This book has been written to support students and teachers in implementing the NSW Software Design and Development HSC Course. The course has been introduced by the Board of Studies to give students who are interested in the field of software design and development an opportunity to study the subject and create appropriate software solutions.
The development of software involves careful planning, clear documentation and an appreciation of the effects that the product may have on members of society. To this end, the book covers aspects of development, including analysing the problem, planning a solution, creating and testing the solution, documenting the solution as well as the associated social and ethical considerations.
Since different problems will need different approaches, a number of methods of software development are examined. These vary from the formal, structured approach through to the informal approaches such as end-user development. The nature of the problem to be solved will also dictate which computer language is most suitable to develop the solution. To cater for this need, examples have been drawn from a wide range of languages.
Each chapter begins with a statement of the chapter outcomes, student knowledge and student experiences. This allows both the teacher and the student to ensure that the syllabus content has been met. The chapters end with a summary, a set of review exercises and a team project.