Bachelor Study Programme

BACHELOR STUDY PROGRAMME

Software Engineering

(State code– 612I30001)

self-evaluation REPORT

Acting Rector of VilniusUniversityProf. habil. dr.Jūras Banys

(signature)

L.S.

Head of the self-evaluationgroup assoc. prof. dr. Saulius Ragaišis

(signature)

Vilnius

2013

Title of the Study programme / Software Engineering
State code / 612I30001
Type of studies / University studies
Level of studies / First
Form and duration of studies (number of years) / Full-time, 4 years
Extent of study programme (in credits) / 240
Degree and /or qualification awarded / Bachelor of Software Engineering
Programme registration date / 14 June 2002,document No.1093
Minimal admission requirements / Twelve-year secondary or its equivalent
Language of instruction / Lithuanian
Study field / Software Engineering
Study area / Physical Sciences

Self-evaluationgroup

No. / Pedagogical title (science degree), name, surname / Position / Telephone (office and mobile) / E-mail address
1. / assoc. prof. dr. Saulius Ragaišis / Head of the Study Programme Committee, assoc. prof. at Department of Software Engineering / +370 5 2195036
+370 611 24 439 /
2. / Linas Būtėnas / Vice-dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics / +370 5 2193051
+370 61967625 /
3. / prof. dr. (HP) Romas Baronas / Head of Department of Software Engineering, professor / +370 5 2195039
+370 686 00145 /
4. / dr. Kristina Lapin / Assoc. prof. at Department of Software Engineering / +370 5 2195037
+370 681 72 495 /
5. / assoc. prof. dr. Antanas Mitašiūnas / Assoc. prof. at Department of Computer Science / +370 5 2193074
+370 611 52 966 /
6. / dr. Evaldas Drąsutis / Deputy general manager at Sintagma group of companies / +370 5 210 2400
+370 699 24 028 /
7. / Justinas Marcinka / 4th year student of Software Engineering study programme / +37061176349 /

Table of Contents

Introduction

1Programme Aims and Intended Learning Outcomes

1.1Aims and learning outcomes

1.2Correspondence to needs, expectations and requirements

1.3Public resources on the programme

1.4Review of aims and learning outcomes

1.5Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

2Curriculum Design

2.1Compatibility of curriculum design with legal requirements

2.2Study plan

2.3Rationale for the curriculum design

2.4Study methods, students’ workload

2.5Requirements for Bachelor’s thesis

2.6Professional practice

2.7Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

3Teaching Staff

3.1Employment and assessment of staff

3.2Qualifications of staff and conditions for professional development

3.3Staff mobility

3.4Student/teacher ratio in the study programme

3.5Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

4facilities and learning resources

4.1Facilities

4.2Equipment for studies

4.3Practice basis

4.4Learning resources

4.5Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

5Study process and students’ performance assessment

5.1Admission requirements

5.2Admission statistics and trends

5.3Changes in students numbers: reasons for “drop out”

5.4Academic support for students

5.5Student research and artistic activities

5.6Student participation in exchange programmes

5.7Social support

5.8Assessment of student achievements

5.9Professional activities of the graduates of the study programme

5.10Ensuring honest studies

5.11Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

6Programme management

6.1Regulation of study quality assurance

6.2Study programme management

6.3Feedback

6.4Cooperation with employers

6.5Strengths, weaknesses, and measures of improvement

ANNEXES

Annex 1. Descriptions of study modules

Annex 2. Data on the teaching staff

Annex 3. Curriculum Vitae of theteachingstaff

Annex 4. Lists of bachelors‘ final thesis

Annex 5. Summary of the report of the previous evaluation

Annex 6. Curriculum (renewed and previous versions of the programme)

Annex 7. Feedback from employers

Annex 8. Mapping learning outcomes to accreditation criteria

Introduction

1.VilniusUniversity, one of the oldest and most famous establishments of higher education in Eastern and Central Europe, was founded in 1579. Functioning for a long time as the only institution of higher education in Lithuania, it has preserved its cultural and scientific traditions and played a significant part in the cultural life not only of Lithuania, but the neighbouring countries as well. The University is a unique witness to the history of the Lithuanian state.

2.The mission of the University is a solemn duty and inalienable right, arising from the past, stimulated by the challenges of the present and passed on to the future generations, to strengthen the cognitive and creative powers of Lithuania and the world, to foster academic as well as spiritual and social values, to educate active and responsible citizens and leaders. This mission is based on the imperatives of academic freedom, responsibility to the Lithuanian nation and Lithuanian state, openness and accountability to society. A thorough understanding that during the centuries VilniusUniversity has become a scientific and cultural centre of national importance imposes special duties on the university community as well as society that this community belongs to.[1]

3.According to the Statute, VilniusUniversity is administered by the Senate and the Rector. The Senate is the supreme self-government body, responsible for general University matters. Certain issues within the competence of the Senate can be delegated by the Senate to the Board of the Senate. The Board consists of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Rector, Vice Rectors, faculty deans and heads of other academic divisions.According to the Statute, the activities of the University are supervised by the Senate and the Rector‘s office. The transparency of the University administration is ensured by the University Council.

