Sustainable Software Engineering

Sustainable Software Engineering is an overarching discipline that addresses the long-term consequences of designing, building, and releasing a software project. By definition, sustainability covers five main perspectives: environmental, social, individual, economic, technical. This course mainly focuses on the first, also known as Green Software Engineering. On top of that, we also cover fundamental aspects of social and individual sustainability of software projects.   
  
Software Engineering (SE) has long addressed sustainability by narrowing it down to economic and technical sustainability. However, our society is facing major sustainability challenges that can no longer be overlooked by software engineers and computer scientists. It is estimated that, by 2040, the ICT sector will contribute to 14% of the global carbon footprint. Through the rise in digitalization, software also defines societal processes and trust more than ever before. Hence, the environmental, social, and individual perspectives ought to be part of the equation when it comes to design, build, and release software systems. The problem is far from simple and we need expert computer scientists to bring sustainability into the core values of the next generation of tech-leading organisations. 

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

• Group Assignment 1: write a scientific report about software energy efficiency analysis (weighting 40%)

• Group Assignment 2: Hacking Sustainability Project: report and code  (weighting 40%)

• Group Presentation: project presentation on the Hacking Sustainability Project (weighting 10%)

• Individual Presentation: individual Q&A after group presentation (weighting 10%)

Final grade calculation = 0.4 * Group Assignment 1 + 0.4 * Group Assignment 2 + 0.1 * Group Presentation + 0.1 * Individual Presentation

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 Assignment 1: Repair opportunity

• Group Assignment 2: Repair opportunity

• Group Presentation: Resit opportunity

• Individual Presentation: Resit opportunity

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