Author(s)

D. Lightfoot

Abstract

A first course in formal specification: design principles and experience D. Lightfoot School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, 0X3 OBP, UK The course Modular degree courses at Oxford Brookes University consist of modules, each of which takes one term to complete. The term currently consists of nine weeks of teaching, followed by a reading week and an eleventh, final week in which the students take examinations. Although there are prerequisite dependencies between modules, it is best that as much as possible modules are self-contained. These are the constraints on the amount of material that can be covered in each module and the style in which it is taught. A one-term module introducing formal specification using the Z notation has now run for four years. The principles put into practice in constructing this module and the experiences of running it are discussed in this paper. Design principles The design of the modu

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