4.According to the functions exercised, the University divisions are classified into academic and non-academic and, according to their status, to faculties and comparable parent divisions, and branch divisions. The main academic divisions of the University are faculties, institutes and other study centres, which were awarded that status by the Senate. In the academic year 2012-2013, there were 199 study programmes (72 first cycle, 123 second cycle, and 4 integrated studies programmes) which were carried out by 23 academic divisions (12 faculties, 7 institutes and 4 study and research centres). VilniusUniversity also offers doctoral and internship studies. Non-academic parent divisions comprise the Library, Botanical garden, Electronic Study and Examination Centre and other divisions, which were awarded that status by the Senate. Those divisions do not carry out academic functions.

5.The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics is one of the largest among the 12 faculties of VilniusUniversity. The Faculty is managed by the Dean and five Vice-deans. Research work and studies, education of research workers and academic staff, usage, purchase, and modernization of funds, premises, equipment and other property are coordinated by the Faculty Council. The Faculty consists of 10 Departments:

• Department of Computer Science;
• Department of Computer Science II[2];
• Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Informatics;
• Department of Differential Equations and Numerical Mathematics;
• Department of Econometric Analysis;
• Department of Mathematical Analysis;
• Department of Mathematical Computer Science;
• Department of Mathematical Statistics;
• Department of Probability Theory and Number Theory;
• Department of Software Engineering.

6.The main strategic goals of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics are internationalization of study environment, improvement of quality of teaching/learning process by directing it towards student centred approach and acquiring new technological equipment, fostering collaboration between academic and business environment and participation in national and international academic and scientific initiatives and projects.

7.The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics offers:

• Nine bachelor study programmes in six fields of studies, including software engineering (study programme of Software Engineering), informatics (Informatics, InformationTechnologies), health informatics (Bioinformatics), mathematics (Mathematics and Mathematical Applications, Finance and Actuarial Mathematics), statistics (Statistics, Econometrics) and pedagogy (Teaching of Mathematics and Informatics), currently attended by 1661[3]student.
• Eighth master study programmes in four fields of studies, including software engineering (study programme of Software Engineering), informatics (Informatics, Computer Modelling), mathematics (Mathematics, Finance and Actuarial Mathematics, Teaching of Mathematics and Informatics), statistics (Econometrics, Statistics), currently attended by 286 students.
• Doctoral studies in the fields of mathematics and informatics. There are 40 doctoral students. Part of doctoral students take part in the study process by giving practical classes to students of the bachelor study programmes. Doctoral students are also active participants of the scientific seminars at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics.

8.The study field Software Engineering at VilniusUniversity is implemented only by the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics: there is one bachelor study programme of Software Engineering and one master study programme of Software Engineering. The bachelor study programme of Software Engineering was started in 2002, and the master study programme of Software Engineering was started in 2006. Both study programmes were registered as study programmes in the field of Informatics. On 23 December 2009, the Government of Lithuania issued Decision No. 1749 which approved of a new list of study areas and fields for the institutions of higher education. On 19 February 2010, the Minister of Education and Science issued Order No. V222 approving the list of study branches constituting the study fields. Therefore, in 2010 bachelor and master study programmes of Software Engineering were reorganised into study programmes of the main field of Software Engineering belonging to the group of study fields of Mathematics and Computer Science in the study area of Physical Sciences.

9.For a better understanding of the situation in Lithuaniait could be noted that Computing is distributed among Physical Sciences and Technological Sciences and the sets of research fields and study fields are different. There are only 2 research fields:

• Informatics (09P) in the area of Physical Sciences;
• Informatics Engineering (07T) in the area ofTechnological Sciences.

But currently there are even 6 study fields:

• Informatics (I100), Information Systems (I200), Software Engineering (I300), Health Informatics (I500), Mathematics and Computer Science (I900) in the area of Physical Sciences;
• Informatics Engineering (E100) in the area ofTechnological Sciences.

So, Lithuanian term Informatics could stand in different context for:

• Computer Science (as it is in the case of the study programme Informatics delivered by the Faculty);
• A group of disciplines of Computing, including Software Engineering (as it is in the title of the Faculty and the research field) or excluding it (as it is in study field);
• Or even the whole Computing.

