Model-drevet udvikling med VDM++ og UML 1 (TIVDM1)

Model driven development using VDM++ and UML 1
Q3, Spring 2010
Computer Technology and Embedded Systems
Engineering College of Aarhus

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About the course

Course description

The aim of the course is that the students learn the basic principles and practice for object oriented development using models creates in a combination of UML and VDM++. This will in particular increase the understanding of the different levels of abstractions that can be used when modelling a realistic system.

Learning objectives

The participants must at the end of the course be able to:

explain and compare advantages and disadvantages with alternative abstractions in relation to the purpose of a precise model.
explain constructs and concepts in the sequential subset of the modelling language VDM++ and the connection to UML class diagrams.
define and explain syntax and semantics for the sequential subset of VDM++.
apply VDM++ and UML with the associated tool support for abstract and precise modelling and validation of systems.
evaluate practical use of VDM++ for the validation of concrete system descriptions.

This course contains:

The development process used for modeling using a combination of UML and VDM++.
The available tool support for validation of such models.
Logic and basic primitives in VDM++ and UML class diagrams.
Modellering in VDM++ using unordered collections.
Modellering i VDM++ using ordered collections.
Modellering i VDM++ using relationships.

All subjects will be introduced by means of examples inspired from industrial usage.

Education form

In this course there will be lectures in theory from the VDM++ book once every week. In the first week all students also need to establish groups and select the project they will use throughout the course to work with. Afterwards in the remaining weeks the lectures will be supplemented with the student groups explaining about the progress they have done with their own project. In the 6th week all groups shall turn in a report about their project and this report will be used as the stating point for the oral examination.

Evaluation of the course

In order to evaluate the value of the course and the performance of the lecturer an evaluation of the course will be performed in the last week. At the lecture in the 6th week all students must therefore fill in this form.

Exam

This will be an oral examination Wednesday the 24th of March 2010 in week 12 where the project that the student have worked on will be taken as a starting point. Then it will be examined to what extend the student is able to master the different concepts from VDM++. It will be with an external examiner and it will be graded after the standard 7 point scale. The order in which the students will be examined can be found here.

The project must be documented in the form of a report that should be handed in by every group at the latest on the 18th of March at the last lecture should as a minimum contain the following items:

An introduction
A short description of the project including requirements made for the system as well as the purpose of the modeling
A description of how the model looks (both UML class diagrams and VDM++ class definitions). If is helps the presentation of the system to use other UML diagrams that is also more than welcome.
A description of the test set-up of the model
A conclusion of whether the group has succeeded reaching the purpose of the modeling and an evaluation of whether the model has provided new insight into making abstractions. Reflections about the ability to consider different alternatives in the design process are recommended.
Finally each group should supply the entire model (all vdmpp files) and a UML model such that it is possible for the teacher and the external examiner to independently analyze the produced model.

Two hard-copies of the report should be handed in for the teacher and the external examiner. Each report will be read by both the teacher and the external examiner prior to the oral exam, but as such no grade will be given for the report. However, it will provide insight for the teacher and the external examiner about what grade level we shall search for in the questioning during the oral examination. Since both the teacher and the external examiner can be expected to have read all the reports prior to the exam it will be possible for the students to refer to parts of the report during their presentation. The expected amount of energy put into the report is approximately half of the time spent on the course as a whole.

In the evaluation of the reports the following aspects will be considered:

The demonstration of mastering abstraction levels
The demonstration of testing of the VDM model
The ability to use sets appropriately
The ability to use sequences appropriately
The ability to use mappings appropriately
The ability to use invariants, pre- and post-condition predicates appropriately
The proper management of requirements taken into account
The demonstration of using different validation analysis techniques for the model
The overall impression of the finish of the report

Curriculum: John Fitzgerald, Peter Gorm Larsen, Paul Mukherjee, Nico Plat and Marcel Verhoef:

Springer Verlag, 2005. Chapter 1 to 9.

Updated March 15th 2010
Peter Gorm Larsen (pgl@iha.dk)