SCHOOL OF INFORMATION SCIENCES. Study Guide MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE PROGRAMMES GIVEN IN ENGLISH

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Updated 8.8.2011 kt (technical changes due to UTA administrative re-structuring and updated UTA regulations)

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION SCIENCES

Study Guide 2010-2011 2011-2012

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STUDY GUIDE 2010-2011 2011-2012

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION SCIENCES

Master of Science degree programmes given in English

University of Tampere (Main Building, Kalevantie 4) 33014 UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE, Finland School of Information Sciences (Kanslerinrinne 1, Pinni B Building) 33014 UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE, Finland Tel. (03) 355 111 Fax (03) 3551 4002

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Editors: Taru Koskinen Heli Rikala Kirsi Tuominen Layout: Aila Helin

The information given in this Study Guide was written in May 2010. In August 2011, it was updated regarding the UTA administrative structural changes and some new UTA regulations that took place in 2011.

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Contents

General information

Regulations concerning studies Programme requirements

Master's Degree Programme in Software Development

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in software development 40 ECTS

1.2 Master’s thesis with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme 40 ECTS

Master's Degree Programme in User Interface Software Development

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in user interface software development 30 ECTS 1.2 Optional advanced courses in Computer Science or Interactive Technology 10 ECTS 1.3 Master’s thesis with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme 40 ECTS

Master's Degree Programme in Interactive Technology

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in Interactive Technology 30 ECTS 1.2 Optional advanced courses in Interactive Technology 10 ECTS

1.3 Master’s thesis with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme 40 ECTS

Other studies in Master’s degree programme 40 ECTS

1.1 General studies

1.2 Language and Communication studies 1.3 Complementing studies

1.4 Elective studies

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General information

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Tampere offers an excellent selection of fields of science which examine information from different points of view. The School produces research and education in the fields of Computer Science, Interactive Technology, Information Studies and Interactive Media, Mathematics, and Statistics. The research and teaching in the School are aimed at fulfilling the increasing demands for information technology in modern society.

For more information on the School please see http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/index.html.

The following Master’s degree programmes given in English are offered in Computer Science and Interactive Technology:

Master’s Degree Programme in Interactive Technology, 120 ECTS credits - major subject Interactive Technology

Master’s Degree Programme in User Interface Software Development, 120 ECTS credits - major subject Interactive Technology

Master’s Degree Programme in Software Development, 120 ECTS credits - major subject Computer Science

Computer Science and Interactive Technology

The School has an established and growing international reputation for research and teaching in Computer Science and Interactive Technology. There are about 50 active researchers, and a close knit community enjoys a stimulating intellectual environment. Both in teaching and research, our staff and students address issues of importance to the scientific community, business world and government agencies.

There are more than 600 students studying undergraduate and postgraduate courses. We attract students from all over the world. Through our wide range of programmes (of which three can at the moment be studied in English) our students are offered a depth and breadth of knowledge, combined with strong technical skills. With the diversity and balance in the curriculum, the students are prepared for careers in both academic and industrial settings.

Research projects concentrate in core areas of computer sciences. Database research develops effective means for storing and retrieving ever greater quantities of data. Research is done to create new languages and tools for the making of computer programs. There is also a wide range of research projects on human-computer interaction, and many of the results achieved are ready for application in practice. Medical applications of Computer Science present a challenge for those researching algorithms and artificial intelligence. In research on information systems the focus of interest is on the benefits of information systems and their societal implications.

An exceptionally large number of IT companies operate in the Tampere region. The Computer Sciences personnel engage in various types of cooperation with them. In addition to joint research projects these companies have been a source of subjects for theses and practical projects.

Computer Science as a major subject

Computer Science is a field which examines questions pertaining to the use of computers, such as the principles and tools for the presentation and processing of data, programming and information systems and their planning. Professionals in this field must have the capacity for precise thought and logical deduction. The purpose of the

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Software Development programme is to train competent IT professionals, researchers and teachers for universities and colleges.

Interactive Technology as a major subject

Interactive Technology aims at training all-round IT professionals who have a people-friendly approach to their work. Making the quality of interaction better between man and technology is a core element in the teaching of Interactive Technology. Due to a multidisciplinary basis, students can utilise their backgrounds and interests and specialise in making software and hardware usability evaluations, or concentrate on developing new and better ways of interaction from a human perspective. Students can find jobs in a wide variety of different fields; they can become product development professionals in the software and telecommunications industry, usability experts in Internet and multimedia companies, and researchers in the field.

What the studies require

The studies require students to be able to apply learnt things and methods to new situations. Students must also have a fair share of perseverance. In working life professionals in this field must be able and willing to cooperate. Due to the rapid development of the IT branch, professionals must also be willing to acquire new information. Studying computer sciences requires students to be active, they have to complete the assignments given conscientiously, and practice independently and on their own initiative. The methods taught can only be learnt by completing weekly exercises. Even brief neglect of the studies will soon take its toll, and listening to lectures alone will not equip students with the necessary skills and competence.

Study counselling

Study counselling is given by both disciplines and School staff. For contact information please see below.

Computer Sciences staff

Tel. (03) 3551 6616 office Fax (03) 3551 6070

http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/cs/index.html

Programme tutor teachers

Ms. Zheying Zhang (M.Sc. Programme in Software Development) Pinni B Building, room B1034

Tel. (03) 3551 4045

Email zheying.zhang (at) uta.fi

Mr. Poika Isokoski (M.Sc. Programme in User Interface Software Development; M.Sc. Programme in Interactive Technology)

Pinni B Building, room B1040 Tel. (03) 040 190 1718

Email poika.isokoski (at) cs.uta.fi

Computer Sciences amanuensis (study affairs)

Ms. Heli Rikala

Pinni B Building, room B1024 Tel. (03) 3551 8566

Email studies (at) cs.uta.fi

School Office, International officer

Ms. Kirsi Tuominen

Pinni B Building, room B3141 Tel. (03) 3551 7036

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Regulations concerning studies

1 Degree structure and required studies

The extent of a degree is given in credits (in Finnish opintopiste). Finnish credits are ECTS compatible, i.e. one Finnish credit corresponds to one ECTS credit. The minimum requirement for a lower university degree, Bachelor’s degree (= first cycle), is 180 credits. The extent of studies leading to a higher university degree, Master’s degree (= second cycle), is 120 credits.

Master programmes given in English in Computer Sciences consist of three components: Advanced level course units in computer sciences 40 ECTS

Master’s thesis 40 ECTS Other studies 40 ECTS

2 Credits and workload

The average input of 1600 working hours needed for studies of one academic year corresponds to 60 credits. The working hours include lectures, practical work, seminars, exercises, independent study, written examinations, and research. The credit system is based on a full student workload and is not limited to contact hours only.

As the extent of the Master programmes is 120 ECTS, the programmes require two years of full time studies.

3 Major subject

Master degree students have a major subject, in which scientific knowledge, theory and practice of the field are combined. At the final stage of their studies, students write an extensive thesis based on independent research in a chosen area of the major subject.

4 Minor subjects and other studies

Studies in minor subjects may be included in the degree. They may be chosen from a School other than the one for which the student is accepted. Minor subjects taken may be on basic, intermediate or advanced level (for these study modules please see below).

In the Master programmes, also other types of studies (e.g. General studies, Language and Communication Studies), are to be included in the degree. For these, please see Other studies in Master’s degree programme at the end of this Study Guide.

Finnish students admitted into a Master’s degree programme given in English are required to take the majority (100 ECTS) of their master’s degree studies in English. Thus, only 20 ECTS may be taken in Finnish.

5 Study module

All course units in major and minor subjects belong to a study module (opintokokonaisuus), which is the basic structural entity of the degree programme. Study modules are classified with respect to their contents and position in the curriculum as basic studies (perusopinnot), intermediate studies (aineopinnot) and advanced studies (syventävät opinnot). Study modules comprise a certain number of course units and they represent either one discipline or are interdisciplinary. The study modules usually range from 25 to 65 credits depending on the subject and the level of studies. Advanced studies in Computer Science and Interactive Technology are 80 credits.

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The main aim of the advanced studies is to develop the student’s ability to seek and apply scientific knowledge independently.

Master programme course units in the major subject are on the advanced level. Some Complementing studies on intermediate level may be required.

6 Course unit

Study modules consist of course units. All instruction is planned, arranged and taken in course units. Course units carry a certain number of credits, usually from 3 to 10 credits. In most cases, one course unit consists of lectures, exercises and/or an exam. In addition to lecture courses, other forms of teaching are used, e.g. exercises, seminars, group work, practical work, written assignments, and set book exams.

Once the student has taken all the course units within a certain study module, s/he should ask for a grade for the completed study module at the Computer Sciences office.

Assessing study modules and course units

In assessing study modules and course units the evaluation scale for studies graded ‘pass’ is five-tiered. The grades are 1 (sufficient), 2 (satisfactory), 3 (good), 4 (very good), and 5 (excellent). Furthermore, the dichotomy pass/fail (HYV/HYL) is sometimes used in the course unit evaluation as such without grading to indicate that the student has fulfilled/not fulfilled the requirements set in the curriculum for the course unit. For more information please see http://www.uta.fi/studies/legislation/.

After the Master’s thesis has been assessed and graded and Master programme studies in Computer Science or Interactive Technology finished, Master programme students should ask for the final grade of their major subject studies from the Computer Sciences amanuensis. The mean value of the course units is calculated for the final grade. The Master’s thesis is not included.

7 Personal study plan HOPS

All students must make a HOPS plan, a written personal study plan to support the planning of the studies. In the Master degree programmes, the student writes the HOPS plan together with the programme tutor teacher, and the plans are monitored by the programme professor and the School Office. Personal study plans are part of General studies and included in the course unit Guided planning of studies 2 ECTS.

8 Transferring credits from other universities

Master programme students with a previous Bachelor’s degree from a Finnish university may transfer language and Communication studies to UTA provided that the content of the studies is similar as in the UTA Master programme. The transferred studies must be compulsory in the Master programme studies.

Students taking JOO studies at other Finnish universities must transfer the JOO studies to the home School to be included in the UTA degree. For transfer purposes, the student must obtain an official study transcript from the host university and submit it to the School of Information Sciences.

9 Internship

It is possible to include internship in the Master programme studies. However, Master programme students whose previous degree included internship should consult the International Officer of the School Office. Students with a Finnish AMK degree cannot include internship in the Master programme studies.

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The following requirements are to be followed:

- Student must first consult the professor of the Master programme for the approval of the internship plan suggested by the student

- Student must have a named person at the workplace monitoring the internship - Student is to write a report regarding the internship

It is possible to take the internship in Finland or abroad. For more information please see the course unit on internship below.

10 Queuing for a study place

If there are exercises, seminars or some other small group teaching where the number of study places has to be limited, the number of admitted students is to be decided in the curriculum or teaching programme.

If there are more students wishing to take a taught course unit than can be admitted, the priority is given to those who have registered in time and who have taken the prerequisite course units, and to those degree students on Bachelor and Master level for whom the course unit is compulsory. If there are still more students than can be admitted, the priority is given first to those who have taken more credits in the subject and secondly to those whose grades in the subject are better. If the situation is still unsolved, the priority is given first to those who have taken more credits in the major subject and secondly to those who have taken more credits in all their studies. Doctoral students are taken into account, if the course unit in question is listed in the Doctoral student’s detailed personal HOPS study plan accepted by the major subject. Unclear cases are solved by the Dean.

If specific reasons are presented, the Dean may deviate from the above rules.

11 Exercise essay

One or more exercise essays may be written in the Master programmes if required in the programme studies. The aim is to allow the student to exercise scientific writing and clear written expression. An exercise essay is written under the direction of the thesis supervisor and both the content and the language are examined. An exercise essay may be a part of the thesis.

12 Master’s thesis

For the Master’s degree, the student is required to write a Master’s thesis in the major subject and a maturity test connected to the thesis. The Master’s thesis is part of the advanced studies in the major subject, and it must show that the writer knows well the topic of the thesis, the required research methods and the ways to express scientific findings in writing.

The extent of the Master thesis is 40 ECTS. The thesis may be written according to the following options: • a monograph

• a collection of papers presented together with an introduction

An earlier published work may be accepted as a thesis provided that the work corresponds with the requirements that are set for the thesis.

If the thesis is written as group work, the independent part of each student must be made clear. The work load of each student must also equal that of a personal thesis. The thesis is examined by assessing the part of each individual student. A joint thesis may be written to combine two or more disciplines. Each discipline and each student will be appointed a separate examiner.

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Submitting the Master’s thesis

The thesis is submitted through the electronic service maintained by the University Library at http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/kirjasto/english/guides/theses.php. The service produces copies of the thesis for the examiners and for the University archives. More information is available from Computer Sciences website at

http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/cs/thesis/index.html. The thesis is to be submitted with an abstract of 1-2 pages, giving information on the research question, material, methods used, and the most important results. More information on the abstract is available from the Computer Sciences staff. If the programme studies include an exercise essay, it must be completed before the Master’s thesis is submitted.

Maturity test

A maturity test based on the thesis is compulsory for all degree students and is taken after the completion of the thesis. Students with Finnish/Swedish as the language of their elementary school education will write the test in Finnish/Swedish accordingly. If the elementary school education is not Finnish/Swedish, the maturity test is taken in English. Maturity test is a written examination taken on a School/discipline examination day or some other day arranged with the School. Registration is done through the thesis supervisor in the same way as for an examination on set books. The registration is to be done a minimum of seven days before the test date unless the programme rules require differently, and cannot be done before the thesis has been handed in.

The aims of the maturity test are to ensure that the student is well versed in the topic of the Master’s thesis and scientific writing, and to verify that the student has written the thesis him/herself. The main examiner of the thesis prepares a minimum of two questions related to the theme of the thesis. The student should choose one of the questions and write an essay about the topic. The main examiner assesses the content of the essay. UTA Language Centre will check the language used in the essay. If both the content of the essay and the language and grammar used are considered to be acceptable, the student will pass the maturity test. The dichotomy ‘pass’ and ‘fail’ is used in the evaluation. For more information please see Computer

Sciences webpage at http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/cs/thesis/thesisprocess.html#8.

Assessing the thesis

A thesis is assessed and graded by a minimum of two examiners appointed by the Dean. The examiners’ assessment is to be delivered three weeks after the date of the student’s maturity test, unless the Dean has ruled otherwise. The assessment with the proposed grade is delivered to the student at least four days before the thesis is graded. At the same time, the student is given an opportunity to give a rejoinder against the assessment and the proposed grade. The rejoinder is to be delivered to the School by the deadline given. If no rejoinder is given, the Dean decides the grade of the thesis using the examiners’ assessment. A possible rejoinder is dealt with by the Dean, who if needed may take the matter to the School Board.

It is not possible to rewrite a Master’s thesis that has been submitted and graded (UTA Regulations for Evaluation of Studies, 8§).

If the student is not satisfied s/he may submit a rejoinder to the School Board within fourteen (14) days of the date when the assessment was made known.

If the decision of the School Board is not satisfactory, the student may refer the matter to the UTA Council for Appeals withing fourteen (14) days of the date when the decision was made known. It is not possible to appeal against the decision of the Council for Appeals regarding the grading of the thesis (University Act 558/2009, 84§). In the case of Master’s thesis, the 7-tier grading scale in Latin (approbatur - laudatur) is used:

L, laudatur (highest grade) E, eximia

M, magna cum laude approbatur C, cum laude approbatur

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N, non sine laude approbatur B, lubenter approbatur; A, approbatur

13 Degree diploma

After all the studies for the degree have been taken, the student is to submit an application to the School Office for the degree diploma. The application is made using a form available in the School Office or at

http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/studies/graduation.html. The Dean grants the diploma. The student, before submitting the diploma application, can request a study transcript from the School Office and use it to make sure that all the taken studies with their final grade have been registered. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that all the studies are registered. The student must him/herself get the final grades (the number of credits and the grade of studies taken in the subject) from the disciplines. The final grade is needed of all the subjects where the student has taken 15 ECTS credits or more.

In the Master’s diploma, the number of credits and the grade of the advanced studies in the major subject are recorded.

A minor subject is recorded if the student has taken 15 ECTS or more. Minor subjects with

less than 15 ECTS are recorded as ‘Other studies’.

Language and Communication studies are recorded as ‘Language studies’.

14 Teaching schedules

This Study Guide gives the programme and course unit requirements but not the times and places of the tuition offered. University of Tampere teaching schedules are available at http://www.uta.fi/studies/.

15 Web tools: NettiOpsu

With the Basic User Account (BUA) students can browse their examination results, study record and change their contact information using the electronic NettiOpsu in the Internet. Through NettiOpsu, students can also enrol for examinations and some lecture courses. It is also possible for a student to send a transcript of his/her academic records in pdf format to any email address. NettiOpsu is available at

https://www10.uta.fi/nettiopsu/login.htm?uiLang=en.

16 Legislation and UTA regulations related to studies

Finnish legislation together with UTA regulations for the evaluation of studies and regulations governing degrees can be found at http://www.uta.fi/studies/legislation/.

17 More information

For more information on studying please see the following: - Computer Sciences http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/cs/index.html - School of Information Sciences http://www.uta.fi/sis/en/index.html - University of Tampere http://www.uta.fi/studies/

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Programme requirements

Master's Degree Programme in Software Development

Objectives

To deepen students’ knowledge of software development in its different areas: requirements management, design, implementation, and testing.

Content

Students who graduate from the Master’s programme in Software Development have the abilities to participate in demanding and comprehensive software projects at different stages of the project and in various tasks. Software development is examined in all stages of its life cycle. Teaching will deal with different programming approaches, software design, and software architectures.

Recommended minor subjects include, for example, Mathematics, Information Studies and Interactive Media, and Administrative Sciences

Prerequisites

Requirements for the lower academic degree

If a student does not meet these requirements, the equivalent studies must be taken as Complementing studies.

0.1 A lower academic or a corresponding degree in the field of computer sciences or in a closely related field.

0.2 Previous studies must include or students must extend them to include as part of block 2 “Other studies in M.Sc. programme”:

• 20 ECTS of mathematical studies (Mathematics, Statistics or Logic) including the course MATEP0 Discrete Mathematics

• TKOPA215 Data Structures

• TKOPA208 Programming Technique • TKOPA213 Database Programming • TKOPA12 Project Work

• a total of at least 90 ECTS of computer science

Further information

International degree students are to take Orientation course 1 ECTS, Guided planning of studies 2 ECTS, Finnish language studies and Intercultural Communication studies, minimum 6 ECTS and English language courses 6 ECTS as part of their programme studies. For these studies, please see Other studies in Master’s degree programme 40 ECTS at the end of this Study Guide.

Advanced courses in M.Sc. programme in Software Development 80 ECTS Content

Advanced courses must be discussed with the professor in advance. Advanced studies consist of two parts:

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in software development 40 ECTS including the courses (all available in English):

• TKOPS118 Theory of Software Project Management, 3 ECTS • TKOPS117 Software Project Management, 6-12 ECTS • TKOPS301 Requirements Engineering, 5 ECTS • TKOPS407 Seminar “Software development”, 4 ECTS

The rest of the compulsory courses should be selected from the following courses:

1. Courses given in English, available every year

• TKOPS148 Introduction to Formal Specification, 5-8 ECTS • TKOPS131 Research Project, 3-10 ECTS

2. Courses given in English, available every other year

• TKOPS121 Design and Implementation Of Concurrency, 6–10 ECTS • TKOPS139 Software Product Line Engineering, 5 ECTS

• TKOPS140 Testing, Security and Trust, 5 ECTS

• TKOPS303 Metamodelling for Software Development, 5 ECTS • TKOPS146 Open Source and Software Quality, 5 ECTS • TKOPS147 Software Tools and Evaluation, 5 ECTS

3. Courses given in Finnish, an arrangement may exist to do the course in English

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• TKOPS124 Artificial Intelligence Programming, 6-10 ECTS • TKOPS116 Software Architectures, 6 ECTS

4. Courses not given regularly

• TKOPS119 Principles of Object-Oriented Programming Languages, 4 ECTS • TKOPS400 Seminar, 2-10 ECTS

• TKOPS142 Selected Topics in Software Engineering, 2-6 ECTS (available in English)

Also, TUT may make available courses that can be used in the MSc program. Separate notice will be given about those courses.

1.2 Master’s Thesis 40 ECTS with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme.

Detailed descriptions of course units

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in software development 40 ECTS Compulsory advanced courses 18–24 ECTS

TKOPS118 Theory of Software Project Management 3 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/tospm/

Persons in charge

Lecturer Timo Poranen.

Objectives

The objective of the course is to introduce the students to the initation, management and tracking of software projects. The course prepares students to the practical Software Project Management -course. This book examination is a prerequisite to the Software Project Management -course.

Content

Management of software work and people. Management and specification of requirements. Project management. Estimation of work efforts and production costs. Risk management. Configuration management. Software quality. Different contract types. Software for project management.

Languages of instruction

English, Finnish

Modes of study

Written exam + essay.

Further information on modes of study

Book examination and two essays. The book examination should be negotiated with the person liable.

Evaluation

1-5

Further information on recommended year of study

Advanced studies. Examinations usually take place at the beginning of autumn and at the end of spring.

Compulsory previous studies

TKOPA11 Software Engineering, TKOPA12 Project Work.

Study materials

1. Hughes & Cotterell, Software Project Management, McGraw-Hill 2009. 2. Selected research articles.

TKOPS117 Software Project Management 6–12 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/pt/

Lecturer Timo Poranen.

Objectives

The objective of the course is to familiarise students in practice with the initiation, management and supervision of a software project. During the course, actual software projects are defined and their

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implementation is managed and supervised. The course forms an imaginary software company with the course Project Work. Projects are implemented within the framework of this imaginary company.

Content

Management of software work. Specification and management of requirements. Project management. Estimation of work efforts. Risk management. Configuration management. Software quality.

Finnish, English

Teaching methods

Lectures 20 h.

Further information on teaching methods

Approx. 20 h of lectures and seminars

Planned times for teaching

Periods I, II, III

Modes of study

Essay + project / practical work.

Active participation in defining and management tasks. Written exercises and their presentation in the class.

Evaluation

1-5

TKOPA11 Software Engineering, TKOPA12 Project Work, TKOPS118 Theory of Software Project Management.

Study materials

1. Sommerville. Software Engineering 8. Addison-Wesley 2007.

2. Hughes & Cotterell, Software Project Management, McGraw-Hill 2009.

TKOPS301 Requirements Engineering 5 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/re/

Assistant professor Zheying Zhang.

Objectives

This course introduces the activities, concepts, and techniques needed in the eliciting, analyzing,

documenting, validating, and managing requirements for complex systems. It explains how requirements development and management fits into a broader systems development process, and provides an understanding of the main challenges in requirements engineering.

Content

Stakeholder identification; requirements elicitation, analysis, documentation, and validation; change control; requirements traceability.

English

Lectures and group work presentations at the seminar.

Modes of study

Written exam + exercise(s).

Active participation in the lectures, individual assignments, a group work, and exam.

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced level.

TKOPA11 Software Engineering.

Study materials

1. Additional material will be given to students in the class.

2. Leffingwell, D. & Widrig, D., Managing Software Requirements: A Use Case Approach. Addison-Wesley 2003

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3. Kotonya, G. & Sommerville, I., Requirements Engineering: Processes and Techniques. John Wiley & Sons 1998.

TKOPS407 Seminar Software Development - Issues, Trends, and Research Directions 4 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/~TKOPS407/

Assistant professors Zheying Zhang and Eleni Berki, professor Jyrki Nummenmaa.

General description

This course is suitable for students who are approaching to the MSc thesis writing stage.

Objectives

The seminars enable students to learn about topics which do not otherwise appear in the available courses; expose students to different topics and perspectives in software development; and help students identify the topic of their master theses. They will cover issues, trends, and recent developments in various areas of software development.

