EDI 3500 Low Code Software Development
EDI 3500 Low Code Software Development
The essence of this course is to let students solve a business problem by creating a digital solution without witing code.
One key success factor in a digital transformation is how well an organization can mobilize its members to be part of the digitalization process. New technologies such as generative AI with chatbots and co-pilots enable end-users to create digital solutions such as apps, dashboard and automated workflows without the involvement of professional developers, or to co-create these with developers. There are many open-source and commercial tools available that help users build apps and other solutions without coding, and many of them includes digital assistants driven by artificial intelligence (AI) to support users in their development.
The low code development tools have capabilities to automate tasks, workflows and processes and enable organizations to free employees from tasks that are boring, repetitive and labour intensive. The rapid development in new capabilities combined with reductions in price have made these tools affordable and practically available to the extent that we in many cases find an order of magnitude change in the cost/benefit-ratio of using technology compared to human labour.
This course aims to train students in a problem-solving activity (a group project) where the team will create a digital solution with one or more components using the Microsoft Power Platform and other tools.
After completing the course, the candidate will have acquired knowledge about:
- Problem-solving and problem-solving processes
- Teamwork in problem solving processes
- The mutuality of people, processes and technology in an organization
- Low code software development compared to professional software development
- Common platforms and tools for low code development
- Data management
- A framework for software sustainability assessment
After completing the course, the candidate is able to:
- Work in a team to solve a business problem
- Apply interdisciplinary knowledge to solve business problems
- Apply tools that are feasible for the problem at hand
- Develop and implement a digital solution
- Perform data management, including interacting with external data sources
- Estimate and evaluate effects of the solution, including sustainability
The candidates should be able to reflect on their own role in a problem-solving process, being part of a team and how one’s own behavior contributes to team success. They should also be able to reflect on ethical, legal and sustainability implications of softar development.
- Problem-solving; methods and processes
- Problem-solving techniques
- Teamwork in problem solving
- Data management in theory and practice
- Manage and structure data sets
- Using APIs to connect to data sources
- Understanding business processes
- Tasks, workflows and business processes
- Process mapping and analysis
- Low code development: concepts, tools and techniques
- App creation from data
- Build your own
- Workflow automation - overview and introduction
- Intelligent chatbots
- People, processes and technology
- Solution designs
- Platform choices
The course includes a combination of lectures, case discussions, and "lab"-sessions with workshops and hands-on exercises.
Classes are designed to be interactive - small group activities, student-led discussions, and peer feedback exercises. Attendance and participation in class are expected.
Software tools
Students will have access to a variety of software tools in the course, including:
- Virtual desktop (VDI) to run the software used in the course
- Tools within the Microsoft 365 platform
- Online whiteboards with templates (e.g. Miro) and drawing applications (e.g. draw.io)
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
Students are expected to have a basic skills in coding and data management.
| Mandatory coursework | Courseworks given | Courseworks required | Comment coursework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | 5 | 3 | The course includes lab-sessions, workshops and other exercises to develop knowledge and skills in task automation. The coursework requirements is to hand in documentation on the result from five of these activities. More information will be given at the beginning of the course. |
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Submission other than PDF Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 100 Grouping: Group (4 - 6) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: EDI 35001 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 20 Hour(s) | Participation in lectures |
Seminar groups | 10 Hour(s) | Lab-seminars. Hands-on introductory training in tools and techniques |
Seminar groups | 15 Hour(s) | Participation in workshops |
Prepare for teaching | 20 Hour(s) | Reading and preparing for lectures and “lab”-sessions |
Examination | 90 Hour(s) | Work on the exam project, including preparing for workshops |
Student's own work with learning resources | 45 Hour(s) | Work with online content and assignments to develop skills in low code tools |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.
The work should be documented in a written document that documents the problem-solving and development process, links for access to the solution and a multimedia production (e.g. video) that explains and demonstrates the solution.