A two-year Software Engineering M.Sc. degree designed under the Bologna Declaration Principles

This paper presents and discusses the syllabus of a second cycle degree on Software Engineering in which any student that finishes any undergraduate Computing degree (Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, and Software Engineering) can enroll. In the first year, the degree is composed of two 30 ECTS modules, one dedicated to software analysis and design and the other devoted to software quality and management. Each module is composed of five curricular units, being one of them dedicated to the experimental integration of the module’s topics. The second year allows two different paths to be followed by the students. The professional path includes a 30 ECTS industrial project, while in the scientific path students must write a 45 ECTS master dissertation. The degree is mainly structured to consider the Bologna Declaration that is now being used in Europe to recast all university degrees. Additionally, we also considered the Software Engineering 2004 Curriculum Guidelines and the Knowledge Areas described in the SWEBOK.(undefined

An Empirical Methodology for Engineering Human Systems Integration

The systems engineering technical processes are not sufficiently supported by methods and tools that quantitatively integrate human considerations into early system design. Because of this, engineers must often rely on qualitative judgments or delay critical decisions until late in the system lifecycle. Studies reveal that this is likely to result in cost, schedule, and performance consequences. This dissertation presents a methodology to improve the application of systems engineering technical processes for design. This methodology is mathematically rigorous, is grounded in relevant theory, and applies extant human subjects data to critical systems development challenges. The methodology is expressed in four methods that support early systems engineering activities: a requirements elicitation method, a function allocation method, an input device design method, and a display layout design method. These form a coherent approach to early system development. Each method is separately discussed and demonstrated using a prototypical system development program. In total, this original and significant work has a broad range of systems engineer applicability to improve the engineering of human systems integration

Human Factors Certification of Advanced Aviation Technologies

Proceedings of the Human Factors Certification of Advanced Aviation Technologies Conference held at the Chateau de Bonas, near Toulouse, France, 19-23 July 1993

Quality improvement through the identification of controllable and uncontrollable factors in software development

The software engineering community has moved from corrective methods to preventive methods shifting the emphasis from product quality improvement to process quality improvement. Inspections at the end of the production line have been replaced by design walkthroughs and built-in quality assurance techniques throughout the development lifecycle. Process models such as the Spiral, V, W and X-Models provide the principles and techniques for process improvement which, in turn, produces product improvement. Factors that affect the quality of software need to be identified and controlled to ensure predictable and measurable software. In this paper we identify controllable and uncontrollable factors and provide empirical results from a large industrial survey, as well as conclusions relating to the models and metamodels for the estimation, measurement and control of the totality of features and characteristics of software

Software languages engineering: experimental evaluation

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia InformáticaDomain-Specific Languages (DSLs) are programming languages that offer, through appropriate notation and abstraction, still enough an expressive control over a particular problem domain for more restricted use. They are expected to contribute with an enhancement of productivity, reliability, maintainability and portability, when compared with General Purpose Programming Languages (GPLs). However, like in any Software Product without passing by all development stages namely Domain Analysis, Design, Implementation and Evaluation, some of the DSLs’ alleged advantages may be impossible to be achieved with a significant level of satisfaction. This may lead to the production of inadequate or inefficient languages. This dissertation is focused on the Evaluation phase. To characterize DSL community commitment concerning Evaluation, we conducted a systematic review. The review covered publications in the main fora dedicated to DSLs from 2001 to 2008, and allowed to analyse and classify papers with respect to the validation efforts conducted by DSLs’ producers, where have been observed a reduced concern to this matter. Another important outcome that has been identified is the absence of a concrete approach to the evaluation of DSLs, which would allow a sound assessment of the actual improvements brought by the usage of DSLs. Therefore, the main goal of this dissertation concerns the production of a Systematic Evaluation Methodology for DSLs. To achieve this objective, has been carried out the major techniques used in Experimental Software Engineering and Usability Engineering context. The proposed methodology was validated with its use in several case studies, whereupon DSLs evaluation has been made in accordance with this methodology

SPACE HABITABILITY. Integration von Human Factors in den Entwicklungsprozess zur Verbesserung der Bewohnbarkeit für langandauernde Weltraummissionen

