Software Architecture and Development Practices module (CS31007)

You will develop the ability to write high-quality, maintainable, and secure software.

You will focus on software design principles, code review practices, secure coding, and test-driven development.

You will gain practical experience in areas such as:

• improving code quality
• applying design patterns
• writing effective tests
• conducting professional code reviews

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

•  write clean and maintainable code
• refactor code to remove code 'smells'
• apply common software design patterns
• perform unit testing and Test-Driven Development (TDD)
• conduct effective code reviews
• apply version control best practices
• identify secure coding principles
• apply defensive programming techniques

By the end of the module you will be able to:

•  explain and apply software design patterns in real-world scenarios
• analyse and revise software quality using refactoring techniques
• demonstrate the importance of unit testing and implement test-driven development
• perform code reviews and provide constructive feedback
• write unit and integration tests using appropriate tools and frameworks
• work collaboratively using version control and peer review processes

Assignments / assessment

•  Code Review & Refactoring Exercise (50%)
• Software Development Project with Testing & Security Focus (50%)

Teaching methods / timetable

You will learn by taking a hands-on approach. Lectures and/or lecture videos will introduce the main concepts to you. You will explore these concepts further during tutorials and/or practical lab sessions. Coursework assignments will be used to consolidate and demonstrate your learning.