.2 x Presentation

Individual grade:

• Pass / fail on individual participation in group work

• Pass / fail on individual participation reviews

• Adjustments between -1 and +1 of the group grade to reflect individual contribution or the lack thereof.

Final grade: Group Grade + Individual Adjustment

Repair opportunities:

A passing final grade for the course can only be earned when for all components at least a 5.0 is earned, and the weighted final grade is at least a 5.8.

In case of an insufficient final result, repair options may exist in accordance with Article 17A, Times and number of examinations, sub 1, of the Teaching and Examination Regulations, for:

• Group repair based on feedback: extra assignment depending on and building on work delivered before repair

• Individual repair based on feedback and individual performance: extra assignment depending on and building on work delivered before repair.

Disclaimer: information may change depending on unforeseen circumstances or measures (see: TER Art 2, sub 5).