Content

This is a seminar course with different speakers from academia and industry who will talk on their areas of expertise. In addition, participants present their master thesis work or research in the seminar.

English, Finnish. The main working language is English, one or two Finnish sessions might be arranged according to the request of Finnish students or guest lectures.

The seminar will be arranged every other week throughout the whole academic year.

Modes of study

Participation in classroom work + essay.

Students do not have to attend all seminars, but must accumulate these assignments in order to get the credit units.

1. Attendance and summary: The student has to attend and summarize at least 5 guest talks (approx. 1-2 hours in each talk) which s/he attends. The 1-2 page summary should include what the speaker presented, student's own critical comments (at least half a page), and may include a summary or highlights of the class discussion. The summary must include the name of the talk, the date, and name of the speaker.

2. Thesis presentation: The student has to prepare for approx. 20 slides (notated) of his/her master thesis work and present it in the seminar (approx. 40-60 minutes). The presentation and the slides should be agreed with the student's thesis supervisor and the course organizer. Instructions to prepare for presentation slides will be provided during the seminar.

Evaluation

Pass/fail

The rest of the compulsory courses should be selected from these 16–22 ECTS TKOPS148 Introduction to Formal Specification 5–8 ECTS

Subject

Computer Science

Professor Jyrki Nummenmaa.

Objectives

After the course, the student should be able to write simple specifications using the above approaches, and to perform the following tasks using at least one of the specification approaches of the course:

- formulate and prove simple formal properties of the specification, - animate and simulate a formal specification, and

- implement a formally specified system.

Content

The course gives introductory knowledge and basic skills in formal specification, using various different approaches:

1. Exact specification of computer programs using The Z language.

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3. Specification of concurrent systems, using some variant of CSP or CCS.

The course covers introductory level material on the following themes:specification and proving formal properties of systems, simulation and animation of the specified systems, and implementing the specified systems.

English

Lectures, Tutorials.

Weekly lectures 4 h, weekly exercises 2h.

Modes of study

Exercise(s) + written exam.

Lectures, weekly exercises, coursework, exam

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced level.

Study materials

Lecture notes.

TKOPS131 Research Project 3–10 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Professor.

Objectives

To familiarise students with some specific field of computer science and with research methods used in the field. Practice of research work.

Content

During the course, a given field of computer science is researched. The aim is to publish the findings as a research report.

Finnish, English

Modes of study

Project / practical work.

Active participation in project work.

Evaluation

1-5

The course is not organised every year.

TKOPA13 Thesis Course.

Further information on previous studies

and possibly other courses depending on the subject of the project.

TKOPS139 Software Product Line Engineering 5 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Objectives

Students will learn the key processes such as domain engineering and application engineering, their activities, and underlining techniques for defining and managing software product-line components.

Content

Software product-line engineering is a paradigm for developing a diversity of software products and software-intensive systems based on the underlying architecture of an organizations product platform. The product variants can be derived from the basic product family, which creates the opportunity to reuse and differentiate on products in the family. This course discusses in detail the essential foundations, principles,

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and techniques of software product-line engineering. It covers the concepts of software architecture, component and system.

English

Lectures, and seminars. Students will work together on a topic of software product-line engineering, write a report, and present it in seminars. The number and length of seminar sessions depend on the number of groups.

Modes of study

Participation in classroom work + project / practical work.

Lectures, student presentations, and a project work.

Students will work individually or together on a topic of software product-line engineering, write a report, and present it in class.

Evaluation

Pass/fail

Advanced level. First year of M.Sc. studies.

Study materials

1. Pohl, K., Böckle, G., van der Linden, F., Software Product Line Engineering: Foundations, Principles and Techniques. Springer 2005.

2. Additional readings will be distributed in class.

TKOPS140 Testing, Security and Trust 5–6 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Assistant professor Eleni Berki.

Objectives

1. To become acquainted with a variety of testing techniques and their interconnection to the issues of security of software and trust in information systems.

2. To become aware of testing techniques, software tools and IS development methods that offer testing. 3. To examine a variety of case studies (Railways, Arianne-5, Nuclear Plants, Design of Olympic Games IS, Airline Flight Security, etc.) where testing was proved to be a critical factor.

Content

The course will refer to the following topics: Software Testing, Security, Trust in lifecycle development processes, Reliability, Correctness, Consistency and Completeness, Formal computational methods, Software Tools and their contribution to testing

English

Lectures/seminars based on the most definitive and classic pieces of work on testing and on recent research and development outcomes.

Modes of study

Exam and coursework.

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced level.

TKOPS303 Metamodelling for Software Development 5 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/msd/

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The course discusses metamodelling and method engineering and their role in clarifying the systems

development discipline, strategies for reuse in the metamodelling-based system development environment. It also covers issues related to developing domain-specific methods for product family development. This course provides students hands-on experience in metamodeling using a metaCASE tool.

Content

Systems development, systems family engineering, modeling and metamodelling, do-main-specific models, method engineering, CASE tools and metaCASE tools, reuse strategies in metaCASE tools and examples.

English

Lectures 12 h.

Appr. 12 hours of lectures and 6 hours of demos. In addition, students will work in group (2 person) to produce a written analysis of a part of a method and construct it using a metaCASE tool.

Modes of study

Evaluation

1-5

Evaluation criteria

Method analysis assignment (50%). Final examination (50%).

Advanced level. The course is not lectured every year.

Basic knowledge of modeling for software development, the modeling methods, and the modelling tools.

Study materials

A list of readings will be given to students.

TKOPS146 Open Source and Software Quality 5 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

The software development process has recently changed its focus to favour different from the traditional methodological paradigms and ways of working. The new trends of Open and Free Source Software development and the increasing number of open and free software users and development stakeholders have given rise to new issues for attention in software technologies and software quality. Software quality management is increasingly required to examine and assure the quality (e.g. security, reliability) of open source software, which, as a new movement, is often misunderstood and its existence is skeptically viewed. Adequate examination of these issues will bring useful and practical knowledge for a software developer, who needs to focus on those areas of design and code in use and reuse. A multi-view approach for analysis to open source development paradigm will (i) provide with new information on software quality related activities in Open Source Software Development (OSSD), and (ii) increase open source software reliability for various stakeholders and end-users.

Objectives

1. To become acquainted with a variety of Open and Free Source Software and distinguish among their similarities and their differences, regarding their development nature and availability constraints.

2. To become aware of the development lifecycle, methods, process models, techniques, and software tools that are used in the software development of the various forms and types of Open and Free Source

Software.

3. To compare and contrast the above with the traditional software and its development lifecycles and methods, identify strengths and weaknesses, possible limitations, similarities and differences.

4. To examine a variety of application domains of OSS and OSSD through case studies, where software quality properties and their management have been of outmost importance.

Content

The course will refer to the following topics: (i) Open Source Software (OSS) and its Development (OSSD), examining the methods, processes, techniques and tools utilized for software production. (ii) Software Quality Assurance (SQA) basic concepts required and techniques applied in OSSD, such as software reliability, security, usability and other quality requirements.

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Some of the main questions that the course will deal with throughout its delivery are the following: What are OSS and OSSD? How do they differ from similar and/or different SD paradigms? What can be certified and what not in OSSD? How SQA techniques can be used in the context of OSSD? How reliable, secure, and “guaranteed” is OSS and how could these be assured? Is it important to support and use OSSD; why yes/no? How safe is it to use OSS? Who is in need for OSS? For whom is OSS suitable? Who requires/supports OSS and who does not? Is there a future in OSSD?

English

Lectures, Seminar.

Lectures/seminars/invited talks based on the most recent research and development issues of OSSD and Software Quality.

Modes of study

Exercise(s) + written exam OR Exercise(s) + essay.

Evaluation

1-5

50% Coursework (1 seminar presentation + exercises/tasks delivery) AND 50% from final exam or research essay writing.

The course is at advanced M.Sc./Ph.D. level. The course participants should have a good knowledge on programming and knowledge on software development lifecycles and methods.

Study materials

Selected latest research articles and lecture notes.

TKOPS147 Software Tools and Evaluation 5 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Software tools were originally simple and light weight, used by a few people in software development. In the realm, though, of the ongoing ICT development the increasing number of tools and respective end-users has given rise to new issues for attention. Software tools – very different from applications - are continuously being developed and a number of them have been part of more powerful integrated development environments (IDEs). These environments consolidate functionality, sometimes increasing simplicity/complexity and productivity, or/and sacrificing flexibility and extensibility.

The right choice of software tools and methods is crucial for all the phases of the software development process, from requirements gathering to maintenance stages. Moreover, the ability to use a variety of software tools productively and, most importantly, to recognise the right tool for the right case, is significant knowledge for a skilled software developer. This course will utilise a comparative and critical, analytical approach to software tools, examining their features, suitability and quality features they possess. Thus, it will provide a higher level of abstraction to view and evaluate software quality features as these are accommodated in software tools, and it will derive useful, practical and applicable knowledge for tools’ end-users and developers.

Objectives

1. To become acquainted with some analyses and taxonomies of a variety of software tools, their use in the software development process, and their classification criteria.

2. To become aware of and support a software tool assessment methodology, and provide a base for creating practical guidelines for evaluation.

3. To present, compare and contrast a variety of different application domains where different software tools are used within different scope and purposes.

4. To build scientific criteria for tool evaluation based on the choice of appropriate tool attributes, describe suitable metrics for its evaluation, and using these metrics when applying measurement procedures.

Content

The course will refer to the following topics: Software Quality Assurance (SQA), software tools and their contribution to software development and quality, measurement and measurability, software metrics, CASE and metrication, criteria for evaluation and taxonomy.

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The main focus of the course will be on the criteria for macro-evaluation (evaluation of the software tool itself), meta-evaluation (evaluation of the tool development) and micro-evaluation (evaluation of products developed with this tool). Additionally the course will deal with the following questions: What can be

measured, and what not? How metrication can be carried out? How software quality could be assured? Why is it important to evaluate? When is it necessary to measure? Who requires measurements for SQA and who does not? When is evaluation needed? Which software tools support the previous activities?

English

Lectures, Seminar.

Lectures/seminars/guest talks based on (i) the most definitive and classic pieces of classification on software tools, found e.g. in the Software Engineering books of Pressman, Somerville and others, and (ii) recent research on software quality and evaluation procedures.

Modes of study

Exercise(s) + written exam OR Exercise(s) + essay.

Evaluation

1-5

50% Coursework (1 seminar presentation + exercises/tasks delivery) AND 50% Final Exam or Research Essay writing.

The course is of Advanced MSc/Ph.D. level.

The course participants should have advanced knowledge on software development project management and software engineering concepts. Some mathematical and/or statistical background is required in order to understand, abstract and use in practice the concepts that will be discussed and applied in the course.

Study materials

Standard Resources for Reference - Bibliography (Sample):

1. IEEE Standard 1209, Recommended Practice for the Evaluation and Selection of CASE Tools, IEEE, New York, 1992.

2. ISO/IEC 14102, Information Technology - Guideline for the Evaluation and Selection of CASE Tools, Geneva, Switzerland, 1995.

3. ISO/IEC 9126, Information Technology - Software Product Evaluation - Quality Characteristics and Guidelines for Their Use.

4. IEEE Standard 982.1, Standard Dictionary of Measures to Produce Reliable Software - Draft, IEEE, New York, 2003.

5. Ihme T. et al., Developing Application Frameworks for Mission-Critical Software: Using Space Application, Research Notes 1933, Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Espoo, Finland, 1998.

6. IEEE Standard 1061, Software Quality Metrics Methodology, IEEE, New York, 1988.

7. Wichmann, B. Guidance for the Adoption of Tools for Use in Safety Related Software Development, Draft Report, British Computer Society, London, UK, 1999.

TKOPS121 Design and Implementation of Concurrency 6–10 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/dico/

Professor Jyrki Nummenmaa

Objectives

The students learn to specify and analyze models of concurrent execution, to design concurrent system using a systematic approach and to implement their design.

Content

Concurrent execution. Modeling concurrency using a state model transition model. Shared objects and mutual exclusion. Monitors and condition synchronization. Deadlock, safety and liveness. Design principles. Possibly further topics.

English

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Lectures, Exercises.

Ca. 28 hours, mainly lectures but some exercise sessions also.

Modes of study

Exam and either a small coursework (totaling 6 ECTS) or a large coursework (totaling 10 ECTS).

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced level. The course is not lectured every year.

Bachelor level computing studies. Java programming skills.

Study materials

Jeff Magee & Jeff Kramer: Concurrency - State Models & Java Programs. Wiley.

TKOPS114 Logic Programming 10 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/logo/

Objectives

The course familiarises students with the logic programming paradigm and its basic programming techniques. After the course students are able to construct demanding logic

programs using Prolog (the main logic programming language). After the course, students are able to take into account the factors related to the maintainability of a Prolog program as well as to its efficiency of processing and memory space utilisation.

Content

The structure of a logic program and the connection of logic programming to mathematical logic. Logic programming of relational databases and deductive databases. Programming of recursive data types. A general processing model for logic programs. Logic programming techniques. Prolog-processing and exerting influence on it. Prolog-programming techniques. Self modifying Prolog-programs.

Finnish

Lectures 39 h, Exercises 24 h.

Planned times for teaching

Periods III, IV

Modes of study

In Finnish: Written exam + weekly exercises + exercise(s).

Written examination, a certain number of weekly exercises and three practise programs based on logic programming / Prolog.

Evaluation

1-5

Recommended previous studies

TKOPA215 Data Structures.

Study materials

1. Sterling & Shapiro, The Art of Prolog -Advanced Programming Techniques. The MIT Press 1994. 2. Bratko I., Prolog Programming for Artificial Intelligence, Adison-Wesley 2002

TKOPS124 Artificial Intelligence Programming 6–10 ECTS Subject Computer Science Homepage URL http://www.cs.uta.fi/aiome/ Persons in charge Lecturer. Objectives

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The goal of this course is to provide an overview of various subfields of artificial intelligence through different programming techniques that are used in these fields. Artificial Intelligence programming techniques are demonstrated through the logic programming language Prolog which is a prerequisite for this course.

Content

Definitions and applications of artificial intelligence and various programming techniques utilized in its subfields. Classification of Prolog-programming methods. Applications of these methods in central subfields of artificial intelligence. These subfields include problem solving, heuristic search, planning, knowledge representation, expert systems, natural language processing, machine learning and non-standard logics.

Finnish

Lectures 40 h, Tutorials 16 h.

40 h of lectures, 16 h of exercises and instruction for project work.

Modes of study

In Finnish: Weekly Exercises + essay + exercise(s).

Certain amount of the weekly exercises and an essay (6 ECTS). If students wish to be awarded 10 ECTS for the course, they must carry out a programming assignment in addition to other requirements.

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced studies. The course is not lectured every year.

TKOPS114 Logic Programming.

Study materials

Lecture notes.

1. Sterling, L. Shapiro, S., The Art of Prolog - Advanced Programming Techniques. The MIT Press 1994 2. Poole, P., Mackworth, A., Goebel, R., Computational Intelligence: a logical approach. Oxford University Press 1998

3. Bratko, I., PROLOG Programming for Artificial Intelligence. Addison-Wesley 2000.

TKOPS116 Software Architectures 6 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/ohar/

Objectives

The course familiarises students with software architectures and their use. Object oriented software architectures and their implementations are presented in detail. Special emphasis is given to the reuse of design and implementation solutions, their modularity and flexibility.

Content

Software architectures, object oriented joining mechanisms, layered architectures, software components, design patterns, frameworks and distributed objects.

Finnish

42 h of lectures, exercises, instruction for project work.

Modes of study

In Finnish: Exercise(s) + participation in classroom work.

Project work and active participation in exercises.

Evaluation

1-5

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Study materials

1. Koskimies, Oliokirja. Satku - Kauppakaari 2000.

TKOPS119 Principles of Object-Oriented Programming Languages 4 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/opok/

Objectives

The course aims at giving students a comprehensive view of object oriented programming languages, their design principles and implementation mechanisms. In addition, some advanced topics in the Java language are introduced, such as thread control and parallel programming.

Content

The main topics are the basic concepts of the object paradigm and the mechanisms of object oriented programming languages that are related to them: object, class, single and multiple inheritance,

polymorphism and dynamic binding. These mechanisms are examined in general and not only from the viewpoint of one language. The main language employed is Java, but languages such as Python and C++ are also used.

Finnish

Modes of study

In Finnish: Written exam + exercise(s).

Evaluation

1-5

TKOPA208 Programming Technique.

Study materials

Koskimies, Oliokirja. Satku - Kauppakaari 2000.

TKOPS400 Seminar (Computer Science) 2–10 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/

Objectives

Command of the special questions examined in the seminar.

Content

The course deals with special questions concerning a specific field in computer science. The topics for the seminars are announced every semester on the notice board of the discipline and on the homepage of the discipline.

Finnish or English, depends on the seminar.

Seminar 30 h.

16-30 h of seminars

Modes of study

Seminar.

Active participation in project work.

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced studies

Study materials

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The amount of credits and requirements are announced at the beginning of each seminar.

TKOPS142 Selected Topics in Software Engineering 2–6 ECTS Subject

Computer Science

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/~rr/SoSE/STSE/

Professor Roope Raisamo.

Objectives

The main objective of the course is to introduce concepts and approaches that can be generally expected to be known in software engineering research. In addition, the course contains some guidance in writing research articles and theses.

Content

The lectures are composed of brief tutorials and overviews in the focal topics of software engineering, given by experts in their fields.

Finnish or English. The language of the course is the language which is mastered by all the participants.

Lectures 16 h.

The size of the course is 2-6 ECTS depending on how many lectures the student takes. The course is expected to be continuous.

Modes of study

Study journal / learning diary.

