Topics
Note: Once it is clear who does which topic, the presentations will be scheduled. The presentations will be scheduled following the order of the topics shown below, i.e., starting with topics in the field of Software Requirements Engineering and ending with topics in the field of Software Management. Each selected topic must focus on specific aspects within a chosen topic, e.g., a specific activity (scope), a specific population, a specific intervention, a specific context, a specific outcome, etc.
Proposed topics for 1st year students
These topics can be picked by all students who don't yet have an approved MSc thesis topic. For 2nd year students I assume they already have a master thesis topic. If they don't, they can pick from the list, too. Additions/modifications of the topics listed below are possible but must be approved after consultation by the seminar teacher.
Software Requirements Engineering (SRE)
- Topic SR-1: Machine learning applications in SRE
- Topic SR-2: The use of natural language processing in SRE
- Topic SR-3: Tool support in SRE
- Topic SR-4: Methods and techniques of agile SRE
Software Design (SD)
- Topic DE-1: Automatic detection of SD smells
- Topic DE-2: Methods and tools to assess SD quality
- Topic DE-3: Principles of game design - reserved for Taimour Khan
Software Architecture (SA)
- Topic AR-1: Automatic detection of SA smells
- Topic AR-2: Methods and tools to assess SA quality - reserved for Shailaja Mahara and Almaz Kydyrmin
- Topic AR-3: Evolution of SA paradigms in mobile applications - reserved for Rufat Abdullayev and Rasul Iskandarov
- Topic AR-4: Evolution of SA paradigms in web applications - reserved for Jan-Erik Kalmus and Karl Rapur
- Topic AR-5: Use of SA Description Languages (SADLs) in industry
Software Implementation
- Topic SI-1: Occurrence and frequency of code smells across programming languages & platforms - reserved for Serhii Murashko and Viktoriia Abakumova
- Topic SI-2: Pros and cons of static code analysers
- Topic SI-3: Software engineering applied to scientific computing - reserved for Azhar Kazakbaeva and Maksym Avramenko
- Topic SI-4: Tool support in scientific computing
- Topic SI-5: Location-based navigation and services
- Topic SI-6: Building Control Tools and Dashboards
- Topic SI-7: Interactive static code analysers - researved for Emil Ojagverdiyev and Murad Khasmammadov
- Topic SI-8: A recommender system for an improved data findability in open government data portals - reserved for Ramil Huseynov
Software Test/QA
- Topic TQ-1: Automatic unit test generation
- Topic TQ-2: Automatic end-to-end test generation
- Topic TQ-3: Using machine learning to solve the test oracle problem
- Topic TQ-4: Using machine learning to speed up automated testing - reserved for Ameer Hamza and Ojus Virendra Tudavekar
- Topic TQ-5: (Automated) Security testing of web-applications
- Topic TQ-6: (Automated) Security testing of mobile applications
- Topic TQ-7: Methods for automatic test oracle generation
- Topic TQ-8: Testing of AI-based systems (e.g., automotive)
- Topic TQ-9: Safety testing (note: this can be specialised to a specific product domain)
- Topic TQ-10: Security concepts in microservices and microservice architecture - reserved for Oliver-Erik Suik and Anette Maria Kuklane
- Topic TQ-11: Simulators and their application in testing of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) - reserved for Laima Anna Dalbina
Software Process/Methodology
- Topic PM-1: Adoption of agile development practices in embedded systems
- Topic PM-2: Teaching agile software development to students and engineers
- Topic PM-3: Teaching software testing to university students
- Topic PM-4: Management practices in game development
Blockchain
- Topic BL-1: Blockchain applications in financial applications - reserved for Toluwani Elemosho and Rasinthe Marasinghe
Business Process
- Topic BP-1: Business Process Simulation - Applications and Challanges
- Topic BP-2: Methods to extract security issues from business process models
- Topic BP-3: Evolution of business process description languages
- Topic BP-4: Teaching business process management
- Topic BP-5: Automated discovery of business process models from event logs
Software Management
- Topic SM-1: Use software requirements management methods/tools in industry
- Topic SM-2: Effort estimation techniques/tools used in industry - reserved for Deepika Uttam Sambrekar and A. W. M. Hashika Dhananjanie
- Topic SM-3: Impact of motivation on team productivity - reserved for Kristjan Pint and Fillip Molodtsov
- Topic SM-4: Use of agile management practices in software industry - reserved for Joosep Kaimre and Marc David
Quantum Computing (QC)
- Topic QU-1: QC applications in software engineering - reserved for Ismayil Karimli.
- Topic QU-2: QC in business applications
Note 1: All topics may be tailored (scoped), e.g., made activity, domain, platform or programming language specific. Also, the time frame may be limited (e.g., since 2010, or even since 2015) to limit the number of papers to be analysed.
Note 2: Second year students work alone. First year students work in pairs.
Note 3: For each chosen topic a set of research questions (RQs) must be formulated. Second year students must address at least 3 RQs while pairs of 1st year students must handle at least 4 RQs in their report/presentation.
Research Questions - Example
Example taken from: Kai Petersen, Sairam Vakkalanka, Ludwik Kuzniarz (2015) Guidelines for conducting systematic mapping studies in software engineering: An update. Information and Software Technology, Volume 64, Pages 1-18. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2015.03.007]
- RQ1: Which guidelines are followed to conduct the systematic mapping studies in software engineering?
- RQ2: Which software engineering topics are covered?
- RQ3: Where and when were mapping studies published?
- RQ4: How was the systematic mapping process performed?
- This includes, for example:
- Identification of studies (search, inclusion and exclusion)
- Categorization and Classification schemes and processes
- Visualization of results
- This includes, for example: