School of Computing / Skool vir Rekenaarkunde - Name

1 Introduction
5
INF305F/ SWE401I/SED401I /101
We present you with a comprehensive first tutorial letter to assist you in the best possible way
to make sure that you have effective interaction with the lecturers for this module.
2 About this module
“When computer software succeeds – when it meets the needs of the people who use it,
when it performs flawlessly over a long period of time, when it is easy to modify and even
easier to use – it can and does change things for the better. But when software fails – when
its users are dissatisfied, when it is error prone, when it is difficult to change and even harder
to use – bad things can and do happen” (Pressman, 2005).
This is the opening paragraph of the prescribed book, Software engineering: A practitioner’s
approach by Roger S Pressman, and it summarises the goal of this module – looking at the
actions involved in building and maintaining software from a software engineering approach.
Prescribing a relevant, usable, user-friendly, affordable textbook is a particularly difficult task.
We went through a number of books in search of a prescribed book that addresses the
important issues in software engineering, and we finally decided on Pressman’s book. He is a
well-known author in this specific application domain, and we believe that the students taking
this course will gain not only from the chapters that we cover in depth but also from the
chapters that we designate as reading material.
We trust that you will find the course interesting and enriching!
3 Communication with Unisa and fellow students
3.1 Whom to phone for what?
You should have received a booklet called Services and procedures during registration. This
booklet contains all the important telephone numbers that you may need during this year.
Consult it for the necessary contact people. (Part 1 of the Calendar contains much of this
information, too.) Please do not telephone the lecturers for services supplied by support
departments. In respect of all administrative enquiries, use only the telephone and fax of the
Unisa Contact Centre. Enquiries will then be channelled to the respective departments.