10.A new study programme has to undergo compulsory evaluation which is carried out by the experts from VilniusUniversity and the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. In order to register a study programme, a positive conclusion by the experts is required. Later on the regular evaluations of the programme are performed. These means should ensure the quality of studies.

11.The bachelor and master programmes of Software Engineering (physical sciences, software engineering) are supervised by the Department of Software Engineering (established in 1999) at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. Two members of the Department (prof. R. Baronas and assoc. prof. S. Ragaišis) are also members of the Faculty Council, which helps to ensure effective solution of teaching and study problems.

12.The main field of research at the Department of Software Engineering includes modelling of computer systems and their development process:software process modelling, assessment and improvement,computer systems modelling and networks modelling. There are 13 doctors of science, including 2 professors and 7 associate professors. 4 doctoral students in the field of informatics are associated with the Department and supervised by the scientists working at the Department. All doctoral students take part in the study process.

13.Courses in the bachelor study programme of Software Engineering are taught by academic staff from eight departments of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics – Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Science II, Mathematical Computer Science, Didactics of Mathematics and Informatics, Differential Equations and Numerical Mathematics, Mathematical Analysis, and Mathematical Statistics – as well as academic staff from faculties of Physics, Economics, and from Institute of Foreign Languages.Such cooperation encourages effective use of study and research opportunities at VilniusUniversity and helps to ensure the quality of studies.

14.The bachelor study programme Software Engineering was registered in 2002 with the bachelor’sdegree in Informatics conferred (former state code 61209P110)[4].It was among 30 first bachelor level Software Engineering study programmes in the world.

15.Some attention should be paid on the naming of the programme. Gary Ford from Software Engineering Institute at CarnegieMellonUniversity noted that a study programme named Software Engineeringcould cause complications in the classic universities having no engineering departments. So, he proposed to use a neutral term Software Systems in such cases. Consequently, in 1999 the new department established at VilniusUniversity and the new study programme has been named in Lithuanian asProgramų sistemos (Software Systems) but in English as Software Engineering in order to avoid the need for additional comments. The same approach has been taken by the Government of Lithuania when adjusting the list of study areas and fields: the newly introduced study field has been named Programų sistemos (Software Systems) but Software Engineeringin English.

16.The external comprehensive evaluationof bachelor study programme Software Engineering(physical sciences, informatics) has been carried out in 2006.“The team finds the overall quality of the programme to be very good. The team indicates the following as the main advantages of the programme: important special programme for industrial needs; close interaction with industry; high requirements, ensuring good quality of studies and graduates.”Summary of the previous evaluationis presented in Annex 5.

17.In 2009 the study programme was accredited until 31 December 2014[5]. After the approval of the List of Study Areas and Fields in Institutions of Higher Education[6], students who were admitted in 2010 and later will be conferred a degree of Bachelor in Software Engineering.

18.Since the start of the study programme in 2002 until now the improvement of the study programme is an on-going process. Especially important changes have been made in the renewed programme starting from 2013 due to the changes implemented in the national Regulation of study programmes while enacting the reform of higher education (e.g. the possibility of minor studies was established). The implementation and further development of bachelor study programme Software Engineering was exercised in accordance with the documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Science, VilniusUniversity and relevant international organisations[7]. Unfortunately, Lithuania is still on the way to international community so many of the documents referenced in the report are available only in Lithuanian.

19.The self-evaluationreport on the bachelor study programme Software Engineering covers the period from 1 September 2008 to 30 June 2013.

20.The self-evaluationgroup was formed on 18 February 2013 and approved by Oder D-15 of the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics prof. G. Stepanauskas.

21.The self-evaluationperformed and of the reportprepared is the result of the teamwork of all members of self-evaluationgroup (mailbox dedicated to self-evaluation contains more than 2200 e-mails). Distribution of the responsibilities and schedule are presented in tables 0.1 and 0.2 correspondingly.

Table 0.1. Distribution of the responsibilities among the members of self-evaluationgroup

No. / Group member / Responsibilities
Saulius Ragaišis / Coordination of the work of self-evaluationgroup, parts of the report: Introduction, 1. Aims and learning outcomes of the study programme.
Linas Būtėnas / Part4. Material resources.
Evaldas Drąsutis / Presentation of the point of view of business partners in self-evaluation.
Justinas Marcinka / Presentation of the point of view of students in self-evaluation.
Kristina Lapin / Parts3. Personnel and 5. Study process and assessment.
Antanas Mitašiūnas / Part 6. Programme management.
Romas Baronas / Introduction, part 2. Curriculum design.

Table 0.2. Schedule of the self-evaluationgroup

No. / Activities / Date
Formation of the self-evaluationgroup. / 18/02/2013
Definition of duties and tasks of group members, drawing up a schedule of activities. / 25/02/2013
Collecting opinions of academic staff, students, graduates and social partners about the study programme and its implementation. / 27/04/2013
Preparation of the first draft of self-evaluationreport and discussion of results in the self-evaluationgroup. / 27/05/2013
Discussion of preliminary self-evaluationresults at the seminar and meeting of the Software Engineering Department. / 03/06/2013
Preparation of the final draft of self-evaluationreport. / 24/06/2013

The self-evaluation group was assisted by the academic staff of the Faculties of Mathematics and Informatics, Physics, Economics, and Institute of Foreign Languages who teach the students of the Software engineeringbachelor study programme, academic staff of the Software Engineering Department, non-academic staff of the Study Office of the Facultyof Mathematics and Informatics, coordinators of studies in the Department of Software Engineering and other departments.

1Programme Aims and Intended Learning Outcomes

22.Software Engineering is one of the major disciplines in computing, with its own body of knowledge, so separate study programme is needed. The commonalities and differences among computing disciplines are clearly defined in Computing Curricula 2005[8]. Fig. 1 provides the graphical characterizations of them.

Computer Science /
Information Technology

Software Engineering /
Information Systems

Fig. 1 Commonalities and differences among computing disciplines (Computing Curricula 2005)

1.1Aims and learning outcomes

23.The objective of the Software Engineering programme is preparation of highly qualified IT specialists that match the needs of the economy of Lithuania, are capable to export software products and services, and could successfully compete for IT workplaces in the European Union and other foreign countries.

24.The competences and intended learning outcomes of the programme are provided in table 1.1. It should be noted that the intended learning outcomes have been explicitly formulated for the renewed Programme (that starts on September 2013) only. The previous forms of the Programme’s description have no such information. It is important to emphasize that the understanding of the intended learning outcomes has been established long time ago and the previous Programme also strived to develop these students’ abilities.

Table 1.1. Competences and intended learning outcomes of the Programme

Generic competences / Programme learning outcomes
1. / Communication and collaboration / 1.1 / An ability to present, information, ideas, problems, and suggested solutions convincingly in official and second (foreign) language for specialists and non-specialists in written and verbal form.
1.2 / An ability to function effectively on multidisciplinary teams to accomplish a common goal.
1.3 / An ability to organise their own work independently.
2. / Life-long learning / 2.1 / Recognition of the need for, and engagement in life-long learning.
2.2 / An ability to undertake literature searches and analysis, and to use data bases and other sources of information.
2.3 / An ability independently to acquire new knowledge, methodologies, and tools and to apply them in practice.
3. / Social responsibility / 3.1 / An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
3.2 / An ability to analyse the economic, social, ethical, and legal impact of engineering solutions on individuals, organizations, and society.
Subject-specific competences / Programme learning outcomes
4. / Knowledge and skills of underlying conceptual basis / 4.1 / Knowledge and understanding of the key aspects and concepts of software engineering, including some at the forefront of the discipline, insight into possible application fields, and an awareness of the wider spectrum of the discipline.
4.2 / An ability to apply mathematical foundations, knowledge of science and engineering, computer science theory, and algorithmic principles in software systems development.
4.3 / An ability to reason at abstract level, to use formal notation, to prove the correctness, and to apply formalisation and specification for real-world problems.
5. / Software development knowledge and skills / 5.1 / An ability to become familiar with new software engineering applications, to appreciate the extent of domain knowledge, to evaluate the complexity of the problems and the feasibility of their solution.
5.2 / An ability to analyse a problem, identify needs and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution.
5.3 / An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or service to meet desired needs.
5.4 / An ability to select the software life cycle suitable for building new, and maintaining and commissioning existing, software systems.
6. / Technological and methodological knowledge and skills, professional competence / 6.1 / An ability to combine theory and practice to complete software engineering tasks from different application areas while taking into account the existing technical, economical and social context.
6.2 / An ability to select and use appropriate current techniques, models, solution patterns, skills, and tools necessary for software engineering practice involving emerging application areas.
6.3 / An ability to use existing hardware, software and application systems, to identify, understand and apply the promising technologies.
6.4 / An ability to plan, design and conduct experiments and other appropriate practical investigations (e.g. of system performance), as well as to analyse and interpret data.
6.5 / An ability to formulate acceptable, cost-effective and time-efficient problem solutions using essential knowledge and methods of estimating and measuring cost and productivity.
6.6 / Awareness of project management, quality assurance, and process improvement practices and abilities to apply them.

1.2Correspondence to needs, expectations and requirements

25.The aims and learning outcomes of the Software Engineering study programme is inline with the needs and development trends of Lithuania, employers concerns, and students demand.