Evaluation

Pass/fail

1.2 Master’s Thesis with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme 40 ECTS TKOPS901 Master's Thesis (Computer Science) 40 ECTS

Subject Computer Science Homepage URL http://www.cs.uta.fi/en/studies/thesis.html Persons in charge Professor. Objectives

The student composes independently a thesis on a topic related to the field of the Master’s programme and demonstrates his/her familiarity with the topic of the thesis, command of the required research methods and ability to write scientific texts.

Content

Independent research on a subject that must be agreed upon with a professor in computer science or with another instructor.

Finnish, English

Personal tutoring upon agreement.

Modes of study

Thesis / dissertation + maturity test.

Master's thesis and maturity exam.

Evaluation

Approbatur-laudatur

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Master's Degree Programme in User Interface Software Development

Objectives

To deepen students’ knowledge of Computer Science and especially software development with regards to human-technology interaction. To give students a solid basis for working in the fields of product development and research, which include the design and implementation of user interfaces. In addition, the programme provides students with tools for studying human-computer interaction from a constructivist approach.

Content

After graduation, students in the M. Sc. Programme in User Interface Software Development can work as software designers or in tasks requiring design and implementation of user interfaces, or they can become researchers in companies or universities that study the interaction between humans and technology and develop innovative solutions to different kinds of problems concerning user interfaces. One of the main goals is becoming familiar with new ways of interaction and the implementation of user interfaces based on them. Each student is able to specialise in different topics by choosing advanced courses in Interactive Technology and Computer Science that belong to the Master’s degree programme in User Interface Software

Development. It is possible to specialise in topics such as new learning environments, computer-aided groupware, software agents, speech interfaces, haptics or new interaction and visualisation techniques. There is also teaching in human-technology interaction in the Master’s Programme in Interactive Technology, in which implementation skills are not emphasised.

Recommended minor subjects include, for example, Mathematics, Psychology, Linguistics, Information Studies and Interactive Media, Education and Statistics

Prerequisites

Requirements for lower academic degree

If a student does not meet these requirements, the equivalent studies must be taken as Complementing studies.

0.1 A lower academic or a corresponding degree in the field of computer sciences or in a closely related field.

0.2 Previous studies must include or students must extend them to include as part of block 2 “Other studies in M.Sc. programme”:

• MATEP0 Discrete Mathematics (see curriculum of Mathematics) • TKOPA215 Data Structures

• TKOPA208 Programming Technique • TKOPA12 Project Work

• VTEKA15 Introduction to User Interfaces

• TKOPA223 Principles of Programming Graphical User Interfaces

• a total of at least 90 ECTS of Computer Science and Interactive Technolog

International degree students are to take Orientation course 1 ECTS, Guided planning of studies 2 ECTS, Finnish language studies and Intercultural Communication studies, minimum 6 ECTS and English language courses 6 ECTS as part of their programme studies. For these studies, please see Other studies in Master’s degree programme 40 ECTS at the end of this Study Guide.

Advanced courses in M.Sc. programme in User Interface Software Development 80 ECTS Content

Advanced courses must be discussed with the professor in advance. Advanced studies consist of three parts:

1.1. Compulsory advanced courses in user interface software development

At least 30 ECTS from the following core courses:

• VTEKS301 Design and Development of Speech Interfaces, 8 ECTS (available in English) • VTEKS115 Introduction to Information Visualization, 3 ECTS (available in English) • VTEKS112 Information Visualization Project Work, 5 ECTS (available in English) • VTEKS105 New Interaction Techniques, 5 ECTS (available in English)

• VTEKS213 Haptic User Interfaces, 5-8 ECTS (available in English)

• VTEKS114 Implementation of New Interaction Techniques, 10 ECTS (available in English) • VTEKS106 Research project in Human-Computer Interaction, 2-8 ECTS (available in English) • TKOPS116 Software architectures, 6 ECTS

• VTEKS400 Seminar (in Interactive Technology) 2-10 ECTS • VTEKS127 Laboratory measurement of human behaviour, 6 ECTS

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1.2 Optional advanced courses in computer science or interactive technology 10 ECTS

• VTEKS101 Groupware, 3-6 ECTS (available in English)

• VTEKS116 Book exam in Interactive Technology, 4-12 ECTS (available in English)

• VTEKS117 Introduction to experimental research in Interactive Technology, 6 ECTS (available in English) • VTEKS118 Current research trends in Human-Computer Interaction, 3-5 ECTS (available in English) • TKOPS128 Computer graphics, 10 ECTS

• TKOPS124 Artifical intelligence programming, 6-10 ECTS • TKOPS143 Pattern recognition, 6 ECTS

• TKOPS144 Digital image processing, 6 ECTS • TKOPS115 Neurocomputing, 6 ECTS

• TKOPS146 Open source and software quality, 5 ECTS (available in English)

1.3 Master’s Thesis 40 ECTS with a topic related to a field of this M.Sc. programme.

Detailed descriptions of course units

1.1 Compulsory advanced courses in user interface software development 30 ECTS

30 credits of the following

VTEKS301 Design and Development of Speech Interfaces 8 ECTS Subject

Interactive Technology

Homepage URL

http://www.cs.uta.fi/ddsi/

Docent Markku Turunen.

Objectives

To learn the characteristics of human speech and communication, the processing of speech by computers, and the successful use of speech in human-computer interaction to construct working speech applications.

Content

Human factors in speech technology. The nature of sound and language. Speech recognition and synthesis. Speech and non-speech audio. Dialogue management. Prompt design. Error management. Data collection and evaluation methods. Interfaces for speech technology components, description languages and

formalisms, speech application architectures, tools and development tools. Implementation and evaluation of speech applications.

English

Lectures web-based 40 h.

On-line material and assignments. No obligatory meetings, suitable for distant learning.

Modes of study

Project / practical work.

Assignments and a documented project work.

Evaluation

1-5

Advanced level. The course is not offered every year.

VTEKA15 Introduction to User Interfaces.

Study materials

McTear, M., Spoken Dialogue Technology: Towards the Conversational User Interface. Springer 2004.

The course includes previous courses "Speech User Interface Project Work" and "Speech Interface Design". You cannot get credits if you have completed these courses. See course homepage for more details.