Astronauten arbeiten in den extremsten Umgebungen und unter lebensgefährlichen Bedingungen, um das Wissen der Menschheit über den Weltraum zu erweitern. Radioaktive Strahlung, Anpassung an die Schwerelosigkeit, Isolation und Mensch-Technik-Interaktion sind nur einige der vielen Herausforderungen, welche sich gravierend auf die Bewohnbarkeit des Weltalls auswirken und damit auch auf die Leistungsfähigkeit, die Sicherheit und das Wohlbefinden eines Menschen. Kenntnisse über den Einfluss dieser Faktoren auf den Menschen sind von größter Bedeutung wenn es darum geht, Leistungsfähigkeit, Sicherheit und den Erfolg der Mission zu gewährleisten. Human Factors, eine Fachrichtung welche die Interaktion zwischen Menschen und anderen Elementen des Systems behandelt, wurde bis heute nicht angemessen berücksichtigt, welches Berichten zufolge die Ursache für das geringe Niveau der Bewohnbarkeit von Raumstationen, von der Mir bis hin zur derzeitigen Internationalen Raumstation, ist. Wie die European Cooperation for Space Standardization betonte ist die Integration von fundiertem Human Factors-Wissen in allen Projektphasen von Anfang an eine primäre Notwendigkeit, insbesondere in Anbetracht des immer warscheinlicher werdenden Szenarios einer Langzeitmission. In dieser Arbeit wird ein neues konzeptionelles Modell als Lösungsweg für den Umgang mit diesen Bedürfnissen vorgeschlagen, welches den Schwerpunkt auf die Einbeziehung von Human-Factors-Prinzipien in alle Aspekte einer bemannten Langzeitmission setzt, um die Bewohnbarkeit im All zu verbessern. Das neue konzeptionelle Modell, nachstehend als "Integrated Design Process (IDP)" bezeichnet, umfasst drei wichtige Designprinzipien: Faktoren der Bewohnbarkeit, einen benutzerzentrierten Ansatz und eine ganzheitliche Methodik. Das konzeptionelle Modell wurde in vier Studien im Vergleich zu existierenden Modellen untersucht. An der ersten Studie waren Studenten aus verschiedenen Fachrichtungen beteiligt, welche das Modell einsetzten, um die Gestaltung einer Mondbasis zu unterstützen. An der zweiten Studie war der Arbeitskreis Extreme-Design beteiligt, welcher das Modell einsetzte, um Verfahren zum Bewohnbarkeits-Debriefing sowie Sensorenreize während einer simulierten Mission auf der Mars Desert Research Station zu untersuchen. An der dritten Studie waren Studenten des Lehrstuhls Mensch-Maschine-Systeme der TU Berlin beteiligt, welche Raumausrüstung für Systemabläufe in einer Mensch-Maschine-Umgebung entwarfen. An der vierten Studie war ein interdisziplinäres Team im Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) beteiligt, welches das Modell beim Entwurf eines closed-loop Habitat-Systems für Langstreckenmissionen anwendete. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studien zeigten, dass im Vergleich zu den aktuellen Methoden die Verwendung des IDP-Modells während der Entwurfsphase die Bewohnbarkeit verbessert. Die Vermutung liegt daher nahe, dass die Verwendung eines solchen Modells in der Planungsphase einer Weltraummission die Bewohnbarkeit und als Folge die Leistungsfähigkeit des Menschen und dessen Sicherheit verbessern und letztendlich zum Erfolg der Mission beitragen kann. Die Auswirkungen eines solchen Modells gehen über die Anwendung im Weltraum hinaus und schließen auch andere Umgebungen mit ein, in welchen Menschen in geschlossenen Räumen für längere Zeit leben und arbeiten müssen, wie beispielsweise in Forschungslaboren in der Antarktis, aber auch in Megastädten und Altenheimen.Astronauts work in the most extreme environments and under life-threatening conditions in order to expand human knowledge in outer space. Radiation, adaptation to microgravity, isolation, and user-system interaction are some of the many challenges that strongly affect the level of habitability in space and, as a consequence, human performance, safety, and well-being. Knowing how these elements impact on humans is of paramount importance when it comes to ensuring user performance, safety, and mission success. Until now, human factors – the discipline that is concerned with the interactions between humans and other elements of a system – have not been taken into account appropriately, which is why the level of habitability on space stations, from the Mir to the current International Space Station, is reportedly low. As underlined by the European Cooperation for Space Standardization, the integration of sound human factors into all project phases, starting from the very beginning, has become a primary necessity, in particular considering the approaching scenario of long duration/range missions. As a means for dealing with this need, this thesis proposes a new conceptual model, which focuses on incorporating human factors principles right from the preliminary design phase into all aspects of long-duration/range human mission projects in order to improve habitability. The new conceptual model, referred to herein as the ‘Integrated Design Process (IDP)’, incorporates three key design principles: habitability factors, a user-centered approach, and a holistic methodology. The conceptual model was tested against existing models in four separate studies. Specifically, study one involved students from various disciplines employing the model to assist in the design of a Moon Base. Study two involved the Extreme-Design research group employing the model to investigate habitability debriefing procedures and sensor stimuli during a simulation mission at the Mars Desert Research Station. Study three involved students from the Human-Machine System Chair at TU-Berlin designing space equipment for human-machine-environment system operations. The fourth study involved a multidisciplinary team at the German Space Agency (DLR) employing the model to design a closed-loop habitat facility for long duration space missions. The results of these studies revealed that employing the IDP model during the design phase improved self-rated habitability when compared to the current methods. These results suggest that employing such a model during the design phase of a space mis-sion will improve habitability of the item under development, thus improving user performance, safety, and ultimately mission success. The implications of such a model extend beyond application in space and include other environments where individuals are expected to live and work in confined areas for extended periods of time, such as in research laboratories in Antartica. It can also be applied in megacities as well as in retirement homes

A Framework for Extended Reality System Development in Manufacturing

This paper presents a framework for developing extended reality (XR) systems within manufacturing context. The aim of this study is to develop a systematic framework to improve the usability and user acceptance of future XR systems. So that manufacturing industry can move from the “wow effect” of XR demonstrators into the stage whereas XR systems can be successfully integrated and improve the conventional work routines. It is essential to ensure the usability and user acceptance of XR systems for the wider adoption in manufacturing. The proposed framework was developed through six case studies that covered different XR system developments for different application areas of manufacturing. The framework consists of five iterative phases: (1) requirements analysis, (2) solution selection, (3) data preparation, (4) system implementation and (5) system evaluation. It is validated through one empirical case and seven identified previous studies, which partly aligned with the proposed framework. The proposed framework provides a clear guideline on the steps needed to integrate XR in manufacturing and it extends the XR usage with increased usability and user acceptance. Furthermore, it strengthens the importance of user-centered approach for XR system development in manufacturing

Assessing V and V Processes for Automation with Respect to Vulnerabilities to Loss of Airplane State Awareness

Automation has contributed substantially to the sustained improvement of aviation safety by minimizing the physical workload of the pilot and increasing operational efficiency. Nevertheless, in complex and highly automated aircraft, automation also has unintended consequences. As systems become more complex and the authority and autonomy (A&A) of the automation increases, human operators become relegated to the role of a system supervisor or administrator, a passive role not conducive to maintaining engagement and airplane state awareness (ASA). The consequence is that flight crews can often come to over rely on the automation, become less engaged in the human-machine interaction, and lose awareness of the automation mode under which the aircraft is operating. Likewise, the complexity of the system and automation modes may lead to poor understanding of the interaction between a mode of automation and a particular system configuration or phase of flight. These and other examples of mode confusion often lead to mismanaging the aircraft"TM"s energy state or the aircraft deviating from the intended flight path. This report examines methods for assessing whether, and how, operational constructs properly assign authority and autonomy in a safe and coordinated manner, with particular emphasis on assuring adequate airplane state awareness by the flight crew and air traffic controllers in off-nominal and/or complex situations

1997 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1997 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 13th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1997 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA in 1997. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC

Development Considerations for Implementing a Voice-Controlled Spacecraft System

As computational power and speech recognition algorithms improve, the consumer market will see better-performing speech recognition applications. The cell phone and Internet-related service industry have further enhanced speech recognition applications using artificial intelligence and statistical data-mining techniques. These improvements to speech recognition technology (SRT) may one day help astronauts on future deep space human missions that require control of complex spacecraft systems or spacesuit applications by voice. Though SRT and more advanced speech recognition techniques show promise, use of this technology for a space application such as vehicle/habitat/spacesuit requires careful considerations. This paper provides considerations and guidance for the use of SRT in voice-controlled spacecraft systems (VCSS) applications for space missions, specifically in command-and-control (C2) applications where the commanding is user-initiated. First, current SRT limitations as known at the time of this report are given. Then, highlights of SRT used in the space program provide the reader with a history of some of the human spaceflight applications and research. Next, an overview of the speech production process and the intrinsic variations of speech are provided. Finally, general guidance and considerations are given for the development of a VCSS using a human-centered design approach for space applications that includes vocabulary selection and performance testing, as well as VCSS considerations for C2 dialogue management design, feedback, error handling, and evaluation/usability testing