Module 15256 (2003)
Syllabus page 2003/2004
06-15256
Safety Critical Systems & Software Reliability
Level 4/M
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus
The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page. (The University module description has not yet been checked against the School's.)
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Assessment details updated
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Outline
This module introduces the main issues related to computer-based safety systems, including standards, legal framework, management procedures and verification/validation tools, that have been developed to avoid failure of systems where failure is life threatening.
Aims
The aims of this module are to:
- introduce main issues related to ensuring safety of computer systems and software, including human factors
- familiarise students with processes, procedures, methods and standards used to ensure safety
- introduce tools and techniques for validation and verification and use them in simple examples
- discuss real examples of failures of safety and how they could have been avoided
Learning Outcomes
| On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to: | Assessed by: | |
| 1 | explain the basic concepts of safety, risk and role of human factors in the design and operation of safety critical systems | Examination |
| 2 | demonstrate understanding of current professional, ethical and regulatory framework and practices for ensuring safety | Examination |
| 3 | show appreciation of the problems in both hardware and software which limit the reliability that can be claimed for safety related systems | Examination |
| 4 | give examples which justify and support developments in standards, methodologies, processes and procedures | Presentation/Project |
Restrictions, Prerequisites and Corequisites
Restrictions:
None
Prerequisites:
None
Co-requisites:
None
Teaching
Teaching Methods:
12 hrs conventional lectures, 11 hrs of student presentations on case studies
Contact Hours:
Assessment
- Supplementary (where allowed): As the sessional assessment
- The continuous assessment consists of a presentation/project.
Recommended Books
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher, Date |
| Safety-Critical Computer Systems | N. Storey | Addison Wesley, Harlow, 1996 |
| Safeware: System Safety and Computers | Nancy Leveson | Addison Wesley, Reading Massachusetts, 1995 |
| Software Failure: Management Failure | Stephen Flowers | Wiley, 1996 |
Detailed Syllabus
- Definitions of safety. Computers and risk.
- Human factors
- Standards
- Risk assessment methods
- Fault-tolerant architectures
- Validation and verification
- Working environment: mistakes and incidents
- Examples: Ariane 5, transport, manufacturing and medical applications
Last updated: 1 Feb 2004
Source file: /internal/modules/COMSCI/2003/xml/15256.xml
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus